Raw Feeding Mistakes To Avoid

April 13, 2023By Sally Hayler

Here at Benyfit Natural, we are incredibly passionate about species appropriate feeding,simply feeding fresh for optimal health.

Raw feeding comes with additional care and preparation in order to ensure it's safe for both pet parents and dogs. If you follow the same principles of how you would handle any other raw meat in your house, you’re onto a winner. However some different scenarios may pop up to be mindful of...

Can I Cook Raw Dog Food?

This is a big NO from us!

Raw food is intended to be served when it is defrosted, with no heat applied. Cooking causes an increased risk of bacteria, something that can cause digestive upset and a potential vet visit. Benyfit Natural raw products go through rigorous testing to ensure traceability and food safety standards are adhered to. Our entire production line is temperature controlled to ensure it remains below 5°C, anything above this would allow bacteria to grow.

We’re serious about bacteria, which is why we would never recommend cooking any raw food products. Not only is there a bacteria risk, but all Benyfit Natural raw products contain bone. Raw bone is a fantastic source of calcium and is vital to health and function. Cooked bones are a whole other ball game, cooked bones no matter how small run the risk of causing digestive upset. This is due to the cooking process causing bones to splinter. So for the people in the back, just so we’re crystal clear, NEVER COOK BENYFIT NATURAL RAW DOG FOOD.

Can I Use a Microwave to Defrost Raw Dog Food?

This is a similar outcome to cooking, at Benyfit Natural we would never recommend microwaving raw food for the increased risk of bacteria.

Even if it is just a short zap to breakdown the food it can still alter the raw bone structure so it's a no from us. If you have forgotten to defrost your dog's food reach for our 500g tubs, these will defrost quicker than our 1kg tubs. You can get handy defrosting boards which can speed up the process a little. If not it will be a late tea or a quick dash to the supermarket to cook off some chicken breast or white fish pieces as a one off.

Can I Feed Just 80-10-10 Raw Dog Food?

To achieve a balance over time you should be feeding your dogs a rotation of a minimum of 4 proteins over a week. This is important so that we are providing a wide range of essential vitamins and minerals for optimal health and function. This may be tricky to achieve if your dog has intolerances to certain proteins so you may be limited. You should also be aiming to add supplements, leafy green vegetables, fruits and oil to your dogs meal if you're not feeding a complete recipe.

Our complete range has been formulated to FEDIAF standards to include everything your dog nutritionally needs using meat, bone, offal, vegetables, and botanicals.

Can I Use My Own Utensils to Prepare Raw Dog Food?

It is preferential as part of good food hygiene practices, to limit the handling of Benyfit Naturals raw dog food with your own everyday utensils. We recommend that you have a separate spoon or dish to use for serving your dogs Benyfit Natural meals. These should be washed separately from your own with hot soapy water. If you have to use your own utensils ensure to thoroughly clean or simply add this utensil to your dog's collection after use.

Can I Start Raw Feeding with Any Protein?

We know that you might think your dog will love our 80-10-10 Venison Meat Feast recipe or our Beef Complete recipe and want to try these recipes first however these are not recipes we'd recommend starting with.

Meats like Venison, Rabbit, Duck and even Beef might be too rich for your dog who has never tried these proteins before or tried raw dog food before. When transitioning to a raw food diet we want to lean into our lighter meats, to avoid any upset tummies. Luckily we have you covered with plenty of choice and always recommend starting with lighter recipes including Tripe Complete, Chicken and Tripe, Tender Chicken and Tasty Turkey. We also recommend starting your dog with our Animotics probiotic when transitioning to ensure their gut is supported at all times. Once you know your dog has transitioned to these lighter proteins you can gradually start to introduce other proteins week by week.

If you're ever in doubt about where to start with transitioning you can read our transitioning guide, or contact our friendly customer service team who can advise you.

These are just a handful of the common questions and mistakes made with raw feeding. If you're ever feeling unsure about anything relating to your raw feeding journey, get in touch!

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