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Raw Feeding Your Adult Dog

This content is owned by Feed Real Institute. Authored and/or contributed to by Kay S., Amber D..

The nutritional requirements for a mature, healthy adult dog will depend on the size, breed, and activity level. Preventing age-related diseases and maximizing longevity is the goal at this life stage. Feeding a raw diet allows dog parents to tailor their dog’s diet to its specific needs at this life stage and prepare it for its senior years.

Advantages of Feeding a Raw Diet for Adult Dogs

The commercial foods sold for dogs are ultra-processed and cooked up to six times at high heat. To comply with the AAFCO nutrition guidelines, refined carbs, denatured protein, and fat that also contains synthetic vitamins and minerals are included in your dog's kibble. To compare, that bag of dog food on the shelf is similar to grabbing your bag of fast food.

Kibble contains a lot of sugar and carbohydrates, which cause inflammation throughout the body, weight gain, and hyperinsulinemia (over-insulin production), which eventually results in diabetes. Excessive amounts of insulin correlate with canine cognitive decline (also known as CCD), obesity, and cancer.

To ensure your dog receives as many nutrients as possible, you should feed human-grade raw; as close to their natural, instinctive diet. Dogs have always eaten raw flesh and bones. The healthiest ingredients come from grass-fed , free-range, and organic animals. Foods higher in Omega-3s , such as small fatty fish, should be used to balance the omega-6 content of non-organic meat.

Better bone and joint health, a more robust immune system, softer, fuller fur, and healthier skin are all advantages of raw feeding. The raw, meaty bones (RMBs) component of the raw diet is also beneficial as it provides your dog with added nutrients, improves dental health, increases mental stimulation, and works the jaw.

Dogs fed exclusively a raw diet generally have more energy. Differences in the stool of raw-fed dogs include the colors of the stool changing, so don't be alarmed if the color of your dog's poop changes. Understanding their poop is important as it signifies what your dog is eating, what's expected, and what may not be. For example, your dog's poop may appear to be more of a red color if fed a lot of red meat, white and chalky if your dog is eating a lot of bones, or greenish when consuming leafy greens. You may also notice fewer poops and fewer of them due to raw feeding.

The Basic Bowl

Several raw feeding models include the ancestral or primordial diet, the prey model, the biologically appropriate raw food diet (BARF diet), and sometimes even a combination or hybrid of these diets.

The ancestral diet consists of 63% muscle meat, 10% Seafood, 12% Bone, 5% Liver, 5% Other Secreting organs, and 5% Fiber and Fur.

There are two types of organ meats; secreting organs (liver, pancreas, spleen, kidney, brain, and testicles) and meaty organs (heart, tongue, green tripe, lung, and gizzard).

The ideal prey model diet contains the entire animal left intact with fur or feathers, blood, and all organs. However, this may be difficult to source, so a compromise is the “Franken Prey” model that contains 75-80% muscle meat, 10% raw edible bone, 5% liver, 5% other secreting organs, and 5% animal-based fiber (fur or feathers).

The BARF diet consists of 70% muscle meat, 10% raw edible bone, 7% vegetables, 5% liver, 5% other secreting organs, 2% seeds or nuts, and 1% fruit.

At Real Dog Box , the recommendation for your dog is the Real 6X Ancestral, which involves feeding six essential components.

65% Muscle meat
10% Seafood
10% Bone
5% Liver
5% Other Secreting Organ
5% Fiber and Fur

Based on your dog's age and weight, you can create your dog’s fresh food diet using the https://feedreal.com/calculator.

Feeding for Specific Breed-Related Conditions

It is well known that smaller dogs typically live longer lifetimes than larger dogs. However, larger dogs of the same breed typically live longer. A thorough analysis of the causes of death in North American dogs from 1984 to 2004 revealed some intriguing breed-specific tendencies. Using that knowledge, we can create tailored raw meals that can lengthen your dog's life and reduce the likelihood or start of breed-specific conditions in your dog.

It has been found that degenerative and metabolic disorders are more often the cause of death of smaller breed dogs than larger breeds. However, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, and cancer deaths are more common in larger breeds.

Additionally, it was found that certain breeds had high fatality rates. Fox Terriers are susceptible to cardiovascular disease, Golden Retrievers and Bernese Mountain Dogs to cancer, Treeing Walker Coonhounds to infectious disease, and Dachshunds to neurologic system disease.

Infectious disorders, cancer, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular system, musculoskeletal system, respiratory system, neurological system, and urogenital system were among the conditions for which the study ranked the top five breeds at risk.

