 |
| Not actual depiction of ratio diets |
I think by now, it has been well established that strict ratio diets, whether it be BARF (stands for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) or PMR (stands for Prey Model Raw), are not completely balanced. Seven nutrients commonly lacking in these ratio diets are:
Zinc
Manganese
EPA & DHA
(we're combining these for the purposes of this post)
Iodine
ALA
Vitamin E
Vitamin D
You may have heard that the addition of certain whole, fresh foods, regularly rotated into your pet's feeding schedule, can help achieve balance in a BARF or PMR recipe (whether it be daily or over time), and this is absolutely true!
"But how do I know how much ____ to feed? And what am I supposed to feed to cover these nutrients?"
Luckily, the National Research Council (NRC) has done all the heavy lifting for us! In this post I will share the exact recommended allowance (RA) for each of these 7 nutrients. And because the NRC's book, Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats, details the RAs for both canines & felines, I will share both with you.
Before we move along, there are a few important points I'd like to make.
1. I have a puppy.
Puppies NEED daily balance in order to grow & develop properly, therefore, "balance over time" is not an option because they cannot store nutrients in the body like adult dogs can.
2. My puppy's meals are balanced according to kcal requirements & not just the general weight of the food.
3. If you have an adult dog, you CAN absolutely balance the majority of nutrients over time! If you choose to do so, remember to balance your water-soluble vitamins daily because excess is not stored in the body (instead, excess is secreted = sprinkle tinkle 💦). Your fat-soluble vitamins & minerals, on the other hand, would be fine to balance over time.
4. If you do not follow NRC guidelines when formulating recipes for your healthy ADULT pets & you're worried about supplying an adequate amount of the right nutrients, it is still possible to achieve balance over time without following these guidelines to a "T"! The key in this instance would be to offer a wide variety of meats & organs and rotate them often; meaning, diversify your protein sources on a regular basis!
Bear in mind, at least 50% of the meat you are feeding should fall into the "red meat" category, as red meats are much more nutrient dense than "white meat".
The thought process behind this is based on a simple principle- offering a wide variety of meats & organs, and rotating them regularly, should lead to achieving some form of balance over a period of time because every animal, every cut of meat, every organ, and every raw meaty bone has a different nutrient breakdown. Offering variety may help you "cover your nutrient bases" so to speak because you may be feeding cuts rich in some nutrients, but low in others & vice versa. Some days you may be over some recommended allowances, other days you may be below them. But that's the idea! Because your adult pet is able to store most of these nutrients in their body, you are still able to achieve some form of balance over a period of time! Which leads me to my next point...
5. It is OKAY to be a little over or a little under these recommended allowances...within reason!
You don't want to go overboard because too much or too little of something can still be a bad thing. You don't want your pet deficient in anything & you also don't want them to have had so much of another that it has now become toxic.
6. Lastly, it IS possible to maintain your PMR style of raw feeding (meaning excluding plant matter) and still achieve balance following NRC guidelines. It can be a bit trickier when formulating your recipe, but not impossible (you may still have to be open to possibly supplementing something like Vitamin E, for example)!
Okay, now let's get to it...
**RA- Recommended Allowance**
IODINE
Adult Dog
RA: 220mcg / 1000kcal
Puppy
RA: 220mcg / 1000kcal
Adult Cat
RA: 350mcg / 1000kcal
Kitten
RA: 450mcg / 1000kcal
What can I feed to meet these nutrient requirements?
Kelp Powder or Capsules (where to purchase)
Whole Prey (as a diet, not BARF or PMR diets, but it's difficult to measure iodine intake this way)
VITAMIN D
Adult Dog
RA: 3.4mcg / 1000kcal
Puppy
RA: 3.4mcg / 1000kcal
Adult Cat
RA: 1.75mcg / 1000kcal
Kitten
RA: 1.4mcg / 1000kcal
What can I feed to meet these nutrient requirements?
Fish (Mackerel, Herring, Sardines etc...)
Beef Kidney 45IU / 100g
Beef Liver 49IU / 100g
Chicken Eggs 82IU / 100g
Quail Egg 55IU / 100g
Goose Egg 66IU / 100g
Duck Egg 69IU / 100g
Vitamin D Supplement (capsules or liquid [where to purchase])
MANGANESE
Adult Dog
RA: 1.2mg / 1000kcal
Puppy
RA: 1.4mg / 1000kcal
Adult Cat
RA: 1.2mg / 1000kcal
Kitten
RA: 1.2mg / 1000kcal
What can I feed to meet these nutrient requirements?
Mussels (fed steamed, regular "blue mussels") 6.8mg / 100g
Green Tripe (see Monica Segal's book for nutrient analysis) ≈ 1.321mg / 100g
Beef Liver 0.31mg / 100g
Chelated Manganese (where to purchase)
ALA (Alpha-Linolenic Acid)
Adult Dog
RA: 110mg / 1000kcal
Puppy
RA: 200mg / 1000kcal
Adult Cat
RA: n/a
Kitten
RA: n/a
What can I feed to meet these nutrient requirements?
Raw Animal Fat (higher in pork fat & poultry skin)
Chia Seeds 17.83g / 100g
Flax Seeds ≈ 27.9g / 100g
(source in nutritional report, alpha-Linolenic acid is coded under "Fatty Acid 18:3")
Flaxseed Oil (where to purchase)
Hemp Seeds 8.684g / 100g
[while some omega-3 oils contain ALA, the brands often used when supplemented our pets diets' only contain EPA + DHA, for that reason, it may be best to rely on the raw fat or seeds/seed oil mentioned above]
ZINC
Adult Dog
RA: 15mg / 1000kcal
Puppy
RA: 25mg / 1000kcal
Adult Cat
RA: 18.5mg / 1000kcal
Kitten
RA: 18.5mg / 1000kcal
What can I feed to meet these nutrient requirements?
Oysters (fed steamed) 78.26mg / 100g
Beef (varied cuts supply different amounts of zinc)
Lamb (varied cuts supply different amounts of zinc)
Pumpkin Seeds 7.81mg / 100g
Zinc Picolinate (where to purchase)
Chelated Zinc (where to purchase)
EPA & DHA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid & Docosahexaenoic Acid)
Adult Dog
RA: 110mg / 1000kcal
Puppy
RA: 130mg / 1000kcal
Adult Cat
RA: 25mg / 1000kcal
Kitten
RA: 25mg / 1000kcal
What can I feed to meet these nutrient requirements?
Fish (Mackerel, Salmon, Herring, Sardines etc...)
Omega-3 Fish Oil (where to purchase)
VITAMIN E
Adult Dog
RA: 7.5mg / 1000kcal
Puppy
RA: 7.5mg / 1000kcal
Adult Cat
RA: 10mg / 1000kcal
Kitten
RA: 9.4mg / 1000kcal
What can I feed to meet these nutrient requirements?
Sunflower Seeds 35.17mg / 100g
Almonds 25.63mg / 100g
Chicken Eggs 1.05mg / 100g
Quail Egg 1.08mg / 100g
Goose Egg 1.29mg / 100g
Duck Egg 1.34mg / 100g
Vitamin E Suplement (liquid or capsules [where to purchase])
All nutritional data was pulled from the USDA's Food Database, unless otherwise indicated.
This information is free & accessible to everyone!
Want to know more about the nutrient breakdown of some commonly fed meat & seafood?
Check out my previous posts sharing some Nutritional Data at a Glance:
Hope this was helpful to some!
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.