Big Dog Raw Dog Food Questions & Answers

Hi Donna, We’re sorry to hear that. This sounds like a possible sensitivity reaction, could you please email our Customer Care team directly so we can look into it properly with you? If you can, please include: 1. The batch details and use by from the box 2. Where you purchased it from 3. A quick summary of what happened and how soon the reaction came on 4. Any photos of the lumps/ears if you have them

If you can please forward this to our Customer Care email at customercare@bigdogpetfoods.com our team can then review it properly and involve QA if needed.

-The Big Dog Team

Hi Selina, I’m really sorry to hear your bulldog has been unwell. We’d absolutely like to look into this properly for you. Could you please submit the details via our Product Enquiry form here: external link  If you can, please include a photo of the batch number, where you purchased it from, and a quick rundown of the timeline and symptoms. Once we receive that, we can log it with our Quality Assurance team and investigate further.

That's really a question you should be asking your vet

Hi Jibs, I’m sorry to hear your dog hasn’t been enjoying his food as much lately. Our recipes can look lighter or darker depending on the animal proteins in the diet - for instance lamb, beef and kanga are darker proteins, whereas chicken, turkey, salmon and goat can make our patties look lighter. Without knowing which exact recipe your dog was fed or the batch number we unfortunately can’t look into that specific box any further, as the batch details allow our Quality Assurance team to trace the exact production run. A handy tip for next time is to snap a quick photo of the batch sticker before throwing the box away. It really helps if you come across any concerns in the future. I just want to reassure you that we haven’t changed the proteins in our recipes. Everything is still made using the same ingredients and the same process. As our products are made from raw, natural ingredients, this can also create slight variations in colour or texture from batch to batch based. This usually comes down to natural differences in the cuts of meat or offal used. Some batches may look a bit lighter or darker, or soften slightly as they thaw. These changes are completely normal and don’t affect the safety or nutritional quality of the patties, unless you notice things like swelling in the packaging and an unusual smell. If you ever have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to our Customer Care Team at customercare@bigdogpetfoods.com. We’re always here and happy to help.

Thanks for your prompt reply. Much appreciated.

There is no risk of parasites/worms with Big Dog. Some puppies are more susceptible to worms & they can collect them from the ground. A product like Canex, Endogard, Drontal, are more comprehensive products for worming, rather than any of the topical or flea/tick/worming combos

Hi Steven, thanks for getting in touch with your question. It’s hard for us to say what may be causing your puppy to get worms, as it could possibly be something in their environment. We have very strict quality standards when it comes to our food, ensuring that food is safe for pets. You can read about our quality processes here external link  I’m sorry that we can’t be more helpful in determining the cause for you, but hope that this article helps reassure you of our food’s quality. Please reach out to us with any other questions you may have and we will do the best to help you and your pup.

Combo contains Raw kangaroo meat and any product containing kangaroo has been well known to cause health problems even death in all ages of dogs.

Kangaroo meat causes health problems and can cause death in dogs. Meat contains many pathogens,salmonella,EColi,Toxoplasmosis to name a few. They are wild and shot at night in the wild no vet checks or vet treatment. No hygiene for carcasses and joeys are bludgeoned to death on the bull bars. Care for your furbaby by refusing kangaroo.

Hi Wanda, we just spoke to our quality team and they said there have been no issues with our Combo patties. However, we would like to investigate this further. Could you please send us the batch number through the form below so our quality team can check this batch. external link 

Hi there, there is no Kanga in our Combo patties

Hey Tess! We would recommend feeding them just the raw food :) How active is your border collie? To begin with, we would suggest feeding her the recommended portions. As per our feeding calculator, it suggests 4 patties per day. You can check it out here: external link 

We would then keep an eye on her weight, and adjust according to how she goes. For example, if you feed her additional treats throughout the day, you may need to adjust the portions and give her less. It also all depends on her lifestyle too. If she is more of an active dog, you may need to feed her more. But you know your dog best, and will be able to adjust depending on what you see!

