Dr. Harvey’s Paradigm dog food is a low-carb, low-glycemic ingredient, dehydrated base mix for raw dog food.
Read on for detailed feeding instructions using raw dog food as well as cooked meat.
Yep, it also works for a home cooked dog food diet!
Disclaimer: This blog post was originally published in 2020 and has been updated in 2023. It contains affiliate links I may earn compensation through at no additional cost to you.
How To Feed A Base Mix For Raw Dog Food like Dr. Harvey’s Paradigm
A base mix has to be mixed with other ingredients before it can be fed.
The easiest and quickest way to feed Paradigm is with protein and oils.
That said, the protein can either be cooked, seared, or raw.
Easy Protein Ideas
Ground and chunked meats like:
- Chicken
- Turkey
- Duck
- Lamb
- Beef
- Pork
Easy Oil Options
Fish oils are another great option. For example:
In my case, I add the Paradigm to the raw dog food I make myself.
Just FYI, I’ve been feeding raw dog food since 2015, and started making my own in 2016.
There are different ways of feeding raw dog food, and I personally use the 70/10/10/10 approach.
That means I feed:
- 70% muscle meat (including 10% oily fish)
- 10% secreting organs
- 10% raw meaty bones
- 10% plant matter
How Does Dr. Harvey’s Paradigm Fit Into My Raw Feeding Approach?
In the raw dog food that I make myself, Dr. Harvey’s Paradigm takes the place of the 10% plant matter.
I used to purée veggies, herbs, and fruit myself for quite some time.
However, once I found out about Dr. Harvey’s Paradigm base mix for raw dog food, I started relying on it more and more.
You simply can’t beat its convenience!
What’s In The Bag? Dr. Harvey’s Paradigm Base Mix for Raw Dog Food: Ingredients
Paradigm is made with 6 dehydrated vegetables, healthy herbs & a multi-vitamin supplement:
Broccoli, Green Beans, Bone Broth, Red and Green Bell Pepper, Cabbage, Pumpkin, Crushed Eggshell, Celery, Kelp, Alfalfa, Turmeric, Spirulina, Ginger, Red Clover, Milk Thistle, Slippery Elm, Dandelion, Cinnamon, Tricalcium Phosphate, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Vitamin E Supplement, Manganese Proteinate, Vitamin A Acetate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, and Folic Acid.
It doesn’t contains any grains or starchy vegetables.
Why Are Low-Glycemic Ingredients Good For Dogs?
Low-glycemic ingredients are great for all dogs, and particularly those on a ketogenic diet. That’s a diet very low in carbs, high in fats, and moderate in proteins.
It’s commonly suggested for dogs who are undergoing cancer treatments. That’s because carbs are converted into sugar, which feed cancerous cells.
A ketogenic diet is also recommended to reduce seizures and manage diabetes as well as obesity.
How Long Does A Bag Of Dr. Harvey’s Paradigm Premix Last?
A 6 lb bag makes 56 lbs of the veggie/herb mix.
That lasts me A LONG time considering I only need so little of it per day.
Paradigm also comes in a 3 lb bag that makes 28 lbs of food, and the brand also offers a 5.5 oz trial bag that makes 4 lbs of food.
Dr. Harvey’s Paradigm Premix Feeding Instructions
Each bag of Dr. Harvey’s Paradigm comes with detailed feeding instructions for puppies, adults and senior dogs along with a measuring spoon.
- Simply use the scoop to measure out the amount of Paradigm you need for your pup.
- Add the suggested amount of hot water (or bone broth), then let it sit for 5-8 minutes. That gives it plenty of time to fully rehydrate.
- Once it’s fully rehydrated, you can add your choice of cooked, seared or raw protein and oil.
That’s it!
Tip: You can also add whole, oily fish instead of the (fish) oil.
I personally feed whole, oily fish like herring, trout, smelts, mackerel and sardines. Learn about the difference in mackerel and herring here.
Add about 10% of fish to your dog’s overall daily food allowance.
Raw Dog Food Recipe Ideas With Dr. Harvey’s Paradigm Premix
The first raw dog food recipe is super easy to replicate.
The second one is a bit more intricate, but fun to put together!
1st Raw Dog Food Recipe With Dr. Harvey’s Paradigm Dog Food
rainbow trout
For this first recipe, I used complete ground rabbit with Paradigm and fish.
