NRC 2006-Based Raw Dog Food

How to check that a raw diet is balanced: the targets, the calcium math by cut, and the mistakes that hide in a bowl that looks right.

By Raw & Well Reviewed by Dr. Sarah Missaoui, DVM

Published

The short answer

How do you know a raw diet is balanced?

A raw diet is balanced when it supplies every essential nutrient at or above the NRC 2006 recommended allowance, and below the safe upper limit where one exists, measured per 1,000 kcal your dog eats. A ratio such as 80/10/10 describes the bowl. It does not measure what is in it.

  1. 01

    Measure nutrients, not proportions

    The ratio can stay the same while zinc, iodine or vitamin D fall short.

  2. 02

    Use NRC 2006 targets

    The adult allowance is 1.0 g calcium and 0.75 g phosphorus per 1,000 kcal.

  3. 03

    Know your cut

    Chicken back and wing are both 44% bone, yet back carries about 45% more calcium.

  4. 04

    Count calcium once

    Bone-in meals already carry calcium. Add a supplement only when food cannot close a gap.

Why balance matters

A bowl can look right and still be incomplete

  • Too little

    One nutrient can run short without any visible sign at first.

  • Too much

    Extra supplements can push one nutrient too high, or crowd out another.

  • Hard to see

    Without the numbers, a good-looking diet and a balanced one look the same.

The standard

What is NRC 2006?

NRC 2006 is Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats, published in 2006 by the National Research Council of the US National Academies. It is a widely used scientific reference for how much of each nutrient a dog needs.

How it measures

Per 1,000 kcal

Targets are set per 1,000 kcal of metabolizable energy, so they scale with how much your dog eats.

What it sets

Allowance and limit

The recommended allowance (RA) is the amount to aim for. The safe upper limit (SUL) is the ceiling, where one is set.

Who it covers

Each life stage

Separate figures for growing puppies, adult dogs, and pregnant or nursing females.

Where NRC 2006 publishes no figure, FEDIAF 2024 fills the gap: the nutritional guidelines of the European pet food industry federation. One example is the adult calcium-to-phosphorus range. What is NRC 2006, in more depth

The full check

What does a complete nutrient check cover?

42 nutrients plus the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio. Raw & Well runs all 43 checks on every meal plan against NRC 2006 targets, with FEDIAF 2024 where NRC is silent, judged across the whole week.

  • 6

    Major minerals

    Calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sodium, chloride

  • 6

    Trace minerals

    Iron, copper, zinc, iodine, selenium, manganese

  • 13

    Vitamins

    A, D, E, K, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, folate, biotin, choline

  • 13

    Amino acids

    The 10 essential amino acids, methionine + cystine, phenylalanine + tyrosine, taurine

  • 4

    Fatty acids

    Linoleic acid (omega-6), total omega-3, ALA, EPA + DHA

  • 1

    Ratio

    Calcium to phosphorus, judged on its own as well as each mineral

NRC 2006 sets no dietary minimum for vitamin K, biotin or taurine in dogs, so those three are shown for reference without a grade. How Raw & Well calculates

Calcium, part 1

Two calcium targets, not one: the ratio and the amount

The ratio 1:1 to 2:1 Ca : P

For an adult dog. The NRC 2006 allowances, 1.0 g calcium and 0.75 g phosphorus per 1,000 kcal, work out to about 1.3:1. Above 2:1, phosphorus absorption falls.

The amount 1.0 g per 1,000 kcal

Calcium for every 1,000 kcal your dog eats: the NRC 2006 recommended allowance for adult dogs. Bigger or more active dogs eat more kcal, so they need more calcium in total.

Worked example

A bowl with 0.5 g calcium and 0.4 g phosphorus per 1,000 kcal has a ratio of 1.25:1, inside the range. It still delivers half the calcium an adult dog needs.

Ratio
1.25 : 1
In range
Calcium
50% of allowance
Phosphorus
53% of allowance

A bowl can hit the ratio and still be short on calcium.

Sources: NRC 2006 (allowances; phosphorus absorption above 2:1), FEDIAF 2024 (adult ratio range). Calcium-to-phosphorus ratio for dogs

Calcium, part 2

How much calcium is in raw chicken bones?

Calcium in raw chicken cuts, per 100 g as fed Calcium and Ca : P Estimated
Cut Bone Calcium per 100 g Estimated Ca : P, cut alone Estimated Grams for 1,000 mg calcium
Back / carcass44%1,330 mg2.0 : 1≈ 75 g
Wing44%920 mg1.8 : 1≈ 109 g
Neck36%1,150 mg1.9 : 1≈ 87 g
Drumstick27%1,050 mg1.8 : 1≈ 95 g
Leg quarter27%880 mg1.7 : 1≈ 114 g

Same bone share, different calcium. Back and wing are both 44% bone, yet back carries about 45% more calcium.

Less bone can mean more calcium. A drumstick at 27% bone carries more calcium than a wing at 44%.

