The Best raw dog foods which emphasize mostly raw meat, bones, fruits, and vegetables are daily on the rise because dog owners want the absolute best for their canine companions to ensure they live healthy, happy, and active lives.
Before now, dry dog kibble and canned dog food were the only choices in the market and was seen as the best. However, over the years, raw food options have become increasingly available.
Now with the various options available in the market, you may be tempted to ask, what food is right for your dog?.
What Food is Right for Your Dog?
When it comes to what food is right for your dog, it is best to always discuss your pet’s diet with your veterinarian. This is because they are more familiar with your dog’s nutritional needs based on health, lifestyle, and exercise level. Different dogs have different caloric requirements and need to be fed accordingly.
Best Raw Dog Foods
The best raw dog foods commonly consist of:
- Muscle meat
- Raw eggs
- Organ meats
- Whole or ground bone
- Dairy, like yogurt
- Dog-safe fresh fruits and vegetables.
Benefits of Best Raw Dog Foods
Those who are in favor of raw food, claim it’s potential benefits includes:
- cleaner teeth
- Increased energy
- Healthier skin
- Smaller stools
- Shinier coats
- Improved dental health etc.
However, dog owners should understand that feeding your dog a raw food diet can be time-consuming than giving them cooked, commercially processed dog food. Thus extra care is required in handling, preparation, and sanitation of raw food. Note also that the raw food diet is typically more expensive than a processed kibble diet.
Note, that a raw food diet is not recommended in homes where they are small children or immunocompromised individuals. This is because of the health risk that raw foods can represent.
On the other hand, dog owners should also understand that the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has taken a formal position in opposing the unregulated feeding of raw foods. This policy states thus “The AVMA discourages the feeding to cats and dogs of any animal-source protein that has not first been subjected to a process to eliminate pathogens, because of the risk of illness to cats and dogs as well as humans”.
Be it as it may, there are still many raw food diet advocates who still think raw food is the best option. In this case, if a dog owner decides to feed his dog with this kind of diet, the services of a veterinarian who is familiar with raw foods should be employed as this will help in guiding you in proper handling and cleaning that is needed to prevent possible health concerns.
Disadvantages of a Raw Dog Food Diet
- When it comes to convenience, a dry kibble still stands out as the best. This is because, with kibble, you can just measure and pour, and it’s that easy.
- Raw foods are prone to bacterial contamination.
- Salmonella and E. coli germs can always pose a potential threat with raw meats, even though the risk of food-borne diseases is quite low. Now, this is low risk for dogs, but not for humans. Why this is so is because a dog’s digestive system is shorter and more acidic, which makes canine infections like these fairly rare.
- Another disadvantage is that the real risk of foodborne disease is greater for a dog’s human caretakers and not the dog.
However, with proper care and handling, these risks can be dramatically reduced. So before you go the raw food way, check with your veterinarian who better understands your dog’s needs in order to take the most ideal step.
