Raw dog food for beginners
Everything a first time raw feeder needs, in the order it comes up: what raw feeding is, whether it is a good idea for your dog, how much to feed, which ratio to follow, what it costs in the UK, how to handle it and how to switch. Each step is a short summary with the full guide behind it.
- Updated 31 October 2026
- 7 min read
- Matches the calculator and every linked guide
What raw feeding is, in one paragraph
Raw feeding means giving a dog uncooked meat, edible bone and organ in roughly the proportions found in a whole prey animal: about 80 percent muscle meat, 10 percent bone and 10 percent organ, half of that liver. Some feeders add 10 percent vegetables and call it BARF. You can build it yourself from minces and chicken wings, or buy it ready balanced and frozen from a UK brand. Either way the dog eats 2 to 3 percent of its body weight a day, weighed, and the food is handled like raw chicken for people. That is the whole method. The rest of this page is the detail in order.
The eight steps
- 1
Decide whether raw is right for your dog
Raw suits healthy adult dogs with owners who will weigh food and wash up. It needs more thought for puppies, households with a baby or someone immune compromised, and dogs with pancreatitis or kidney disease. The evidence page sets out what raw does and does not do without the sales pitch.
Read: Is raw good for dogs? - 2
Work out how much to feed
Adults eat 2 to 3 percent of body weight a day, so a 20 kg dog gets about 500 g. Puppies eat more, seniors a little less. Run your dog through the calculator and write the number on the freezer.
Read: How much to feed - 3
Pick a ratio
80/10/5/5 (muscle meat, bone, liver, other organ) is prey model raw. 70/10/5/5/10 adds vegetables and is BARF. Both work. If you buy complete, the ratio is done for you and this step is just choosing a brand.
Read: BARF vs PMR - 4
Choose complete or DIY for the first month
Complete raw is balanced out of the pack and costs £4.38 to £7.98 a kg in the UK. It is the right way to start, because it removes the balance question while you learn the handling. DIY is cheaper and comes later if you want it.
Compare UK brands - 5
Know what it will cost
Complete raw for a 20 kg dog is £66 to £120 a month depending on brand and pack size. DIY is £38 to £68. Both are more than mid range kibble. The budget guide shows where the money goes and how to cut it.
Read: Budget raw - 6
Sort the freezer and the routine
A 20 kg dog eats 15 kg a month, which does not fit in the ice box. Buy or clear a freezer drawer, defrost tomorrow's food in the fridge tonight, and set up a board, knife and bowl that are only for the dog.
Read: Storing and defrosting - 7
Switch over 7 to 14 days
One protein first, usually chicken, replacing a quarter of the old food every few days. Stools change, drinking drops, and the dog is usually keener than you expected. The guide says what is normal and when to slow down.
Read: Switching to raw - 8
Add bone, then other proteins
Once the dog is settled, introduce raw meaty bones sized for the dog, then a second and third protein a week or two apart. Oily fish once or twice a week covers omega 3.
Read: Raw bones
Your first shopping list
For a 20 kg adult dog starting on complete raw, the first fortnight looks like this. Scale it with the calculator for your dog.
- 7 kg of complete chicken raw (14 days at 500 g). Nutriment 1.4 kg tubs or Durham Animal Feeds 454 g blocks are the cheapest; Bella + Duke delivers it portioned.
- A kitchen scale that reads in grams. Guessing is how dogs get fat on raw.
- A stainless steel or ceramic bowl, because plastic scratches and holds bacteria.
- A chopping board and knife kept for the dog's food only.
- Lidded tubs for defrosting in the fridge.
- Freezer space: 15 kg a month for a 20 kg dog needs about two drawers of a standard upright freezer.
- Nothing else. No supplements, no bones, no second protein until the dog has settled for a fortnight.
Three ways to buy the first month
Nutriment and Durham Animal Feeds are the cheapest completes and sit in independent pet shop freezers. Bella + Duke portions it for your dog and delivers frozen, which removes the weighing for the first month.
Affiliate disclosure: links to brands here are affiliate links. If you buy through one we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change the calculator results or the order brands appear in. How this works.
