A presentation at Raw & Well Guides by Raw & Well
A PLAIN-ENGLISH GUIDE IN THIS GUIDE 01 The short answer NRC 2006-Based Raw Dog Food 02 Why balance matters How to check that a raw diet is balanced: the targets, the calcium math by cut, and the mistakes that hide in a bowl that looks right. 06 Calcium in raw chicken bones By Raw & Well 09 Quick answers · Reviewed by Dr. Sarah Missaoui, DVM 03 What is NRC 2006? 04 The 43 checks 05 Calcium: the ratio and the amount 07 Count calcium once 08 When to call your vet Published 12 October 2026 rawandwell.online NRC 2006-Based Raw Dog Food · A plain-English guide 01 / 12
THE SHORT ANSWER How do you know a raw diet is balanced? A raw diet is balanced when it supplies every essential nutrient at or above the NRC 2006 recommended allowance, and below the safe upper limit where one exists, measured per 1,000 kcal your dog eats. A ratio such as 80/10/10 describes the bowl. It does not measure what is in it. 01 02 03 04 Measure nutrients, not proportions Use NRC 2006 targets Know your cut Count calcium once The adult allowance is 1.0 g calcium and 0.75 g phosphorus per 1,000 kcal. Chicken back and wing are both 44% bone, yet back carries about 45% more calcium. Bone-in meals already carry calcium. Add a supplement only when food cannot close a gap. The ratio can stay the same while zinc, iodine or vitamin D fall short. rawandwell.online NRC 2006-Based Raw Dog Food · A plain-English guide 02 / 12
WHY BALANCE MATTERS A bowl can look right and still be incomplete Too little One nutrient can run short without any visible sign at first. WHAT THE RESEARCH FOUND 95% Too much Extra supplements can push one nutrient too high, or crowd out another. Hard to see Without the numbers, a good-looking diet and a balanced one look the same. of 200 published home-prepared dog recipes fell short on at least one essential nutrient. Only 5 met NRC minimums for adult dogs, all written by veterinarians. Stockman et al., JAVMA 2013. Home-cooked recipes in general, not raw only. 60% of 95 bone and raw food (BARF) rations fed to adult dogs had at least one imbalance: low iodine, zinc, copper, vitamin A or calcium. The rest were balanced or had minor issues, such as excess calcium from bone. Dillitzer, Becker & Kienzle, Br J Nutr 2011. Which group is your dog’s bowl in? Only the numbers can tell. rawandwell.online NRC 2006-Based Raw Dog Food · A plain-English guide 03 / 12
THE STANDARD What is NRC 2006? NRC 2006 is Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats, published in 2006 by the National Research Council of the US National Academies. It is a widely used scientific reference for how much of each nutrient a dog needs. HOW IT MEASURES WHAT IT SETS WHO IT COVERS Per 1,000 kcal Allowance and limit Each life stage Targets are set per 1,000 kcal of metabolizable energy, so they scale with how much your dog eats. The recommended allowance (RA) is the amount to aim for. The safe upper limit (SUL) is the ceiling, where one is set. Separate figures for growing puppies, adult dogs, and pregnant or nursing females. Where NRC 2006 publishes no figure, FEDIAF 2024 fills the gap: the nutritional guidelines of the European pet food industry federation. One example is the adult calcium-to-phosphorus range. What is NRC 2006, in more depth → rawandwell.online NRC 2006-Based Raw Dog Food · A plain-English guide 04 / 12
THE FULL CHECK 43 CHECKS 6 What does a complete nutrient check cover? 42 nutrients plus the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio. Raw & Well runs all 43 checks on every meal plan against NRC 2006 targets, with FEDIAF 2024 where NRC is silent, judged across the whole week. Major minerals Calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sodium, chloride 13 Amino acids The 10 essential amino acids, methionine + cystine, phenylalanine + tyrosine, taurine 6 Trace minerals 4 Fatty acids Iron, copper, zinc, iodine, selenium, manganese Linoleic acid (omega-6), total omega-3, ALA, EPA + DHA 13 1 Vitamins A, D, E, K, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, folate, biotin, choline Ratio Calcium to phosphorus, judged on its own as well as each mineral NRC 2006 sets no dietary minimum for vitamin K, biotin or taurine in dogs, so those three are shown for reference without a grade. How Raw & Well calculates → rawandwell.online NRC 2006-Based Raw Dog Food · A plain-English guide 05 / 12
