Food matters. So does humility about food.
Wavemaker has fed raw diets for many years because that approach fits our own dogs and management preferences. We are comfortable handling and sourcing raw ingredients, monitoring body condition and adjusting what we feed to the individual dog.
That is a description of what we do — not a claim that every dog must be fed the same way to be healthy.
The non-negotiable: nutritional adequacy
Whether a diet is raw, cooked or commercial, the important question is not whether the ingredient list sounds “natural.” It is whether the complete diet provides appropriate energy and essential nutrients for that dog’s life stage, size, activity and health.
A bowl of meat is not automatically a balanced diet. Calcium and phosphorus, essential fatty acids, vitamins, trace minerals, protein, energy density and other nutrients all have to land in a workable range. Puppies are especially unforgiving of nutritional imbalance because their skeletons are developing.
If you formulate a home-prepared diet, we strongly encourage working from a properly designed recipe and involving a veterinarian with nutrition expertise when needed rather than building the diet from internet percentages alone.
How we think about feeding
We use variety thoughtfully, watch stool and digestion, track weight and muscle condition, and adjust for age and workload. An athlete in heavy training does not need the same intake as a retired senior. A growing puppy is not a small adult.
We prefer foods with clearly identified ingredients and we avoid turning supplements into a substitute for a sound base diet.
Raw-food safety
Raw animal products can carry pathogens. Good food hygiene matters for the dog and for the humans sharing the household. We store, thaw, prepare and clean carefully, and people with increased infection risk should discuss raw feeding with their medical and veterinary professionals before choosing it for the household.
Feed the dog in front of you
The best diet is not the one that wins the loudest argument online. It is the one that is nutritionally appropriate, practical enough to feed correctly and consistently, and demonstrably works for the individual dog under thoughtful observation.
That is the standard we use at Wavemaker.