Dog DNA is 99% that of the wolf. The outside of the dog has changed but the digestive system hasn't and that's why raw food and treats are your dog's natural diet. It's the natural diet of the wolf. But many people are hesitant, believing raw feeding is difficult and expensive. You can be a DIY'er picking and choosing each ingredient that goes into your pet's meals if you like. We have very good quality beef, organs, bones, fish and chicken parts for you to choose from based on availability. if you don't have the predisposition to that, we have high quality COMPLETE meals with muscle meats, organ and bone mixes, some with veggies added for your pet. Many of these are single protein for those of you dealing with allergies or sensitivities. We found once your pet settles into the raw diet and catches up on his nutrients, the intake settles down depending on activity level and metabolism. In fact when we compared the cost of raw vs kibble (even what we thought was a very good quality kibble), we saved money and we haven't taken into account the potential money saved on vet bills.

There are 3 Cardinal Rules:

1. A complete diet has muscle meat (protein) organ (vitamins) and bone (minerals).

2. A balanced diet has as much variety of the above as possible.

3. Dogs and puppies need bones to chew on.

Available at our booth F4 at Bountiful Farmer's Market
3696 97 St NW, Edmonton, AB T6E 5S8
Hours:
Friday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Saturday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Sunday 10:00 – 4:00 pm

Contact us beforehand to check availability for the harder to find organs. (ex. pancreas)

Short answer, no.  

We hear this myth every day that feeding raw is very costly.  People think that if they have a large breed dog especially, the amount of food the dog will need is going to put them in the Poor House.  The truth is that feeding raw is cheaper than feeding a “good quality” kibble.

How is that possible?  

• First and foremost, your pet requires less raw food than kibble to sustain a healthy life.  Raw food is nutritionally dense.  It does not have all the fillers that kibble has; fillers that are undigestible like fur, hide, feathers (called by-products), soy, corn, wheat, rice, beet pulp, peanut shells, sawdust (called cellulose), manure, rendered fat, corn syrup, etc.  It's very common for our customers to be shocked after running the initial calculations as to how little raw food their pet requires.  They feel like they're starving their pet until they actually see the transformation their pet makes both physically and mentally, and the excitement and satiation their pet shows at meal time.
• There's no need to add supplements or vitamins to a complete raw diet.  A complete diet includes quality muscle meats for protein, liver and secreting organs for vitamins and bones for minerals.  A variety of proteins and parts of the animal, bird or fish helps ensure you're offering everything your pet needs for a healthy life.  You can supplement if you like, but there's certainly no need if the diet is already complete.  As we say, “It just becomes expensive poop.”

Then there are all the spin-off financial benefits to feeding raw!

• You just don't see the vet.  It's really hard to quantify the cost savings with this alone.  Disease rates plummet, joints stay healthy long into old age, teeth stay pearly white and without any need for removal, no ear, skin and coat conditions requiring treatment, no digestion issues because bowel movements are normal and stools smaller, and a lot less, if any, allergies.  These are just a few examples but you get the picture.
• Because of the above, the need for pet health insurance removes itself.
• Your pet will have a much healthier coat requiring less time at the groomer's.  The skin clears up, no more dandruff, the coat is shinier and softer, the hair is no longer coarse and brittle, your pet sheds less, and no body odour.  You still need to brush your pet and trim their nails but regular maintenance becomes a lot easier.
• Raw fed pets have fewer behavioural problems and less need for specialized training or trainer. “Hangry” is a thing!  When pets are transitioned to a raw fed diet or fed raw from the puppy stage, they are much smarter and much easier to train.  Raw feeding provides far more digestible protein to the brain and as a result the brain functions at a better level.  Omega 3 fatty acids and amino acids are crucial for cognitive function, mental sharpness, and memory.  Your pet becomes calmer, is better able to focus, and has a better mood overall.  Your pet will also have more energy, necessary for a happy life, including training.  

Let me give you an example of the difference raw makes.  We got our muse, Bailey at 9 weeks and she was fully and completely trained by 12 weeks.  She was house broken, socialized, knew all her commands, had excellent recall, and knew the perimeter of her house and barn yard which she was trained to protect and not go beyond unless accompanied by my husband or myself.  She had not experienced any training before we got her.  And we're not alone; I hear many anecdotal stories from our customers about how their pets went from being impossible and the owners were ready to give up on them, to being the best girl or boy.

Only if you want it to be. We’ve been on some Facebook Raw Feeding groups that insist it must be complicated, and they throw in graphs and charts that would put insomniacs to sleep! I’ve seen many people go to these groups looking for kindly advice, only to be shamed and put off raw feeding.