CALCIUM, PART 1 Two calcium targets, not one: the ratio and the amount THE RATIO THE AMOUNT 1:1 to 2:1 Ca : P 1.0 g per 1,000 kcal For an adult dog. The NRC 2006 allowances, 1.0 g calcium and 0.75 g phosphorus per 1,000 kcal, work out to about 1.3:1. Above 2:1, phosphorus absorption falls. Calcium for every 1,000 kcal your dog eats: the NRC 2006 recommended allowance for adult dogs. Bigger or more active dogs eat more kcal, so they need more calcium in total. Ratio WORKED EXAMPLE A bowl with 0.5 g calcium and 0.4 g phosphorus per 1,000 kcal has a ratio of 1.25:1, inside the range. It still delivers half the calcium an adult dog needs. 1.25 : 1 In range Calcium 50% of allowance Phosphorus 53% of allowance A bowl can hit the ratio and still be short on calcium. Sources: NRC 2006 (allowances; phosphorus absorption above 2:1), FEDIAF 2024 (adult ratio range). Calcium-to-phosphorus ratio for dogs → rawandwell.online NRC 2006-Based Raw Dog Food · A plain-English guide 06 / 12
CALCIUM, PART 2 How much calcium is in raw chicken bones? CALCIUM IN RAW CHICKEN CUTS, PER 100 G AS FED Calcium per 100 g Cut Bone Estimated Back / carcass 44% 1,330 mg Ca : P, cut alone Estimated 2.0 : 1 Grams for 1,000 mg calcium Same bone share, different calcium. Back and wing are both 44% bone, yet back carries about 45% more calcium. ≈ 75 g Wing 44% 920 mg 1.8 : 1 ≈ 109 g Neck 36% 1,150 mg 1.9 : 1 ≈ 87 g Drumstick 27% 1,050 mg 1.8 : 1 ≈ 95 g Leg quarter 27% 880 mg 1.7 : 1 ≈ 114 g Less bone can mean more calcium. A drumstick at 27% bone carries more calcium than a wing at 44%. Why 1,000 mg? It is the NRC 2006 adult allowance per 1,000 kcal, about one day’s calcium for an active 15 kg adult dog. Calcium and phosphorus in bone-in cuts are estimates from raw-feeding literature, marked Estimated in the Raw & Well ingredient database. Meat values come from USDA FoodData Central. Raw chicken bones: safe sizes and calcium math → rawandwell.online NRC 2006-Based Raw Dog Food · A plain-English guide 07 / 12
CALCIUM, PART 3 Count calcium once, and fix gaps with food first 01 02 03 Choose one calcium source Total it against the allowance Close gaps with food first Raw meaty bone, or a measured calcium supplement for boneless meals. Add up the calcium from every ingredient and compare the total with your dog’s daily target. Adjust the cuts or the amounts. Use a supplement only when food cannot close the gap. COMMON MISTAKE Adding eggshell powder or bone meal to meals that already contain bone. The calcium gets counted twice, and your dog gets it twice. Am I over-supplementing my dog? What the numbers show → rawandwell.online NRC 2006-Based Raw Dog Food · A plain-English guide 08 / 12
SAFE FEEDING When to stop calculating and call your vet Growing puppies Kidney or parathyroid disease A dog that is unwell Puppies need about 3 g of calcium per 1,000 kcal. For growing giant-breed puppies, NRC 2006 puts the safe upper limit at 4.5 g. The window is narrow. The right targets come from bloodwork and a clinician, not from a chart. A dog that is off its food or ill needs a vet, not a recalculation. Raw feeding puppies → Raw feeding and kidney disease → During growth, more calcium is not safer. rawandwell.online NRC 2006-Based Raw Dog Food · A plain-English guide 09 / 12
