The way that they are anatomically designed to eat. Domesticated or not, dogs and cats are full of carnivore traits. From teeth to tail, they are built for digesting animal flesh and bone. Incomplete or unbalanced diets can cause lifelong problems from deficiencies or malnutrition. You can select any of the following to jump to a specific section:. The rise in these life-threatening diseases has pushed us to dig deeper and find ways to prevent and treat our dogs naturally.
Feeding your dog a raw diet will positively affect many aspects of their health, but before you get started, it's important to understand how and why a raw food diet might be right for your dog. Here are 6 reasons you should trust raw diets to reliably and effectively improve your dog's health:. Junk food, sugars, heavily processed ingredients, and the pollutants and chemicals that come hand-in-hand with mass-produced food are getting harder to avoid, especially in pet food. Feeding raw lets you take back control of your dog's nutrition by cutting out the mystery ingredients and synthetic additives and replacing them with highly digestible nutrients from fresh, real foods.
Better nutrition leads to better skin and coat, healthier joints, improved digestion, and better weight management. It's easy to get swept up in fad diets; keto, vegan, and the ongoing long battle with grains, are just a few of the diets circulating the crazy world of pet food.
A diet that may fit your lifestyle, beliefs, and make you feel good might not be appropriate for your pet. They have different dietary needs than you; they can be met with a complete and balanced raw food diet. The only way to completely nourish our dogs is to feed them food that their bodies are designed to thrive on.
We'll admit that "biologically appropriate" is a bit of a catchy term used to get your attention, but it refers to feeding your dog based on how their species should eat. In this case, like their wolf ancestors. Feeding dogs this way is a common hot point in the pet industry, as it directly opposes the information that we have been taught for many years, but it's hard to argue with their ancestry or anatomy. We argue that dogs are scavenging carnivores.
Unlike an obligate carnivore that must eat meat to survive, like cats, scavenging carnivores can adapt to the nutrients around them. They roam for food and eat what is available. Dogs can survive on plant materials and minimal animal protein if they have to, but they will thrive on a meat-rich diet.
Sticking closer to their carnivorous roots can prevent common problems like diabetes, obesity, and other life-threatening diseases linked to inappropriate diets and poor quality ingredients. To help you better understand the benefits of feeding a raw diet to your dog, you need to know how your dog digests food. Here are some physical features that support the idea that dogs are carnivores by nature:.
Digestion starts in your dog's mouth. The simple act of chewing sets dogs apart from animals that are suited to eating plant materials. Dogs do not have the digestive enzyme Amylase in their saliva. Other omnivores like bears, and people, secrete this enzyme to help kick-start the breakdown of the carbs in our food. Without this enzyme, carb-heavy foods can be more challenging for their bodies to digest. In an omnivore's jaw, the molars are broader and flatter, allowing them to grind grains, grass, and other plant material to begin the digestion process.
Plants have an indigestible outer casing called cellulose. By grinding their food, omnivores remove the cellulose shell, making the nutrients easier to digest and absorb. Unlike an omnivore, your dog's teeth fit together like scissors and are not meant for grinding like ours are.
Their teeth are designed to tear and slice meat. Of course, your dog's food is already ground, so their carnivorous teeth don't hinder them, but it is evidence that it's not the diet that they are designed for. You may also notice that most dogs do not chew their food very thoroughly. This is because they just don't have that instinct. Their teeth allow them to slice food into small enough pieces to swallow whole, like a carnivore.
The next carnivorous stage of digestion is the stomach. Your dog's stomach is more acidic than yours, allowing them to handle the bacteria found in raw meat. Dog's have a larger stomach cavity that is designed to hold food for longer than ours does.
This acid bath breaks down food and edible bone into chyme and reduces the bacteria to manageable levels. Chyme is a gooey mixture of food, stomach acids, and digestive juices yuck! Without an acidic environment, your dog would struggle to process meat, bone, and even plant matter properly, not to mention the bacteria found on raw, cooked, and processed foods.
Want to know more about your dog's digestion? It may seem contradictory to the message of this article, but the fact is - Yes! Dogs can survive on a vegetarian or vegan diet. The trick is that vegetarian diets are hard to balance and can lead to your dog lacking important nutrients over time if you don't know what you're doing.