Oxidative stress, the excessive creation or insufficient clearance of reactive molecules, and free radicals, which are unstable substances produced by physiological processes within your dog's body, exacerbate these disease processes. Antioxidant-rich meals can shield your body's cells from the harm that free radicals cause. Berries, squash, carrots, broccoli, spinach, kale, and green beans are among the foods high in antioxidants.

Gastrointestinal Disease

To offset the tendencies of GI tract issues, you need to support the gut microbiome through prebiotics and probiotics.

A robust gut microbiome will reduce the chances of Leaky Gut Syndrome , Inflammatory Bowel Disease, chronic diarrhea, and even bloat.

Breeds prone to GI-related deaths include:

Great Dane
Gordon Setter
Akita
Shar Pei
Weimaraner

Cardiovascular Disease

The best nutritional support for the cardiovascular system is to feed your dog foods with amino acids that support the heart, and organically raised, grass-fed meat when possible.

The protein from beef raised organically is a complete protein with a suitable amount of all ten essential amino acids that a dog's diet must have. The most nutrient-dense meats are raw beef, pork, and chicken hearts. The high-quality protein offers a steady stream of amino acids required to prevent the heart tissue degradation brought on by cardiovascular illnesses.

You should minimize these dogs' sodium consumption if you have one of these breeds. Commercial dog foods and many human foods, including snack foods and processed meats, can include high sodium levels (bacon, hot dogs, and deli meats).

Supplementation with Omega-3 can reduce stress on the heart muscle caused by oxidation.

Obesity causes significant stress on your dog's heart. Maintaining a lean weight and body condition is essential in dogs prone to heart disease. Exercise will strengthen your dog’s whole body and maintain cardio fitness.

The breeds prone to cardiovascular-related deaths are:

Newfoundland
Maltese
Chihuahua
Doberman Pinscher
Fox Terrier

Musculoskeletal Disease

Supporting your dog’s muscles and joints starts with good hydration to keep the joints well-lubricated. Omega-3 is an essential ingredient to prevent inflammation of the joints.

Feeding a high-quality protein gives all the critical amino acids required for muscle cell development, as it does with other conditions. An example of a complete and nutrient-rich protein source that will support the muscles around the joints is organically grown grass-fed beef.

Feeding natural anti-inflammatory foods such as turmeric (curcumin and golden paste) and blueberries may prevent the need for harmful medications such as Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs). Other foods high in Omega-3s and anti-inflammatory properties include green-lipped mussels and small oily, fatty fish. Providing a glucosamine supplement and chondroitin is another way to avoid prescription drugs.

Obesity causes stress on your dog's joints and muscles. Providing opportunities for exercise and the proper nutrients will maintain your dog’s weight and muscle tone, reducing the pressure on the joints, tendons, and ligaments.

Dog breeds that tend to develop musculoskeletal diseases include:

Saint Bernard
Great Pyrenees
Irish Wolfhound
Great Dane
Greyhound

Respiratory Disease

For dogs predisposed to respiratory diseases, keeping a healthy weight will help delay the development of episodes, as it does for any other conditions. Extra weight contributes to worsened respiratory problems in these dogs, who already struggle with breathing.

Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome frequently manifests in bulldogs and kindred breeds with flat faces (BOAS). Due to the anatomy of their faces, these dogs often develop respiratory infections. In brachycephalic dogs, maintaining a healthy weight is vital. Due to lung capacity restrictions, they are more susceptible to heat stress and frequently have trouble exercising strenuously or for long periods.

Dog breeds that suffer from respiratory disease as a cause of death include:

Bulldog
Borzoi
Yorkshire Terrier
Afghan Hound
Treeing Walker Coonhound

Neurological Disease

To support the nervous system, you want to ensure that your dog gets adequate magnesium, copper, and manganese levels.

Magnesium is found in most seafood. Copper is abundant in liver, oysters, and green leafy vegetables.

The breeds most afflicted with neurological disease are:

Dachshund
Miniature Dachshund
Pug
Miniature Pinscher
Boston Terrier

Urogenital Disease

Although urogenital diseases may not be fatal, they can still make your dog sick. Studies have determined that Omega-3 fatty acids in the diet minimize the formation of inflammatory compounds that cause oxidative stress in diseased kidney tissue. Providing Omega-3 before the development of kidney disease should help preserve kidney tissue.

Kibble-fed dogs are often dehydrated as the food contains so little moisture. Ensuring that your dog is well-hydrated is crucial in preventing urogenital diseases.