The first month, week by week
| Week | What you do | What you will see |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Switch over 7 days, one protein, complete raw. Weigh every meal. | Smaller, firmer stools by day 3. Less drinking. Some extra wind. |
| 2 | Fully raw. Hold the amount. Note body condition: ribs easy to feel, visible waist. | Stool settles. Coat may already look glossier. Dog keen at mealtimes. |
| 3 | Weigh the dog. Adjust by 10 percent if needed. Add a second protein or a raw meaty bone. | Weight should be stable. New protein may loosen stools for a day. |
| 4 | Add oily fish once. Decide: stay on complete, or move to DIY with the ratios. | A routine. The freezer, the defrosting and the washing up are habits by now. |
Five mistakes to avoid
- Mince only. Supermarket mince has no bone or organ. The raw meat guide explains what to add.
- Eyeballing portions. A 20 kg dog's daily food is 500 g, which looks small in a bowl. Weigh it.
- Everything at once. Three proteins, bones, eggs and tripe in week one means you cannot tell what caused the upset.
- Cooked bones. Raw bones bend, cooked bones splinter. The roast chicken carcass goes in the bin, not the bowl. The bones guide lists what is safe.
- Skipping the hygiene because the dog is fine. The dog was never the one at risk. Fridge defrosting, separate utensils, bowl washed after every meal.
Where to go next
The calculator for the grams. The brand comparison for the first bag. The transition guide for the first week. After that, the "can dogs eat" pages on chicken, eggs, fish and vegetables cover the questions that come up in month two.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What is raw dog food, exactly?
Uncooked muscle meat, edible bone and organ, usually minced or chunked and sold frozen, sometimes with vegetables and fruit added. A "complete" raw food has the proportions balanced to the FEDIAF guidelines that all UK pet food works to, so you can feed it on its own. A "complementary" product, such as a plain chicken mince, is an ingredient and needs bone and organ adding. The label says which it is.
Is raw dog food safe?
For the dog, a complete raw diet fed in the right amount is as safe as any other balanced diet. For the household, raw meat carries bacteria and the risk is to the people who handle it and live with the dog, which is why hygiene gets its own step above. The evidence page sets out the risks plainly rather than waving them away.
How long does it take to switch a dog to raw?
7 to 14 days for most adult dogs using a gradual switch. Some owners switch overnight after a 12 hour fast, which works for dogs with robust stomachs. Puppies and dogs with sensitive digestion take the slow route. The transition guide has the day by day plan.
What is the biggest mistake beginners make?
Feeding muscle meat on its own. A tray of supermarket mince looks like dog food but has no bone and no liver, so it is short of calcium and vitamin A within weeks. Second is guessing the amount instead of weighing it, which is how raw fed dogs get fat. Third is skipping the hygiene because the dog seems fine, when the dog was never the one at risk.
Can I mix raw and kibble?
Yes. The claim that they digest at different speeds and should never meet is not supported by evidence, and plenty of dogs eat raw in the morning and kibble at night with no trouble. Feeding part raw is also the cheapest way to try it, as the budget guide shows. Keep the total within the daily amount and reduce the kibble by weight to match.
Do I need supplements?
On a complete raw food, no. On a DIY 80/10/10 diet with three or more proteins, liver every week and oily fish most weeks, usually no, though many feeders add a fish oil for omega 3 and some add kelp for iodine. The places DIY raw most often falls short are iodine, vitamin E, zinc and manganese, which is a case for variety first and a supplement second.
Keep reading
More plain UK guides
- The tool Raw Dog Food Calculator Daily grams, PMR or BARF split and a monthly cost estimate for your dog. Open the calculator
- Start here Is Raw Dog Food Good for Dogs? The evidence What raw feeding does and does not do, the evidence, the risks and how it compares with kibble. Read the guide
- How much to feed How Much Raw Food to Feed a Dog The 2 to 3 percent rule, a table for every common dog weight and worked examples. Read the guide
- BARF vs PMR BARF vs PMR The two ratios compared, and what UK complete products actually use. Read the guide
- Budget raw Cheapest Raw Dog Food UK DIY, bulk frozen and part-raw costed for a 10, 20 and 30 kg dog. Read the guide
- Switching to raw Transitioning a Dog to Raw Food A 7 to 14 day plan with the protein order and what normal stools look like. Read the guide
- Puppy guide Puppy Raw Feeding Guide and Calculator Growth percentages, calcium balance and meals per day by age. Read the guide
- The ratio 80/10/10 Raw Dog Food Explained What the numbers mean, why liver is split out, what the ratio misses and the grams for your dog. Read the guide
- Handling Storing and Defrosting Raw Dog Food Safely Fridge life, quick defrosting, refreezing, cooking and the hygiene routine. Read the guide