Raw Pet Food Frequently Asked Questions
We understand switching to a Raw Dog Food or Raw Cat Food diet can be rather daunting, but it doesn't have to be!
At Nurturing by Nature we are here to help in any way that works for you. You can call our Team: 01202625728, visit one of our stores, Upton, Poole. Westmoors, Pamphill (Wimborne) or Christchurch: Store Locations. You can even Shop Online: Shop Now or read our informative articles here.
Alternativly if you wish to just learn more, look know further. Nurturing by Nature was founded in 2004 & since that time has supported a community of responsible pet owners discover the health & lifestyle beifits of a feeding their Pets a Raw Pet Food diet. Behind the name & our logo is a knowledgable team who are deadicated to providing exceptional customer service to our Raw Feeding Pet Owners. Meet some of the faces behind this amazing Pet Food business on our YouTube channel where you will see ourselves in person. Nurturing by Nature YouTube: View here
Nurturing by Nature's Frequently Asked Questions
Is raw dog food actually good for dogs?
Answer: Yes, raw dog food is beneficial for dogs. We believe at Nurturing by Nature that it is the most biologically appropriate diet for our dogs & cats. It provides natural nutrients that can lead to shinier coats, healthier skin, improved dental health, and better digestion. It’s a diet that they would naturally eat & are designed to eat.
Why are vets against raw diets in the UK?
Answer: Some vets express concerns about raw diets due to potential risks like bacterial contamination and nutritional imbalances. However, cat’s & Dog’s are naturally wild animals at heart & are exposed to many forms of bacteria daily. Risks can be minimised by following basic food hygiene principles & only buying Raw Dog Food from a Raw pet food brand like Nurturing by Nature who are APHA licensed & based on strong values.
Some Vet’s also argue that a raw diet does not provide your dog or cat with all the nutrients that they require. At Nurturing by Nature we have an experienced track recored of over 20 years promoting our community to create a balanced raw diet over time by feeding a wide variety of Raw Pet Food meals both in proteins & meal types.
Is it cheaper to feed a dog raw meat?
Answer: Everything in life that is cheap, will be cheap for a reason. At Nurturing by Nature we only can talk about what we do & our own experienced beliefs. A Raw Pet food company with a vast heritage & a proven track record.
Build a base to the raw dog food diet around a low cost ingredient & then over time feed a variety of different proteins and meal types to build a complete Raw dog food diet. Not just a complete meal.
Raw feeding can be cost-effective, especially when buying in bulk or sourcing special offers. Like we understand with our own human lives when we are healthier we visit the doctor less & are more active. It is the same for our Pet’s too they just can’t tell you, so it might save you money on vet bills due to the health benefits it offers.
Is raw dog food better than cooked?
Answer: At Nurturing by Nature it is our belief that Raw dog food is the most biologically appropriate diet for our Dogs and Cats. One of the main reasons is the anatomy of our pet’s. They are designed to eat raw dog food or raw cat food. In the wild it is their natural food source. What you won’t be told is that the modern pet food is a by-product of the human food chain to prevent waste & generate profit. This is why you will see many very un-natural ingredients used within pet foods. They are low quality, low cost. Supported with impressive marketing that sell’s only the benefits. It’s very simple for us humans to understand with our own diets that eating natural healthy ingredients supports a better overall quality of life. It’s the same for our pet’s. Raw dog food, when processed by the experts at Nurturing by Nature, preserves essential nutrients, enzymes, vitamins, and minerals in their natural state, ready for your Pet to love with every bite.
What is raw pet food?
Raw pet food is an uncooked, natural diet designed to meet the nutritional needs of cats and dogs, bringing them closer to their ancestral diet. Read more here.
Is raw pet food safe?
Absolutely, when sourced and prepared properly. Our manufacturing processes follow stringent safety guidelines to ensure quality. Watch Emma explain more here.
How does raw food benefit my pet?
Improved energy levels, healthier coat, better digestion—you name it! Raw food provides a ton of health benefits for your four legged friend.
How does raw Pet food Improve my life?
Dramatically in our opinion. There is nothing more enriching than seeing your pet become happier & healthier, from which the benefits to your life reach are individual to each.
Many of our Raw Pet Food feeding community, started their journey's because their pet's had sensitive stomach & the owners constantly had the worry about their pet having an upset stomach through the food they where eating. Often having spent hundreds of pounds trying to find a food that worked for their pet. Raw Pet Food is digested much easier by our pet's, it's their natural diet, it's one they are naturally designed to eat & thus digest & process the food with ease. Their gut & digestive system doesn't have to work so hard, more of the food is digested & many of the previous worries go away. No longer having to worry about what your pet is eating wether it will agree with them or not we've found takes huge worries off of your shoulders as a responsible pet owner.
