Raw feeding two dogs with different sensitivities

Two dogs in one house with different protein sensitivities is genuinely one of the trickier raw feeding setups — what works beautifully for one can trigger a flare in the other, and trying to manage that with a single food often ends in compromise for both. Raw feeding done well can be excellent, but done badly it creates nutritional gaps that cause real harm over time, and the difference is balance and sourcing. Before I point you anywhere specific, can you tell me which proteins each dog has already reacted to, and are you looking for a complete ready-made raw option or are you planning to prep meals yourself?

That's a really helpful picture. Shar Peis are genuinely one of the breeds most prone to food-triggered skin issues — chicken and beef are the two most common culprits, so that tracks completely. And a Boston with a sensitive stomach on lamb isn't unusual either. The good news is duck is one of the proteins that sits well outside both of those reaction profiles. It's a novel protein for most dogs, it's naturally lower in omega-6 than chicken, which actually helps with inflammatory skin conditions, and it digests cleanly for sensitive stomachs. What I'd point you toward is Natural Instinct Pure Duck — it's a complete raw meal, DEFRA-approved, made with just duck meat, bone, and offal in the right ratios. No added chicken, no beef, no lamb. Both dogs can eat from the same tub, which makes your life considerably simpler.

Natural Instinct Pure Duck is formulated as a complete raw meal — it includes the meat, raw meaty bone content, and offal in the ratios that align with BARF guidelines, so you don't need to add anything to make it balanced for everyday feeding. The one thing worth knowing is that Shar Peis specifically can benefit from added omega-3 support given their skin predisposition, so a plain fish oil capsule on top of the duck a few times a week is a sensible addition. That's not filling a gap in the food — the food is complete — it's more like an extra layer of skin support for a breed that tends to need it. For the Boston, no additions necessary.

If they're both on the same Natural Instinct Pure Duck, you don't need to keep them apart for safety reasons — there's no cross-contamination risk between their bowls. The main reason to feed them separately is portion control. A 4-year-old Shar Pei and a 3-year-old Boston Terrier have very different caloric needs based on size, so feeding in separate rooms or with a visual barrier is good practice to make sure each dog is eating their own amount and not finishing the other's bowl. As a rough guide, raw feeding is typically around 2–2.5% of body weight per day for an adult dog at maintenance — weigh your dogs and calculate from there, and adjust over a couple of weeks based on condition.

Yes, transitioning both at the same time is fine and honestly makes it easier to manage. Because both dogs have sensitive systems, go slowly — start with around 25% raw mixed into their current food for the first few days, then 50/50 for a few days, then 75/25, then fully across by around day ten. With the Shar Pei especially, a gradual switch gives her gut microbiome time to adjust without triggering a skin flare that could confuse things. Loose stools for a day or two mid-transition is normal and not a reason to stop — just slow down the pace if it persists beyond that. Once they're both fully transitioned and settled, you'll have a really clean baseline to work from if either dog ever does need a protein swap in future.