When our Weimaraner, Blue was a puppy he had a severe chicken allergy that wrecked havoc on his gut health. The vet recommended a raw diet for a minimum of one year and warned us that, Blue might always have to be on a raw diet. Thankfully he fully recovered and now is on a high quality dry beef food.
It is easy to get used to the convenience of dry ‘kibble’ to feed our dogs. There are many brands and types of dry food of varying quality. A comparison and basic analysis of the leading ones will be a topic for a future article. But what about raw food?
There is a lot of debate, and quite strong feelings about raw versus dry food for dogs. Lets look at some of the pros and cons of a raw meat diet.
Pros of a raw food diet for dogs
Coat and Skin Health
Raw meat is obviously a ‘wholefood’. With no fillers and plenty of natural oils, you are likely to notice a shiny coat and less skin dryness.
Increased Energy and Stamina
The high protein content of a raw diet and the absence of processed ingredients and fillers are likely to result in a noticeable increase in your dog’s energy. Whether you will welcome that or not is another matter!
Improved Digestion
One of the most remarkable and easily noticed effects of changing to a raw diet is the reduction n the amount and volume of poop. Much of what a kibble eating dog passes is grain fibre and fillers. On a raw diet more of the food is full digested and absorbed. Stools will be firmer too.
Weight Control
The low carbohydrate diet will likely result in weight reduction in dogs prone to obesity.
So in relation to all four of the above points, its not just what is in raw food, bit also about what you are omitting, both good and bad, from the diet of your pet by feeding them simple raw meat.
Dental Health
Giving your dog raw bones is really good for their teeth as it reduces plaque buildup. Gnawing on a bone is so natural for a dog and can help with any frustration from lack of stimulus and exercise.
Cons of a raw food diet for dogs.
Some of these are less obvious than the Pros.
Nutritional deficiency
Believe it or not eating meat alone can result in nutritional imbalance form the lack of certain nutrients. It is considered important to add something like grated carrot or chopped green vegetables to provide a more balanced diet.
Cost and Convenience
Buying raw meat will be more expensive than dry food, even compared to a good quality kibble. However you source your meat this is likely to be the case. Sourcing, storing and preparing a meat diet is the consuming.
Bacterial Contamination
Raw meat can contain E coli and Salmonella amongst other pathogens. Even though dogs have quite robust immune systems these can be risk to your dog.
Risk to Humans
Storing your dog food in your fridge and the daily handling of it can be risky for humans. There will be unavoidable blood and if the meat is contaminated in any way it could be a risk to your health, especially young children and immuno-compromised people.
Dangers from bones
Raw bones, while good for dental health, can splinter and cause injuries, such as choking or gastrointestinal blockages and bleeding. Raw bones are considered safer than cooked bones however.
Some dogs are sensitive, and even have allergies to certain meats, the most common one being chicken. It is important to be aware of the possibility of that.
If in doubt you could consult your vet but even vets have different opinions about raw versus dry food. Ultimately it may be about considering all the above points and doing some experimenting to see what results you get.
Robin Logan,
RSHom