All the ways to feed your dog a fresh diet (without losing your mind in the process)

If you’re thinking about switching your dog to a fresh diet, you’ve probably already done what everyone does: you open Google, start searching… and within ten minutes you’re even more confused than when you started.BARF, Prey Model, Franken Prey, Whole Prey, Ancestral, home-cooked…

everything sounds right, everything sounds “natural”… and at some point you just want to close everything and go back to kibble.The truth is, the problem isn’t you.
It’s that the world of fresh feeding is full of different approaches, and nobody really explains them in a simple way.So let’s fix that.

When we talk about raw feeding, we’re not actually talking about one single diet, but a whole family of approaches. The basic idea is always the same: feeding dogs fresh, minimally processed food, trying to get closer to what they would naturally eat biologically. But from there… things branch out quickly.
One of the most well-known models is BARF. It’s often where people start because it’s quite flexible: it includes meat, bones, organs, and also a portion of vegetables, fruit, or seeds. It’s usually seen as a good balance between “natural” and “manageable,” especially for beginners.

Then there’s the Prey Model, which is a bit stricter. Here, you only use animal components — no vegetables — aiming to mimic an actual prey animal. It’s a very clean and logical approach, but also harder to balance properly if you don’t really know what you’re doing.

And if we take it to the extreme, there’s Whole Prey: feeding the dog the entire animal. Yes, exactly what it sounds like. Fascinating in theory… much less practical in real life.

Because of that, many people go for a middle ground like Franken Prey: instead of feeding a whole animal, you “rebuild” it using different parts — meat, bones, organs — to achieve a similar balance.

In recent years, another approach has become increasingly popular: the Ancestral or Evolutionary Model. In a way, it’s a smart synthesis of the different systems. It includes meat, bones, organs, fish, and even a small amount of vegetables or fibre. It’s more flexible, more modern, and often nutritionally more complete.
And then there are fresh diets that aren’t raw. Home-cooked diets, for example: still fresh ingredients, but cooked. Or fresh commercial diets, which are pre-prepared fresh meals that are already balanced and ready to serve. Convenient, yes — but often quite expensive.

At this point, the question is inevitable: okay, but which one is the right one? 
The honest answer — even if it’s a bit frustrating — is always the same: it depends.

It depends on the dog, their digestion, any allergies or intolerances, their energy levels, and the breed. Yes, breed matters too. Some dogs seem to do better on certain approaches, others can be a bit more challenging — greyhounds, for example, are often a category of their own
And this is where the real issue starts.It’s not that information is missing.
It’s that there is too much of it. 
Anyone can research, read, and build a diet on their own. Everything is online and accessible. But at some point, something happens: you start putting all the pieces together, you find conflicting opinions, different models… and instead of feeling more confident, you feel stuck.

Or you realise it’s taking a huge amount of time.
And you’re still not sure if you’re doing everything correctly.

And that’s exactly why we exist at Pawarchy.
Not because you can’t do it on your own.
But because sometimes it’s simply easier to have someone guide you through it.

We usually start from what we consider the most complete and flexible framework: the Ancestral / Evolutionary Model, based on a 70-10-10-10 structure. But — and this is important — we never apply a formula rigidly.

Every dog is different.
If there are allergies, digestive issues, sensitivities… we start simpler and build gradually. We observe, adjust, and adapt. Always.

If you want to do everything yourself, you absolutely can. 
But if you want support, there are two simple options: 
You can get a full meal plan ($120), or you can do everything yourself and just come in for a review ($60). In that case, we look at what you’ve done, correct any imbalances, fix potential gaps, and give you peace of mind.

And if something doesn’t work?
We adjust it. It’s never all or nothing.

One last thing — and this is important.
Yes, we also work with herbs.
Yes, we have products.

But our goal is not to sell you things. To give you a simple example: one of the herbs we recommend most often is rosemary. And we don’t even sell it. Because you already have it — in your garden, your neighbour’s garden, or nearby somewhere. Fresh works perfectly, even with stems and flowers.

The point is: when you come here, you are not a walking wallet.
You’re someone who wants to do the best for their dog.

And that, in the end, is all that really matters.