With the help of our vet consultants, there are just a few Cardinal Rules:

1. Variety! Variety! Variety! You must provide as wide a variety as possible—not just with the proteins you offer (i.e. chicken, pork, bison, salmon, etc.) but all of the animal/bird/fish parts! This gives your pet the best chance of getting all the nutrients they need. Variety!
2. To be considered complete, a raw diet has to include protein from muscle meat, vitamins from organs, and minerals from bone.
3. The organs must include 5% liver and 5% other secreting organs like pancreas, spleen, kidney, or gonads.
4. Feed according to your pet’s weight, activity level, and metabolism. The amount is not written in stone and will fluctuate. Assess regularly.

Now, we could just stop there if people actually followed advice… but from our experience, people really, really, really have a need to complicate things! So, here are some additional thoughts from us:

1. We can’t stress Rule #1 enough. It’s so important that even if you didn’t follow the other rules but followed this ONE rule, your pet would still live its fullest, happiest, healthiest life! For example, don’t just offer liver jerky when dogs really prefer heart. All carnivores—even wild predators like eagles—will take the heart first. Think outside the brainwashed box.
2. We really don’t care if you don’t like to touch it, smell it, or look at it. Wear gloves, breathe through your mouth, and deal with it at least partially frozen to reduce slipperiness, smell, fluids—whatever turns you off. How important is your pet to you? How much do you want them to live their best life? Act accordingly.
3. If wild predators aren’t doing something, why do you think your pet should? For example, wolves, cougars, grizzlies, coyotes, and lynx aren’t building fires to cook bones from their kill. Not only are they not eating cooked bones, they’re not sipping bone broth either. They ARE devouring the bones—splinters and all—raw. Their pups and kittens chew on bones. They don’t eat the hide, fur, or feathers but leave them behind. We find rabbit ears and paws everywhere. They DO eat all the meat, organs, stomach contents, intestines, gonads, and udders of lactating prey, while carrion birds eat the eyes and brains.
4. Kibble has only been around since about 1956. Before kibble became mainstream, dogs and cats lived long, healthy lives eating table scraps, hunted prey, or butcher scraps. We remember dogs living into their late teens and twenties, and cats into their early thirties when we were barefoot country kids. Now, outside of raw-fed pets, that’s unheard of. Your vet considers your Golden Lab a senior at age 7! Your lazy house panther only lives to 18 or 20, on average. Cancer, heart disease, kidney disease, pancreatitis—these are now epidemics in pets. Did you never stop to wonder why?

More and more people are coming to us knowing instinctively there must be a better way. We can tell you there is. It’s not hard—it’s just common sense.

Yes, but by Veterinarians who are truly educated in pet nutrition. The Vets we consult with have all been educated in Europe where they are taught by their University’s Faculty of Veterinary Studies about the fundamentals of pet nutrition including raw feeding, why it’s beneficial and how it’s done properly. Contrast that with Canadian educated vets whose entire knowledge of pet nutrition boils down to a 2 hour lecture given by a kibble rep. I’ve not only read about this but been able to verify it. If you want a guess as to who the kibble rep may have been, take a look into what brand of products your vet carries and recommends.

So, not only are the benefits of raw feeding not taught in standard Canadian Veterinary Studies, but are denigrated in the kibble rep’s lecture. This becomes their baseline understanding of pet nutrition. Vets who have been educated in our Canadian Universities AND support raw feeding, typically have taken further education into pet nutrition or have gone even further still and become Homeopathic Vets. If you can, seek them out.

Why does this matter? Consider the fact that Canada has NO legislation regarding pet food and treats.  That means ANYTHING can and does go into what your pet consumes including all kinds of chemicals and known cancer causing agents. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the processing includes cancer causing methods. It’s so bad that European countries who do have pet food and treat legislation WON’T even buy any Canadian raw materials intended for pet food production for THEIR pet food production.

We’re blessed to have access to German, Swiss and Dutch educated vets to guide us. They’re not only very specific in the muscle meat, organ and bone ratios, but what those ratios must include so there’s no nutrient deficiencies in your pet. Our Master Butcher also stays current by attending conferences overseas on the latest research on raw feeding.

- This is a rough guideline but gives you a starting point. The average adult dog eats 2% of their lean body weight in Total Daily Intake (TDI). For a 45lb dog for example, the math looks like this:

• 45 lbs divided by 100 = 0.45.

• 0.45 x 2 (%) = 0.9 lbs in TDI.

• To know what that is in ounces, multiply 0.9 lbs by 16. So 0.9 x 16 = 14 + ozs.

• Your Pet's TDI includes meals, snacks and treats.