Breeds prone to urogenital diseases are:

Scottish Terrier
Airedale Terrier,
Dalmatian
Norwegian Elkhound
Standard Schnauzer

Infectious Disease

Some breeds are more easily afflicted with fatal infectious diseases, including

Treeing Walker Coonhound
American Staffordshire Terrier
Greyhound
English Pointer
Cardigan Welsh Corgi

Maintaining a robust immune system is crucial for these dogs. A raw diet that includes Omega-3 Fatty Acids, blueberries, celery, bell peppers, carrots, broccoli, bananas, cantaloupe, and cabbage has been shown to have immune system boosting properties for dogs. Colostrum and probiotics have been thoroughly researched to verify their immune-boosting properties for dogs.

Cancer

Cancer cells thrive on sugar and other simple carbohydrates. Avoiding sugar in your dog’s bowl is not as simple as it sounds if you feed her kibble. Kibble contains a lot of sugars, often hidden on the ingredient list as beet pulp, fructose, corn syrup, or sucrose. Raw feeding can allow you to control the sugar content of your dog’s food.

Whole foods that contain phytonutrients have been shown to have anti-cancer properties. Other names for phytonutrients are carotenoids (found in yellow, orange, and red fruits and vegetables), flavonoids (found in apples, berries, and kale), resveratrol (found in red grapes and purple grape juice), glucosinolates (found in Brussel sprouts, cabbage, kale, and broccoli), and phytoestrogen (found in flaxseeds and sesame seeds).

Foods found to help your dog fight cancer, such as turmeric, coconut oil, mushrooms, broccoli, and green peppers should be a dietary staple for dogs prone to cancer.

Cancer is a disease that can afflict any breed of dog, but it is more often seen in the:

Bernese Mountain Dog
Golden Retriever
Scottish Terrier
Bouvier des Flandres
Boxer

Feeding Dogs Based on Size

From the four-pound Chihuahua to the Great Dane or Irish Wolfhound, which may weigh over 200 pounds, there is a huge variation in dog breed sizes. In contrast to other mammalian species, where larger animals like elephants have a significantly longer lifespan than smaller animals like mice, smaller dogs typically have a longer lifespan than larger breed dogs.

Studies have also examined disease in relation to body size. Compared to larger breed dogs, small breed dogs have a higher risk of death from degenerative diseases, endocrine problems, neurological diseases, and metabolic disorders. However, smaller dogs do not experience cancer development at the same rate compared to larger breeds. Another result is that dogs of larger breeds are more likely to pass away from diseases of the musculoskeletal or digestive systems.

Once more, you may benefit your dog by using this knowledge. Obesity is becoming widespread, particularly in smaller breed dogs. One of the simplest ways to extend your dog's life is to feed her the right meals and portions to prevent obesity. Providing nutrients based on potential ailments connected to size might help spare your dog needless discomfort.

Common Preventative Measures

Does this mean that your dog of the breeds mentioned above will become ill or die from these reported diseases? No. We can use this knowledge to boost your dog's immune system and provide him with all the nutrients known to aid in disease prevention.

Helping your dog maintain a healthy weight is a common theme among all preventative measures for the disease. The beginning of many inheritable diseases can be delayed by giving a whole raw diet free of sugar and preservatives. Including immune-boosting whole foods in your dog's diet will help guard against infectious diseases.

Take the time to learn about the breed's genetics before choosing a dog to bring home. Look for information on how to delay the onset of diseases or abnormalities in the breed if they are hereditary. Monthly consultations with a certified canine nutritionist who can offer dietary advice based on your dog's requirements is included with a Real Dog Box membership to help you learn more about your dog's nutritional requirements.

Another central theme among diseases involves oxidative stress (free radicals in the body). Antioxidants can help reduce oxidative stress in your dog. Fruits and vegetables are sources of antioxidants, with blueberries being many dogs' favorite.

Following Your Dog’s Progression into Senior Years

If you give your adult dog the right diet, she will live longer and be able to enjoy her golden years free from numerous age-related illnesses. She will continue to age, but less painfully. Throughout your dog's adult life, yearly checkups at the vet for blood testing and other standard exams to guarantee her organs' health and proper operation of her organs will provide information on what nutrients to include or omit from her diet.

Takeaway Bites

You can provide your dog with specialized raw food meals that may postpone the start of age-related diseases by knowing the breed-specific prone conditions your dog may confront.
For your dog, keeping a lean, fit body will reduce many age-related diseases like heart disease and disorders of the muscles and joints.
Smaller dogs live longer than bigger dogs, while larger dogs tend to live longer within the same breed.