
Feeding guide for dogs needing a ketogenic diet
With CompleteMe Hypo Canine
Make high fat, low carbohydrate, MCT-enriched therapeutic dog food at home, quickly and easily.
Formulated for dogs with idiopathic epilepsy or cancer.
High fat diets may increase the risk of pancreatitis or other gastrointestinal problems in some dogs; please discuss with your dog's veterinarian before feeding.
Makes 1 kilogram of food.
Ingredients
900 grams of raw meat (5-10% fat)
(see FAQs below for recommended meat types and cuts)
90 grams of colourful vegetables and fruit
Avoid potato, corn or peas
6 mL omega-3 rich oil (6 x 1000 mg capsules)
(choose from: fish oil, salmon oil, krill oil, or marine algae oil)
4 teaspoons of omega-6-rich fats or oil
(choose from: chicken fat, duck fat, olive oil, canola oil, flaxseed oil, hempseed oil, rice bran oil, sesame seed oil, walnut oil, safflower oil)
10 mL (2 teaspoons) of medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) oil
28 grams of CompleteMe Hypo Canine
Optional:
25 grams of raw offal
(choose from: liver, kidney, spleen, heart, tripe, lung, or gizzards)
1-2 tablespoons of any of the following:
- Fresh herbs like parsley, basil or coriander
- Homemade bone broth
- Dried or cooked turkey tail, lion's mane, or shiitake, maitake, oyster, chaga, or shimeji mushrooms (¼ to 1 teaspoon; more for cooked)
- Fermented vegetables (no garlic or chilli)
- Goats milk, natural yoghurt, or plain kefir
- Chia seeds or ground flaxseeds (maximum 1 teaspoon)
- Dried ginger, cinnamon or turmeric (maximum ¼ teaspoon recommended)
- Organic soy sauce or miso paste (maximum ½ teaspoon recommended)
- Sardine or mackerel fillets (canned in spring water), cooked mussels (green-lipped or blue), oysters, scallops or prawns
Directions
- Gently cook the diced meat (and offal, if using) in a pan with 50-100 mL water until cooked.
Omit this step if you would prefer to use raw meat. - Steam or microwave the chopped vegetables until very soft.
- Combine the meat (including liquid from pan), cooked vegetables, diced fruit, and fats/oils, and mix well.
- Allow to cool then add 28 grams of CompleteMe Hypo Canine and mix again.
- Portion and refrigerate, or freeze as desired.
Storage and safety
For homemade diets only
Do not add CompleteMe Hypo Canine to any commercial dog food, or use with any other nutritional supplements (containing vitamins and/or minerals).
Raw feeding safety
For raw meat, freeze for 10 days before use to destroy parasites like Toxoplasma. In areas with Trichinella, please freeze pork for 3 weeks before use.
Storage and feeding
Larger batches can be made and frozen for convenience. Keep refrigerated food for 3 days, and frozen food for 3-4 months. Please discard any uneaten food after 30 minutes.
Feeding guidelines
Toy/mini breeds (<5 kg): 80-250 g/day
Small breeds (5-10 kg): 150-400 g/day
Medium breeds (10-25 kg): 300-800 g/day
Large breeds (25-45 kg): 600-1200 g/day
Giant breeds (45-80 kg): 1000-2000 g/day
Feeding quantities are estimates, and are based on fresh food which contains significantly higher moisture than dry food. The energy density of the diet will also change depending on the ingredients you select (higher fat = more energy dense = less food is needed).
Adjust up or down the amount of food based on your dog's size, body condition, age, activity level, and medical condition. If your dog gains unwanted weight, reduce the amount you are feeding by 10-15% and reweight after a week. If they have unwanted weight loss, increase the amount you are feeding by 10-15% and reweigh after a week. Continue to adjust until the right amount of food is determined. Please consult with your dog's veterinarian as needed.
Learn how to quickly body condition score your dog here.
Nutritional information
Food made as per the instructions above is complete and balanced, and meets the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profile for maintenance in adult dogs.
It is not suitable for growth and should not be fed to puppies or reproducing females.
Please note that this feeding guide produces a high fat diet. High fat diets may not be suitable for dogs with a history of pancreatitis or hyperlipidaemia. It may increase the risk of reflux and regurgitation, diarrhoea, or other gastrointestinal signs in some dogs. Please discuss with your veterinarian whether a high fat diet is suitable for your dog.
The average kcal/gram for the diet is: 1.7 kcal/gram
The average moisture content is: 72%
The average protein for the diet is:
47% on a dry matter basis
The average fat for the diet is:
37% on a dry matter basis
The average carbohydrate for the diet is:
0.5% on a dry matter basis
Average MCT: 5.3 - 9.6 g per 1000 kcal ME
Average EPA + DHA: 1.5 - 1.7 g per 1000 kcal ME
All possible combinations are moderate to high in protein, high in moisture, high to very high in fat, and are enriched with medium-chain triglycerides, antioxidants and omega-3.
