I have found that some people who read my guide to making and feeding wholesome homemade pet food don't fully absorb the information provided. It's not that my information is complicated, in fact, that's the problem. My information is so ridiculously simple that people can't handle the simplicity. This usually happens because people are looking for something so complex, they fail to see the simplicity.
Now I am not a grade school teacher and so luckily, I won't be handing out any F
grades — but I may need to shake a few people to wake them up to the simplicity!
This whole method is simple but if you over complicate it, then ask yourself, why?
If you ever get the feeling that you are like a Mad Scientist
concocting a potion of some kind, then you really are making it too complicated. This whole process should be simple, easy, relaxing, hassle free and — oh, dare I say again, simple!
I get emails from people who ask the following sort of questions:
I have a Rottweiler and feeding him 2 or 3 parts meat and 1 part vegetables will not be enough. So how much do I feed him?
When I was feeding my dog dry food, I fed him 1 cup of food. So how much do I feed him now?
I believe that the people who asked these sorts of questions overlooked the obvious about making and feeding wholesome homemade pet food because they were conditioned to feed exact amounts of foods due to years of feeding commercial pet foods. By adding this page I hope that everything will be clarified.
So, let's begin — we all know that on a bag or can of commercial pet food there are feeding instructions that will say to feed a certain amount of food based on the weight, age, etc of your pet. But this method of feeding does not work with a natural, wholesome raw meat diet. In fact, this approach of feeding a specific amount of food to your pet cannot and will never allow your pets to get all the nutrition they need.
Pets today are not starving for food. But pets today are starving for nutrition! I repeat, pets today are not starving for food, but instead, their bodies are starving for nutrition.
When you feed commercial pet foods you are feeding processed, refined and enzyme depleted foods.
When you feed a natural, wholesome raw meat based diet, you are feeding unprocessed, unrefined whole foods that still contain some enzymes.
Since pets have been eating (for generations) poor quality foods, their bodies are starving for nutrition.
Until our pets start to eat wholesome foods, they will always be starving for nutrition.
Our pets may not be starving for food, but they are starving for nutrition. Since our pets are starving for nutrition, feeding a specific amount of food will never allow our pets to get all of the nutrition they require. Our pets can only get their bodies full of nutrition if we allow them to eat all the food they want until they walk away from the bowl with some food left in it.
Now it's important to note that feeding your pets all they want only works when you feed a natural and wholesome raw meat diet because this is the only diet that ultimately allows our pets to get their nutritional fuel tanks full of nutrition.
If you feed your pets all they want of commercial pet food or cooked meats then their nutritional fuel tanks will never get full meaning they will always need a lot of food and they will have an endless stomach. Only a wholesome raw meat diet has the power and ability to end the endless stomachs that so many pets have.
So let's go think back to the information on feeding. The feeding proportions are just that, proportions — not amounts.
So if you review my feeding guides, you will see that I am talking about ratios. A ratio is defined by Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary as:
- the relationship in quantity, amount, or size between two or more things
My feeding guides does not indicate how much to feed, but rather only the ratio between meats and vegetables. The amount you feed your pet is determined by your pet! All you do is mix the meat and vegetables together in the ratio.
You can mix using spoons, cups or whatever you want to use. The tool or utensil you use to measure does not matter — all that matters is the ratio between meat and vegetables. Please remember, the measurements do not need to be exact — just close.
So here again is my chart on suggested proportions:
Mature Dogs: 2 parts meat to 1 part vegetables
Mature Cats: 3 parts meat to 1 part vegetables
Puppies: 3 parts meat to 1 part vegetables
Kittens: 3 parts meat to 1 part vegetables
Please note, I've added vegetables to the cat proportions. This is only for cats that will eat vegetables. If the cat does not want vegetables or if you decide not to feed vegetables to your cat, then of course the wholesome homemade cat food you make will only consist of meat!
Based on this chart, let's take a look at some feeding examples.
Examples for mature dogs:
- For mature dogs, the ratio is 2:1.
- If you feed:
- 10 spoonfuls of meat then add 5 spoonfuls of vegetables.
- 2 cups of meat then add 1 cup of vegetables.
- 1 spoonful of meat then add 1/2 spoonful of vegetables.
Examples for mature cats, puppies and kittens:
- For mature cats, puppies and kittens the ratio is 3:1.
- If you feed:
3 spoonfuls of meat then add 1 spoonful of vegetables.
- 2 spoonfuls of meat then add 2/3 spoonful of vegetables.
- 1 spoonful of meat then add 1/3 spoonful of vegetables.
- 3 cups of meat then add 1 cup of vegetables.
- 2 cups of meat then add 2/3 cup of vegetables.
- 1 cup of meat then add 1/3 cup of vegetables.