DIET FAQs

Why should I feed a raw diet to my pet?

If you haven't already researched the dangers of feeding a cooked, processed food to your pet, please visit the Processed Foods page now. Once you know the truth about processed dog food, you'll be on the path to finding a healthier way to feed your pet. Basically, processed dry dog food is comprised mostly of things your pet doesn't need including ones that can hurt him and has very little of anything your pet actually needs to live a long and healthy life. Switching your pet to a natural raw diet can drastically improve his health and vitality and can eliminate many of the illnesses and inconveniences that we have come to accept as a natural part of pet ownership. Did you know that you shouldn't have to brush your dog's teeth? If you feed a healthy natural diet, your dog's body will naturally fight the bacteria present in his mouth and will keep his teeth white and his breath fresh. Did you know that your dog should not suffer from ear infections, yeasty ears, or even waxy buildup? Since switching Dixon to a raw diet, I have never even had to clean his ears. Once again, his body is in perfect balance and doesn't need to over-produce yeast or other natural defense mechanisms you see in dogs eating a substandard diet. Did you know that skin allergies are often the result of your dog trying to digest cooked, processed proteins that his body was never meant to digest? Many people have found that switching to a raw diet virtually eliminates skin allergies, hot spots, scratching, itching, and dry skin. There are many reasons to switch to raw; these are only a few of the most obvious. I switched Dixon to raw because I had no choice - because of his irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) there wasn't a processed dog food on the market that he could eat without devastating consequences. He was wasting away and I had to find a better alternative (see Dixon's Story for the full account of our search). We switched to raw in August of 2001 and I am now a believer that  raw is better. You dog doesn't have to be on death's door - even healthy happy pets can benefit from a more natural diet.

Does it cost more to feed my pet a raw diet?

Buying a frozen raw diet such as Pets By Nature can be slightly more expensive than a premium dry or canned processed food. But, a healthy, natural diet can result in considerably lower health care costs. In my own case, before I began feeding Dixon a raw diet, I spent a fortune in vet bills. Dixon had skin allergies, chronic ear infections, anal sac problems, tartar build-up on his teeth, pH problems resulting in crystals in his urine, as well as major gastrointestinal issues. I saw my vet more than I saw my own family (and spent more money there, too). In all the years I have been feeding Dixon raw, he has never had an ear infection or allergy. The tartar is gone, his teeth are white, his pH balance is restored, and he is the picture of health. He has not had a single veterinary procedure or medication (other than his thyroid medication which was cut in half but is still necessary in low doses) in more than three years. I don’t even have to brush his teeth or clean his ears anymore – they are totally maintained by his own healthy body. So in my case, feeding Dixon a raw diet has been far less expensive than the alternative.

How much should I feed my dog?

Feeding amounts can vary depending on your dog's physiology and daily activity levels, but the general rule of thumb is to start with 2% of your dog's ideal body weight and adjust as necessary depending on weight gain or loss. When Dixon started this diet, he was grossly overweight at 62 pounds so I fed 2% of 45 pounds which I decided was his ideal target weight. Over the course of six months Dixon dropped to 47 pounds and has maintained this weight for the last several years. To calculate the correct feeding amount for your dog, use the feeding chart below.

Can I switch my pet to raw all at once or does it have to be done gradually?

There's no doubt about it - a change in diet can be stressful to your pet's system. But even worse is feeding two vastly different diets at the same time such as raw and kibble. Pets By Nature offers PBN Starter Packs to help you and your pet ease into the raw diet with a minimum of stress. Our Starter Packs include digestive enzymes necessary to help your pet metabolize the new food. If your pet has been eating kibble or other processed, cooked foods, his body has made some drastic changes to allow him to break down these foods in an effort to extract the processed nutrients. The digestive enzymes included in our Starter Packs will help him digest the new food while his body adjusts to the abundant, fresh nutrients in the raw diet. I don't recommend supplementing with digestive enzymes indefinitely - once he's used to the new food, they can be phased out and your pet should have no problem digesting the food on his own. If, after a month, he still has problems with hard or loose stools, you might want to consider a custom blend with a greater or lesser amount of meat/bone to vegetable. PBN Starter Packs also contain probiotics. These are "helpful" bacteria that populate the intestines and help in the digestion and utilization of nutrients. The best way to switch to raw is exactly that - switch. Stop feeding the cooked, processed foods and start feeding raw. Be prepared for possible changes in your dog's stool. Remember, the nutrients in raw food are much more readily available to your pet than are those in processed foods. His body needs time to adjust to this and the first few weeks could bring diarrhea, constipation, mucous, or other signs of digestive changes. If you feel your dog is not adjusting, please email me and describe your concerns. There are many products I can recommend that can help your dog adjust to the new diet. It's much more beneficial for your pet in the long run to get over the change than to switch back to a less healthy diet.

What about grains? Don’t dogs need them?

Dogs have no dietary need for grains and, in many cases, can have allergic or other negative reactions to them especially when they make up the bulk of the diet (as is the case with most processed foods and even some commercial raw diets). Because grains (especially low-quality ones) are so inexpensive, they are often used as fillers in place of more expensive ingredients. Pets By Nature Blends are completely grain-free.

Why do PBN Natural Diets contain no supplements?

Pets By Nature is not against supplements. In fact, most pets can benefit from some type of dietary supplement and Pets By Nature carries a full line of nutritional supplements for purchase; however, there are several reasons why I don’t include them in my Natural Diets:

1. Dietary needs differ for every individual pet. Not every pet needs the same supplements as another.
2. Some supplements are helpful when taken occasionally but can actually be detrimental when taken too often (daily). For example, digestive enzymes can be very helpful when your pet is switching to a new raw diet, but if given continually, they can hinder the body's natural production of enzymes.

If your pet is generally healthy and is being fed a raw diet rich in natural food nutrients, he’s probably getting everything he needs already. Unnecessary supplementation may cause his body to slow down or even halt production of some naturally occurring enzymes.

Why do PBN Natural Diets contain no garlic?

Although many people believe that garlic is beneficial and safe to feed to dogs, there is evidence to the contrary. Pets By Nature Blends do not include any ingredients that have been found to be toxic or detrimental in any way when fed to companion animals on a regular basis. For more information on the risks of feeding garlic to dogs, see our Garlic Can Be Deadly page.