Raw dog food diets are controversial. While some believe that dry dog food is the best diet for our four-legged fur balls, others believe that this is how dogs were intended to eat before becoming pets. Let’s learn more about raw food diets for dogs so you can decide for yourself whether they live up to the hype. Table Of Contents.
What is a raw food diet?
A raw food diet for dogs usually contains various animal parts along with other raw foods. This can include:
By comparison, most store-bought dog food contains some combination of cooked meat, grains, fruits, and vegetables. Proponents of raw food diets say that commercial diets are “unnatural” and that raw diets more closely mirror what dogs would eat in the wild.
Advocates for raw dog food claim it has numerous health benefits, like a reduced risk of cancer, dental disease, and allergies. But “there is absolutely no reliable scientific evidence for these claims,” says Brennan McKenzie, VMD, a veterinarian at Adobe Animal Hospital.
Is a raw food diet safe?
Despite the possibility of some benefits, there are far more risks associated with the raw food diet.
A small 2017 study found that dogs who ate a raw food diet had a more balanced gut microbiome and showed signs of healthier gut functions. But “there have been no studies that demonstrate any long-term health benefits of raw diets compared to other types of pet food,” says Jennifer A. Larsen, DVM, the chief of nutrition service at UC Davis Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital.
Putting your dog on a raw food diet comes with risks to both the dog and the people living in your household, says Alison Meindl, DVM, a veterinarian and professor at Colorado State University.
Some of the risks of a raw diet include:
Bacterial infection. Compared to cooked diets, raw diets are more likely to be contaminated with bacteria like Salmonella and E. coli, which can make your dog seriously ill. But even if your dog doesnt get sick, your pup could shed bacteria into your household, which could then get picked up by another pet or human.
Meindl warns that these infectious agents pose a serious threat to immunocompromised residents who live in a home with a dog. Elderly people, children, and those taking immunosuppressive medications like chemotherapy can all fall under this category.
Nutritional deficiency. “Many raw diets are also not nutritionally balanced and complete. These diets can result in malnutrition and health issues unless they are created by a veterinary nutritionist, McKenzie warns.
What the research says: A 2011 study that analyzed the nutritional content of raw food diets found that 60% of the diets had significant nutritional imbalances.
Injury from bones. Although bones are frequently included in raw diets, they might not be safe for dogs. According to Larsen, dogs who chew on bones run the risk of breaking their teeth and having their intestines punctured or obstructed by bone fragments. In some cases, these injuries can be life-threatening.
Nutritional and Safety Considerations for Raw Food Diets for Dogs
Commercially available raw dog food typically comes in frozen logs that can be thawed before feeding. You can also decide to feed your dog a homemade raw food diet. Here are some crucial considerations for any method you’re thinking about.
The kind and caliber of ingredients used in raw frozen preparations can vary greatly, and the ingredient list can only reveal so much. You might need to get in touch with the manufacturer if you want more information about the ingredients.
You can also make a raw diet for dogs at home using ingredients from the grocery store or a farmers market and following a recipe. You can choose the ingredients you use and their quality when following a homemade raw food diet. But you must also check to see that you have the proper components in the proper amounts.
Both homemade and store-bought raw dog food diets run the risk of not being well-balanced for a dog’s nutrient requirements. 1,2 Feeding a diet with too much muscle meat and not enough of the other “parts” that create nutritional balance can result in nutrient deficiencies and diseases.
A wolf, for instance, would consume an entire animal carcass (e g. , a rat or rabbit) that has skin, fur, muscle meat, bone, tendons, organs, and makes for a wholesome meal.
However, the majority of the chicken’s parts that provide essential fat, fiber, minerals, and vitamins are probably not present in the parts that we would choose to feed our pets.
If the bones can be chewed and ingested, including them in a raw diet for dogs can offer the nutritional benefit of additional calcium and phosphorous. They also help maintain dental health by preventing tartar buildup.
But eating bones can also come with health risks, such as esophageal obstruction and constipation from having too many bone fragments in the colon. 2.
There are some inherent risks when choosing to serve raw meat—even for people. Can dogs eat raw meat without getting sick? All raw meat and products made from raw meat may contain bacteria like Salmonella and E coli, causing illness. 1,2.
Because processing facilities have a high potential for cross-contamination, this risk is greater with commercially produced raw meat diets and meat purchased from the grocery store as opposed to a carcass consumed by a wild dog.
Due to the chopping and mixing that occurs during the production of products like hamburger and sausage, which allows the bacteria to enter the meat’s center, there are additional risks of contamination.
It’s also crucial to remember that although freezing the meat may reduce the amount of bacteria present, it won’t completely eliminate it.
However, it’s rare for most of these bacteria to make your pet sick, but if it did, you’d typically notice a sudden onset of diarrhea. Because it is expensive and infrequent to test for these bacterial contaminants, you would likely never know what was causing your pet’s diarrhea, and your veterinarian would only treat the symptoms.
Salmonella is one exception; while it rarely results in illness in healthy animals, the risk increases in young, old, pregnant, ill, or stressed animals. 1-4.
Overall, those who live with a dog that is fed a raw food diet have a higher risk of contracting a food-borne illness, especially if they are young, old, pregnant, or immunosuppressed (e.g. g. , undergoing chemotherapy or on steroid therapy).
Making your pet’s raw food diet can expose you to bacterial contaminants, as can accidentally coming into contact with your dog’s waste. These bacteria are continuously excreted by pets, even those who appear healthy, putting their two-legged family members at risk. 1-4.
Wild carcasses are much more likely to contain parasites than commercial or home-prepared raw meat diets for pets. If there are parasites present, freezing the meat before feeding may get rid of them.
However, the Pacific Northwest’s raw pork and fish have the highest parasite risk.
FAQ
Do vets recommend raw diet for dogs?
The American Kennel Club (AKC), American Veterinary Medical Association, and other organizations advise against giving dogs uncooked or raw meat, eggs, or milk. Raw meat and dairy can carry pathogens, like E. Salmonella, E. coli, and listeria are bacteria that can kill people and pets.
Is it better to feed dogs raw or cooked?
Conclusion: Real ingredients have advantages over extruded diets. There are also no appreciable differences in the digestibility of raw and cooked diets for dogs, according to current research. However, feeding dogs raw may have some potential risks for both the dogs and pet parents.
Can I feed my dog raw food everyday?
You can’t just give your dog a premium raw steak and call it a day; you need to make sure the dog is eating a balanced diet of nutrients. Incomplete or unbalanced diets can lead to deficiencies or malnutrition, which can result in lifelong health issues.