FAQs
What meat can I use?
A large number of meats and cuts can be used with CompleteMe Hypo Canine. Variety is important where possible; we recommend feeding a range of different meat types and cuts.
- Poultry:
Boneless chicken or turkey drumsticks (skin-on)
Skinless and boneless duck meat
Turkey mince (6-10% fat) - Pork:
Pork mince with 5-10% fat, rump steak (untrimmed), pork loin (untrimmed) - Lamb, beef, goat, or venison:
Lean diced lamb or goat meat (including heart or tongue) with 5% fat
Venison mince (5-10% fat)
Beef mince (5-10% fat), blade, round or rump steak (fat trimmed off), eye fillet or topside roast or steak (fat trimmed off)
Lamb or beef heart (fat trimmed off) - Game meat:
Goat mince (5-10% fat)
Wild boar mince (5-10% fat)
Farmed boneless rabbit meat (5% fat) - Other:
Whole chicken or duck egg (no shell)
Which vegetables and fruits are recommended?
Variety is important - try to include a range of different colours and types of vegetables and fruits. Leafy greens, mushrooms, berries, peppers/capsicum, and cruciferous vegetables are very nutritious choices.
For vegetables, try sweet potato (any/all colours), pumpkin, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, green beans, carrot, zucchini, squash, spinach, kale, turnips, parsnips, watercress, dandelion leaves, rocket, Asian greens, mushrooms, tomato, capsicum or cabbage.
Both fresh and frozen vegetables are fine. We recommend steaming or microwaving for most vegetables, however baking can also work well sometimes.
For fruit, try strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, apple, pear, mango, peach, plum, kiwifruit, guava, papaya, pineapple, watermelon, rockmelon or honeydew melon. Please be very careful to remove any pits or stones, and avoid toxic fruit like grapes, raisins or currants.
Which medium-chain triglyceride oil should I use?
Some options could include:
Which omega-3-rich oil should I choose?
For dogs with allergies or sensitivities, marine algae oil is a good choice. It is also sustainable and low in contaminants and heavy metals. Choose a product that is unflavoured, contains no other additives, and has both EPA and DHA. Human supplements are fine to use. Some options:
- Sports Research vegan omega-3 softgels
- Nordic Naturals algae omega softgels
- Wanderlust plant omega-3 capsules
For fish oil or krill oil, choose an unflavoured product with a high concentration of EPA and DHA per mL of oil. Some options:
- NOW Foods Ultra Omega-3 fish oil softgels
- Sports Research Omega-3 krill oil double strength softgels
- Swisse odourless high strength fish oil capsules
We recommend capsules, rather than bottled products, as the oil is more protected and less prone to rancidity.
For tips and tricks on how to use capsules, please see our blog here.
How can I store the food?
This makes just over 1 kilogram of food, which can be portioned and fed immediately, or stored in the fridge (max 3 days) or freezer (max 3 months) until needed.
Can I use raw meat?
You can include the meat raw or cooked, depending on preference. For raw human-grade meat, be sure to freeze the meat for 10 days prior to use. For pork (in areas with Trichinella), freezing for 3 weeks prior to use is sensible. Please discuss raw-feeding with your dog's veterinarian; raw feeding is not suitable for all dogs or households.
My dog needs a low fat diet; which ingredients should I choose?
As this creates a high fat, ketogenic diet, unfortunately it is not low in fat. For dogs needing a low fat diet, we recommend using our 'low fat' feeding guide for adult dogs instead.
What are the highest fat and lowest fat ingredient combinations?
Highest fat combinations:
- Whole egg (chicken or duck) + spinach or kale: 63.6% fat ME basis
- Beef mince (10% fat) + sweet potato: 53.5% fat ME basis
- Beef mince (10% fat) + spinach or kale: 54.8% fat ME basis
- Turkey mince (6% fat) + cauliflower or broccoli: 54.6% fat ME basis
- Boneless chicken drumstick with skin + cabbage or spinach: 55.7% fat ME basis
More moderate fat combinations:
- Pork mince (5% fat) + broccoli or cauliflower: 37.9% fat ME basis
- Goat mince (6% fat) + carrot or green beans: 40% fat ME basis
Please note, again, that there are no "low fat" combinations possible with this formulation.
My dog has allergies, can I use novel proteins like emu or crocodile?
Yes, using novel proteins is fine. Please select proteins with 5-10% fat only. Some options could include:
Venison mince (5-10% fat)
Goat mince (5-10% fat)
Wild boar mince (5-10% fat)
Boneless farmed rabbit meat (5% fat)
Crocodile, kangaroo, and emu are unfortunately too lean to work well in this formulation.