Advantages of Dog Raw Food Diet

Until recent times, dogs primarily ate a raw food diet that consisted of meats from animals that they hunted. Today, we feed our dogs processed foods that may not meet all of their needs. In fact, a growing movement has encouraged a return to the traditional raw meat diet for dogs that is healthier overall for their digestive system.

However, raw meat diets come with disadvantages as well as advantages. To better understand all of the issues before feeding your dog a raw food diet. It helps to know what it is and what it promises to do for them.

What is a Raw Food Diet for Dogs?

Basically, it is feeding your dogs raw, uncooked and unprocessed foods over the typical hard and soft dog food that they consume today. The idea of the raw food diet comes from the original meals that dogs consumed long before they became domesticated. This type of diet consists of raw meat, bones and vegetables with fruits sometimes thrown into the mix.

Certain dog breeds actually live on raw food diets today such as greyhounds that race in competition and sled dogs which pull heavy loads across the snow. However, the advocacy of raw food for all dog breeds was more recently proposed by Ian Billinghurst, a veterinarian in Australia back in 1993. His view was that adult dogs would actually benefit from eating this type of diet overall as it is better suited to their overall health.

The Benefits of Feeding Your Dog a Raw Food Diet

There are certain benefits that are touted by the advocates of this particular diet program which include the following;

• Cleaner Teeth
• More Energy
• Shinier Coats & Healthier Skin
• Smaller Size of Stools

Each of these benefits point to the dog’s digestive system which those who promote raw food contend is better suited to digest and process this particular type of diet. However, not everyone is on board when it comes to this type of food for your dogs.

The Potential Downsides of a Raw Food Diet

Of the people who contend that this type of diet is not good for dogs, they bring up three major concerns;

• Higher Risk of Meat Contamination through Bacteria
• Potential for Dogs to Choke on Bones
• Unbalanced Diet may Harm the Overall Health of the Dogs

It must be pointed out however, that the overall risk of bacterial contamination is quite low when using proper raw foods and the highly acidic fluids in the stomach of a dog destroys most, if not all of the bacteria on contact.

Since the raw food diet includes vegetables and can be boosted with vitamins, it can retain its overall balance to protect the dog’s health. Finally, the bones can be removed to help protect the teeth and internal organs of the dog.

Overall, the raw food diet for dogs is one that you can check out to see if it is right for your pooch. Especially for older dogs with digestive issues, the advantages of feeding your dog this type of diet may bring many healthy benefits.



Resources:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/23/the-raw-food-diet-for-pets/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0
http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/guide/raw-dog-food-dietary-concerns-benefits-and-risks
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/best-dog-foods/raw-dog-food/