Contents:

What actually counts as "raw feeding"?
Is raw feeding actually safe?
Initial Costs of raw feeding
Set up and equipment for raw feeding
Care and maintenance of raw food
Common mistakes of raw feeding
What to do next?
Frequently Asked Questions

Raw feeding means giving your dog uncooked meat, bone, offal and sometimes vegetables, instead of cooked or processed food like kibble or tins. Done well, with a nutritionally complete recipe and strict food hygiene, many dogs do well on it. Done poorly, it carries real risks — nutritional imbalance, bacterial contamination, and injury from bones.

Key things to know before you start:

• It's not automatically "healthier" or "more natural." The evidence base is genuinely mixed, and major UK veterinary bodies urge caution rather than outright endorsement.
• Balance matters more than "raw." An unbalanced raw diet can cause real harm over time, just as an unbalanced cooked homemade diet can.
• Hygiene is non-negotiable. Raw meat can carry bacteria like salmonella and E. coli, which pose a risk to your dog and to people in your household.
• Cost is typically higher than kibble, and lower than the most premium wet foods — budget roughly £40–£90 a month for a medium-sized dog, depending on whether you buy commercial complete raw or prepare it yourself.

We'll walk through all of this properly below, including where a well-formulated commercial raw diet ticks the "complete and balanced" box safely, and where DIY recipes can go wrong.

What actually counts as "raw feeding"?

There are a few different approaches, and they're often lumped together under one label:

• BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) — muscle meat, bone, organ meat, and typically some fruit and vegetables, aiming for a balanced overall diet.
• Prey model raw (PMR) — closer to whole-prey ratios of meat, bone and organ, generally without fruit or veg.
• Commercial complete raw — pre-made, nutritionally balanced raw meals from a manufacturer, formulated to meet recognised nutritional standards (such as FEDIAF guidelines) and sold frozen or chilled.
• DIY homemade raw — owners sourcing and mixing their own ingredients, often following a recipe found online or in a book.

This distinction matters a lot for safety and nutrition, and we'll come back to it throughout this guide.

Is raw feeding actually safe for dogs?

This is the question worth answering honestly, rather than glossing over.

The British Veterinary Association's current policy position highlights genuine concerns from the veterinary profession, particularly around the risk of harmful bacteria — including salmonella, E. coli, listeria and campylobacter — being present in raw meat that would normally be destroyed during cooking. There have also been documented cases linking raw feeding to bacterial illness in both pets and the humans who handle their food.

At the same time, groups like the Raw Feeding Veterinary Society argue that with proper sourcing, handling and formulation, many of these risks can be substantially reduced, and that some owners and vets do report good outcomes on well-managed raw diets.

The fair, balanced summary: raw feeding isn't inherently dangerous if it's done properly, but "properly" is doing a lot of work in that sentence. Poor hygiene, unbalanced homemade recipes, and inappropriate bones are where the real risks lie — not raw meat itself as a concept.

Who should be extra cautious about raw feeding?

Raw feeding carries extra risk in households with:

• Young children
• Elderly or immunocompromised family members
• Anyone pregnant
• Other pets who may come into contact with raw food surfaces or waste

This isn't about telling you not to raw feed — it's about being realistic that the bacterial risks apply to your household, not just your dog. The Food Standards Agency provides general guidance on handling raw meat hygienically, which applies just as much to raw pet food as it does to meat you'd cook for yourself.

Initial costs: what do you need to get started?

Raw feeding does need a bit more upfront setup than switching between bags of kibble.

If you're feeding a commercial complete raw product in small batches, you may not need a dedicated freezer straight away — many owners start with a normal freezer drawer and only invest in extra freezer space once they're confident raw feeding is right for their dog. Our Puppy and Dog Feeding Bowls range includes stainless steel options that are easier to disinfect thoroughly than plastic.

Ongoing costs: how much does raw feeding cost per month?

This is genuinely one of the most common questions we get asked in-store, so here's a realistic breakdown.

Commercial complete raw is usually a little more expensive than DIY raw bought from a butcher, but it removes the guesswork around nutritional balance — which, as we'll cover below, is one of the biggest genuine risks of raw feeding done badly.

Setup and equipment: what you actually need at home

Beyond the initial shopping list above, a few habits make raw feeding much easier and safer day to day:

• A dedicated area for prep. Ideally not the same surface used for human food prep, or thoroughly disinfected between uses if it is.
• Colour-coded chopping boards, if you're preparing raw meals yourself, to avoid cross-contamination with other food.
• Sealed, labelled containers for defrosting portions in the fridge — never left out on the worktop.
• A separate bin or waste plan for raw food packaging and any leftovers, disposed of promptly.

