80/10/10 - complete and balanced? | The Easy Raw Dog Food Co. (2024)

Why is there so much hullaballo about 80/10/10?

When did nutrition become so complicated? Dare we say its when it became commercialised and the idea of ‘complete and balanced’ nutrition in each meal was marketed by pet food companies and human food companies alike. What should a balanced meal consist of? What exactly does Complete mean? and what on earth is 80/10/10?

It is thought the average dog requires 22% protein, 12% fat and no more than 10% carbohydrate. It is noted that carbohydrates are not essential but are present in most dog foods. Huh, why? In fact most commercial dog food contains higher levels of carbohydrate, but thats ok because they generally cause no harm, they just encourage dogs to put on weight and poo more. Hmmmm. If our commercially produced balanced complete meals are so good and nutritious for our beloved canine friends how is it that dog obesity, cancers, heart disease, ear infections, immune problems are now so common.Lets for one moment consider the concept of balance over time. This is the principle that many feel explains how humans and pets alike obtain proper nutrition.

If we think of how we eat. Do you eat a complete and balanced meal every time you eat? No! You eat a variety of foods as fresh as possible over a period of time and our bodies usually do very well and exhibit no signs of nutritional deficiencies. The key word here is variety.

Dogs are the same, in our opinion they do not need “complete and balanced” nutrition at every meal. Especially if its artificially added because the manufacturing process removes it all. If they did, then any time they did not receive complete and balanced nutrition their bodies problems would suddenly develop. This is not how it works. The body (either human or canine) stores the nutrients within the body when they are eaten and they are pulled out of storage when they are needed. They have fat reserves, protein reserves in their muscles and stored up nutrients like vitamin A,D and K in their tissues. So as long as the dog (or human) gathers the correct nutrients over time the body will be able to survive well.

If we consider a carcass that a dog would eat in the wild. We have bone, muscle meat, organ meat and of course the stomach, the dog may also nibble on vegetation a small amount. Surely then if we look at nature and replicate this ideal we wont go far wrong.

We don’t claim to be an experts but in our experience we’ve seen increased mobility in older arthritic dogs, stronger immune systems, healthier, cleaner teeth and gums, shinier coats, settled tummies and no more scratching to name just a few changes when dogs are fed a diet that replicates what nature intended.

Ok, so why do you provide balanced meals in 80/10/10 then?

We have to be realistic. We are only too aware that most owners have jobs and families and do not have time to chop up a variety of meats, offal, bone etc but still want to feed their dogs a healthy raw diet. This is where balanced raw meals come in. A balanced raw meal is based on the 80/10/10 principle of 80% meat 10% bone and 10% offal, usually split 5% kidney and 5% liver. It does the hard work for the owner, all you have to do is feed a variety of meat proteins over a week, maybe with the additional egg or steamed green veggies thrown in, to offer your dog the nutrition they need. If, for any reason, you are unable to feed a wide range of proteins then we recommend using a herbal supplement such as Green & Naturals Daily Boost or feeding our Supercharged Complete range to fill in any nutritional holes that may be there.

The Easy Raw Dog Food meal portions have taken it one step further by providing pre-weighed portions making it easier than ever to feed proper raw dog food.

If, by providing 80/10/10 meals in an easy to use form, we help you feed your dogs quality raw food that they have evolved to eat, and help them live happier healthier and longer, then that’s fine by us.