Best Raw Food Diet For Boerboels
Raw Feeding From Puppy To Adult

by Ken Alden

The Boerboel Mastiff can do very well on a raw food diet. By feeding a meat-based diet instead of traditional dog food, you can provide a healthy mix of nutrients that helps a puppy grow well and keeps your dog happy and healthy. 

Best Raw Food Diet For Boerboels Should Include...

• For Boerboel Puppies...
  A little more than one-fourth protein and one-tenth fat, as well as about 12% bone.
• For Boerboel Adults...
  Adults should have a similar diet, but with less protein and less bone. 
  

This article will discuss the raw food diet for Boerboel Mastiff puppies and adults, including their nutritional needs and the right amount to feed. Read More Below...

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Boerboel Puppy Raw Diet

A raw food diet for a Boerboel puppy must consider the particular needs of growing dogs. This means both feeding enough of important nutrients and feeding the right ratios of different nutrients. A Boerboel should be considered a puppy as far as diet is concerned about the first two years of life. 

Nutritional Needs

A raw food diet for puppies must include a solid source of minerals, including calcium and phosphorus. Meat is high in phosphorus but does not have enough calcium. If you were to feed your growing puppy a meat-only diet, your dog would develop severe bone issues, as well as problems with the nervous system. Calcium can be incorporated into the diet through bones.

Protein is essential for growing Boerboel puppies, as they need to develop a robust muscular system. About 27% of the diet should be protein and about 12% bone. About 10% of the diet should be fat, which can be found in most meats. Cheaper meats tend to have too high-fat content, so you may want to invest in lean meats. 

Naturally, low-fat meats include chicken with no skin, most fish, and most wild game. Lean ground beef is also a good choice for lean protein for puppies. 

Slowly incorporating various other organs into the diet is another good way to make sure that your puppy grows well, including the liver, kidney, spleen, and pancreas.

Incorporating raw fruits and vegetables is less necessary but can provide micronutrients that help your dog’s digestion and protect against diseases, including cancer. 

Make sure that your puppy’s diet is low in grains, peas, and potatoes, as this can lead to too much fat gain. best raw food diet for boerboels

Remember that not every meal needs to be completely balanced, but your puppy’s diet should be balanced for a few days or weeks.

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Boerboel Raw Food Diet for Adults

About one-third of the adult Mastiff’s diet should be meaty bones, ideally larger bones like the turkey neck or the beef tail. Another way to incorporate the right amount of bone into the diet is by feeding whole animals, like fish, poultry, and rabbit. Altogether, the diet should be about 12% to 15% bone and 25% protein.

Organs are an important part of the diet, and ideally, your Mastiff would have become adjusted to organs throughout puppyhood. You should feed a variety of organs and primarily not rely on just the liver. Instead, provide about 10 to 30% organ meats, including kidney, spleen, brain, pancreas, thymus, or lung. Pancreas and thymus can be found under the name sweetbreads. 

You should be able to include enough fat with only meat. Ideally, your adult dog’s diet should consist of somewhere between 10% and 20% fat. You may need to find lean meats, like lean ground beef, pork loin, chicken meat with no skin, rabbit, fish, and wild game. Duck, poultry skin, and regular ground beef are generally too fatty. 

Like puppies, adult Mastiffs may benefit from the inclusion of fruits and vegetables into the diet, but it is not necessary for general health and well-being. They may reduce the instance of disease and improve digestion. Adult Mastiffs should also avoid starchy foods like peas, potatoes, and grains, leading to obesity and diabetes.

Overall, you should be feeding a diet with variety, balanced over a few days or a few weeks.

Nutritional Needs

An adult Boerboel’s nutritional needs are similar to those of a puppy, but they require less protein and less fat. An adult Boerboel Mastiff’s diet should be about 25% protein and about 10% fat. 

For an adult dog, the goal of a healthy diet is to maintain weight and avoid obesity. To check whether your dog is gaining excess weight, feel the dog’s back. You should be able to feel ribs without applying any pressure. 

How Much Raw Food to Feed a Boerboel Puppy

It is important to feed the right amount of food and the right balance of foods in a growing puppy’s diet. Food should be given at scheduled mealtimes and not through a free feeding system, and you should be sure to exercise your puppy regularly both for general health and to avoid any weight gain.

The total amount of food to give to a Boerboel puppy depends on age and can be approximated with the following feeding chart:

About one-third of a Boerboel puppy’s raw food diet should be meaty bones, with a 1.2 to 1 ratio of high-calcium bones to high-phosphorous meat. This could be chicken wings, necks, thighs or legs, or lamb or goat necks or ribs for puppies. 

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How Much Raw Food to Feed a Boerboel Mastiff Adult

A full-grown Boerboel eats about two pounds of food per day, or 6 to 10 cups per meal, twice a day. Dividing the food into two meals minimizes the risk of bloating while providing lasting energy. Make sure that you also exercise your adult Mastiff regularly, about thirty minutes of walking per day. Otherwise, even this recommended amount of food can be too much. 

Raw Recipes for Boerboel Puppies

Turkey and Chicken with Fish is a good source of healthy fats, as well as protein.

• 12% to 15% bone-in chicken, turkey (ground or whole)
• 35% to 30% mackerel, other oily fish
• 10% to 30% chicken or turkey organs (hearts, liver)
• 5% eggs (lightly boiled), with a shell if farm-bought
• 5% to 10% spinach
• 5% to 10% broccoli
  
  

Chicken and Beef Delight is a great high-protein meal for a growing puppy.

• 20% to 25% chicken thighs or breasts
• 20 to 25% beef (ground, cheek, stew), low-fat
• 10% to 30% beef organs (hearts, liver)
• 12% to 15% chicken bone (ground)
• 5% to 10% green beans
• 5% to 10% broccoli

Raw Recipes for Boerboel Adults

Chicken and Carrots is an easy meal to prepare and is especially good for older dogs. 

• 35% to 50% chicken thighs, breasts
• 10% to 30% of chicken organs (hearts, liver)
• 12% to 15% chicken bone (ground)
• 5% eggs (raw or lightly boiled), with a shell if farm-bought
• 5% to 20% carrots
• 5% to 20% green beans
  
  

Beef and Greens is a good, balanced meal for bigger dogs, like the adult Mastiff.

• 35% - 50% beef (ground, stew, or cheek), low-fat
• 10% to 30% beef organs (hearts, liver)
• 12% to 15% beef tail bones
• 5% to 10% green apples
• 5% to 10% collard greens
• 5% to 20% kale

Best Raw Food Diet For Boerboels...Conclusion

Boerboels do well on a raw food diet based mostly on low-fat meats, including the bones and organs. Boerboel Mastiff puppies should eat more protein and fat than adults, but their nutritional needs are very similar overall.

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I’m Ken Alden. This website
is a labor of love from years of research and personal experiences with Mastiffs.

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