The Pros and Cons of Raw Dog Food Diets: Is It Right for Your Pet?

Regarding diet, we are always conscious about what we eat and how it will affect our bodies. Likewise, when we are parents to tiny furry babies, we are concerned about how a particular diet will affect their well-being too. In 2022, around 58.1 billion dollars worth of pet food and treats were sold in the US alone.

However, these pet owners are increasingly switching to homemade food due to the harmful effects that processed food has. But does that mean that you can add raw food to your pup's diet? Do the benefits of it outweigh the risks? Is it healthier than processed food? Let us examine the pros and cons of feeding your dog raw food.

What Do You Mean by A Raw Food Diet?

As the name states, a raw food diet lacks any cooked items. Traditional processed dog foods are usually in the form of kibbles, freeze-dried, or frozen options. However, raw food consists of fresh meat, sometimes with bone. A few owners also add vegetables, fruits, eggs or organ meats to the serving. Various recipes are available online, but not all of these are reliable.

Why Do People Prefer to Feed Their Dogs a Raw Diet?

Commercially processed food is readily available, convenient, and oftentimes affordable. Yet, the increasing popularity of raw food diet has a few reasons. According to a survey, 94% of the participants switched to a raw meat based diet because they thought it safer for their dogs. Moreover, they also noticed improvements in their dog's physical health. For instance, they had shinier coats, healthier teeth, and gained muscle mass.

In the same survey, 80% of the participants switched because they had lost trust in commercial food products. These respondents thought that the lack of information on the ingredients of these processed foods was the primary motive to switch. A healthier coat also means that your Goldendoodle colors will be more prominent.

Types of Raw Diets Available for Dogs

• A raw meat based diet that is prepared at home. It is often unbalanced and requires addition of nutrients
• Commercially available raw meat that is frozen, freeze-dried or dehydrated
• Commercially available raw frozen diets that are complete and balanced
• Commercially available freeze-dried diets that are complete and balanced
• Commercially available dehydrated meat that is complete and balanced
• Commercially available high-pressure pasteurized (HPP) which is complete and balanced diets

Generally, raw diets are of higher quality but more costly than commercially available processed dog food. Due to the additional processing steps, the most costly are freeze-dried, dehydrated, and HPP foods.

Pros of Raw Food Diet for Dogs

The following are the pros of the raw food diet for dogs:

• Healthier Body

Many owners perceive that commercially processed food is unhealthy for their fur babies. The reason is that they most often contain ingredients that need to be listed. Raw dog food, on the other hand, is natural and has minimal processing. Moreover, raw food also has ingredients that the owners are aware of.

Puppy owners who feed raw meat-based food claim that their pets are healthier and have higher energy levels. Not only this, but their coat is also shinier, and they have better dental health. They also believe that raw pet food leads to fewer dog health issues.

• A Higher Percentage of Nutrients

Cooked or processed meat is often ripped off from its nutrients. On the contrary, raw meat-based diets consist of biochemically complex compounds. Raw food also contains antioxidants such as Vitamin C, E, and Flavonoids.

When we heat any food, it often adds toxins to the meat. Therefore, the food you heat for your dog may eventually be carcinogenic. However, the actual effects of this study have not yet been studied on canines.

• Improvement of Immune Functions

70 to 80% of animals' immune systems are in their gut. Therefore, the food that they consume has a significant effect on their health and disease prevention. Keeping your dog on a healthy raw diet helps to strengthen their immune system

• Weight Management

Processed food is high in carbohydrates, which leads to obesity. However, a balanced raw diet has high protein content but low carbs. Therefore, these dogs often have a healthier weight. A few owners believe that it may also be due to twice-daily portion feeding. Dogs on a raw diet also consume fewer treats or dehydrated meat pieces.

Cons of Raw Food Diet for Dogs

The following are the pros of the raw food diet for dogs:

• Risk of Bones

When feeding raw food to your dog, there is a high chance that it may contain bone. Even a tiny bone fragment can potentially cause serious harm to your canine. It can create a choking hazard, break their teeth or internally puncture any part of the mouth. If you cook the bones, there is a higher chance of splintering. Therefore, it is advisable to feed your dog under supervision.

• Bacterial Infection

Some raw meat can potentially carry microbes such as bacteria and parasites that can cause infections in your dog. Infections are critical, especially if your dog already suffers from an underlying disease or cancer. Dogs with low immunity also have a higher chance of developing these infections.

