What does that mean? It means feed the fresh food that nature intended for that animal to eat.

Cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, food sensitivities/allergies and many other health issues in our pets have risen in exactly the same rates as those diseases in humans since the 1950’s when both of us started eating more processed foods. A fresh food diet is much healthier for everyone!

Dogs have evolved alongside humans for the last 30,000 years and have adapted to eating scraps of human food and still catching their own small prey. This means your dog isn’t quite the same as a wolf, as your dog has adapted. The closest relative to the domestic dog is the Dingo and they are 95% carnivorous and eat only 5% plant matter. 

Your dog was never meant to eat processed food (and neither were you). You both should be eating fresh food and, for your dog, who is a carnivore, the most nutritious food is fresh meat, bone, and organ with a small percentage of fruit & vegetables. 

There are two theories for feeding fresh food to dogs:

PREY Model (80/10/10) is our attempt to mimic what a wild dog would eat if they ate whole prey. The numbers are an estimate of what “whole prey” includes: 80% meat, 10% organ and 10% bone. Fruit and vegetables are considered extras to the 80/10/10 and not included in the overall "balancing" of the diet.

BARF Model  (Biologically Appropriate Raw Feeding) is more inclusive and considers more fruit, vegetables and nuts/seeds that a wild dog might eat. The guidelines for BARF diet are 70% muscle meat, 10% raw edible bone, 7% vegetables, 5% liver, 5% other secreting organ, 2% seeds or nuts, and 1% fruit.

So which model is CORRECT? That's up to you to decide. You can adapt either diet to suit your own dog. You can buy premade with the bone and organ and fruits and veggies. Or, you can add in whatever fruits and veggies you are eating. For example, you made steamed broccoli and cauliflower for supper and now you're having an apple for dessert? Give some to your dog. Dogs can't digest a lot of carbohydrates, but no reason you can't give them some leftover potatoes the odd time. Don't forget Dogs have adapted to living alongside humans so the basic nutrition that applies to you also applies to them, except their meat, bone and organ is more easily digested when raw. 

Cats and Ferrets are true carnivores. They haven’t adapted to life with humans. They don’t digest any carbohydrates and, while they might eat a few vegetables, they don't digest much of those nutrients.

Biologically they need more whole prey (80/10/10 meat, bone and organ) and get most of their moisture from the food they eat.  Cats are biologically conditioned to get most of their hydration from their food and that’s why they don’t drink much water. Feeding a dry diet that’s high in carbohydrates is why so many cats end up with kidney disease and diabetes. They don’t digest the carbohydrates and they don’t get any moisture from kibble.

Cats have a higher requirement for Taurine (found in red muscle meat, especially hearts) than dogs. If you are feeding your cat fresh food, make sure it’s a higher percentage of red meat or add in heart content.