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Fresh Feeding Starter Guide
Thinking about switching to fresh feeding but not sure where to begin? You’re not alone.
One of the biggest misconceptions is that fresh feeding has to be complicated. In reality, it doesn’t matter whether you choose raw, commercial or homemade cooked meals.
This guide will walk you through the basics, help you avoid common mistakes, and show you how to make fresh feeding both simple and enjoyable.
Welcome to Drooli
Fresh, Balanced Meals for Your Dog, Made Easy
Problem: Most Homemade Dog Food Isn’t Nutritionally Complete
Dog parents love the idea of feeding fresh food, but most online recipes are not balanced and can put dogs at risk of nutrient deficiencies. A published analysis of 200 popular homemade dog food recipes found that 95% were missing at least one essential nutrient, and a recent analysis from the Dog Aging Project found that only about 6% of home-prepared diets were potentially complete.
That’s not because dog parents don’t care. It’s because nutrition feels complicated, time-consuming, and easy to get wrong.
What is fresh feeding?
Fresh feeding simply means feeding your dog meals made from minimally processed, whole-food ingredients rather than relying solely on highly processed commercial diets.
Raw diets
Raw diets consist of uncooked meat, organs, edible bone and other fresh ingredients. Some owners prepare meals themselves, while others choose commercially prepared raw food.
Homemade cooked diets
Ingredients are gently cooked before serving, making this a popular option for owners who prefer not to feed raw while still enjoying the benefits of homemade meals.
Commercial fresh food
Fresh meals prepared by specialist companies and delivered frozen or chilled. These offer convenience while still using minimally processed ingredients.
Combination feeding
Some owners combine fresh food with kibble or canned food. There is no rule saying you have to switch completely overnight.
Why do so many people choose fresh feeding?
Every dog is different, but many owners choose fresh feeding because they want greater control over what goes into their dog’s bowl.
Fresh feeding can allow you to:
- Choose the ingredients yourself, avoiding unnecessary fillers or artificial additives.
- Offer greater variety.
- Tailor meals to your dog’s preferences.
- Know exactly what your dog is eating.
Many owners also tell me they notice improvements in their dog’s enthusiasm for meals, stool quality and body condition after switching to a balanced fresh diet.
I’m Paulina from Dog’s Lounge, a certified canine nutritionist, and I built Drooli because I kept seeing the same issue - dog parents wanting to do the right thing but not being given the tools to do it safely.
To me, fresh feeding shouldn't require a degree in nutrition. It shouldn't involve spreadsheets, complex calculations, or constant uncertainty about whether a meal is actually complete. And it certainly shouldn't push people back towards ultra-processed food simply because it feels easier.
I created Drooli to remove that overwhelm and replace it with clarity.
How do I get started?
This is often where people feel overwhelmed.
Questions like: “How much should I feed?”, “Which ingredients should I use?”, “Is my dog’s diet balanced?”, can quickly make fresh feeding feel complicated.
That’s exactly why I created Drooli (a free recipe app) and Olli (a wholefood meal balancer).
Drooli is a free app designed to make fresh feeding simple, structured, and nutritionally sound. It helps you prepare balanced homemade meals for your dog without guesswork, whether you feed raw or lightly cooked food, with recipes built around FEDIAF nutritional guidelines.
The app calculates your dog’s calorie needs based on their profile, adjusts portion sizes automatically, and guides you through complete recipes step by step. Every recipe comes with clear written instructions and video tutorials, so you can cook with confidence at any level.
You can create multiple dog profiles, filter recipes, save your favourites, and generate shopping lists so everything you need is in one place when you go shopping.
How Drooli works in 3 simple steps
1. Create your dog’s profile
Enter your dog’s age, weight, activity level, and goals. Drooli calculates daily calorie needs and adjusts portions automatically.
2. Choose a balanced recipe
Browse complete raw or cooked recipes built around FEDIAF guidelines, with clear written instructions and video tutorials.
3. Cook, serve, and repeat
Follow the steps, add Olli as guided by the app, and serve a nutritionally balanced fresh meal. No complex calculations required.
What is Olli?
Creating a nutritionally complete homemade meal usually means adding multiple supplements to cover vitamins, minerals, and trace nutrients that fresh ingredients alone don't reliably provide.