• A kitchen scale will help weigh out portions.

• Do NOT be surprised if this amount is less, sometimes a lot less, than what you're used to feeding. Because there are NO FILLERS in our food, it's nutrient dense and therefore the portions can be smaller. Do not go by how much you used to feed in another brand.

If your pet is overweight, use his target body weight.

Inactive pets will need about 1%. Active, working or nursing pets will need roughly 3-5%.

Puppies will need 4-5%. Divide this into 3-4 meals/day.

Cats 2-3%.

4 week kittens 10% then slowly working down to 4-5% by 1 year. Divide this into 3-4 meals/day.

Ferrets 10% and kits 20%. Kits need their TDI divided into 4-5 meals/day.

Watch how your pet responds. Is he still hungry? Is he losing weight? Adjust up a percentage. Is he gaining weight? Is he leaving food behind? Is he throwing up after he feeds? Adjust down a percentage. Is he maintaining his target weight? Is he content and has enough energy between meals? Carry on with the percentage you're at.

Don't be afraid to adjust your pet's intake as needed. He may need more in the summer as his activities increase and less in the winter. You should be able to see that your pet has a waist from both the side and from above.

Available at our booth F4 at Bountiful Farmer's Market
3696 97 St NW, Edmonton, AB T6E 5S8
Hours:
Friday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Saturday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Sunday 10:00 – 4:00 pm

Contact us beforehand to check availability for the harder to find organs. (ex. pancreas)

The good news is, we can DEFINITELY help you! The reason your pet has allergies, sensitivities, or a sensitive stomach is 99% due to eating kibble. Kibble creates a more alkaline environment in the stomach and gut, which is totally unnatural and leads to digestive issues. A raw diet creates a naturally acidic environment which breaks down proteins and kills bacteria. This is why some pets who were “allergic to chicken” before are no longer allergic once switching to raw, because the acidic environment can fully break down the protein.

As well, the source of protein and the processing methods used in kibble are contributing factors to allergies, sensitivities, and a sensitive stomach. Our raw ingredients are all sourced locally either from our ranch or neighboring farms and ranches. We don’t use any hormones, steroids, or daily antibiotics in the production of our livestock.

Feeding raw green tripe is also essential for the digestive system. Green tripe is harvested from the stomach lining of any ruminant animal, and in our case, it comes from beef and bison. Make sure you do not buy white tripe, as this has been bleached. You want green tripe like the kind we sell. It contains a host of healthy and helpful digestive enzymes your pet needs. Tripe should be given regularly to healthy pets and daily if your pet suffers from digestive issues or digestive diseases. Please contact us if you require more information about feeding tripe to treat digestive problems.

Kibble also sets up an unnatural microbiome for pre- and probiotics, making it very difficult for them to live and thrive in your pet’s stomach, small, and large intestines. With a raw diet, pre- and probiotics naturally exist because the microbiome is corrected. Therefore, switching to a raw diet helps alleviate and sometimes completely erases allergies, sensitivities, and sensitive stomachs because the digestive environment has been brought back to normal.

If your pet experiences something like hives, for example, or an anaphylactic reaction, this is a true allergy and you need to make sure your pet is not exposed to the allergen again. True allergies can increase in severity with repeated exposure to the allergen and can become life-threatening. We have complete single-protein meals for those pets who need to avoid certain allergens.

But we have even better news! By adding our raw milk Cheese Chews and Whey to your pet’s diet on a regular basis, you’ll also be giving them the natural pre- and probiotics their gut needs to be healthy, especially during the transition from kibble to raw. We make these products from raw farm-fresh milk. So, it’s never been pasteurized and none of the goodness of milk has been removed! Because there is no legislation in Canada regarding pet food and treats, we decided to use this to our advantage and bring the benefits of raw Cheese Chews and Whey to your pet.

We’ve successfully helped many conditions that have stumped vets when the pet’s condition wouldn’t respond to treatments like antibiotics or steroids. For example, many cases of vomiting of an unknown cause (particularly in cats), pet hair loss, scratching, inflammation between the toes, rashes, smelly or itchy ears, and red inflamed eyes. We’ve also seen post-op surgical cancer cases heal faster than previously seen by vets because a pet was switched to a raw-fed diet supplemented with whey.

But PLEASE work with your vet. We’ve seen many wonderful vets through the years and we’re not writing off vets. However, if you’re not reaching the success you’d like to see, consider correcting the stomach and gut biome—and like a domino effect, the rest of your pet’s bodily systems can have a chance to heal.

Please note: as much as these products will help, there is also no guarantee your pet will be cured.

