Within the raw feeding world, there are 2 popular ratio diets pet parents tend to follow when preparing meals for their dogs; those are the BARF & PMR ratio diets. Since we have previously gone over BARF diets, in this post, we will take a look at the latter.
PMR stands for Prey Model Raw and can be broken down into different methods of raw feeding- exclusively feeding Whole Prey, exclusively feeding a Franken Prey model of PMR, or a combination of the two. There is no plant matter included in a PMR diet because the goal is to provide a "complete meal" using ingredients sourced strictly from animal "proteins" (ie. meat, bones, organs, fur/feathers, blood...).
When feeding whole prey, the idea is to feed the entire animal (not recommended to feed live prey)!
All toes, heads, ears, fur/feathers, internal organs etc still intact, though many people prefer to remove the intestines & bladder of whole prey before feeding.
On the flip side, and what you often seen in many raw bowls on social media, is the Franken Prey style of raw feeding. This method utilises varying cuts of raw meaty bones, muscle meats, secreting organs and sometimes fur or feathers to construct a bowl following PMR ratios.
Then you have pet parents who like to feed a combination of the 2; they include whole prey often, in addition to following Franken Prey PMR ratios!
Now, is this good enough to provide proper balance for my dog?
Unfortunately, it is not.
Remember we've already gone over how following strict ratio diets (whether it's BARF or PMR) does not equate to balance.
But I thought feeding whole prey would cover everything my dog needs!
Don't wolves eat whole prey in the wild? They survive off of whole prey alone!
This is true, wild animals, wolves included, do indeed survive off of whatever whole prey/food they find or hunt. But that does not change the fact that they too will be living with nutrient deficiencies.
But I have already touched on this point in my post on BARF diets, so be sure to check that out after reading this...
So how are we supposed to know what is missing in a ratio diet?
Well, the National Research Council (NRC) has outlined nutritional requirements & recommended allowances (RAs) for those nutrients, for domestic dogs and cats. Utilising these guidelines, along with all available nutrient analyses of whole foods currently available in our food databases, we are able to see where ratio diets fall short in terms of the NRC's requirements & RAs.
This has led to the understanding that following a strict ratio diet (like the PMR model), leaves several nutrient gaps within your pet's diet! I have already shared how to fill these nutrient gaps in a previous post, so check that out if you're unsure of what may be missing from your PMR diet: Nutrients Commonly Lacking in Ratio Diets.
Below I have shared a simplified version of the breakdown of the PMR raw feeding diet for adult dogs and puppies! And just to reiterate, feeding these ratios alone, without the addition of whole foods or supplements that help fill nutrient gaps (listed in the link above) means you are not providing balance within a raw diet for your pet.
WHOLE PREY
WHOLE PREY - Includes all organs, fur/feathers, glands from animals like- Rabbit, Chicken, Duck, Quail, Piglets, Hatchlings etc... (people often remove intestines & bladder before feeding)!
ADULT DOGS- FRANKEN PREY
75%-80% MUSCLE MEAT - Ground Meats, Chuck, Loins, Shoulders, Cheek (typical cuts of meat), Gizzards, Lungs, Tongue, Hearts, Lips, Tendons, Green Tripe, Raw Fat all count.
10% BONE - Bones in Raw Meaty Bones (like Wings, Necks, Heads, Feet, Frames, Tail, Ribs etc), Bone Meal or Calcium Carbonate could be supplemented when RMBs cannot be fed.
When following a ratio diet, you want to factor the meat on your RMBs into your 75%-80% muscle meat portion of the meal! Not sure what percentage of meat there is to bone on your RMBs? Check out my Raw Meaty Bone Percentage Spreadsheet!
5% LIVER - Liver from ruminant animals is highly recommended because they are more nutrient dense & can help meet Vitamin A & Copper RAs!
5% OTHER SECRETING ORGAN - Brains, Testicles, Ovaries, Kidneys, Spleen, Pancreas, Thymus all count.
0%-5% ANIMAL BASED FIBER - Feathers or Fur
PUPPIES- FRANKEN PREY
Descriptions are same as above, the percentages are the only difference!
64%-69% MUSCLE MEAT - Ground Meats, Chuck, Loins, Shoulders, Cheek (typical cuts of meat), Gizzards, Lungs, Tongue, Hearts, Lips, Tendons, Green Tripe, Raw Fat all count.
17% BONE - Bones in Raw Meaty Bones (like Wings, Necks, Heads, Feet, Frames, Tail, Ribs etc), Bone Meal or Calcium Carbonate could be supplemented when RMBs cannot be fed.
7% LIVER - Liver from ruminant animals is highly recommended because they are more nutrient dense & can help meet Vitamin A & Copper RAs!
7% OTHER SECRETING ORGAN - Brains, Testicles, Ovaries, Kidneys, Spleen, Pancreas, Thymus all count.
0%-5% ANIMAL BASED FIBER - Feathers or Fur
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IMPORTANT NOTES
(some notes are the same as those previously mentioned in my BARF Ratio Diet post)
1. When feeding a strict Whole Prey Diet, it is still important to rotate the animals you feed on a regular basis because as we know, every animal (organs, bone, muscle meat) offers different nutrients at varying levels. The more variety you can supply, the better!
2. Still on the topic of providing variety- in regards to following the Fraken Prey Model, even when adding whole foods & supplements to fill nutrient gaps, it is imperative you rotate your "proteins" as often as you can. This is to ensure you are offering a wide enough range to supply an adequate amount of necessary nutrients.
Meaning- if possible, it would be fine to switch up the cuts of meat, organs, raw meaty bones etc...daily, weekly or bi-weekly.
So if you have access to a ton of variety, say I feed pork ribs, bison, pork shoulder, beef liver, beef kidney (and so on...) today, tomorrow maybe I'll feed some goose necks, venison, kangaroo, rabbit liver, rabbit kidney (and so on..).
If you are more limited, switch up whatever you are able to, as often as you can.
Example: Today I'm feeding duck heads, lean ground turkey, pork tenderloin, beef liver, pork kidney (and so on...). The following day (or a few days later or a week later...) I could feed duck heads, lean ground beef, beef chuck, chicken breasts, beef liver, beef kidney (and so on...)!
These were just examples to help further illustrate my point and do not represent complete meals.
3. It is best to ensure at least 50% of the meat being fed is "red meat."
Red meat is much more nutrient dense than white meat!
4. Puppies NEED balance within their meals, DAILY!
Do not try to balance their meals over an extended period of time, like you would for an adult dog.
And do not do a slow transition into raw feeding with puppies! Opinions may vary on this, but I am strongly against slow transitioning for developing puppies because they absolutely NEED all necessary nutrients FROM THE START in order to properly grow & develop!
If you are worried about an allergic reaction to a certain "protein", then opt for meats that are not commonly known to be troublesome for many dogs- if you have access to it, starting with novelty/"exotic" proteins like camel & kangaroo could be a safe starting point as well!
Where you source your meats from & how the animals were raised can also play a HUGE role in how your pet's immune system responds to said meats (we'll chat more about this another time)...
5. Things you CANNOT balance over time: water-soluble vitamins!
Excess will always be excreted & not stored within the body.
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Want to know more about BARF diets?
Check out this post: BARF RATIO DIET: RAW FEEDING ADULT DOGS & PUPPIES
Want to know more about the nutrient breakdown of some commonly fed cuts of meat or organs?
Check out these posts:
Follow me on instagram @nolorlin for more raw-feeding content & recipes- I post every single week!
xoxo
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