I wanted to remove that complexity, so I created Olli. A single, whole-food nutrient topper designed to address the nutritional gaps most commonly found in homemade and boneless raw diets.
Olli is made from 12 carefully selected natural ingredients and functional extras. Olli is laboratory-tested to ensure accuracy and consistency, so you know exactly what you’re adding to your dog’s bowl.
Creating a nutritionally complete homemade meal usually means adding multiple supplements to cover vitamins, minerals, and trace nutrients that fresh ingredients alone don't reliably provide.
I wanted to remove that complexity, so I created Olli. A single, whole-food nutrient topper designed to address the nutritional gaps most commonly found in homemade and boneless raw diets.
From the beginning, it was important to me to use whole-food ingredients rather than synthetic premixes. That’s why Olli is made from 12 carefully selected natural ingredients and functional extras.
Every batch of Olli is laboratory tested to ensure accuracy and consistency, so you know exactly what you’re adding to your dog’s bowl.
Drooli is designed for dog parents who want to feed fresh food but also want reassurance that meals are balanced and appropriate.
It’s ideal if you:
✓ Cook for your dog or feed a raw diet
✓ Feel unsure whether your recipes are nutritionally complete
✓ Don’t want to rely on ultra-processed foods
✓ Want structure, clarity, and portion guidance
✓ Feed more than one dog and need personalised calculations
Whether you’re new to fresh feeding or already experienced, Drooli helps bring consistency and confidence to every meal.
Drooli is free to download and easy to use. New recipes are added each month, and the app works alongside Olli to help simplify balanced, fresh feeding.
Start making complete meals for your dog today.
Common mistakes to avoid
Feeding mostly muscle meat
Muscle meat is an excellent source of protein, but it doesn’t provide everything your dog needs. A balanced diet also includes organs, appropriate calcium sources and other essential nutrients.
Forgetting calcium
If you’re feeding homemade cooked meals without edible bone, calcium is one of the easiest nutrients to overlook. Over time, calcium deficiency can lead to serious nutritional imbalances.
Feeding too much bone
Bone is important, but more isn’t always better. Too much bone can cause constipation and create an unbalanced calcium-to-phosphorus ratio.
Copying recipes from social media
Just because a meal looks healthy doesn’t mean it’s nutritionally balanced. Many online recipes are designed to look appealing rather than provide complete nutrition.
Feeding exactly the same meal every day
Rotating proteins and ingredients helps introduce a broader range of nutrients over time, while avoiding an overreliance on any single ingredient.
Ready to get started?
Whether you’re preparing your very first homemade meal or looking to improve the one you’re already feeding, we’ve created everything you need to get started.
Download Drooli
Drooli is free to download and easy to use. New recipes are added each month, and the app works alongside Olli to help simplify balanced, fresh feeding.
Complete your meals with Olli
Designed to complement our homemade recipes, Olli combines carefully selected whole-food ingredients and essential nutrients into one simple daily supplement.
FAQ
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Absolutely. Puppies can thrive on fresh diets, but because they are growing rapidly, their nutritional requirements are different from those of adult dogs. Growth is one of the most nutritionally demanding stages of life, so it’s especially important to feed recipes that have been formulated specifically for puppies.
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Often, yes. Many dogs experience a reduction in energy requirements after neutering, meaning they may need fewer calories to maintain a healthy body condition. However, they still require the same essential nutrients, so it’s important that their diet remains properly balanced even if their portions become smaller.
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There isn’t one number that suits every dog. Age, weight, body condition, activity level, neuter status and even the calorie content of the recipe all influence how much food your dog needs. That’s why Drooli calculates feeding amounts specifically for your dog, so that you don't have to.
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Yes. Many owners gradually introduce fresh meals alongside kibble before making a complete transition, while others continue combination feeding long term.
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Veterinary opinions on fresh feeding vary considerably. Some vets are concerned because they frequently see homemade diets that are nutritionally incomplete or poorly balanced. Others have concerns about raw feeding and food safety, particularly for vulnerable animals or households. These concerns are understandable, but they’re not a criticism of fresh feeding itself.
A well-formulated, nutritionally balanced fresh diet is very different from simply feeding meat and vegetables without considering nutrient requirements.
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It depends on the recipe. Many homemade diets often need supplementation because some nutrients are difficult to provide consistently through food alone.