Our raw milk Cheese Chews and Whey offer many health benefits, including increased bioavailability of nutrients, support for gut health through beneficial bacteria, and allergy reduction. It's also rich in essential vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. But that’s just the beginning. Let’s break it down:

Bioavailability:

Our raw milk Cheese Chews and Whey boast a high concentration of bioavailable nutrients, meaning your pet can easily absorb and utilize the vitamins, minerals, and enzymes it contains.

Vitamins and Minerals:

Raw milk Cheese Chews and Whey are a good source of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium, which are essential for bone health, muscle function, and nerve transmission. Vitamin K2 is important for heart health. Vitamin D, good for healthy bones and teeth, is also a known antioxidant. B vitamins help pets feel more energetic and youthful and help slow down the aging process. Vitamin A is essential for vision, a healthy immune system, growth, and development.

Complete Protein:

Whey protein is a complete protein source, meaning it contains ALL essential amino acids, which are the building blocks of muscle. This makes it beneficial for building, maintaining, and repairing lean muscle mass, especially in active and working pets, those recovering from injuries or post-op, and the elderly. It helps improve muscle tone in the lazy and those with arthritis, and helps build and repair cartilage. Taurine—just one of the essential amino acids that cat owners will specifically ask about but all cats and dogs need—is present in Whey. Taurine is crucial for cardiovascular, eye, and digestive health.

They also provide CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) and Omega-3 fatty acids, which are beneficial for overall health, but especially the skin and coat, and reducing inflammation. (Inflammation happens when the immune system responds to attacks like allergies, infections, or autoimmune diseases.)

Enzymes & Digestive Support:

Raw milk Cheese Chews and Whey contain natural enzymes that aid in digestion, making it easier to digest not just the Chews and Whey, but all food. The natural enzymes help break down fats and proteins, reducing the burden on the digestive system. This becomes very important for pets with IBS or other digestive issues who need help.

Probiotics & Immune Function:

The natural fermentation process in our raw milk Cheese Chews and Whey preserves beneficial bacteria (pre- and probiotics) that contribute to a healthy gut microbiome, enhancing digestive health and supporting the immune system. It also helps the body produce glutathione, an important antioxidant. Whey protein decreases the risk of infections by boosting the immune system. Some commercial probiotics contain as few as ONE probiotic, but raw Cheese Chews and Whey contain a diverse number of pre- and probiotics.

Allergy Relief:

Pet owners report that giving their pets raw milk Cheese Chews and Whey helps alleviate and sometimes eliminate allergies, itchiness, rashes, hair loss, and asthma due to the beneficial microbes, natural proteins, and enzymes which boost the immune system.

Heart Health:

Vitamin K2, present in raw Cheese Chews and Whey, can prevent calcium from depositing in artery walls, potentially reducing the risk of heart disease. The whey protein itself is extremely beneficial for building and repairing heart muscle.

Flavor and Experience:

99% of pets like the natural flavor of our raw milk Cheese Chews and Whey. Some prefer to drink the whey alone while others prefer it with their meal.

For feeding information, please refer to the individual products for sale on our website.

ie. small dogs, cats, ferrets, lizards etc. When you’re buying 1 lb chubs of pet food but you’re only feeding a few ounces per day, you may wonder how you’re going to safely and economically manage that without a lot of waste. For small pets, we recommend the following:

1. Thaw the chubs just enough to cut through.  Hint: If you can press your finger into the chub, you can cut it.
2. Cut your portions into the sizes you want.  You will need a kitchen scale to weigh the portions.  Hint: The nutrient loss is negligible when the portions are cut up still partially frozen and then refrozen.
3. Lay these portions out without touching each other, on a cookie sheet or tray and refreeze rock hard.    
4. Gather up the pieces and put into a ziplock bag or container.
5. Pull out the portions as you need them.  The small portions will thaw quite quickly and it’s safest to thaw them in the fridge.  They can safely be used up to 3 days from the fridge.
6. Small dogs and cats need LOTS of variety.  It’s perfectly normal for them to eat one protein for 1-2 successive meals and then decline it on the third.  So, ideally you’ll want to have 3 or 4 different proteins to choose from. By freezing portions this way, and having lots of variety to choose from, you’re not stuck for variety and you’re not throwing pet food out because it’s been in the fridge too long.
7. It’s not uncommon for small pets to decline a new food. There’s nothing wrong with the new food, it’s just different than what they’re used to. They can be just like picky toddlers. The more persistent you are, the better chance you’ll have of success. You can transition slowly by adding small amounts of the new food to their old food, gradually increasing the amount of new food and taking away the old food until you’re completely transitioned over. (For example: 1/4 new food and 3/4 old food, then 1/2 and 1/2, then 3/4 new food and 1/4 old food)  It can take a few days or up to a few months. The younger the pet, the easier it will be. But at the end, you’ll be delighted you switched over to raw food when you see the dramatic improvement in health, energy, cognition, temperament and trainability. Both you and your pet will have a dramatic improvement in quality of life. Plus, your wallet will appreciate how little you see the vet not just because your pet is so healthy, but your pet continues to be so healthy long into old age.

