We’ve compiled the questions our customers most often ask when getting started on a raw diet for their pet.
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Send Us a MessageStarting a raw diet with a poultry-based protein usually results in the simplest transition. For dogs and puppies, our Chicken Dinner and Turkey Dinner are great to start. And for cats and kittens, we recommend Turkey & Beef with Sardines or Chicken & Salmon with Beef. Stick with poultry for a couple of days, and if stools are consistent and normal, introduce some variety. Once your pet is accustomed to their new and delicious raw diet, offer all species-appropriate Hungry Hunter menu items for your pet’s maximum enjoyment. A consistent protein rotation of 3-5 is recommended.
No, uncooked raw bones are safe for your pet if fed appropriately and as your pet is supervised. For pets that LOVE their raw food and especially young pets that tend to eat quickly, we advise feeding bones partially frozen as this helps slow them down to ensure they chew properly before swallowing to prevent choking. Exercise caution when feeding marrow bones, flat rib bones or other recreational chewing bones as these are calcified bone, and although great for recreation, mental and physical stimulation, you should ensure your pet is chewing appropriately. We do NOT recommend feeding smoked or cooked bones as these are dangerous.
Yes, you can feed both kibble and raw. We suggest considering a premium all-natural holistic dry food containing only human grade ingredients and NO GRAINS, SOY, OR CORN. If your pet experiences loose stools, or you notice undigested food in their stool, we strongly recommend feeding 100% raw with Hungry Hunter Progut for an added source of probiotics.
Visit our Cost and Portion Calculator page. With just a few details about your pet, we can determine recommended feeding portions and approximate costs.
Yes, this is to be expected. When fed a commercial dry food diet, your pet needs to consume a significant amount of water to help digest the food and stay hydrated. On a raw diet your pet's food is naturally 55-65% moisture and therefore they do not need as much water to create bile for digestion for proper hydration.
Gulping food is very common in young pets, and can be frightening for many pet owners. When feeding our prepared ground meals, we recommend adding water to make a thick soup or mashing it with a fork into a plastic tray or large bowl to help slow them down. When feeding raw meaty bones, start with larger options like flat rib bones and offer slightly frozen to slow them down. For super eager eaters, offering them food from your hand and making them pull the meat off the bone may be a good idea until they learn to chew properly.
Many processed pet foods contain addictive ingredients such as sugar, salt and sweet tasting propylene glycol or MSG to disguise the taste of poor-quality ingredients. For this reason, it is occasionally difficult to transition to fresh natural raw pet food. Some barriers may also be the consistency or texture of a raw diet or even the temperature of the food. If you are having trouble getting your pet to try raw, try the following: · Wait at least 12-24 hours between the last meal they ate and the new raw diet. This will create hunger and more acceptance to try the food. You may also need to determine whether refusing to eat is just your pet's stubbornness to eat rather than the particular diet you are offering. · If your pet is healthy, holding out offering other food options until they eat their meal may be stressful and frustrating at the time, but in the long run may result in less problems with eating in the future. · Offer the food at room temperature or warm slightly if they will not eat it immediately. You can also slightly cook the outside (pan sear the sides) to help create an interest.
Cats are notorious for their picky eating behaviours, because cats as a species, imprint on their diets at a very young age. Therefore, it is so important to start feeding your kittens a variety of tastes and textures very early to reduce the risk of food aversions as they get older. It can sometimes be more difficult to transition an adult or senior cat to a raw diet. You will first want to schedule meal feedings instead of free feeding, if you are not already, switching to canned food can help as well! For cats that are particularly reluctant to transition you can slowly introduce raw food mixed in with their canned food, gradually increasing the amount of raw over time to help them better adjust to the change in diet. It can take a few weeks until they are completely transitioned over, and sometimes adding some fresh items like goat milk, fish oil or quail eggs, can help curb the aversion to fresh, raw meals. Once you are transitioned, try to continue offering a variety of proteins to avoid any future fussy eating habits!
Ideally a raw food diet should help cut the amount of gas your pet creates. However, when first starting a raw diet, or switching proteins, excessive gas is possible. For pets with gas, we recommend adding a digestive enzyme to their daily meals, and many pets, particularly those with sensitive digestive systems, will benefit from daily digestive enzymes, for their entire life. Raw food is rich in enzymatic activity whereas cooked dry kibble is devoid of enzymes. Your pet's digestive system during the transition period from dry to raw must compensate for the new diet and can cause some short-term digestive discomfort. Supplemental digestive enzymes can be very beneficial as they can help speed up this transition process and provide good digestive bacteria to break down food. Hungry Hunter Progut is perfect for the transition to raw food, assisting the delicate digestive system to reduce or eliminate gas and digestive discomfort.