QUICK ANSWERS Six questions raw feeders ask most What is NRC 2006? NRC 2006 is Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and What calcium-to-phosphorus ratio does an adult dog need? How much calcium does an adult dog need? Cats, the National Research Council’s scientific Between 1:1 and 2:1. The NRC 2006 adult The NRC 2006 recommended allowance for an reference for canine nutrition. It sets a allowances work out to about 1.3:1, and adult dog is 1.0 g of calcium per 1,000 kcal eaten, recommended allowance, and for some nutrients phosphorus absorption falls once the ratio passes alongside 0.75 g of phosphorus. a safe upper limit, per 1,000 kcal the dog eats. 2:1. Is an 80/10/10 raw diet balanced? Not on its own. A ratio sets the share of muscle, Should I add eggshell powder to raw meals that contain bone? How much calcium is too much for a large or giant-breed puppy? bone and organ. It cannot show whether zinc, Usually not. Bone already supplies calcium, so For growing giant-breed puppies, NRC 2006 sets iodine or vitamin D are covered. Only a nutrient- eggshell or bone meal on top counts it twice. Add the safe upper limit at 4.5 g of calcium per 1,000 by-nutrient check can. a supplement only when the total falls short of the kcal, against an allowance of 3.0 g. For other allowance. large-breed puppies the limit is likely higher, but the margin stays narrow. Talk to your vet before adding calcium. rawandwell.online NRC 2006-Based Raw Dog Food · A plain-English guide 10 / 12
SOURCES Where the numbers come from 01 National Research Council (2006). Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. ISBN 0-309-08628-0. doi.org/10.17226/10668 Further reading on Raw & Well NRC 2006 nutritional targets for raw-fed dogs FEDIAF European Pet Food Industry Federation (2024). Nutritional Guidelines for Complete and Complementary Pet Food for Cats and Dogs. europeanpetfood.org Micronutrient gaps in raw dog food 03 U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central: ingredient nutrient data. fdc.nal.usda.gov Free raw dog food calculator 04 Stockman J, Fascetti AJ, Kass PH, Larsen JA (2013). Evaluation of recipes of home-prepared maintenance diets for dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc 242(11):1500–1505. doi.org/10.2460/javma.242.11.1500 05 Dillitzer N, Becker N, Kienzle E (2011). Intake of minerals, trace elements and vitamins in bone and raw food rations in adult dogs. Br J Nutr 106(Suppl 1):S53–S56. doi.org/10.1017/S0007114511002765 02 rawandwell.online Raw feeding puppies: an NRC 2006 guide NRC 2006-Based Raw Dog Food · A plain-English guide 11 / 12
ABOUT THIS GUIDE Raw & Well: a raw dog food calculator built on NRC 2006 Raw & Well checks the raw meals you already make against NRC Dr. Sarah Missaoui, DVM 2006 targets for your dog. It then names the food that closes Licensed veterinarian · Canine Nutrition Advisor, Raw & Well each gap, and a supplement only when food cannot. Every estimated value is labelled. 21+ years of clinical experience in canine health and nutrition. She reviews Raw & Well’s clinical flows and educational content. Try the free raw dog food calculator → No account needed. Full app at rawandwell.online. Educational information only, not veterinary advice. Talk to a licensed veterinarian about your dog’s diet. Raw & Well is not affiliated with, endorsed by or certified by Cite this guide: Raw & Well (2026). NRC 2006-Based Raw Dog Food: A PlainEnglish Guide. Reviewed by Dr. Sarah Missaoui, DVM. https://rawandwell.online/ the National Research Council, FEDIAF or the USDA. © 2026 Raw & Well, a trading name of A&H UNITED TRADING LTD. Registered in England and Wales, Company No. 16179988. 61 Bridge Street, Kington, HR5 3DJ, United Kingdom. rawandwell.online NRC 2006-Based Raw Dog Food · A plain-English guide 12 / 12
A raw diet is balanced when it supplies every essential nutrient at or above the NRC 2006 recommended allowance, and below the safe upper limit where one exists, measured per 1,000 kcal your dog eats. A ratio such as 80/10/10 describes the bowl. It does not measure what is in it.
This 12-slide guide from Raw & Well, reviewed by Dr. Sarah Missaoui, DVM, covers:
Sources: NRC 2006 (Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats), FEDIAF 2024, USDA FoodData Central, Stockman et al. (JAVMA 2013), Dillitzer, Becker & Kienzle (Br J Nutr 2011).
Educational information only, not veterinary advice.
The following resources were mentioned during the presentation or are useful additional information.