Complete means it’s whole ground rabbit, including muscle meat, secreting organs, and bone, but no fur.
Technically, it can be fed as is, but I like to add a few goodies to it.
For instance, Dr. Harvey’s Paradigm, and a whole fish source like rainbow trout.
Other fish alternatives are sardines, smelts, herring, or mackerel.
Check out my blog post about rabbit sourcing to see a variety of online retailers who sell rabbit.
How to measure the ingredients:
I used a whole 3 lb pouch of ground rabbit and added 10% of rehydrated Dr. Harvey’s Paradigm to it.
10% of 3 lbs are 4.8 oz, so I used a food scale to measure that amount. Then I just mixed the two together in a large bowl.
After that, I measured out individual portions for Wally’s meals. He eats twice per day and gets 7.5 oz per meal.
Once per day, I add his daily allowance of cut up fish to this meal (usually for breakfast).
Good to know: If you choose to add (fish) oil instead of whole fish, you’ll want to wait until feeding time to add the oil to your pup’s meal.
It’s not recommended to add it when you’re meal prepping batches of raw or cooked dog food.
That’s because the oil will oxidize and turn rancid if it’s not eaten right away.
2nd Raw Dog Food Recipe With Dr. Harvey’s Paradigm Dog Food
For the second recipe, I used a variety of individual cuts of meat, including muscle meat, secreting organs, raw meaty bone, and veggies.
This is what the majority of my homemade raw dog food meals for Wally look like.
For the muscle meat, I used venison meat, venison heart, beef green tripe, and thread herring.
Tip: Learn how to safely feed wild venison here!
The lamb brains, venison liver and kidney represent the secreting organs.
The duck wing is a raw meaty bone that consists of both bone (60% bone) and muscle meat (40%).
Last but not least, I used Dr. Harvey’s Paradigm for my veggie and herb source.
How to calculate the amount of each ingredient
As I mentioned earlier, raw feeders who make their own raw dog food roughly stick to the 70-80/10/10/10 formula.
That’s:
- 70-80% muscle meat (70% if feeding plant matter, otherwise 80%)
- 10% raw meaty bone
- 10% secreting organs
- and 10% plant matter (or no plant matter)
Wally eats 15.2 oz of raw dog food per day.
I calculate this amount using his ideal body weight, which is 38 lb. To maintain (t)his weight, I use a 2.5 maintenance percentage.
In other words, he eats 2.5% of his 38 lb of weight in raw dog food per day.
That translates into 15.2 oz, +/- 2 or 3 ounces. I don’t stick to it that closely, which is fine.
Of those 15.2 oz:
✔️10.64 oz are muscle meat (70%)
✔️1.52 oz are raw meaty bone (10%)
✔️0.76 oz are liver (5% of secreting organ allowance)
✔️0.76 oz are a different secreting organ (second 5% of secreting organ allowance), and
✔️1.52 oz are plant matter (10%)
Where To Buy Dr. Harvey’s Paradigm Dog Food
You can either order Dr. Harvey’s Paradigm on the brand’s website or on Amazon.
Most well-stocked, independently owned pet retail stores carry Dr. Harvey’s as well.
Related Reading:
- Dr. Harvey’s Veg-to-Bowl: Homemade Dog Food Made Easy
- Grandma Lucy’s Freeze-Dried Dog Food Delivered In Style
- Rabbit For Raw Dog Food: Where To Buy It And More
- What Does Balanced Raw Dog Food Consist Of?
- 128 Best Alternatives to Raw Dog Food in 2023
- How To Feed Your Dog Wild, Raw Venison
Raw Dog Food Game Changers
BEST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK RAW DOG FOOD
Save 15% on anything at Raw Paws Pet Food with code K9Savings. They’re located in Indiana and ship nationwide within the US.
BEST VARIETY FOR INDIVIDUAL CUTS OF RAW MEAT
Save 10% on your first order of anything at Raw Feeding Miami with this referral link
BEST SLOW FEEDER FOR RAW FED DOGS
Mighty Paw’s Slow Feed Insert combined with Yeti’s Boomer 4 Dog Bowl. Both are top rack dishwasher safe.
BEST FOUNDATION FOR BALANCED DIY RAW MEALS
Dr. Harvey’s Paradigm Base Mix. It’s low-carb which is particularly great for dogs on a keto diet and those with health issues like diabetes and cancer.
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