Short answer, no. Because raw feeding is trending in Alberta, lots of producers are jumping in to make money. Some are making pet food that is not complete like not adding bone or secreting organs. Some are adding ingredients that are not digestible and therefore have no nutrient value, fillers such as hide, fur, feathers, sawdust (aka cellulose) etc. Some cut production costs by substituting cheaper pork or chicken organs for beef or bison organs and cheaper chicken bones for beef or bison bones, yet will call it a beef bison meal. Technically, it’s a meal just not a beef bison meal as there are other proteins used.

These producers are cutting corners, offering a cheap product at cheap prices, undercutting reputable producers like ourselves to get a share of the market.  A reputable producer can answer your questions, knows not only what ingredients are in their raw food, why they’re present and where they come from.  We can tell you how the livestock has been raised. Naked Bull truly is from farm gate to your pet food bowl.

Many diseases can be helped if not cured by switching to a raw diet. To help the healing process, you can also do what's called Organ or Glandular Therapy. The Chinese have practiced it for centuries. You give up to 10% of the TDI of a specific, good quality ground or minced organ. For example, to heal pancreatiis, supplement with pancreas. For kidney disease, kidney. For heart disease, heart and so on. You can also supplement prophylactically if your pet's breed happens to be prone to a certain condition. We carry high quality beef organs from our ranch for DIY'ers or people supplementing to treat conditions.

Available at our booth F4 at Bountiful Farmer's Market
3696 97 St NW, Edmonton, AB T6E 5S8
Hours:
Friday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Saturday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Sunday 10:00 – 4:00 pm

Contact us beforehand to check availability for the harder to find organs. (ex. pancreas)

Sometimes, even though you’ve bought the same protein mix before, you’ll find a change in the texture of the food. One case may have food that is more firm, and another case may be softer with more fluid that comes off it after it thaws. There are a number of factors that contribute to the variance in texture.

First, leaner meat will always have a higher water content. Ground beef can be as high as 75–85% water. Bison is naturally lean, so we can expect it to have a high water content too. Chicken, for example, has a water content of about 65%. Turkey, about 75%. But this isn’t the only contributing factor.

Grass-fed beef and bison will always have a higher water content in the meat.

Also, the higher the pH of the meat, the higher the water retention within the meat. pH can be affected by the age of the animal, the diet as stated above, the breed, how it was raised, the metabolic state of the live animal at the time it is culled (which is influenced by handling and its natural genetic makeup), the speed at which the meat is cooled prior to being processed, and the processing itself. So, the animal’s total environment, genetics, stress or the lack of it, age, diet, and processing all affect the muscle meat’s water content.

The time of year, temperature, and humidity levels influence the live animal’s physiology.

The type of muscle meat also plays a role. Different muscle meats will naturally have higher water content.

Freezing the meat itself contributes to fluid. The presence of ice crystals in the meat breaks down the cellular walls and releases intracellular (within the cell) myoglobin—a naturally occurring fluid. Myoglobin is full of nutrients, so it’s preferable that it and the water are not tossed out. You want to feed this to your pet as well.

So, as you can see, there are quite a few contributing factors as to why you see a variance in the fluid content of the meat. Some of these issues we can mitigate, others we can’t.

Some people mistakenly believe there is water or blood added to the meat, but we don’t do this. We also don’t offer fresh pet food because, in order to mitigate any possible bacterial contamination, the finished pet food is frozen at -40°C or colder for a minimum of 2 weeks—effectively killing any bacteria. Besides, fresh pet food (even refrigerated) would need to be consumed within 3 days, which is a logistical nightmare.

Here are a few tips you can try:

If the meat has more fluids than you prefer, you can drain the fluid off by placing the meat into a paper towel-lined strainer. Save the fluids by freezing them in ice cube trays to add later to “drier” meats. You can also work with the food while it’s still partially frozen—it holds its shape better and is easier to divide into meal portions. Some dogs will also happily eat a partially frozen or completely frozen meal portion, especially during hot summer months.

If your pet is not liking or refusing to eat food with a higher fluid content, please contact us. We’re happy to work with you to find a solution.