Why 1,000 mg? It is the NRC 2006 adult allowance per 1,000 kcal, about one day's calcium for an active 15 kg adult dog.

Calcium and phosphorus in bone-in cuts are estimates from raw-feeding literature, marked Estimated in the Raw & Well ingredient database. Meat values come from USDA FoodData Central. Raw chicken bones: safe sizes and calcium math

Calcium, part 3

Count calcium once, and fix gaps with food first

  1. 01

    Choose one calcium source

    Raw meaty bone, or a measured calcium supplement for boneless meals.

  2. 02

    Total it against the allowance

    Add up the calcium from every ingredient and compare the total with your dog's daily target.

  3. 03

    Close gaps with food first

    Adjust the cuts or the amounts. Use a supplement only when food cannot close the gap.

Common mistake

Adding eggshell powder or bone meal to meals that already contain bone. The calcium gets counted twice, and your dog gets it twice.

Am I over-supplementing my dog? What the numbers show

Safe feeding

When to stop calculating and call your vet

Growing puppies

Puppies need about 3 g of calcium per 1,000 kcal. For growing giant-breed puppies, NRC 2006 puts the safe upper limit at 4.5 g. The window is narrow.

Raw feeding puppies

Kidney or parathyroid disease

The right targets come from bloodwork and a clinician, not from a chart.

Raw feeding and kidney disease

A dog that is unwell

A dog that is off its food or ill needs a vet, not a recalculation.

During growth, more calcium is not safer.

Quick answers

Six questions raw feeders ask most

What is NRC 2006?

NRC 2006 is Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats, the National Research Council's scientific reference for canine nutrition. It sets a recommended allowance, and for some nutrients a safe upper limit, per 1,000 kcal the dog eats.

What calcium-to-phosphorus ratio does an adult dog need?

Between 1:1 and 2:1. The NRC 2006 adult allowances work out to about 1.3:1, and phosphorus absorption falls once the ratio passes 2:1.

How much calcium does an adult dog need?

The NRC 2006 recommended allowance for an adult dog is 1.0 g of calcium per 1,000 kcal eaten, alongside 0.75 g of phosphorus.

Is an 80/10/10 raw diet balanced?

Not on its own. A ratio sets the share of muscle, bone and organ. It cannot show whether zinc, iodine or vitamin D are covered. Only a nutrient-by-nutrient check can.

Should I add eggshell powder to raw meals that contain bone?

Usually not. Bone already supplies calcium, so eggshell or bone meal on top counts it twice. Add a supplement only when the total falls short of the allowance.

How much calcium is too much for a large or giant-breed puppy?

For growing giant-breed puppies, NRC 2006 sets the safe upper limit at 4.5 g of calcium per 1,000 kcal, against an allowance of 3.0 g. For other large-breed puppies the limit is likely higher, but the margin stays narrow. Talk to your vet before adding calcium.

Sources

Where the numbers come from

  1. 01National Research Council (2006). Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. ISBN 0-309-08628-0. doi.org/10.17226/10668
  2. 02FEDIAF European Pet Food Industry Federation (2024). Nutritional Guidelines for Complete and Complementary Pet Food for Cats and Dogs. europeanpetfood.org
  3. 03U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central: ingredient nutrient data. fdc.nal.usda.gov
  4. 04Stockman J, Fascetti AJ, Kass PH, Larsen JA (2013). Evaluation of recipes of home-prepared maintenance diets for dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc 242(11):1500–1505. doi.org/10.2460/javma.242.11.1500
  5. 05Dillitzer N, Becker N, Kienzle E (2011). Intake of minerals, trace elements and vitamins in bone and raw food rations in adult dogs. Br J Nutr 106(Suppl 1):S53–S56. doi.org/10.1017/S0007114511002765

About this guide

Raw & Well: a raw dog food calculator built on NRC 2006

Raw & Well checks the raw meals you already make against NRC 2006 targets for your dog. It then names the food that closes each gap, and a supplement only when food cannot. Every estimated value is labelled.

Try the free raw dog food calculator

No account needed. Full app at rawandwell.online.

Cite this guide: Raw & Well (2026). NRC 2006-Based Raw Dog Food: A Plain-English Guide. Reviewed by Dr. Sarah Missaoui, DVM. https://rawandwell.online/

Portrait of Dr. Sarah Missaoui, DVM

Dr. Sarah Missaoui, DVM

Licensed veterinarian · Canine Nutrition Advisor, Raw & Well

21+ years of clinical experience in canine health and nutrition. She reviews Raw & Well's clinical flows and educational content.

Educational information only, not veterinary advice. Talk to a licensed veterinarian about your dog's diet. Raw & Well is not affiliated with, endorsed by or certified by the National Research Council, FEDIAF or the USDA.

© 2026 Raw & Well, a trading name of A&H UNITED TRADING LTD. Registered in England and Wales, Company No. 16179988. 61 Bridge Street, Kington, HR5 3DJ, United Kingdom.