Why Should I Feed Raw Food to My Pet, and Is it Safe?

Dogs have been fed kibbled foods for the past fifty or so years with what seems to be great results. Dogs are not dying outright from starvation or malnutrition, and seem to be happy and fairly healthy.

You certainly can get dogs with glossy coats and healthy bodies (healthy being used loosely) that live well into their teens while being fed kibbled foods. Yet the veterinary community has been seeing increases in things like cancer, obesity, diabetes, unilateral hip dysplasia, dermatitises, food allergies, kidney problems, pancreas problems, and liver problems (and their medical techniques and methods have evolved tremendously to deal with these; many veterinarians are very capable people who mean well and can be quite good at treating illness and disease). Just about every system in the dog has been affected in some way, shape, or form by some disease or problem that did not ‘exist’ prior to the advent of kibbled foods or was not recognized as a big issue. Part of this increase is due to the fact that more people own dogs today and that illnesses are more quickly diagnosed nowadays, but many of these diseases have been shown to have strong links to diet—particularly in human research (like adult onset diabetes and obesity and cancer, for example). Many of our pets’ body processes parallel our own, so who is to say that processed food will not affect them similarly?

Some questions to ponder:

• Why are dog feces so foul? Could this be related to diet?
• Are dogs and cats omnivores or carnivores? What evidence do you have to support your decision?
• What did our pets eat prior to the advent of kibbled foods?
• How is a processed diet good and healthy for our pets? Is there evidence to support this?
• Why do cats ‘love’ mice?
• Why do dogs chew? Why do most dogs ‘love’ to chew on bones (real or artificial)?
• Why are kibbled foods pushed and advertised extensively through veterinarians, groomers, dog shows, TV, magazines, etc.? Are there any financial or other reasons to do so? What would be lost if more people started feeding raw foods?
• What (if any) propaganda or scare tactics have you been exposed to in regards to raw feeding? What were the motives (good, bad, and neutral) behind the propaganda or scare tactics?
• How much nutritional training do veterinarians receive? Are they fully qualified to administer nutritional advice?
• And the most important question: How can a processed diet be better for our pets than fresh, whole foods?

Learn more about feeding raw food:

Please note: The information provided here is intended to supplement the recommendations of your veterinarian. Do not disregard veterinary advice or delay treatment based on information on this site. Nothing can replace a complete history and physical examination performed by your veterinarian. -Dr. Jeff