Feeding Guides

Raw feeding your dog doesn’t have to be complicated. There are two main diets, Prey Model Diet (PMR) and Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods (BARF). Both are suitable options, and the one you choose is a matter of personal preference, and what works best for your pet.

Whichever diet you choose, Corrina’s Corner simplifies raw feeding.

Adult Dogs

Prey Model Raw (PMR)

PMR stands for Prey Model Raw. This method is modeled after what wild canines naturally consume, which is wild prey. A general guideline for the prey model diet is known as the 80-10-10 rule— meaning your dog should consume a ratio of 80% meat, 10% bone, and 10% organ to mimic the proportions of prey animals. PMR signifies that like their wild counterparts, dogs derive all the nutrients they need from prey animals and the food their prey has eaten.

Corrina’s provides a few different ways to feed a prey model diet:

Grinds: Ready to go prey model meals, formulated using the 80-10-10 rule.

HOW MUCH. The standard amount for daily feeding is 2.5% of your dog’s body weight. This amount can vary depending on your dog’s activity level and weight loss or weight gain goals. Use our raw feeding calculator to determine how much to feed your dog a day based on their weight and activity level.

HOW OFTEN. How frequently you feed your dog is up to you. There are many different feeding strategies, but 1-2 times a day is most common for adult dogs. Our feeding calculator breaks daily feeding amount into meal amount based on a two meal a day frequency.

HOW TO. Defrost on the counter for 4-6 hours, or 24 hours in the refrigerator. Serve the appropriate amount according to your dog’s requirements and chosen feeding frequency. Store any remainder in the refrigerator and continue to serve for 4-7 days.

Prey Packs: Ready to go prey model meals, formulated using the 80-10-10 rule.

Prey packs are individually packaged into meals based on dog’s weight. These meals contain whole, raw meaty bones and a mixture of appropriate organs, giving your dog the opportunity to crunch on bone and consume meals closer to whole prey form.

HOW MUCH. Select and purchase appropriate packs based on your dog’s weight.

HOW OFTEN. Prey packs are proportioned for a two meal a day regimen. If you feed once a day, you will need to use two prey packs.

HOW TO. Defrost, dump, devour. Defrost pack on counter for 4-6 hours, or 24 hours in the refrigerator. Dump into your pet’s bowl and it’s ready to devour. Pets should always be monitored when consuming whole bone.

Parts: Customize your pet’s Prey Model diet. Parts can be used to:

build your pet’s prey-model diet from scratch
give as a treat
feed as meal substitute
add something extra to grinds and prey packs

Homemaking your dog’s meals:

HOW TO. Combine 80% muscle meat, 10% bone, and 10% organ (5% liver, 5% other secreting organs). Organs like heart and gizzard count as muscle meat. Yes, you can mix parts from different animals in the same meal. We also advise alternating prey options to achieve balanced nutrition. The period in which you alternate is up to you. It can be every meal, week, or month.

HOW MUCH. The general daily amount is 2.5% of your dog’s body weight. The total muscle meat, bone, and organ should equal this amount. Use our feeding calculator to estimate how much your dog should eat.

HOW OFTEN. There are many feeding strategies you can practice with your dog, however 1-2 times a day is most common for adult dogs. Just make sure they are getting their proper intake. We do not recommend free feeding your dog.

Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods (BARF)

BARF stands for Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods, or Bones And Raw Food. BARF is essentially the same as the PMR diet, meaning it primarily consists of raw meat, bone, and organ, with the addition of vegetables, fruits, and other whole foods. A general guideline for the BARF diet is 70% muscle meat, 10% raw bone, 10% organs, and 10% vegetables, fruit, and other whole foods. BARF indicates dogs are omnivores, or facultative carnivores that can benefit from plant matter in addition to meat.

Grinds: Defrost desired grind and add your choice of 10% dog safe vegetables, fruits, and other whole foods like seeds, nuts, and dairy. Our Corrina’s Formula and Turkey Formula already contain vegetables appropriate with BARF model.

Prey packs: Defrost appropriate sized prey pack according to your dog's weight category and add 10% vegetables, fruits, and other whole foods accordingly.