Canine and feline digestive systems are not the same as a human. They digest food more quickly through a much shorter tract, and their digestive systems are more acidic, which means bacteria does not have time to colonize, causing illness. They are also well-equipped to handle bacteria because their saliva contains lysozymes and enzymes that destroy harmful bacteria. The combination of these 3 factors (lysozymes, acidity, and rate of digestion) are what make raw feeding what nature intended. We do however, recommend following safe handling practices when preparing and serving raw food. Wash your hands, counters, and dog dishes after feeding, keep raw food frozen in your freezer, thaw in refrigerator and do not allow raw food to sit out a room temperature for more than 20 minutes.
Your dog's stools will be firmer and smaller when fed a raw diet, however they should not be white, yellow or crumbling. This is often a sign that the digestive system needs less ground bone and we would advise you to rotate more beef into the diet. If your dog is showing signs of constipation this is also a sign that they needs less ground bone. This concern is more common in older/senior dogs.
No, your dog’s stools should be light brown and formed stools. It is okay for the stools to be dark brown in colour, but not black. If your dog has dark brown/blackish loose stools we would recommend adding more ground bone to your dog’s diet. This concern is more common when first transitioning your dog to a raw diet or for young puppies that have trouble digesting organ meats. We would advise feeding less beef and offering more chicken, turkey or turkey salmon lamb.
There are a few reasons why your pet may have vomited their meal. The most common reason is from feeding raw food too cold or eating too quickly. If they regurgitate their meal and then return to eating it (perhaps more slowly this time) this is normal. To prevent this from happening again, feed more slowly and offer half the meal, wait 5 minutes, and offer the other half. Vomiting is very occasionally a result of a new food item that does not agree with your dog. If they do vomit up a particular protein or food choice, trust their digestive system and offer other food choices instead. Note: If the vomit is yellow bile this indicates that your dog's stomach is completely empty, and they are hungry. If the vomit is clear and white with mucous this is from drinking too much water too quickly.
If you have just started the raw diet, we recommend transitioning from dry food to the raw diet with simpler proteins such as chicken or turkey. Offering beef too soon may cause loose stools.
There are no added hormones or antibiotics in our recipes. We use only GRADE A CFIA inspected human grade meat suppliers to ensure a safe raw pet food diet. We only use CANADIAN suppliers and in almost all cases Ontario growers!
Yes! Cooked processed dry diets create soft stools which allow anal glad secretions to build up causing painful compaction or possible rupture of the glands. A raw diet contains ground bone which helps to keep stools firm, and with every bowel movement anal glands are naturally squeezed and eliminated. No need for expensive and time-consuming vet appointments to get your pet's glands expressed.
No! There is no relationship between dog aggression and feeding a raw diet. Prior to 1930 there was no such thing as commercial dry food and yet many people lived peaceably with very gentle domesticated dogs and cats that thrived on a raw food diet.
Raw eggs are very healthy for cats and dogs and are an excellent source of protein and many nutrients. We do not include eggs in our recipes because they are an allergen for some pets. If your pet is allergic to chicken, it’s possible that they are also allergic to egg. Quail eggs may be an option for these pets.
Yes, the key to preventing bloat and torsion is maintaining a healthy digestive system. Bloat and torsion is extremely rare in dogs that consume a high protein, raw meat based diet containing less than 25% carbohydrates.
Hungry Hunter sources only from CFIA Government inspected suppliers and producers that adhere to Industry Guidelines set forth by Provincial Organizations such as the CPC (Chicken Farmers of Canada) and the CARC (Canadian Agri-Food Research Council). These organizations require their members to follow Codes of Practices that govern the handling of animals, particularly on how they are raised, transported and slaughtered. We rely on these organizations which consist of members from farm groups, animal welfare groups, veterinarians, animal scientists and governments to monitor and ensure the animals are respected and humanely treated through their entire lifecycle.
Yes, food products from Canada, including frozen pet food are permitted from Canada into the United States. Frozen raw dog food products must be commercially packaged and sealed with ingredients listed in English. However, lamb products are not permitted into the United States. You may be required to provide proof of origin to bring them into the United States (receipt where the product was purchased).