This is a specific conversation about Raw dog food — what to know before you start — ask about yours and get one honest answer for your exact situation.
inparticular.ai
A vet recommendation to change diet for chronic skin fold dermatitis is worth taking seriously — inflammation in those folds is often fed from the inside, and the right food genuinely makes a difference. Raw feeding done well can be excellent here, 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: what's your Bulldog's current weight, are you completely new to raw feeding, and are you looking for a complete ready-made option or willing to put meals together yourself?
He's 7 years old, about 25kg, classic English Bulldog build. We've never done raw before — the vet said to look at a hypoallergenic or novel protein raw diet because he keeps getting bacterial infections in his skin folds and they think diet might be contributing to the inflammation. I'd prefer something ready-made, I don't want to get the balance wrong.
inparticular.ai
That's a really sensible instinct — with a dog who already has a compromised skin barrier, this is not the moment to experiment with DIY ratios. The key for your Bulldog is two things working together: a novel protein he hasn't been exposed to before, so you're not triggering an existing immune response, and a complete, balanced raw formula so you're not accidentally creating deficiencies that make skin worse. What's he been eating up until now, and do you know if he's had any previous protein sources — chicken, beef, lamb?
He's been on a dry kibble with chicken as the main protein his whole life, pretty much. Never had beef or lamb regularly. The vet specifically mentioned trying something like duck or venison.
inparticular.ai
Your vet is pointing you in exactly the right direction. Duck is a strong choice here — it's a genuine novel protein for a chicken-fed dog, it has naturally higher levels of omega fatty acids which directly support skin barrier function, and it's available in properly balanced complete raw formats. My recommendation is Natures Menu Country Hunter Raw Nuggets in Duck. It's a complete 80/10/10 raw formula — 80% meat, 10% bone, 10% offal — with added vitamins and minerals, so it's nutritionally balanced without you having to calculate anything. It comes in frozen nuggets which makes portion control straightforward for a 25kg Bulldog, and the ingredient list is clean with no added grains or artificial additives that could aggravate inflammation. Start with this as the sole protein source for at least 8 weeks so you can see clearly whether his skin responds.
That sounds good. How much would he need per day, and is there anything else I should know about transitioning him onto raw at his age?
inparticular.ai
At 25kg, you're looking at roughly 500g per day — that's 2% of body weight, which is the standard maintenance guide for an adult dog. At 7, Bulldogs aren't hugely active, so I'd start at 2% and watch his weight over the first month; you can adjust slightly if he's gaining or losing. For the transition, don't mix raw and kibble in the same meal — dogs digest them at different rates and it can cause stomach upset. Instead, do a clean swap: feed the last kibble meal, then start raw the next morning. Some dogs get loose stools for the first week as their gut microbiome adjusts; that's normal and usually settles. Keep a simple diary of his skin fold condition — you want to be able to show your vet actual before/after observations at your next check-in.
Really helpful, thank you. I'll grab the Natures Menu duck nuggets and start the diary. Good to have something concrete to try.
inparticular.ai
Good luck with it — Bulldogs are stubborn creatures but their skin often responds really well when you remove the dietary triggers. Give it a full 8 weeks before drawing conclusions, and if his fold infections are still frequent at that point, it's worth going back to the vet to discuss whether topical management needs to run alongside the dietary change. Hope you see a real improvement.