Parts: A great tool for the BARF diet. Hand select ingredients to custom make your dog’s meal. Choose from a variety of raw, meaty bones, organs, and whole fish. Then add vegetables and fruit accordingly.

Feeding a BARF diet with Corrina’s:

CHILLAX. We know making sure your dog is receiving proper nutrition can be stressful when you choose to feed an unprocessed diet. Remember, ratios are a guideline, not a hard line. The BARF diet is meant to be balanced over time.

Some meals you may feed more plant matter, some more meat. All raw feeding is modeled after ancestral patterns of canines, and it is rare they would receive balanced nutrition every meal. Using a wide-range of ingredients helps achieve a balanced diet.

We advise giving your pet a variety of animal protein to achieve balanced nutrition over time. The period in which you alternate proteins is up to you. It can be every meal, week, or month.

Puppies

Starting off on the right paw

Starting your pup off on raw diet is the best way to encourage optimal health and longevity. And no fear, feeding a raw diet to a puppy is not much different from feeding an adult dog raw food. Puppies can begin a raw diet as early as 2 1/2-4 weeks, during the weaning stage.

The main difference in feeding an adult dog vs. a puppy is a puppy must consume more food, more often until reaching adulthood. More food, more often supports your puppies required energy levels as they grow rapidly in their first year.

HOW MUCH. There are a couple methods of determining how much to feed your puppy. An easy rule of thumb is to feed 2.5% of your puppies ideal ADULT body weight daily. For example, if your puppy weighs 10lbs, but their adult body weight will be 50lbs, you should be feeding 1.25 pounds of food a day. When using our feeding calculator, be sure to enter the ideal ADULT weight of your puppy. If you don’t know your puppy’s ideal adult body weight, you can use these guidelines based on your puppy’s current body weight:

adult % varies slightly depending on canines activity level

HOW OFTEN. Puppies need to eat more frequently than adult dogs to maintain the energy levels expended while growing. Eating smaller portions more times a day also prevents bloating. Split your pups daily intake between the recommended number of meals according to their age.

adult % varies slightly depending on canines activity level

Transitioning to a raw food diet

No one dog is the same. Just as with other aspects of raw feeding, there is no hard-fast rule of transitioning, only guidelines to be tailored to what works best for your individual dog. Some dogs will have no problem switching straight to raw without a transition period—others may require a little patience. Consider these methods of transitioning:

RAPID SWITCH Most puppies, or healthy adult dogs can switch to raw overnight. Choose the day you’d like to begin feeding raw and watch how your dog reacts. If they dig in and have no digestion issues, keep it up.

SLOW SWITCH If your dog is older, doesn’t immediately love raw food, or has a generally sensitive stomach, you’ll want to slowly introduce them to raw food. This can aid in digestion and palpability. Begin by feeding 75% old food and 25% raw food. Slowly decrease percentage of old food and increase raw food percentage every couple days until you reach 100% raw food. If you find your dog is extra sensitive to change, use 10% increments, slowly introducing more raw food and less processed food each day.

Mixing raw and processed foods within a meal is fine while transitioning, but we do not

recommend this on a long-term basis as raw food and processed food have different rates of digestion. If you do continue feeding your dog processed food after the transition period, make sure to feed it in separate meals (for example: raw for breakfast, processed at dinner).

Detoxification is a temporary process that can occur during transition as your pet’s new raw diet cleanses their body of toxins stored from processed foods. You may notice a temporary increase in stool or diarrhea, or allergy like symptoms as the body rids itself of trapped toxins. After a few days you will begin to see the incredible benefits of a raw diet, like softer, shinier coats, and a smaller amount of stool that is firm and dry.

Puppies

Adult Cats

Your feline is made for a raw, species-appropriate diet.

Feeding a raw diet is the best possible decision you can make for your cat. Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they must eat meat to live. Cats require essential nutrients exclusively found in meat that their bodies are incapable of producing. Therefore, they must receive these vital nutrients from their diets. Cats also lack the ability to digest carbohydrates, as prior to the last hundred years (before processed foods), they had no need to. Cats require high amounts of protein and fat—and no carbohydrates.

