Preparation & Serving
Curious about getting started with Primal? We’ve gathered some tips on how to serve and safely handle your pet’s raw food.
Safe Handling
Wash all work surfaces, utensils, hands, and food bowls with hot, soapy water after handling raw meats and poultry.
Keep raw meats and poultry away from children.
Keep raw meats and poultry separate from other foods.
To simplify the handling and feeding of our frozen raw products, try staging a few containers of a day’s worth of food in your freezer. When you use the last of the thawed product from your refrigerator, simply grab a portioned container and place it in your refrigerator to thaw for your pet’s next feeding.
Frozen Raw Balanced Bases
Only serve Primal raw foods when completely thawed—frozen foods can be difficult for animals to digest. Never microwave any pet food.
To quickly thaw our Primal Nuggets and Primal Patties, place the appropriate number of nuggets or patties per feeding into a zip-seal, water-tight bag. Plug up and fill your kitchen sink with cold water, place the bag into the sink, and let thaw completely (within 30 minutes).
For best results, thaw Frozen Raw Nuggets and Patties in pre-portioned containers in the refrigerator. After portioning frozen raw food to thaw in the refrigerator, immediately return remaining food in the bag to the freezer.
Thawed frozen raw foods will maintain optimum freshness for up to 7 days under refrigeration.
We recommend no more than a 2-hour window out of refrigeration to feed thawed or rehydrated freeze-dried raw foods to your pet. If you wish to save an uneaten portion of thawed or rehydrated freeze-dried raw food, immediately place any uneaten thawed or rehydrated freeze-dried raw meal portions back into the refrigerator.
Freeze-dried Raw Balanced Bases
Freeze-dried raw food is shelf stable and should be stored in a cool, dry place. Rehydrate food with Bone Broth, Goat Milk, or warm water to ensure optimal nutrient absorption. We recommend thoroughly incorporating one tablespoon of hydration for every nugget served.
Portioning
If feeding your pet twice daily, simply divide the total daily feeding portion in half and feed once in the morning and once in the evening! See our Feeding Calculator for estimates on how much to feed your pet. Factors such as level of activity, age, health, metabolism, and breed play a part in the necessary feeding quantities of all animals. Please be sure to talk to your vet for more specific recommendations.
Raw Meaty & Recreational Bones
Recreational bones are a fantastic way to keep your pet’s teeth clean and healthy. They can be fed right from the freezer, and are best served outdoors or on a patio. If you choose to serve bones indoors, place them on a mat, towel, or other surface that can be machine-washed or easily disinfected. Be sure to always monitor your pet when feeding any bone product.
Clean-Up
Try using two different colored sponges in the kitchen—one for cleaning your dishes and another for cleaning your pet’s dishes.
Use disinfecting wipes in the kitchen for quick cleanups after preparing your pet’s food.
Serve raw products in a stainless steel bowl—other materials such as plastic and porcelain are porous, and can trap germs over time.
Kittens
Kittens can be introduced to select Primal Feline Balanced Bases formulated for All Life Stages at approximately 4-5 weeks of age. They should be fed 1-2 small (1 teaspoon) raw-food meals daily in conjunction with either the milk they consume from nursing and/or other foods you may be supplementing.
Gradually increase the quantity of Primal Feline Balanced Base formulated for All Life Stages every 2-3 days until 8 weeks of age or until weaned. At this point, your kitten can be fed a diet solely of select Primal Feline Formulas. Head to our bowl builder to find an appropriate recipe for your kitten as well as specific feeding guidelines.
Factors such as breed, overall health, and level of activity play a part in the necessary feeding quantities of all kittens. Please be sure to speak with your family veterinarian about your kitten’s specific dietary needs and adjust the feeding quantities accordingly.
Puppies
Puppies can be introduced to select Primal Canine Balanced Bases formulated for Growing Puppies at approximately 4-5 weeks of age. They should be fed 1-2 small (1-2 teaspoons) raw food meals daily in conjunction with either the milk they consume from nursing and/or other foods you may be supplementing.
Gradually increase the quantity of Primal Canine foods formulated for Growing Puppies every 2-3 days until 8 weeks of age or until weaned. At this point, your puppy can be fed a diet solely of select Primal Canine Formulas. Head to our bowl builder to find an appropriate recipe for your growing puppy as well as specific feeding guidelines.
Factors such as breed, overall health, and level of activity play a part in the necessary feeding quantities of all puppies. Be sure to speak with your family veterinarian about your puppy’s specific dietary needs and adjust the feeding quantities accordingly.
Build a better bowl®
Try out our Bowl Builder to explore the many ways that adding fresh food to your dog’s diet can make them happier and healthier.
FAQs
Still have questions? Explore our frequently asked questions for everything you need to know about feeding Primal to your pet.
STRE
LOCATOR