Sorry, I've put this question in the wrong dog product. Looks like I should swap to Big Dog Raw!

You definitely should! We have a great range you can check out here: external link 

Hi Joseph, thanks for reaching out. No we have not changed anything recently! Sometimes pets get a bit bored of their food and tend to want to mix things up a bit, just like us humans! We also recommend sometimes warming the Pattie up under warm water, but so very slightly! If it helps, we have a good video here you can watch. external link  Hopefully this helps! Otherwise, we also offer a palatability guarantee, if you would like to take it back to the store you bought it from and exchange flavours. If you have any further questions, please reach out to our customer care team at, customercare@bigdogpetfoods.com they will help you out! :)

Hi ToniM, The Kangaroo recipe is the leanest (lowest amount of fat) of our products and we would not recommend it for putting weight on a dog. If your Staffy is not allergic to other meat proteins, the Big Dog varieties of lamb, turkey, beef and chicken will be better at increasing weight. Please consult your vet if you believe there is any medical issues that could be preventing her from gaining weight.

The kangaroo meat is wild animals shot at night, no vet checks, full of symbiotic worms, E Coli, Salmonella, Toxoplasmosis and many other bacterial pathogens. I would not use kangaroo in any form. Change to chicken or beef, safer for the health of your Doggie.

Sounds like a hunger vomit, my dog had it couple of times in the morning before eating when I fed him later than usual, also that was when we were still in the UK- so different brand, re dry poop- usually the bones make it dry

Hi Anna, thank you for your reply. However, I do believe it is specifically because of Big Dog. If you read other posts people talk about the same yellow bile vomit happening exactly same time after 1-2 days. I have now stopped big dog and preparing her raw food myself. My dog doesn't have that vomit incident at all either when she is on dry OR on the raw that I make myself. I thought the same thing initially, that perhaps it is the hunger vomit, but it was just strange that when we stop Big Dog she doesn't get it, and then as soon as we start again she has it. In any case, at least thats what happens to us, our experience with it. It could all be different for other dogs. Thank you again for your reply.

From researching this before, you shouldn’t cook big dog as it has raw bone in it that shouldn’t be cooked. Hope this helps!

I don’t know how risky it is - our dog loved it at first but now we are struggling. Tried the salmon today and straight away she vomited - it’s tricky because we can’t always find the one she likes in stock. Kangaroo she ate but caused constipation and apparently it’s not suitable for puppies which we didn’t know because their roo boxes still list a puppy feeding guide. Going to kibble would be a shame coz she definitely had worse problems in terms of diarrhoea with kibble.

Hi.... I can't help you with the problem, but I bought Big Dog recently and found they have far more crushed bones than Dr B's BARF, so I went back to that. My dog's were quite constipated on Big Dog.

Hey Dona and Katy I have found my staffy has began to vomit the barf pattie too, and it seems a lot of crushed bone in it, perhaps they have increased the bones or cartilage and dog can’t break this down as well, it’s really distressing as lots of bile as well, my dogs been on it for like 6+ years... now I’m worried

Yes. Stopped once I changed food.

Try Big Dog Kangaroo as it's a single source protein and it helped though hasn't eliminated our Reggies itching. We have come to the conclusion that Reggies itching does seem to be seasonal and products that contain Neem have helped.

Hi Sharon! Thanks for getting in touch with us. We have a few recipes for issues like this and yes we would also recommend cutting out chicken. The recipes, Kanga, Turkey, Wellbeing and Sensitive Skin are all chicken-free and we have seen them work wonders with pets who have itchy skin. I would first recommend Sensitive Skin as it has added natural Omega's to help assist gaining a healthy coat for your girl. :) Hope this helps! Let us know if this works for you or feel free to email us at info@bigdogpetfoods.com

