This gives you an actual starting recipe for raw feeding. For the background on what raw feeding involves and how it compares to cooked homemade diets, see Raw Dog Food Diets: What to Know Before You Start.
An honest safety note first: the FDA, CDC, and American Veterinary Medical Association all officially advise against raw pet food diets, based on real bacterial contamination risk. One FDA study found Salmonella in roughly 8 percent of raw pet food samples tested and Listeria in about 16 percent, compared to under 0.5 percent and 0 percent in conventional pet food. This risk applies to your household, not just your dog, and matters more if anyone in the home is very young, elderly, pregnant, or immunocompromised.
If You Choose to Raw Feed, Do It Safely
Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before and after handling raw meat, and clean and disinfect all surfaces, bowls, and utensils that touch it.
Don’t rinse raw meat before use. The CDC and USDA note this can splash bacteria onto other surfaces rather than remove it.
Thaw frozen raw meat in the refrigerator, not on the counter or in the sink, and keep it refrigerated or frozen until just before feeding.
Feed raw meals on a surface that’s easy to clean and disinfect afterward, separate from where human food is prepared if possible.
The 80/10/10 Ratio
Raw feeding commonly follows an 80/10/10 structure by weight: roughly 80 percent muscle meat, 10 percent raw edible bone, and 10 percent organ meat (with about half of that organ portion being liver specifically).
This ratio is a widely used practical framework in raw feeding communities rather than an official AAFCO standard, but it’s the standard most raw-feeding guides and veterinary sources use as a starting reference point for balance.
Raw edible bone, ground rather than fed whole, is the calcium source in a raw diet, replacing the ground eggshell or calcium supplement used in cooked homemade recipes.
Chicken and Organ Starter Recipe (80/10/10)
Ingredients: 1.4kg raw chicken thigh meat with skin; 175g raw edible chicken bone, ground (such as ground chicken carcass or ground chicken necks, available from raw pet food suppliers); 175g raw organ meat, at least half of it liver, the rest kidney or spleen if available.
Keep all ingredients refrigerated or frozen until ready to prepare, and work on a dedicated, easy-to-disinfect surface.
Combine the meat, ground bone, and organ in a large bowl, mixing thoroughly by hand or with a clean utensil.
Portion immediately into daily amounts and refrigerate what you’ll use within a couple of days, freezing the rest.
Wash your hands, all utensils, and the preparation surface thoroughly with hot soapy water immediately after handling.
How Much to Feed
See the full weight-based feeding table in Homemade Dog Food: The Complete Guide as a starting point for your dog’s daily amount.
Storage
Refrigerate for up to two days in an airtight container, since raw meat spoils faster than cooked food. Freeze individual daily portions for anything beyond that.
Common Mistakes
Skipping the organ meat. Organ meat is where much of the vitamin content in a raw diet comes from, and skipping it leaves real nutritional gaps.
Feeding whole bones instead of ground. Whole bones carry a higher choking and internal injury risk than ground bone mixed through the food.
Treating raw feeding as risk-free because it’s “natural.” The bacterial contamination risk is real and documented, regardless of ingredient quality.
Preparing raw food on the same surface as human food without disinfecting between uses. This is one of the most common ways bacteria spreads in the kitchen.
FAQ
Is raw feeding safe if my dog is healthy?
The main documented risk is more to the humans handling the food than to a healthy dog eating it, though dogs can still become carriers and shed bacteria in their feces even without getting sick themselves.
Should I raw feed if someone in my household is immunocompromised?
This is a genuine reason for caution. Talk to your doctor and vet before choosing raw feeding if anyone in the home is very young, elderly, pregnant, or has a weakened immune system.
Can I substitute a different meat for chicken in this recipe?
Yes, the same 80/10/10 structure works with turkey, beef, or other raw meats, adjusting the specific bone and organ sources accordingly.
Does freezing kill the bacteria in raw meat?
No, freezing significantly reduces but doesn’t eliminate bacteria like Salmonella and E. coli, which is why safe handling matters regardless of whether the meat has been frozen.
The Bottom Line
Raw feeding is a real, workable option for owners who choose it with full awareness of the documented risks and commit to careful handling. For the broader context on raw feeding, head back to Raw Dog Food Diets: What to Know Before You Start.