Cats receive everything they need from prey animals, so prey-model raw is the perfect diet for cats. Prey-Model Raw, or PMR, replicates the natural diet of a feline by providing raw meat, bone, and organ for your cat’s meal. PMR eliminates processed foods from the diet, thus eliminating carbohydrates and stimulating optimal health and organ function in your cat.

Feeding a Prey-Model Diet with Corrina’s

Corrina’s makes it easy to feed your cat prey-model raw. You can purchase pre-formulated grinds, prey packs, or individual parts to craft your cat’s meals yourself.

GRINDS are the simplest way to feed your cat a raw diet. All of our grinds are appropriate for cats besides Corrina’s Formula and Turkey Formula as they contain vegetables solely appropriate for dogs. Defrost grinds on the counter for 4-6 hours, or 24 hours in the refrigerator. Scoop the appropriate amount for your cat’s meal and serve. Store remainder in fridge and continue to serve for 4-7 days.

PREY PACKS are individually packaged into meals based upon weight. These meals contain whole, raw meaty bones and a mixture of appropriate organs. Purchase the appropriate size prey pack for your cat, defrost for 4-6 hours on the counter or 24 hours in refrigerator. Dump entire contents of pack into bowl for an instant prey-model meal.

PARTS. Hand-craft your cat’s meals with individual animal parts. Parts can be used to:

• build your pet’s prey-model diet from scratch

• add something extra to grinds and prey packs

• give as a treat
• feed as meal substitute

Browse our selection of parts and combine 80-85% muscle meat, 5-10% bone, and 10% organ (5% liver, 5% other secreting organs). Organs like heart and gizzard count as muscle meat. Yes, you can mix parts from different animals in the same meal. We advise alternating prey options to achieve balanced nutrition over time. The period in which you alternate is up to you. It can be every meal, week, or month.

HOW MUCH. The general daily amount is 2-3% of your adult cat’s body weight. If you are homemaking your pet’s meals, the total muscle meat, bone, and organ combined should equal this amount. Use our feeding calculator to estimate how much your cat should eat.

HOW OFTEN. We recommend feeding adult cats two meals a day. Split their daily intake between a morning and evening meal. We do not recommend free feeding your cat.

Kittens

Kittens - Starting on the right tract

A raw diet is the best way to encourage the optimal health and longevity of your kitten. Introducing your kitten to raw food at a young age will prevent a lengthy transition process and save you the mess of runny stool kittens so often experience. Kittens can be introduced to raw food as early as 3-4 weeks, during the weaning stage. The main difference in feeding an adult cat vs. a kitten is a kitten must consume more food, more often until reaching adulthood. More food, more often maintains the required energy levels your kitten needs to grow.

There are a couple methods of determining how much to feed your kitten. An easy rule of thumb is to feed 2.5% of your kittens ideal ADULT body weight daily. For example, if your kitten weighs 3lbs, but their adult body weight will be 12 lbs, you should be feeding 1/3 lbs. of food a day, or 4.8 oz. When using our feeding calculator, be sure to enter the ideal ADULT weight of your kitten. If you don’t know your kitten’s ideal adult body weight, you can calculate your kittens feeding amount based on your kitten’s current body weight:

Split daily intake amount by number of meals to determine each meal’s portion size.

adult % varies slightly depending on canines activity level

Transitioning your cat to a raw food diet

Cats tend to imprint upon their food which can make transitioning to any new food a tricky process. Begin by offering your cat a small sample of raw food and see how they react to it. If they eat it right away, try offering a full meal. If your cat consumes the meal with no hesitation, they can continue eating a raw diet for every meal. If your cat refuses to eat, slowly introducing raw food into each of your cat’s meals. Begin replacing 10% of your cat’s current meal with raw food. Gradually reduce the amount of kibble or canned food until you reach 100% raw. Be patient with your cat as they transition. Each cat is different and it may take some tailoring to entice them to eat. Never fast your cat if they don’t eat.

Adult Cats

Kittens