Raw FAQs

How much raw food your dog needs will depend on her age, size, activity level and metabolism. A general rule of thumb is to feed by body weight and age. Active adult dogs will eat about one of our quarter pound bricks for every 10 pounds of body weight or about 2-3% of body weight. Puppies will eat about double that and senior dogs will probably need less.

With puppies, you will probably want to divide the food into two to four meals a day (the younger the pup, the more frequently he should eat). With adult dogs, you can feed as one meal or divide into two. 

Because you are providing very nutrient dense food without fillers to your dog, you will probably notice that he eats a lot less by volume than he did of processed. You will soon find the right amount to feed.

You may be surprised how much he loves West Coast Raw dog food because it’s the food his digestive system was made for. If he has a history of being really picky, you may want to start with Tripe. It’s strong taste and distinct smell is very, very appealing to dogs.

Your front door is the best place to get the wholesome and natural raw dog food you are choosing to give your dog. After you place your order, we will contact you by phone or text to confirm  a convenient delivery time. It really is that simple. 

Currently we happily deliver throughout Metro Vancouver and east to Abbotsford.

To minimize plastic waste, we do not individually wrap portions of food. They come in sheets that are scored into quarter pound bricks for easy snap-apart convenience. The sheets are put into an industrial-strength plastic bag which is put into a heavy duty 30 pound cardboard box.

Of course you can. And to help you out, our Raw Chicken Base is what you need to help you get started just right.

But the question is why would you? 

All our West Coast Raw blends have been formulated by a certified canine nutritionist. Unless you have that expertise, do you want to be feeding your dog a haphazard mix of ingredients that might not help her be as active, vibrant and healthy as she deserves. 

Plus, making raw dog food is a lot of work. (Trust us – we know.) Wouldn’t your dog rather be hiking the trails, strolling the beach, playing fetch, or just hanging out with you than sleeping while you spend hours in the kitchen?

In the wild, the relatives of our dogs eat a pretty simple and predictable diet. They eat whatever is most commonly available to them. If you want to feed a variety of our raw blends to your dog you certainly can. Remember, though, that each West Coast Raw dog food blend is formulated to provide everything your dog needs.

Perhaps the largest controversy surrounding raw feeding is the presence of bacteria. This has been sensationalized by the giants of the dry pet food industry along with some biased veterinarians who have little knowledge on raw feeding or have never tried it. 

What they fail to mention is the countless recalls of dry pet food due to salmonella, tainted ingredient scandals or unbalanced pet foods that have made it to market. Contaminated dry foods can cause bacterial problems to proliferate because of the bowel transit time slowdown processed foods cause. The real danger is when dogs have had their digestive tracts damaged through eating highly processed dead food and then are exposed to bacteria.

The facts are that healthy dogs do not succumb to bacteria from raw food, including salmonella. As carnivores, their bodies are designed to consume raw meat. Millions of years of evolution have ensured their short digestive tracts with highly acidic gastric juices and biological defenses are capable of consuming bacteria without ill effect. If this were not the case all of our pets’ wild counterparts would have dropped from the face of the earth long ago.                                    

Just as when we handle raw meat products for our own consumption, we must simply use the same common sense approach when handling raw food for pets.

Many veterinarians are now recognizing the importance of raw feeding and have become strong supporters of raw diets. There are true leaders in the veterinary industry who bring raw feeding awareness back to the public. Working with an informed veterinarian is always recommended.

West Coast Raw dog foods are prepared using the freshest sources possible. We use cold temperature freezers that destroy Salmonella and other pathogenic bacteria, without harming nutritional value. Packaging and boxing goes on in a low temperature freezer environment. All of our blends are regularly tested for both salmonella and E.coli.