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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions we hear when customers contact us include, “how is raw dog [or cat] food prepared?“, “how much raw dog [or cat] food per day?“, “what’s raw dog [or cat] food?“, “what is complete raw dog [or cat] food?“, “what to mix raw dog [or cat] food with?“, “what is daf (DAFF) raw dog [or cat] food?“, “why raw dog [or cat] food diet?“, “why feed raw dog [or cat] food?“, “why raw dog [or cat] food is best“, “why raw dog [or cat] food is better?” or “what raw dog [or cat] food is best?“. We will help you take the guess work out of switching to a raw diet for your cats or dogs!

With reference to SANS909:2018 1st Edition, Pet Food – Nutritional and Manufacturing Requirements, Complete Pet Food is a product which consists of a mixture of different ingredients, whether or not containing additives, and which contains nutrients and other ingredients in such quantities and such rations that it will supply the *minimum* and *maximum* nutrients as defined by the standard. Complementary food is simply defined as “everything else” that a cat or a dog may consume, including chews, toys, exercisers and herbal supplements. Within this framework, only food as per government specification qualifies as food, completely ignoring the real nutritional building blocks, nutrients and micro-nutrients that real whole food supplies to the body. A key differentiator to date between manufacturers have been the inclusion of vegetables and other nutritional additives to meet the Complete Pet Food standard in order to label products as such. In real terms, you will find that Complete Pet Food typically includes vegetables, and Complementary Raw Food does not. This is a philosophical debate between the supporters of a scientific nutritional approach to the diet, versus those that subscribe to the concept that any raw whole meat products suffice and provide nutrition as Mother Nature designed it, to our cats and dogs. At DoggyChef we subscribe to the notion that whole foods are complete, and variety is the spice of life!

Indeed cats and dogs can eat raw chicken meat. Raw chicken for cats and dogs is naturally rich in real bioavailable amino acids (protein), including real micro-nutrients and high in phosphorus, rich in calcium, abundant in selenium, rich in Vitamin B6, niacin, retinol, alpha and beta-carotene, lycopene and riboflaving. All raw animal protein sources is naturally rich in taurine. Checkout our catalogue of raw and real beef based food for cats and dogs.

Indeed cats and dogs can eat raw chicken meat. Raw chicken for cats and dogs is naturally rich in real bioavailable amino acids (protein), including real micro-nutrients and high in phosphorus, rich in calcium, abundant in selenium, rich in Vitamin B6, niacin, retinol, alpha and beta-carotene, lycopene and riboflaving. All raw animal protein sources is naturally rich in taurine. Checkout our catalogue of raw and real chicken based food for cats and dogs.

Indeed cats and dogs can eat raw duck meat. Raw duck for cats and dogs is naturally rich in real bioavailable amino acids (protein), and a rich source of many vitamins and minerals, including micro-nutrients such as selenium, iron, and niacin. All raw animal protein sources is naturally rich in taurine. Checkout our catalogue of raw duck food for cats and dogs.

Indeed cats and dogs can eat raw lamb meat. Raw lamb for cats and dogs is naturally rich in real bioavailable amino acids (protein), and a rich source of many vitamins and minerals, including real micro-nutrients and vitamin B12, iron, and zinc. All raw animal protein sources is naturally rich in taurine. Checkout our catalogue of products that are made from real lamb meat for cats and dogs.

Indeed cats and dogs can eat raw venison (game) meat. Raw venison (game) for cats and dogs is naturally rich in real bioavailable amino acids (protein), richer than any other red meat, and a rich source of nutrients important in supporting health, including vitamin B vitamins (B1, B12, B3, B6 , B2 and B5), thiamin, phosphorus, niacin and selenium, and a “good” source of zinc, and potassium. All raw animal protein sources is naturally rich in taurine. Checkout our catalogue of all the venison based products we have to offer.

Doggy Chef raw food meals for cats and dogs  are complete and balanced and you don’t have to add a thing! We do recommend that you give your dog a bone (raw of course) and also raw treats and Doggy Chef include these in the weekly packs.

Humans could eat fast food everyday for our whole life, and we might survive, but we sure wouldn’t be very healthy! It is the same for pets when feeding a kibble or canned diet, they might survive it, but not without health problems.

We are often asked “can raw dog food cause itching?”, “can raw dog food cause liver problems?”, “can raw dog food cause pancreatitis?”, “can raw dog food cause allergies?”, “can raw dog food cause diarrhea?”, “can raw dog food cause constipation?” or “can raw dog food cause seizures?” Fact is that dogs and cats are carnivores, eaters of raw meat. Their systems are designed to extract protein and nutrients from meat in its naturally raw state. Carnivores are unable to break down complex carbohydrates. Dogs and cats have no use for corn, wheat, soy, rice or grain, which is the base ingredient used for most dry and canned foods, even the “healthiest” brands. Feeding dogs and cats carbohydrates that they cannot utilize, frequently leads to health problems. Furthermore, once meat is heated, during the canning or pelletizing process, much of the nutritional quality is lost.

Yes, you can re-freeze the meat diets, if you refreeze them shortly after they have thawed.