Is it veterinarian-approved?
A great question? Here at Nurturing by Nature endorcing our food for marketing purposes is not something that we are about. We founded our diet through our own research & personal experiance. Raw Pet food is not a fad diet, it is a natural diet & a way of feeding that our pet's would natural experiance in the wild. Our diet thrives with a source from nature & through experiance has become a belief. We are APHA (formally DEFRA) approved & have been producing our diet since 2004. Many veterinarians have struggeled to support raw feeding & even today many still strongly object to a raw pet food diet, for reasons often personal to the individual.
Books such as
The BARF Diet: Raw Feeding for Dogs and Cats Using Evolutionary Principles. By Dr Ian Billinghurst
Feeding Dogs: The Science Behind The Dry Versus Raw Debate. By Dr Connor Brady
All provide factual, scientific reasearched evidence supporting feeding a well balanced Raw Pet Food Diet.
How do you source your ingredients?
We source our ingredients as locally and sustainably as possible, ensuring they meet our high quality and ethical standards. From suppliers we visit & from suppliers we trust. The items we purchase in larger volume, volumes that out reach some local suppliers are all sourced from suppliers to the human food industry. Ensuring that our products receive the same exceptional processing standards.
How is your raw pet food packaged?
Our food is sealed and frozen to lock in freshness and maintain nutrient integrity. We use minimal packaging & chose to spend our money on the ingredients that we use instead of brightly coloured packaging that goes into the bin. A quality & freshness of food you can see with your own eyes.
What’s the shelf life of your raw pet food?
Frozen, our food can last up to a year. Once thawed, it should be consumed within 2-3 days much in the same way you would treat your own food.
Do you offer meal plans?
Yep! We can offer customised meal plans to suit the needs of various breeds, ages, and sizes. Please call one of our team on 01202 625728.
Is it eco-friendly?
Sustainability is at our heart. Our packaging is recyclable, and we strive for operate under a low carbon footprint.
What if my pet has allergies?
We offer exceptional customer support & service. We have an experienced team who support you our community & have experience in supporting exclusion.
How do I switch my pet from commercial to raw food?
Slow and steady or straight in. It depends on how you feel & wish to approach the switch. We are here to help & should you make the switch on your own we would suggest that you do not mix the two different types of meals. The meals are digested differently so by separating the meals allows the digestion process to process the meals.
Can I feed my puppy/kitten raw food?
You bet! Raw food is beneficial for pets of all ages. Just make sure to follow a balanced meal plan suitable for their age and size. We can help with this.
What's the cost comparison to traditional pet food?
While raw food might be a bit pricier upfront, the long-term health benefits often result in fewer vet bills.
Do you deliver?
Yes, we do! We offer both local throughout the Bournemouth, Poole & Christchurch area (All BH Post codes covered) and national delivery options to get the goodness right to your doorstep.
How do I start my pet on your raw food?
You can shop with us any way you wish. Place an order on our website, give us a call or visit one of our stores Upton, Westmoors, Wimborne, Christchurch. We'll guide you through the whole process to make the transition smooth as silk.
Starting a Raw Dog Food or Cat Food Diet
How do I start feeding Raw Dog Food or Raw Cat Food to my pet?
We start by gathering a few basic pieces of information:
- Breed, age & current weight.
- Are they neutered?
- Are you happy with their weight?
If you visit us in store we will weigh your pet for you and give you our feedback on how much they should weigh and how much to feed.
Age is important as there are a few life stages you'll need to feed differently for - mainly young dogs, puppies & kittens will eat and need so much more than an adult of the same breed.
We start by offering a single protein - We use chicken in a lot that we do as it is a very appropriate and accessible meat. A chicken to us represents a great meal for the size of animal we are generally feeding. A chicken is a totally feasible raw dog food or cat food meal for a Dog, Cat or Fox - ask yourself, if they could catch it would they? Our Chicken is minced and it contains bone.
How much raw dog food or cat food do I feed?
Puppies & Kittens can have up to 10% of their bodyweight in meat per day. As the animal gets older they need less so a 6 month old pet will need more like 5-7% of their bodyweight in meat per day.
Adults need 2-3% of their bodyweight in meat per day and large breeds and some older pets may only need as little as 1% of their bodyweight in meat per day.
We would also increase the amount of meat if you have a dog that is working or is highly active. We often start out with 1% and work our way up from there.
