Raw feeding certificate

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On 29 September 2020, I received a certificate officially titled “Raw Dog Food Nutrition Specialist”. Since we work with dry and wet food and treats at FendaF, why did I need a course in raw feeding as well? The answer is simple: I wanted to understand canine nutrition better. Not just what to put in the bowl, but amino acids, vitamins, minerals and how to make a diet genuinely balanced.

Those who have followed us for a while or visited us know that I have also fed my own dogs raw food. Combining dry, wet and raw food has suited me. I did not take the course to prove that one must be better than all the others. I wanted to understand what simple rules such as “80/10/10” and “2–3% of the dog’s body weight” leave out.

Why I have not chosen an exclusively raw diet

Above all, the course confirmed that nutrition involves far more nuance than three neat percentages. The 80/10/10 ratio describes the proportions of ingredients, but does not in itself tell you how much iodine, manganese or vitamin D a dog receives. Nor does a food allowance calculated from body weight tell you how much energy it provides. Our article on common mistakes in homemade raw feeding explores this in more detail.

I also remember the course’s honest acknowledgement that many things are estimated and not every question has a definitive answer. We also lack nutrient information for bones, for example. This should not, however, be extended into a claim that nothing is known about dogs’ nutrient requirements. Nutrition guidelines based on scientific literature do exist, including the FEDIAF recommendations. They provide a reference point for formulating a diet, although an individual dog’s needs, nutrient absorption and the composition of ingredients can vary.

For me, it matters to rely on something more concrete than a feeling that “this bowl looks pretty good”. Let’s be honest: a piece of minced meat, two small Baltic herrings, some spinach, a few blueberries, a little goat’s milk and an egg do look good. But is that balanced? No. The same question applies to both homemade diets and prepared food.

Ingredients are not always the same

One subject raised during the course was how the nutrient content of fruit and vegetables has changed over time. It made me wonder how confidently we can apply food composition table values to what actually goes into our dogs’ bowls.

There is research behind this idea. In a paper published in 2004, Davis, Epp and Riordan compared USDA food composition data for 43 garden crops from 1950 and 1999. Across the group of crops, they found statistically significant apparent declines in six nutrients; no such change was found for seven others. This was a comparison of data tables from different periods, rather than a long-term experiment on plants grown under identical conditions.

The study therefore does not prove that all modern vegetables are devoid of nutrients. Still less can it be used to calculate the vitamins in the meat of an animal that ate those plants. My original question nevertheless remains: an average table value is not a laboratory analysis of every piece of meat. The origin of the ingredients, animal species, body part and fat content deserve attention.

The course also covered the whole-prey model: alongside muscle meat, organs, skin and other tissues come into play. For me, that immediately raised a practical question: where would I get all of them? Most of us do not buy a whole prey animal with every body part, nor assemble an exact animal from different pieces at home, because we simply cannot obtain every possible part. Preferring pasture-raised ingredients does not, on its own, solve the nutrient calculation either. A whole animal can help us understand tissue diversity, but it does not automatically guarantee that a diet meets the needs of every pet dog’s life stage.

Things I learned that prompted more questions

Several specific ideas stayed with me after the course. They are useful when considered in context, rather than as standalone, universal feeding rules.

• DHA, or docosahexaenoic acid, is a long-chain omega-3 fatty acid. The brain and retina are DHA-rich tissues, but they are not the only possible sources. In practice, a dog can also obtain DHA from suitable fish or from fish or algal oil with a known DHA content. This is not advice to start feeding a dog random raw brains.
• The discussion of manganese drew attention to hair, wool and feathers. Their manganese content has also been mentioned in scientific literature. The presence of manganese does not, however, prove that eating them would supply a dog with the required amount. I do not treat wool or feathers as a mineral supplement for an unbalanced diet. The manganese source and quantity in the whole recipe need checking.
• The course’s rule of thumb, “two grams of protein for every gram of fat”, can help you notice when a diet is becoming very fatty. It is not a mandatory nutrient ratio for every dog. Fat supplies more energy per gram than protein, and the suitable amount depends on the dog and the entire diet.
• Dogs’ energy requirements can differ considerably. The 20% mentioned in the course is not an upper limit on that difference: activity, age, body condition and health all affect the needs of dogs of the same weight. Food quantities need to be adjusted to the individual dog.
• Even “about 10% fat in raw food” needs a stated basis of measurement. If a food contains 70% water, 10% fat on an as-fed basis means approximately 33% fat on a dry-matter basis: 10 ÷ 30 × 100. The percentage on the packaging alone does not tell you whether the food suits, for example, a dog requiring fat restriction.

What this certificate means to me

For me, the value of the course lay in what I learned. It gave me a better understanding of digestion, nutrients and the questions to ask about a balanced diet. The same knowledge helps me make sense of the composition of prepared food. Naturally, the certificate does not make me a veterinarian.

Learning did not end when I received the certificate. New studies may support, refine or overturn an earlier understanding. To me, changing my view when the reasoning improves is normal.

I want to share what I have learned through training and consultations as well. Everyone has to find a path that suits their dog and family. If that path is raw feeding, I can help within the limits of my knowledge and experience.

If you would like to discuss raw feeding with me or ask a question, write to piret@fendaf.ee.

Sources

• FEDIAF (2025). Nutritional Guidelines for Complete and Complementary Pet Food for Cats and Dogs. European nutrition guidelines.
• Davis, D. R., Epp, M. D. and Riordan, H. D. (2004). Changes in USDA food composition data for 43 garden crops, 1950 to 1999. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 23, 669–682. DOI 10.1080/07315724.2004.10719409.
• Diet and dog characteristics affect major and trace elements in hair and blood of healthy dogs (2022). Environmental Science and Pollution Research. An observational study of 50 dogs, including associations between manganese and diet.
• Dillitzer, N., Becker, N. and Kienzle, E. (2011). Intake of minerals, trace elements and vitamins in bone and raw food rations in adult dogs. British Journal of Nutrition. Nutrient assessment of 95 diets.