My Dog’s Raw Food Recipe, What Works for Us

Anyone who knows me knows that dogs are family in our household.
And like most families, we’ve spent time figuring out what really works when it comes to feeding them properly.
This is Simba’s story — and the recipe that’s kept him happy, healthy and full of energy.

Meet Simba 🐾

Simba is my two-and-a-half-year-old black Labrador, bred from a working dog lineage. He’s slim, athletic, built to run — and he has a very strong prey drive. He’s not a sofa dog by nature, he’s a dog that needs the right fuel to match his energy.
From the moment Simba was weaned off his mother’s milk, he’s been fed a raw meat diet. The Kennel Club–registered breeder I bought him from feeds all of his dogs raw duck and chicken carcasses, so Simba was already used to raw food when he came home with me at 11 weeks old.

Why Raw Food Works for Simba

Out of curiosity (and convenience), I did try switching Simba to kibble for one weekend.
He absolutely loved the taste — but unfortunately, it didn’t love him back.
The result was constant diarrhoea, and it quickly became clear that kibble simply didn’t suit his digestive system. So we went straight back to raw feeding.

Over time, I made small tweaks to his diet to balance:
Quality nutrition
Calorie intake
Cost
Practical preparation

After plenty of trial and error, I finally settled on a recipe that gives Simba the best of all worlds.

The only downside?
Preparing his food every two weeks takes me around 3–4 hours.
But the upside is worth it — I know exactly what’s going into his meals, and I know he’s thriving on it.

Simba’s Raw Food Recipe

This recipe makes approximately 14 days of food, based on two 450g meals per day.

Tools
Kitchen scales (grams)

Ingredients
4 kg brown rice
2 × 454g packs minced beef & offal
200g frozen mixed vegetables
900 ml gravy
4 kg whole duck wings
100% natural salmon oil
Medium zip-lock freezer bags

Method
Step 1: Cook the Rice
Cook 4 kg of brown rice using a large pot on the stove or a rice cooker.
Once cooked, transfer the rice into a large container.

Step 2: Add the Vegetables
Boil 200g of frozen mixed vegetables and add them directly on top of the cooked rice.

Step 3: Make the Gravy
Prepare 900 ml (approx) of gravy and pour it over the rice and vegetables.
Leave the rice, veg and gravy mixture to cool completely — this usually takes 3–4 hours.

Step 4: Add the Meat
Once the mixture is fully cooled:
Add the two packs of defrosted minced beef & offal
Use your hands to break up the mince and spread it evenly through the rice
Stir thoroughly until everything is well mixed

Bagging the Meals
Using medium zip-lock freezer bags:
1. Spoon 10–15 heaped tablespoons of the rice mixture into each bag
2. Add one whole duck wing
3. Weigh the bag — each one should be 450g
4. Add or remove rice mixture to reach the correct weight

Once weighed:
Add three squirts of salmon oil
Seal the bag
Give it a good shake so the oil is absorbed evenly

Storage
Keep 4 days’ worth of meals in the fridge
Freeze the remaining bags
Defrost the next 4 days of meals as needed

This system keeps things simple and ensures Simba always has fresh, ready-to-serve food.

This recipe works brilliantly for Simba — but every dog is different. What matters most is paying attention to how your dog responds and adjusting their diet accordingly.
For us, the extra time spent preparing meals is worth every minute. Simba is healthy, energetic and happy — and that’s all any dog owner can ask for.

Buying raw meat products
Over the years I’ve tried several raw pet food suppliers, but many were unreliable and often let me down with missed or inconsistent deliveries. Thankfully, I found Durham Animal Feeds. They deliver nationwide, and I’ve been buying from them for over two years, their service has been consistently reliable.

UK Nationwide & Europe Luxury Dog Transport

Telephone: +44 (0)20 3951 3030