Records & paperwork8 min read
Raw feeding: the records to keep and the conversation to have with your vet
Raw feeding is a vet conversation, not a search-engine decision. Households that raw-feed responsibly keep detailed records and consult a veterinary nutritionist for balanced formulation. This is a recordkeeping guide, not a how-to.
The Driyu team
Pet safety editorial
Quick answer: If you raw-feed, write down the exact protein, organ, bone, and supplement amounts per meal, the source of each, and any homemade adjustments. Schedule annual blood panels. Talk to a veterinary nutritionist (DACVN) about balance — AAFCO statements rarely cover raw, and deficiencies are common.
The honest frame
Raw feeding is a polarized topic. Veterinary nutrition organizations (WSAVA, AVMA) note real risks: bacterial contamination, nutritional imbalance, and bone-related GI injury. Some pet owners feel raw is better for their dogs. This guide does not argue either side; it shows what records and conversations protect a pet whose owner chooses raw.
Records to keep
- Exact daily intake: grams of muscle meat, grams of organ, grams of bone, supplements (calcium, vitamin E, fish oil, mineral premix).
- Sources: butcher, supplier, freezer batch, country of origin.
- Variety log: proteins rotated week to week.
- Weight log: monthly weight, body condition score.
- Stool log: consistency, frequency.
- Lab work: annual or biannual CBC, chemistry, and (if your vet recommends) taurine, vitamin D, ionized calcium.
Why records matter
Raw diets are highly variable. Common deficiencies include calcium-to-phosphorus imbalance, taurine inadequacy in some recipes, vitamin D, iodine, zinc. Records let a veterinary nutritionist evaluate and adjust the formula.
Records also matter for recalls — raw products are recalled for Salmonella, Listeria, and pathogenic E. coli with some frequency.
Food safety
Raw protein carries bacteria. Wash hands and surfaces. Use dedicated bowls. Do not feed raw in households with infants, immunocompromised members, or pregnant women without consulting a physician.
Frozen does not equal sterile.
Talk to a veterinary nutritionist
A Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Nutrition (DACVN) is the gold standard for formulation. Many offer consultations to general-practice vets or directly to owners.
- ACVN directory — acvn.org
- BalanceIT — software developed with university nutritionists
- WSAVA Global Nutrition Guidelines
What to skip
Skip home-made raw without nutritional consultation, especially for puppies, kittens, pregnant pets, or pets with known disease. Skip cooked bone — cooked bone splinters dangerously. Skip large recreational raw bones for vigorous chewers; tooth fractures are common.
How Driyu fits
A Driyu pet profile carries current diet description (raw with brand or recipe), the nutritionist’s contact, and any monitoring blood work schedule. The vet sees the same record; substitute caregivers see the diet field on the profile.
Related reads from Driyu
- How to read a pet food label: a plain-language guide
- Switching pet foods safely: a calm 10-day transition
- Prescription diets for pets: the records to keep at home
Sources and further reading
- American College of Veterinary Nutrition (ACVN/DACVN)
- WSAVA Global Nutrition Guidelines
- AVMA — Raw or undercooked animal-source protein in pet diets
- FDA — Get the facts on raw pet food
Frequently asked questions
Is raw feeding safer than kibble?
Veterinary nutrition organizations do not generally support raw as safer. Some pets do well on raw; the variable is whether the diet is nutritionally complete and the household manages food safety.
Can I formulate raw at home?
Not without a veterinary nutritionist’s input. Most internet recipes are not nutritionally balanced for long-term feeding.
Should I do raw for puppies or kittens?
Growing animals are the highest risk for nutritional imbalance. Most veterinary nutritionists strongly recommend professionally formulated diets during growth.
What labs should I run if my pet is on raw?
Talk to your vet. A baseline CBC and chemistry, plus periodic taurine and vitamin D depending on the recipe, are common starting points.
