We always recommend slowly introducing raw diets over 2 weeks. The reason for this is to minimise any potential for stomach upsets which can happen if a change in diet is sudden. Some pets will have no issues with a quick changeover in diet, however to be sure, we do recommend slowly introducing the new food.

Day 1-3: 20% New 80% Old

Day 4-6: 40% New 60% Old

Day 7-9: 60% New 40% Old

Day 10-12: 80% New 20% Old

Day 12+: 100% New Diet

Simple transition to raw food with Chris Essex

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Raw food diets by definition are diets comprised of nothing but raw food. These can take many forms and the most popular of these is a BARF diet. BARF stands for biologically appropriate raw food or bones and raw food. This dietary model is based on the evolutionary diet animals would have eaten in the wild. Evolutionary raw diets are made up of fresh raw meat, offal, crushed meaty bones, vegetables, fruits and other healthy ingredients.

For more information on a Raw food diet for dogs – visit, “Evolution for dogs and a species appropriate diet”

Raw food diets are different for dogs and cats as they have different and unique dietary requirements.

Big Dog has a range of raw food diets in our range for dogs. You can view them all here.

Core Range – this is a flavour based raw food diet comprising of many different protein types. Using different protein sources allows for a wide variety of amino acids and is the range that best mimics an evolutionary diet where animals would have consumed varied types of prey.

Single Protein Allergy Range – this range is for pets with allergies to certain proteins including beef or chicken and each product is made only from one protein source.

Scientific Range – these products are for pets with specific health requirements and contain specific proteins and additional ingredients for pets with health issues.

Small Dog – smaller portion sizes and finer mincing for smaller digestive systems make this product perfect for puppies and small dogs.

Our Cat range has been specifically designed for cats with higher protein levels and taurine, an essential amino acid for cats. You can view these recipes here.

All Big Dog raw diets are 100% natural, no synthetic vitamins and minerals, artificial chemicals, colours, flavours or preservatives are present. All Big Dog diets are raw and uncooked to best preserve the quality and nutritional value of the proteins.

For more information on our dog range, see our products for dogs here.

For more information on our cat range, see our products for cats here.

Our patties are safe to use for two years after their packaged date as long as they have been correctly stored and frozen for the whole duration. After thawing the patty, we recommend they be kept in a sealed, airtight container and used within 2 - 3 days. Discard any thawed product that no longer looks or smells fresh. If you have a small dog and find our patties are too big for you to get through in time, check out our Big Dog for Small Dogs product.

No. Big Dog food is based on an evolutionary diet so all of the products in our range contain crushed bone as a source of important vitamins and minerals. Because of this, our food cannot be cooked.

Not only does cooking reduce the nutritional value of the fresh healthy ingredients, cooking bone results in it becoming brittle, potentially splintering and should not be digested by your dog in this state.

We generally don’t recommend our Kangaroo and Wellbeing diets as suitable for puppies who need a higher fat diet to fuel them as they grow. In instances where a puppy has a suspected allergy and a low allergen protein, like Kangaroo is suitable, extra fat will need to be added to the diet to bump up these levels for puppies.  

Our Kangaroo raw diet is a great low-fat, single protein option in our range. Developed to be a single protein diet for dogs with sensitivities to other meat proteins as well as a low fat recipe for weight loss and dogs with medical conditions who require a lower fat diet.

Kangaroo is a very rich tasting meat so introducing it slowly to the diet for dogs that have not eaten kangaroo before, is important. We recommend to slowly introduce our kangaroo recipe over a 2 week period; slowly including it into the current diet and increasing the amount every few days or so.

The following transitioning guide is a great way to start:

Day 1-2: 25% Kangaroo 80% Old Recipe

Day 3-4: 50% Kangaroo 50% Old

Day 5-6: 75% Kangaroo 25% Old

Day 7+: 100% Kangaroo

Some dogs won’t need a slow transition to our Kanga diet and may do well in an immediate transition, especially if they have been eating our other recipes and are used to raw food diets. However, it’s best practice to go slow, just in case.

A sign that you may be transitioning too quickly with Kanga is regurgitation of the food. This is different to vomiting and happens soon after the food is consumed and does not persist. If this happens, go a little slower to let your dog’s digestive system adjust.

If your dog has been eating our Kanga recipe for some time and you’d like to introduce higher fat foods to their diet, also go gently here to avoid tummy upsets. Adding small portions of higher fat foods to your dog’s Kanga meals can help you introduce variety and or higher fat foods to your dog’s diet in a slow and gentle manner.