Over the past few years, the raw diet has become one of the most popular diet options for dogs. The preference for the raw diet for dogs has assumed a lot of popularity. But, is a raw diet safe for dogs? Should you feed raw dog food to your dogs? Let us find out the details and pros and cons of feeding a raw diet to dogs.
A raw diet may or may not be suitable for all pets, but for some breeds and some specific cases, a raw diet for dogs may be a good option. As long as the source of the raw food is hygienic, you should have no worries about feeding a raw diet to your dogs. A raw diet can be helpful in inappetence, obesity, and poor hair coat.
What is Raw Dog Food?
Dog Raw Food is also referred to as BARF -Biologically Appropriate Raw Food (or Bones And Raw Food). As the name itself should indicate, it includes raw meat, bones, offal, and even fruits and vegetables. Depending on the source of food, Raw Dog Food may be both safe and unsafe.
Raw dog food is available in two varieties – homemade and commercially available. The food typically belongs to the category of food that mostly canines eat in their natural surroundings. Many dog owners believe that a raw food diet for a dog is an excellent choice for dogs. However, some dog owners also believe that raw dog food may also be dangerous and fatal to your dog in certain cases.
The commercial raw dog food comes prepared by professional establishments. It includes the food that is frozen or freeze-dried to keep the meat fresh. Home-cooked raw dog food belongs to the category where the dog owners prepare the food as they would prepare it for their family. In fact, even the Kibble food may not be safe if it comes from the no-trusted sources.
Benefits of Raw Dog Foods
The ingredients in raw dog food can be beneficial for dogs in many ways. Some of the benefits offered by raw dog food include
Weight management
Some dog breeds tend to gain weight without any specific reasons. Raw dog food may be beneficial in helping you keep a check on the weight of the dogs. It can be quite easy to control your dog’s weight by having proper control over the exact diet served to it.
Health benefits
A raw diet can help your dog gain a wide range of health benefits. Raw dog food can help your dog with more energy, healthier skin, and cleaner teeth. Eating raw meat can help clean the teeth and reduce bad breath. The dog will also benefit from the high protein content in the raw meat and gain better muscle strength. If your dog has fishy breath, raw meat can address it more efficiently.
Shiny coat
A raw dog diet can also help your dog gain a better coat and make it more shiny. The high fat in raw meat and other raw food can help improve the quality of fur.
Disadvantages of Raw Dog Food
As with the benefits, there are some cons of a raw food diet. Pet owners should take even these factors into account before they feed a raw diet to their dog.
Risk of bones
Some commercial or home made raw food may contain fragmented bones. These can injure the dog when eating it. These bones can cause choking hazards as well. It can also result in the breaking of teeth or other internal issues. Cooked bones may have splinters and should be fed to the dog only under supervision.
Bacteria
Some raw meat may also have bacteria and other parasites. This can lead the dog to have cancer and other health issues. Apart from the dog, the bacteria and other parasites may also be dangerous to humans.
Unbalanced diet
Feeding raw dog food diet may sometimes be a cause for an unblaned diet. While some components such as vitamins and minerals may not be preset in the diet some others may be present in excess. This can, at times, leave your dog deficient in some sort of food. make sure that your dog gets a balanced diet.
What Does the Raw Dog Diet Include?
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The raw dog diet can include a wide range of components. Under typical scenarios, it may consist of
- Muscle meat – most of the time along with the bones
- Bones, in whole or in ground form
- Eggs
- Organs such as liver, heart, etc
- Apples and other dog-friendly fruits
- Dairy items such as yoghurt
- Vegetable items such as broccoli, spinach, and celery
Does Raw Dog Food Contain Bacteria?
Yes, raw dog food can contain bacteria. According to reports, it is indicated that raw dog food can contain an exceptionally high quantity of raw food which may be dangerous to the dogs and even to the dog owners.
Some of the most common bacteria that may affect raw dog food include salmonella, campylobacter, listeria, and E. coli. That is exactly why you need to take absolute care to ensure that your dog food comes from reputed sources that assure you a better degree of hygiene.
How Much Raw Dog Food to Feed Your Dog?
The amount of raw dog food that you feed your dog should be in tune with the age, breed, size, activity level, and specific nutritional needs. You can discuss with your vet to decide on the right amount of raw dog food for your dog.
Under ideal conditions, Your dog should eat around 2 to 3% of its body weight in raw food. That means, if your dog has a body weight of 10 Kg, it should consume around 300 grams of raw food daily.
The best guide for the raw dog food that a dog should be fed would be
- If your dog is active and younger – It should consume 3% of the weight in raw food every day
- If your dog is senior and inactive or even obese – It should consume 2% of the weight in raw food every day.
Can Dogs Eat Raw Meat?
Yes, dogs can consume raw meat. However, there may be a few concerns that may make it a bad idea to feed your dog with raw meat.
Can dogs eat raw chicken?
Yes, but be in control as it can cause issues such as contamination with bacteria like salmonella. You can however cook it first and remove the bones to help avoid choking.
Can dogs eat raw beef?
Once again, it may run the risk of bacterial contamination. We would suggest cooking the raw beef before feeding it to the dogs.
Can dogs eat raw pork?
Raw pork may contain the bacteria Trichinella spiralis. Most possibly, the raw pork may not contain the larvae of the bacteria. It may cause issues such as trichinosis.
Can dogs eat raw fish?
Dogs can find the bone in the raw fish dangerous. Apart, the fish may also have bacteria in them.
Can dogs eat raw eggs?
Yes, raw eggs can be an excellent source of high protein and vitamins. However, make sure to feed eggs to your dogs only a couple of times a week. Too much of eggs can result in biotic deficiency.
In essence, it is not recommended to feed raw food in any form to your dogs. Of course, the dogs in the wild may be able to handle the raw food with no issues, but domesticated dogs and dogs belonging to special breeds may find it hard to digest raw food.
The Concluding Thoughts
Well, if you are considering feeding raw food to your dog, go through a proper consideration of the type of food you choose. Frozen raw food may not be an issue in most cases, but going through the risks of raw food can be a good idea before making the switch.
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