Kindly, The team at Big Dog xx

Hi Gloria, thanks for getting in touch with us. Our food would be great for your senior pup! I would recommend our Wellbeing range as it's a great low-fat option for senior dogs and it packed with superfoods to help in maintaining healthy joints. If this is her first time trying raw food we definitely recommending transitioning over a 10-12 day period, slowly increasing her Big Dog portion in the following ratios: Day 1-3: 20% New 80% Old Day 4-6: 40% New 60% Old Day 7-9: 60% New 40% Old Day 10-12: 80% New 20% Old Day 12+: 100% New Diet. All our recipes are great for skin health as they contain no cheap fillers or any synthetic vitamins or minerals. She would need to be fed around 2% of her bodyweight in food. I hope this information helps and don't hesitate to get in touch with us if you had any other questions! You can reach us here: info@bigdogpetfoods.com

Kindly, Dayna from Big Dog :)

Thank you Dayna!

Hi Gloria, it's impossible to give a definite answer cos all dogs digestion differ so much. BUT, if it was me.... I'd mix 1/3 Big Dog to 2/3 the dried food and increase Big Dog over the following couple of weeks. There are some reports that dogs digestion can't cope with a mix of raw and dried food and this worried me when I was transitioning Reggie onto Big Dog, but decided to believe those that said it wasn't a problem at all and luckily for us, that proved to be the case. Reggie can't get the food down quick enough as he loves it so much. Even though he is young and your lady is of a mature age, I'd imagine that the softer raw food will be much easier to consume. As our vet suggested to us, start your lady on the kangaroo, one source protein and easy on the digestion. I have never written a review on dog food before but am so happy to have finally found a product that has been so marvelous for Reggie, that I wanted to share our success story with everyone! The ingredients are so healthy and aligned so well for dogs tummys. So go slowly and I hope that all will be well...another thought, I wonder if her teeth and mouth are causing her issues, that may explain her reluctance to eat kibble...kindest regards

Hi HTH, thank you for your very helpful answer! Good thought re mouth issues - all OK at recent vet visit (and she loves crunching carrot), but we will definitely keep checking. I really think she could be playing the "elderly lady" card as she enjoys the food once she gets started, but only if we add sardines or other tasty morsels. That's fine, but the Big Dog food certainly looks more appetising. Will try the go slow approach as you suggest. Thanks again.... kindest regards, Gloria

Hi Karla, Thanks for getting in touch with us. For puppies we recommend feeding them 4% of their body weight in our food to accommodate their growing bodies. This amount is enough for a growing puppy, though it looks smaller than other serving sizes, we don't add synthetic fillers to bulk out our food. Our ingredients are highly nutritious and full of the essential proteins and fats (to keep your pup fuller for longer) as well as natural vitamins and minerals. A slow transition is always recommended, usually over a period of two weeks. Starting with what they usually eat, slightly decrease that portion and add our Big Dog patties in, increasing our portion sizes daily. We have a general guide which is as follows: Day 1-3: 20% New 80% Old Day 4-6: 40% New 60% Old Day 7-9: 60% New 40% Old Day 10-12: 80% New 20% Old Day 12+: 100% New Diet Most pets will have no issues when it comes to transitioning however if there is an issue, such as a change in stools, be sure to slow the transition period down further and it should resolve itself. Hope this helps! Feel free to get in touch with a member of our team at info@bigdogpetfoods.com if you had any further questions. Kindly, The Team at Big Dog :)

Hi, I did half kibble half big dog from 10.5weeks to 20 weeks, each week reducing the kibble and adding more raw bones, big dog big bites and other fresh raw meats, fruit and veg. I have a Caviliar and at 5 months cut out kibble totally. If anything my pups stools got better, smaller, firm an less frequent the less kibble I gave and I think I could have made the transition much sooner. I am just a pet owner not a breeder or anyone with training. Good luck I have found Big Dog to be excellent and my puppy loves it, I used a online raw feeding calculator to work out how much to feed each day.

Hi Angie - thanks so much for providing feedback, it's so awesome to hear you and your little Cav are enjoying the benefits of Big Dog. Thanks again for sharing! xx Kindly, The Team at Big Dog :)