A Raw Food Diet For Dogs - Fad Or Science?

In recent years, a movement has come afoot that advocates a raw food diet for dogs, similar to what dogs used to eat before they became domesticated some 30,000 years ago.

Common sense would have one believe that the dogs currently living with us as pets are as far removed from wolves as our tabby is from a Bengali tiger. After all, their metabolism and bodies have become used to our diet, having been fed scraps from our tables for thousands of year. Relatively recently, dog food became commercially available, which caused them now be as used to processed food as humans are.

A refined, processed diet is probably not the optimum diet for a dog, regardless of the breed, the same way that a refined, processed diet is not good for us either. When we hurt ourselves by eating processed foods and passing it on to our dogs, we are hurting them too.

Numerous reports have indicated that a raw diet has done wonders for a dog in improving health, energy level, a shinier coat, and calming a nervous digestive system. It is possible to feed a healthy and varied raw diet to a dog, as long as certain precautions are taken.

Basics of a Raw Food Diet

Even the highest quality commercial pet food is not optimally absorbed by the animal; in fact less than 50% of its nutritional value is absorbed. Compare this to the 95% absorption rate of a balanced raw food diet and you'll understand why so many dog owners are enthusiastic about it.

Certain rules should be observed. For instance, do not feed a raw diet to a dog with an immune problem. Do not feed large chunks of raw meat to a chihuahua. Small breed dogs should only eat ground raw meat and bones that accommodate their small teeth. In fact, all dogs should be gradually acclimated to an all raw diet by grinding the meat and bones for the first couple of weeks, and it is best to increase the amount of raw food gradually, starting with about 25%. Add digestive enzymes to the diet to facilitate the change.

A typical raw diet might also include green and yellow vegetables such as squash, apples, water melon, but avoid cruciferous vegetables as dogs have difficulty digesting these. Pork, fish bones, and farmed salmon are also to be avoided. To ensure all nutritional needs are met, once a week yoghurt, cooked potatoes and oatmeal can be added to the diet. Dogs with special requirements like puppies and dogs who just had them will eat an astonishing amount on a raw food diet.

Victoria Vohn, aka My Granny Geek has researched potential purchases online since the early days of the internet, having owned and operated an IT company for 20 years with extensive expertise in internet research. Now she is sharing that research with you. Visit her website and learn about Raw Food Diets for Dogs.