None of this needs to be expensive. It's about consistent habits rather than specialist kit.

Care and maintenance: feeding, defrosting and storage done properly

Getting the day-to-day routine right is what actually keeps raw feeding safe.

How should raw food be stored?

Keep raw food in the freezer until needed, then defrost portions in the fridge (never at room temperature) in a sealed, leak-proof container on the bottom shelf, away from other food. Most complete raw diets are safe in the fridge for 24–48 hours once defrosted — check the specific product guidance, as this varies by brand.

How should raw food be served and cleaned up?

Feed from a bowl that's easy to sanitise, wash it in hot soapy water (or run it through the dishwasher) after every meal, and clean the feeding area thoroughly afterwards. Don't leave raw food down for your dog to graze on throughout the day — serve it, let them eat, then clear away promptly.

What about bones?

This is one of the most contested parts of raw feeding. Raw bones are sometimes included for dental and enrichment benefits, but they carry real risks: broken teeth, choking, and gastrointestinal blockages or perforations, particularly with weight-bearing bones from larger animals or with cooked bones (which should never be given, as cooking makes them brittle and more likely to splinter).

If you do include bones, they should always be raw (not cooked), appropriately sized for your dog, and fed under supervision. If in doubt, leave them out — there are safer dental chew alternatives.

Welfare considerations: is a raw diet actually balanced?

This is the part that matters most, and it's where most raw feeding problems actually come from — not the "raw" part, but the "balanced" part.

Dogs need a specific balance of protein, fat, calcium, phosphorus, vitamins and trace minerals to stay healthy long-term. Muscle meat alone is not a balanced diet — it's typically too high in phosphorus relative to calcium, and missing several essential nutrients. A properly formulated raw diet includes appropriate amounts of bone or bone meal, organ meat, and often supplementary nutrients to correct this balance.

This is exactly why UK veterinary bodies raise concerns about homemade raw diets specifically, more so than commercial ones. Commercial complete raw products formulated to meet FEDIAF (the European pet food industry's nutritional guidelines) have been through proper recipe formulation to avoid these gaps. DIY recipes, especially ones found casually online without professional input, frequently aren't.

Our honest recommendation: if you're new to raw feeding, a commercial complete raw diet from a reputable manufacturer is a considerably safer starting point than building your own recipe from scratch. If you do want to formulate your own, it's genuinely worth working with a vet or a board-certified veterinary nutritionist to check the recipe, rather than relying on a generic online template.

Common mistakes owners make when raw feeding

• Feeding muscle meat only, without proper bone, organ meat or mineral balance.
• Underestimating portion sizes, leading to weight gain or loss — raw diets still need calculating based on your dog's weight and activity level, just like any other food.
• Poor hygiene habits, such as prepping raw food on the same surface as human meals without thorough cleaning.
• Switching too quickly from kibble to raw, which can cause digestive upset. A gradual transition over 1–2 weeks is usually much kinder on the gut.
• Feeding cooked bones, mistakenly assuming they're safer than raw ones — they're not, and they're more likely to splinter.
• Not adjusting for life stage. Puppies, in particular, have different and more exacting calcium and phosphorus needs than adult dogs, and getting this wrong during growth can cause lasting skeletal problems.

Hidden costs people often forget

• Extra freezer running costs if you invest in a dedicated chest freezer.
• Food waste if portions aren't calculated accurately, or if food defrosts before it's needed.
• Higher grocery-style spend on organ meat and specific cuts, if you're building DIY recipes rather than buying pre-formulated products.
• Potential vet nutritionist consultation fees, if you want a homemade recipe properly checked and balanced — genuinely worth the cost for peace of mind.
• Dental costs, if bones cause a fractured tooth — a good reason to think carefully before including them.

what to do next?

Raw feeding can work well for many dogs, but it comes with genuine responsibilities around hygiene, nutritional balance and safe bone handling that are worth taking seriously rather than glossing over.

If you're considering it, a sensible next step is to:

1. Start by reading a commercial complete raw product's nutritional information, and compare it against your dog's current food.
2. Speak to your vet about whether raw feeding suits your dog's age, health and household situation.
3. If you decide to go ahead, transition gradually and get your hygiene routine established from day one.
4. Pop into Smith's Pets or get in touch — we're happy to talk through the practicalities honestly, whether raw feeding turns out to be right for you or not.