• Unbalanced Diet

Some dog owners need to be made aware of the fact that raw meat itself is an unbalanced diet for their dogs. To make it a complete diet, add fruits and vegetables. If you constantly feed your dog just raw meat, then it may cause nutritional deficiencies. Moreover, in severe cases, it can even cause anemia, liver failure, or low bone density. Always consult your veterinarian so that he can make a balanced meal diet plan specifically for your pet friend.

• Cost and Time

Processed food requires no time and is ready to feed. Raw meat, on the other hand, takes time to prepare. Moreover, it is also more costly than kibble. If you are on a tight budget, you may want to think twice before making the final decision, as it may not be feasible for you or your family.

Conclusion

Switching your puppy friend to a raw diet may be a healthier alternative. However, it is only suitable for some pooches. Ultimately, it is best to discuss this with your vet to make an informed decision. Your vet will thoroughly examine all the factors and eventually decide what’s best for your pet. Regardless of which type of food you feed your dog, ensure it is balanced and you know its ingredients.

About The Author
M. Hassan Iqbal is an experienced digital marketing specialist with 3 years of SEO and content writing expertise. I provide these services to various companies, consistently achieving real results by improving their online rankings. If you're looking for excellent digital marketing services, I'm only a click away.

Editors Note -

Did You Know There is a Raw Feeding Veterinary Society?

The RFVS is a group of motivated vets, vet nurses and other paraprofessionals with a common interest in promoting the principles and practical aspects of species-appropriate nutrition, through support and education of veterinary, other professionals and the pet-owning public. Visit their website at https://rfvs.info

So does homeopathy work for your animal’s health? This is a question you may be wondering. There is scepticism around many therapies, whether that’s homeopathy, herbal medicine or other such as acupuncture and magnetic therapy and many others.

There can be the belief that there is no research proving its benefits. But that is not the case. As I mention on my research page here there are many reasons for there not being huge amounts of research, not least money! Conducting clinical research trials is often very expensive.

Are there guarantees with your pet's treatment?

A good question to ponder is whether there is a guaranteed result from any medicine or treatment for everyone? Even those which have been through extensive clinical trials don’t always have 100% success rates. Or they can have undesirable side effects, such as drowsiness, loss of appetite, or weight gain, etc. This isn’t always the case obviously. But the point is that there is no guarantee with any medicine. Whether that’s for our animals or ourselves.

Is veterinary homeopathy expensive?

There can also be the view that veterinary homeopathy is expensive. However, for anyone who’s been prescribed ‘conventional’ veterinary medicine for their pet recently is unlikely to have found it to be cheap! This obviously depends on where you are located, and what the problem is, prices will vary on lots of factors. The same is true for veterinary homeopathy medicine.

How can you be sure whether it’s worth considering veterinary homeopathy for your pet or other animal?

First of all speak to your veterinary surgeon for advice. Many veterinary surgeons’ do recommend homeopathic remedies for different ailments, even if they’re not specialist homeopaths. It depends on what is wrong with your animal. And using an integrative approach - so combining different methods for improving the health of your animal, can be really helpful.

There are many veterinary surgeon’s who have completed specialist homeopathy training. So you can ask for a second opinion if this is something you would like to explore.

The key point is to use homeopaths who are also trained and qualified professional veterinary surgeons’. Veterinary medicine is specialist so whatever is wrong with your animal, getting professional veterinary advice is essential, rather than relying on people who don’t have this. Despite being well meaning, your animal’s health is too important to chance with the advice of people who’re not properly trained veterinary surgeons.

And as I’ve mentioned above, if you would like to explore complementary medicine including homeopathy, and your veterinary surgeon is unclear or even unsupportive, then you can get a second opinion, including from specialist veterinarians.

What can veterinary homeopathy help your animal with?

Basically, everything is a possibility! As I mention above, using in combination with other treatments maybe useful. But it can be considered for many ailments. Speak to your veterinarian to discuss.

All animals can possibly benefit too. Whether it's your pet, livestock or a wild animal, veterinary homeopathy maybe of benefit.

Find more links to veterinary research online here


Finally….Please remember that if your horse, dog or other animal is unwell. Or on any kind of medication or other supplement. Then always speak to your Veterinary Surgeon first before using any supplement or therapy. Even natural ones. To avoid any possible issues.

And do you know someone who'd find this helpful? Please share, the more we can spread awareness of the benefits of natural therapies the better! :)

Find out more about other natural animal therapies here at Taranet. Or read other articles in this Natural Pet Health Blog. Take a look at the sitemap here to explore!

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About the Author
Suzanne Harris is an equestrian and canine entrepreneurial coach and consultant to veterinarians who want to help prevent animals being affected by domestic abuse.