To work out the percentage (This may help but forgive us if we are teaching you to suck eggs here! example:)
- 12kg 6 month old dog - suggested feeding raw of 5-7% in bodyweight in meat per day.
- 12 x 5 = 60 add 0 = 5% = 600g
- 12 x 7 = 84 add 0 = 7% = 840g
So, for a 12kg, 6 month old dog we would recommend you feed 600 to 840 grams of raw dog food per day.
How do I introduce the raw dog food or raw cat food diet?
There are two ways you can choose to introduce this to your pets meals:
- Feed the required amount of Raw over many small meals throughout the day (5 or 6 on day one) gradually reducing the number of meals as you increase the days until day 7 you feed two or even one of the required allowance of meat for the day.
- Feed a mixture of their old food and Raw each day, gradually increase the Raw meals and decrease the old food. After about 7 days you can feed 100% Raw. Do not mix the Raw meals and the old food in the same meal or feed at the same time as the digestion rates can differ and you won’t see the difference in their poo until they are on Raw 100%.
How often do I feed Raw Dog Food or Cat Food?
The best thing would be to spread the food out over many small meals - this isn't the most convenient for you at home but it would probably be the best for a puppy.
With adult dogs we feed once or twice a day and occasionally we let them have a fasting day where they generally eat a very tiny meal or nothing for that day. Don't worry about set feeding times, routines are great however, it usually ends up with the dog dictating to you when meal times are. They can also produce excess acid in anticipation, so feeding intermittently is actually better for them in the long run.
How much is a raw dog food or raw cat food diet going to cost?
Our chicken mince are reasonably priced and we have many ways to help keep raw feeding affordable.
Looking at a popular breed - a Labrador, fed a varied Raw Dog Food diet, weighing approximately 25kg will cost in the region of £1.35 per day on Nurturing by Nature minces and bones. This equates to approx' £40 per month.
What benefits will I see with a raw dog food or cat food diet?
We’ve noticed that Raw fed pets:
- Have cleaner teeth and fresher breath
- Have a much softer, cleaner and shinier coat
- Have reduced flatulence
- Have considerably smaller and firmer poo’s
- Have less anal gland issues
- Drink a lot less
- Are calmer and more focused
- Suffer less from common health complaints
- Love their food
- Are more chilled and able to relax
What our customers say:
“I feed raw because it makes my dog happy, calm and contented. Now he doesn’t have a tummy
ache making him all crabby! The bonus is he looks awesome at a good weight, has a stunningly
shiny coat and his teeth are super clean and pearly white”
“I feed raw because it has cured our youngest dog’s inflamed skin and for the first time in his short
21months of life he does not need antibiotics any longer. I also feed raw because I want all our
three dogs to have a long, happy and healthy life with us”.
“I feed raw because in under two months the transformation is great, no more itchy skin or ear
infections”
“both dogs are a nice healthy weight, the skinny non eater now eats and has put weight
on for the first time in years and the chunky pig is now leaner and more toned. I would never feed
processed food again”.
“I feed raw because it’s a great diet that contains little carbohydrates therefore it is suitable for my
poorly dog who was previously diagnosed with cancer”
“I feed raw so my thirteen year olds teeth look like he is five and his coat gleams”
“I feed raw as my dog was so sick on kibble and since feeding raw has had NO vet visits or
medication for sickness”
“I feed raw as it seems to help with Taz’s epilepsy”
“I feed raw because I know exactly what I am feeding my dog and can tailor to his needs and no
enzymes or nutrients have been destroyed. Plus his coat and teeth look so healthy, if he looks
good on the outside I think it must be doing him good on the inside!”
How safe is raw?
One of the main concerns when feeding a raw dog food or cat food diet is bacteria - more specifically Salmonella. We understand that as long as you maintain good home hygiene when defrosting and handling any raw dog food or cat food, the risk is as much as if you were handling Raw meat for your own consumption. At this point we would like to let you know that we do everything we can to maintain the safety of our food, we have full traceability from the producer to when it goes into our stores and we batch test our food weekly in line with our APHAA regulations.
Another concern we hear is feeding bones, contrary to popular belief you can feed Raw bones to your dog or cat. Most problems arise when the bone are cooked, smoked or hardened. Always choose a bone that is a suitable size for your pet. If you are at all worried then choose a large bone that they cannot swallow in one gulp.
Last but not least, to make sure your pet does not accidentally swallow more than they should and get into trouble we always say you should supervise your dog or cat when eating or chewing bones.