We are so used to trusting the labels on our pet food that say complete and balanced. You need to look beyond the attention-grabbing buzzwords and pretty packaging to make sure that your dog is getting the complete and balanced nutrition that they need. A plant-based diet should be as natural as possible and contain the correct amounts of all the nutrients needed to stay healthy.
This can be difficult because the meat is the best source of many essential nutrients, like amino acids and omega fatty acids.
Animals' meat is a complete protein, meaning it supplies the full spectrum of amino acids required to keep your dog healthy. Very few plant proteins contain all of the nutrients your dog needs, so finding a truly complete plant-based diet is hard.
Most require supplementation to balance appropriately. Plant-based diets are typically lower in protein too. While this isn't a deal-breaker for all dogs, it does mean that there is less protein to aid in muscle upkeep or growth. This can lead to dogs being overweight and muscle loss that can affect joints and connective tissues. If you do choose a vegetarian diet , consider supplementing your dog's food with fresh ingredients.
Make the food as easy to digest as possible by offering natural sources of their required nutrients. We highly recommend adding some form of complete plant protein, too, like quinoa or buckwheat. If you can't find a commercial diet with a complete plant protein, then feed it supplemental.
No, we are not suggesting feeding your dog live prey, much to their disappointment. We call these dead foods. Dead foods provide less nutrition and are less easily recognized by your pet's body because the nutrients are not in their natural state. High temperatures are used in extrusion and canning processes.
Heat not only kills beneficial bacteria and enzymes but also changes some of the ingredients on a molecular level. Not all raw foods contain these supportive enzymes and beneficial bacteria. Some commercial raw foods are made using pasteurization methods to eliminate the bacteria that can be harmful to us, not our dogs. HPP uses extremely high pressure to destroy bacteria in the food without the use of heat.
This leaves the nutrients intact but kills the bacteria. While this sounds great on paper, we can't dismiss the fact that not all bacteria are harmful, and HPP and other sanitization methods are ridding the food of some of its beneficial components. Now that you see the biological argument for raw, it's time to address some of the benefits that you will notice after switching your dog to a raw diet.
These benefits can help to solve some common health issues that you are dealing with in your dog and some that you may not have known they had. If you own a dog, then you are familiar with the worst parts of dog ownership: the clean-up. Whether you are bagging a fresh poop on a walk, scooping the landmines from your yard, or dealing with a sudden digestive surprise on the carpet, no one likes hovering over a fresh one.
There's no need to sugarcoat that poop is gross; I think we are all nauseatingly aware. A raw diet can reduce the volume and odour of their stool to a more manageable and tolerable level.
Raw poops, as they are playfully called, resemble large rabbit poop. It will also improve the consistency and frequency of their bowel movements so you can plan your dog's routine around their bathroom needs.
Without the indigestible fibre content and the excessive carbs of a kibble diet, raw poop will be firmer, which benefits the health of their anal glands. Everything in your dog's body is connected in some way or another. Your dog's skin and coat are affected by how all the rest of its systems function.
Poor digestion or absorption of nutrients can affect cell cycles, how the body uses nutrients, and, eventually, their skin and coat health. Dry skin, excessive shedding, itchiness, and inflammation can all be caused by a lack of or improper balance of nutrients in your dog's diet. A raw diet provides the most natural sources of these essential nutrients in a form that is easy for your dog's body to recognize and use.
Another important factor in skin and coat health is hydration. Dogs that do not eat a moisture-rich diet will end up losing that moisture through bowel movements. Dehydration negatively affects your dog's skin by limiting natural oil production that supports the life cycle and quality of your dog's skin cells and fur.
Feeding a high moisture diet will not deter your dog from its natural drinking habits. However, it will help improve digestion, keep them better hydrated, and flush toxins and bacteria out of their system.
For many pet owners, shedding is a constant issue. A reduction in shedding is one of the first benefits you will see when switching to raw feeding. In combination with a regular brushing routine, you can significantly cut down on shedding and dander in your home.
