Since dogs and cats are used to eating sterile, cooked foods, we recommend introducing raw meat dog food slowly over the first week or two. Begin by with a pinch the first day and incrementally increase the amount daily, allowing your dog's or cat's digestive system to adjust to raw meat food.

If used as a supplement, raw meat dog food can be increased steadily to 1% of body weight.

If used for total fitness diet, raw meat dog food can be increased steadily to 2% of body weight. This correlates to one 8-ounce patty per day for a 25-pound dog or ½ patty per day for an average cat.

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Cooking the meat above 120 degrees F will cause destroy the meat's natural digestive enzymes and some fragile amino acids, such as Taurine.

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Defrosting raw meat diets should always be done slowly in the refrigerator. Remove the plastic wrapper from the frozen roll, place in a covered container and put in the refrigerator. Each day the outer layer of meat will be thawed enough for feeding. Another technique is to place the 6-pound roll in the refrigerator overnight, then cut with a large or electric knife into desired daily portions for individual defrosting. Wrap and replace unused cut portions in the freezer immediately.

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You think your dog will leave raw meat uneaten? In the unlikely event this happens, place the remaining food in a covered container and refrigerate until the next feeding.

When meat temperatures reach 40 degrees F or warmer, bacteria begin multiplying.

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By keeping your freeze below 32 degrees F, the meat should be unable to contain or grow harmful bacteria.

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Frozen raw meat dog food can be safely stored for 6 months or more in a freezer set to medium temperatures.

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Freeze-dried raw meat dog food can be safely stored indefinitely in a dry, room temperature environment. Do not store near a heat source (furnace, direct sunlight, hot car trunk, etc).

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Bring a cooler filled with dry ice. Otherwise, freeze-drying is the only way to preserve the nutritional integrity of the health promoting Pet Patties while offering the convenience of a shelf stable product needing no refrigeration. Simply re-hydrate Pet Patties with water and fresh raw meat with all its benefits is what you'll get. Freeze-dried Pet Patties can also be broken into small pieces and fed dry. Pet Patties make wonderful treats!

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Raw meat dog food customers sometimes experience a slightly higher cost initially during the transitional period. Once the nutritional deficiencies of your dog or cat are satisfied (often within the first 30 days), most pets will automatically reduce their food intake to normal levels.

The overall cost per day is slightly higher than premium dry or canned foods but the health of your pet should improve leading to less supplementation and fewer health problems (meaning less visits to the vet.