Raw diet for senior Greyhound on a budget

Raw feeding done well can be genuinely excellent — but done badly it creates nutritional gaps that cause real harm over time, and the difference is balance and sourcing. Ex-racing Greyhounds are a special case: they often arrive with muscle wastage, dental wear, and joints that have taken a battering, so getting the nutrition right from day one matters more than usual. Before I point you anywhere, can you tell me: has your Greyhound been on kibble since rescue, or has he had any raw before? And are you looking for a ready-made complete raw that takes the guesswork out, or were you hoping to source and mix yourself to keep costs down?

That's the right instinct — for a 9-year-old with an unknown dietary history, a nutritionally complete ready-made raw removes a lot of risk. At 30kg he's a lean, long-bodied dog, so you want good protein levels, some oily fish or added omega-3 for his joints, and no filler that just inflates the price. Can I ask one more thing: is he currently showing any signs of stiffness or digestive sensitivity? And how much are you roughly hoping to spend per week on food?

Right, that stiffness is common in ex-racers and nutrition can genuinely help — omega-3 fatty acids from oily fish are the key ingredient to look for. At 30kg he'll need around 600–750g of raw per day, so you're looking at roughly 4–5kg per week. My recommendation is Natures Menu Country Hunter raw nuggets — specifically the salmon and trout variety to start with. It's 80/10/10 (meat, bone, offal), nutritionally complete, and the salmon base is excellent for joint inflammation. It comes in 1kg resealable pouches, typically around £5–6 each on Amazon UK, so your weekly cost lands around £20–25 depending on portion. It's made for dogs exactly like yours: older, lean, with joints that need support. Transition slowly — mix about 25% raw with his current kibble for the first week, building up over three weeks. His digestion will thank you.

Either works, but salmon is actually a fine starting point for most dogs — it's highly digestible and the omega-3s start doing their job from week one. Chicken is the classic beginner protein because almost every dog tolerates it, so if he shows any loose stools or digestive upset in the first couple of weeks, switch to the Country Hunter chicken variety while his gut adjusts. But given his joint stiffness, I'd lean toward giving the salmon a go first. Just keep the transition slow regardless of which protein you start with — that's what prevents the upset, more than the protein choice itself.

That's a great plan. Give it four to six weeks before you judge the results — coat condition, energy, and that morning stiffness are the things to watch. Most ex-racers do really well on a quality raw diet once they've settled in. Good luck with him, and well done for giving him a second chapter.