Discover the pros and cons of a raw food diet for dogs. Eating raw foods mimics a dogs natural diet in the wild. Many believe a raw diet is a natural way to ensure a dog's optimal health. While there are clear advantages, there are also disadvantages that you must understand before making the switch.
Dogs have a stronger stomach than humans. Bacterial infections from raw meat are extremely uncommon. The raw food diet is safe for animals because of their powerful stomach acids.
Components of a Raw Food Diet for Dogs
With a raw food diet, you switch your dog's kibble to raw meats. Meats fed with a raw food diet may include:
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Beef
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Chicken
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Game birds
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Lamb
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Pork
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Rabbit
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Venison
When feeding your pet a raw food diet, you give the dog bones and raw meat for optimal nutrition. Failure to provide your dog with the proper nutrients can cause more harm than good.
Benefits to a Raw Food Diet for Dogs
The raw food diet is proven to be best for dogs. In the wild, dogs eat other mammals and have few health issues. Commercially prepared foods often add grains. Most dogs have allergies to grains and suffer from health issues ranging from allergies to diabetes and obesity. With the raw food diet for dogs, these health issues rarely occur.
Because dogs eat the bones in a raw food diet, they suffer from fewer dental problems. There are no starches to increase plaque and tartar on the teeth. In addition, the bones scrape away plague and tartar while the dog is eating the bones.
Dogs require lots of protein for optimal health. Commercial foods rarely meet these requirements. With a solid source of protein in a dog's daily food, major health issues are less likely to occur saving the pet owner money on veterinary care.
Drawbacks to a Raw Food Diet for Dogs
The cost of a raw food or BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) diet is often a burden. Veterinarians and raw food diet experts agree that the meat sources should be organic for optimal health. Meat from commercial meat factories may contain growth hormones that are detrimental to the health. Organic meats are best and extremely expensive.
Another factor in the cost of the raw food diet is a dog's preferences. Some dogs love all raw meats, but others may come across a particular dislike and refuse to eat that food, chicken is one that some pet owners find their dog will not happily eat raw. Your only choice would be to switch to other meats.
Raw food diets can be messy. Few dogs leave the meat in their bowls while they eat. Your kitchen floor may become contaminated and require disinfecting daily to remove any meat juices, especially if you have a baby or toddler who crawls around your kitchen floor while you're in there.
Some pet owners worry about their pets choking on bones, particularly chicken bones. As a result, they withhold them from their dog's raw food diet. Dogs require calcium to prevent many health issues and a raw food diet can lead to deficiencies in calcium if the pet owner is not very careful.