There are several different ways to feed your dog a raw diet.
For some people it is personal preference, what suits their individual dog or what can be fed due to the availability of certain ingredients.
BARF
The most popular way to feed a raw diet is the BARF method which stands for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food or Bones and Raw Food.
Many barf complete meals add seasonal vegetables and include supplements so be mindful if you are also adding supplementation to these meals that you are not giving an excessive amount or doubling up on one particular supplement.
They tend to follow the percentage of 70% muscle meat, 10% raw minced bone, 10% offal (5% of which is liver) and 10% vegetables although there are variations within the brands some of which omit offal altogether and others will include 20% vegetables.
It may be a case of trial and error until you find a brand that suits your dog. Most of the raw manufacturers now offer a large range of proteins making it easy to rotate the type of meat and offer a good variety.
Barf meals are usually packaged in convenient tubs or tubes and are simply defrosted and served. This is a good way to feed if the owner is hesitant to handle raw meat or alternatively there are raw meals provided in the form of sausages which are simply lifted out with a fork directly into the bowl.
80-10-10: You can buy ready made complete meals with an 80-10-10 ratio in which 80% is muscle meat, 10% raw minced bone and 10% offal.
80-10-10 is a good choice it you want to either omit vegetables or have the flexibility to add your own.
Prey Model Raw (PMR) or Whole Prey: Prey model feeders try to replicate a very natural diet and will often not add any vegetable matter. Typically, the diet follows 80% muscle meat, 10% whole raw bone, 10% offal (5% of which is liver) The muscle meat tends to be offered in large whole pieces rather than a mince. When using the whole prey method an entire prey animal is fed such as a rabbit, quail, fish, pigeon or chicken etc which has the fur and feather left on to add to the ration. It can be difficult to source many different types of whole prey in order to add variation and not every dog will eat this way.
DIY: This can be the cheapest way to feed a raw diet but it does require additional research in order to get the correct ratio of meat, bone and offal plus a reliable source of ingredients in order to rotate the proteins and provide a broad range of nutrients. Making up your own meals gives flexibility and can be useful for dogs that need certain proteins omitting from their diet due to intolerance and sensitivities, but it is important to seek advice in order to provide all the essential nutrients that your dog needs to thrive.
Caroline Hearn ISCP.Dip.Canine.Raw.Nutrition, Dip ICAT