This is a very normal and natural response when changing from one food to another. Many times they will eat it again if their stomach rejects it the first time, which is also very normal and natural. Feeding plain yogurt or pro-zymes at least 1/2 hour – 1 hour before feeding will definitely reduce the likeliness of vomiting or loose stools. Once their body is used to the meat in it’s raw form, the stomach will create the proper acids and enzymes again on its own. You will not need to continue to feed prozymes and they will not vomit or have loose stools anymore.

We are often asked “can raw dog food cause worms?” The consumption of raw meat by your dog and cat is both natural and time proven. Our pets are carnivores for a good reason…. they are designed to eat freshly killed meat. The feeding of raw meat to carnivores provides the opportunity for the biological system to function more in tune with its design, that is; a quiet immune system supporting healthy structure and function and freedom in movement without fear of invasion. This greater vitality gotten by eating meat in the raw state more than compensates for the greater possibility of exposure to parasites or potentially harmful bacteria. Healthy living is not living in isolation from pathogens (an impossibility, as we are connected to the world around us as evidenced by our NEED to eat) but rendering pathogens harmless through a powerful state of health. The foundation of long lasting health is vital food; fresh wholesome and varied. Parasites (and yeast for that matter) are indicators of an already weakened immune system; not the cause of disease. These organisms are physical indicators of marginally diseased and weakened tissues. As the weakness intensifies, the prevalence of parasites (and yeast) will intensify. Thorough cooking and processing of food (not including grains) renders food weak, for in the heating process almost all of the life giving molecules are destroyed. Grains have natural resistance to higher temperatures, as summer temperatures out in the sun, in the field all day can naturally be quite high. Processed food offers survival instead of health. In this weakened/survival mode, parasites run rampant, as immunity is disturbed and confused for lack of appropriate raw materials. A disturbed and confused immune system modified by chemical drugs can only respond partially in the direction of health for a short time, and then it usually collapses into a deeper level of disorganization expressed as deeper disease. The need for chemical medicine reflects an irreversible collapse in one or another of organs or systems; dependence has been achieved, this is one step further from true health.

You may add a little meat to your pet’s diet each day and slowly build up to an all-meat diet or you can switch completely “cold turkey” to the raw diet right away. Dogs and cats that are not used to eating raw meat can be given plain yogurt, acidophilus or enzymes to ease the switch in diets.

Start a raw food diet by feeding the same amount of food you are currently feeding. If you are feeding 300g of kibble per meal, feed 300g of raw food per meal. After a week on the new diet, do a “rib check” (see our Weight Management guidelines), and depending on your dog’s condition adjust the amount you’re feeding up or down. If you find your dog is becoming overweight, or moving in that direction, feed LESS. If your dog is seems to be “ribby” or underweight, feed MORE.

Dr. Ian Billinghurst, a veterinarian who advocates raw diets for dogs, suggests feeding amounts that equate to between 2 to 3 percent of a dog’s body weight. This means a 25kg dog should be fed between 500 – 700 gr. of food per day. This can be fed in a single meal or divided into multiple meals. Puppies need 5% – 10% of their body weight daily. In general, young, small, active, underweight, and growing dogs need more food; and older, sedentary, and overweight dogs need less food.

Doggy Chef’s costs per month are based on the complete and balanced raw food meals we provide, which includes a pre-measured, tailored menu, including bones, treats and delivered service right to your door. You will find that creating a homemade raw diet is around ¼ cheaper, depending of course on what you buy and where you buy your extra ingredients from.

Meat digests better without carbohydrates in the stomach. We do not recommend feeding dry food, but if you do, feed it at a separate meal.

Doggy Chef raw diets will keep for 3 days in the refrigerator and one year in the freezer.

We are often asked “can raw dog food be cooked?” We recommend that you feed Doggy Chef Diets raw for maximum absorption of protein and nutrients.

We are often asked “can raw dog food be mixed with kibble?” Meat digests better without carbohydrates in the stomach. We do not recommend feeding dry food, but if you do, feed it at a separate meal.

Yes, you can re-freeze the meat diets, if you refreeze them shortly after they have thawed.

Yes, you can switch from one diet to another, but for pets just starting on a raw diet, it will be easier on the digestive system to stick with one diet for a while. Some pets prefer variety and some prefer one type of meat to others. It is not a problem to just feed one type of meat diet for extended periods of time. The advantage of Doggy Chef’s weekly packs is your pet gets a completely balanced diet.

If you buy a small styrofoam cooler and pack it full of meat and keep it sealed well, the meat diets will stay frozen for several days. It is best to pack it full of frozen meat diets as opposed to ice. The ice actually melts quicker than the meat, then as the meat is sitting in the water it melts faster. Another option is to buy raw meat and organs or canned tuna in water or mackerel and substitute for Doggy Chef for a few days. This option doesn’t provide for the vitamin and mineral mix and appropriate ratio of organ to muscle meat as it does in the Doggy Chef diets, but it is better than feeding commercial pet food. Also, there is a cooler on the market that plugs into your vehicle with a cigarette lighter adaptor.

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