The factors that contribute to obesity in humans are pretty much the same for our dogs. A raw food diet will not fix all of your dog's weight issues, but it can help. Raw diets are calorie-dense and easy to digest, allowing you to feed smaller portions and provide better nutrition and energy to your dog. Being calorie-dense, it's important to not over or underfeeds your dog.
Lazy or low activity dogs don't use carbohydrates as efficiently as the energy they get from protein and fat. A carb-heavy diet, like kibble, will lead to unused energy and calories, contributing to weight gain and poor muscle development.
Feeding a meat-rich, raw diet will give your dog the ability to build and maintain muscle, burn fat, and provide more balanced energy to support an increase in physical activity. When ingredients are exposed to high temperatures, like those involved in dog food manufacturing, nutrients are denatured, making them less biologically available.
This means that they may yield less nutrition than before it was processed. The heat from processing can also change the composition of fatty acids, amino acids, and enzymes used to support your dog's body. As scavenging carnivores, dogs can survive off dead food, but a biologically available raw diet will ensure that they thrive.
When all ingredients are appropriately utilized, and your dog receives optimal nutrition, an increase in muscle mass and fat reduction can be seen, supporting a leaner and healthier physique.
And this is just to start. Raw-fed dogs are often healthier overall, seeing fewer instances of common health issues and fewer vet bills - like digestive problems, skin and coat issues, and poor dental health. We all know that water is essential, but you may not realize that kibble and other dry diets can leave your dog dehydrated. Dehydration can decrease digestive function, slow the process of waste removal, and lead to recurring urinary tract problems like infection and crystals.
The high moisture content in raw animal protein helps the kidneys flush these toxins through the urinary tract. This support can also reduce unnecessary strain on the kidneys and prevent possible kidney diseases in their senior years. A moisture-rich diet will encourage more frequent and healthy urination, which will dilute urine and flush out bacteria.
Canned diets provide additional moisture and aid in digestion but lack the nutritional equivalency of raw, unprocessed ingredients. Dehydrated, freeze-dried, and air-dried raw diets offer a much more convenient format to feed raw.
They are an excellent alternative to raw for travel or last-minute meals and can be used as a treat or a meal topper. The only thing that these diets are missing is moisture. Many freeze-dried and some dehydrated diets are designed to be rehydrated, allowing you to take only what you need, while others marketed as scoop-and-serve styles, will offer little moisture, similar to a kibble diet.
If you prefer the convenience of this raw food format, we encourage you to find other ways to supplement moisture in your pet's diet. Synthetic vitamins are not always nutritionally equivalent or as biologically available as naturally sourced vitamins from raw ingredients.
While some synthetic and natural vitamins digest and are absorbed the same, others are more potent in their natural form. Raw dog food vitamins, however, are extra beneficial. For example, natural Vitamin E is rough twice as bioavailable as synthetic Vitamin E. Vitamin C is also thought to be more efficiently utilized by your dog's body when the natural flavonoids in their fruit hosts are present.
Deficiencies caused by the malabsorption of synthetic vitamins can lead to a damaging effect on cells and normal organ function, so most of the nutrients should be sourced from real foods. Some commercial raw diets are still fortified with chelated minerals , which are minerals that are paired with an amino acid to improve their digestibility. For pet owners who have never been fed a raw diet before, the difference in stool quality can be quite remarkable.
Cooked commercial diets, being less bioavailable and often more carbohydrate-heavy, create more waste. The result is a larger, more odorous stool. Another benefit to stool quality is the quick decomposition of the waste. You may notice that your dog's poop will linger in your backyard for several days, even weeks if you let it.
Not with a raw diet. Cooked foods require a preservative to make the food shelf-stable, but those preservatives do their job too well. They keep working right to the end, preserving the poop and slowing decomposition.
Without preservatives, raw poop quickly decomposes, usually within a few days. This means less backyard clean-up and healthier lawns. Some of you are thinking - sign me up!
Easier bathroom clean-up is enough to get any dog owner excited, but the benefits of raw feeding don't stop there. Enzymes in raw meat provide superior dental benefits compared to the abrasion from chewing kibble. These enzymes work by combating bacteria in the oral cavity that can cause dog breath, plaque and tartar build-up, inflammation of the gums, and other serious dental health issues.
