Raw dog food is a growing trend among dog owners and it keeps gaining popularity because of its obvious benefits. Feeding your dog a diet containing raw foods will provide your pet with many nutrients that get destroyed by cooking. Enzymes, vitamins and probiotics are susceptible to heat and dogs that only eat a diet of kibble and canned food will not enjoy the benefits of these health giving ingredients.
Since dogs are basic carnivores, and most animals in the wild eat nothing but raw foods, it makes sense that adding raw foods to their diet will add many health benefits. What kinds of raw foods can a dog eat? Some grains and vegetables should not be eaten raw but most dogs will benefit from eating raw meat, poultry, fish, dairy such as cottage cheese, eggs, vegetables and fruits.
Dr. Richard Pitcairn, a pioneer in veterinarian natural health for household pets, and author ofThe Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats, stated that in his 27 years of clinical experience, the addition of raw foods to a pet’s diet has an immediate effect in the animal’s overall health and well being.
He recommends feeding raw meat whenever possible as long as the animal accepts it. However, many allopathic veterinarians will oppose raw foods because of the threat of diseases like Salmonella. Dr Pitcairn states that in all the years he has been recommending the addition of raw foods, he has never seen a case of food poisoning. According to him, raw meat is a more natural form of food than cooked meat because dogs are natural carnivores their short digestive tract and stronger stomach acids are able to handle the raw diet very well.
In a recent article published in Dog World Magazine, author Liz Palika told the story of her 6 year old Australian Shepherd who was given six months to live after being diagnosed with congenital liver disease. She decided to change her dog’s diet and with veterinarian supervision, started feeding her dog dehydrated dog raw food enriched with vitamins, minerals and some herbal remedies. The Australian Shepherd regained her health and lived a healthy active life until the ripe old age of 13 ½.
The studies of Dr. McCarrison and Dr. Pottinger further ratify the case for feeding pets raw foods. Read more about it below.
In spite of all the evidence, not everyone who is involved with dog rearing (veterinarians, breeders, handlers and trainers) is in favor of raw food diets for dogs. Those who are against it, say that these diets can harm the animals and the humans who handle the raw food because of the danger of e-coli or Salmonella contamination. Again we cite Dr Pitcairn who in his long career of natural pet medicine has never encountered any kind of complication from raw food diets. The harm could probably fall on the humans who share the household with the pets if the food is not handled properly.
As far as handling raw food, extreme care should be applied at all levels such as:
- Storing raw meat in the freezer in individual serving portions, thawing only what the dog is going to eat.
- Washing hands thoroughly before and after the preparation and serving of the meal
- Cleaning up dishes after feeding time especially if there are small children or other animals in the home.
Some experts prefer dehydrated raw foods because some of the bacteria is killed in the drying process while most vitamins and enzymes remain intact.
The other problem that a raw food diet could cause is when a dog swallows a bone that could lodge itself in the throat or perforate the stomach or intestine. Since this is a potential problem, eliminating bones should take care of it. Dr Pitcairn suggests that the raw meat be chopped up or ground making it more palatable and digestible. If you still prefer to feed bones to your dog, watch the size of the bone and watch the animal as he gnaws on it to avoid further problems.
If you choose a raw diet for your dog or if you decide to alternate the diet with raw foods, there are several products available that will save you a weekly trip to the butcher. Click on the phrase to view the product.
- Northwest Naturals Raw Dog Food Nuggets and bars.
- Primal Pet Foods Raw Dog Food
- Bravo! Pre-Made Blends
- Honest Kitchen Dehydrated Dog Food
- Nature’s Variety Raw Food Diets
- Raw Advantage Organic Only Meat and Chicken
- Nature’s Logic Raw Food Diets
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The Doctors Pottinger and McCarrison studies:
In the 1930’s Dr Pottinger discovered the benefits of raw foods on cats almost by accident when he noticed the differences in the health of cats when he fed a group of cats a diet consisting of raw foods and another group of cats the exact same foods where the only difference was that the food for the second group was cooked.
He soon noticed a difference in the health of the animals. The cats that were on the raw diet were completely healthy and never needed medical care.
The cats that were on the cooked diet developed health problems such as mouth and gum problems, bladder and skin disorders, much like the problems seen on cats these days.
Dr Robert McCarrison was a medical doctor who lived and worked in India and became interested in the Hunza, Patham and Sikh people when he observed their optimum health. He started to observe their eating habits and decided to conduct a nutrition experiment on rats.
To one group of rats he fed a diet of the foods the Hunza ate, including sprouted beans, fresh raw carrots and cabbage, raw whole milk, whole wheat bread and a little bit of meat and bones. He also provided lots of sunshine and fresh air to the rats. He realized that the rats lived a long healthy life equivalent to about 55 human years. When he dissected them he found no traces of disease.
He then conducted another experiment with a different group of rats feeding them a diet similar to the diet of poor people in England. To his amazement, the rats that lived on the poor people’s English diet were so stressed out and unhealthy that they ate each other.
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