This does not omit the need for regular teeth brushing and dental care , but it will prevent rapid bacteria build up in the mouth. Feeding raw bones and natural chews can also provide superior dental health benefits. The abrasion from chewing them removes bacteria from hard-to-reach molars and strengthens their jaw.
Higher bioavailability of food improves the efficiency of your dog's metabolism. When all ingredients are utilized properly, and the dog receives optimal nutrition, their metabolism aids in burning fatty deposits and increasing and maintaining muscle mass.
Increased energy levels and stamina can be seen even in overweight and senior dogs, and dogs with mobility issues, allowing for healthy exercise routines to be implemented. The high fat and meat content also provides a long-lasting feeling of fullness. Reduced cravings can get rid of that hangry attitude that dogs can get. It also promotes better digestion and weight management.
Even the pickiest pets love raw food. The texture, scent, and taste will have your dog excited about mealtime. Puppies, seniors, fussy eaters, and even dogs missing a few teeth can enjoy this tasty food format. Raw diets look like the perfect diet choice on paper, but there are some inconveniences attached to feeding a raw dog food diet.
Here are some common factors that can scare pet owners away from feeding raw. Probably the most apparent barrier for pet owners that are hesitant about raw pet food is the price tag. When you are used to seeing the price of kibble diets from the grocery store, the raw food section at your local pet store might seem shocking. Of course, to truly understand, we need to break down the feeding guidelines and weigh the benefits before we let the raw feeding cost scare us too much.
Yes, raw food is more expensive than most cooked commercial diets, but the long-term benefits and savings may help soften the price. Maintenance of lean mass and healthy weight.
While there are some perceived benefits to feeding raw dog food, most veterinarians will advise against it. Here are some of the most important reasons why:. Raw meat presents a substantially larger risk of contamination than cooked meat. The reason for this is simple: heat destroys many of the pathogens and germs present in raw meat, such as Salmonella. Although are less susceptible to Salmonella than people, some will become quite sick and suffer from diarrhea for multiple days.
In some cases, additional severe clinical signs can manifest. This is extremely important for families with small children to consider , as feeding dogs raw meat puts them at a higher risk of exposure to dangerously harmful bacteria. Dogs are perfectly able to digest starchy foods through increased amylase secretion , which is directly associated with the drastic increase in copy numbers of the AMY2B gene throughout their evolutionary history.
In addition, many pet dogs today have food intolerances and allergies. In some cases, a dog can be sensitive to some of the more common meats found in dog foods, such as chicken and beef. Dogs can eat raw meat, so long as your veterinarian is on board, but there are some things to keep in mind to reduce the risk illness due to contamination. Quality is an important factor when it comes to reducing the risks of raw dog food. The first step is to buy meats that look and smell fresh.
Avoid giving your dog meat that has been lying out on the counter for too long. Next, you need to make sure you exercise proper cleaning procedures. Dogs can eat raw bones that are large in size, but avoid feeding your pet cooked bones. Uncooked bones are softer and your pup should have no problem handling them.
Pet parents should be especially careful with puppies as they develop rapidly and have complex dietary needs. The same is true for older dogs who might have weaker immune systems and more sensitive digestive systems.
Squirrely behavior? No topic is off-limits. Ask your question, and our experts will answer within 24 hours. She often advises her customers to start out with prepared diets to avoid becoming overwhelmed or, worse, neglecting the nutritional needs of their dogs. Complete and balanced commercial diets and pre-mixes that you can add your own fresh meat to can take the guesswork out of creating a balanced meal for your dog. Hill also recommends that you confirm that products are locally sourced, made in small batches, organic whenever possible, and both hormone and antibiotic-free.
First of all, understand that no one diet fits all dogs. Many dogs, for example, thrive on the fatty acids and minerals in sea vegetables like kelp, nori , or dulse , but others may experience allergic reactions to them. Go for quick-cooking and economical grains, such as rolled oats which have the highest protein count per calorie of any common grain , cornmeal, millet and bulgur. When it comes to veggies, certain raw ones can be challenging for your dog to digest.
Make sure you cook the following: corn, peas, green beans, broccoli, potatoes and squash. Finally, chia seeds are a great source of antioxidants, protein, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids for your dog.
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