The Raw Food Diet
Feb 2008
By Don Hanson
Is it Right for Your Dog? Part 1
Many veterinarians, breeders and dog owners committed to caring for dogs holistically have recommended and successfully fed a raw diet for years. With the massive pet food recall last spring, more people began to look at raw and homemade diets as a potentially healthier alternative for their dogs.
However, raw diets remain quite controversial, especially among the veterinary community and traditional pet food companies. As with most controversial subjects, rhetoric falls on both sides of the argument, which does not make it easy for the newcomer to make an educated decision. It is worthwhile to discuss this topic with a veterinarian before switching any pet to a raw diet.
My goal in this article is to provide enough information on the raw diet so that readers can decide if they want to do further research to determine if raw is correct for their pets. In that vein, it is important to tell you that I have a bias. I have been feeding my dogs a commercial raw diet, with the support of their veterinarian, for several years. In our store, we sell commercial raw diets and a variety of dry and canned pet foods, recognizing that raw is not the right answer for everyone.
What is a “Raw Diet?”
Even proponents of raw diets do not always agree on what the term “raw diet” means. In general, a raw diet will contain a high proportion of raw meat, which may be fresh, frozen or freeze-dried. In addition to raw meat, it may include whole, uncooked bones, a mixture of fresh fruits and vegetables and supplemental vitamins and minerals. A high degree of variability exists from one diet to the next, which adds to the controversy surrounding the feeding of raw foods.
Raw diets may be commercially prepared and acquired at high-end pet stores or may be prepared by you at home from ingredients you purchase. In all cases, responsible advocates of raw will insist that if you feed raw you must do the research and know what you are doing.
Even commercially prepared raw diets may not be 100 percent complete and balanced and may require supplementation or rotation. Feeding raw is not as simple as tossing your dog raw meaty bones or table scraps. Dogs have very specific nutritional requirements, and while it is not essential to meet them daily, you must do so over time to maintain health.
Why Feed a Raw Diet?
Most people who choose to feed a raw diet do so because they believe it is healthier for their pets. Usually, this is based on the assumption that a raw diet is the natural diet for our pets’ evolutionary niche in the ecosystem. When observing wild canines such as wolves, coyotes or even domesticated dogs living feral lives, the animals consume a diet that is typically not processed or cooked and is very high in meat proteins.
Opponents to raw would argue that the domestic dog is different and has evolved to exist on commercial dry food. Although pets can exist on dry pet food, it is not clear that they thrive on such a diet. Most scientists would agree that evolution takes longer than the 140 years commercial food has been available, and that nutritionally the domestic dog remains close to its wild cousins.
One reason that a raw diet is presumed to be healthier is its nutritional makeup. Depending upon the raw diet chosen, it most likely will be composed of protein, fat and bone entirely, or protein, fat and bone with a small percentage of carbohydrates, usually from fresh fruits and vegetables.
Dogs have little need for carbohydrates in their diet, yet dry pet foods, even the super-premium brands, typically are at least 50 percent carbohydrates because of the manufacturing process, as well as to keep down costs. Many pet food manufacturers also include high amounts of carbohydrates in canned formulas, even though it is not necessary for manufacturing, to reduce production costs.
Additionally, cooking food can have a negative effect on nutrient value (with a few exceptions, such as tomatoes) and the manufacturing process used to make dry dog food is especially harsh.
A certain breakfast cereal claims to meet all the nutritional requirements for humans, just as dry pet food companies claim to meet 100 percent of the nutritional needs of pets. Theoretically, we could survive if all we ate was that breakfast cereal; however, we would be healthier if we were eating a balanced diet of fresh, whole foods. If processed foods are not the best choice for us, why would it be any different for our pets?
Is Raw for All Dogs or Just Those with Health Issues?
It is not necessary to wait for health concerns to appear before committing to a raw diet. When we started feeding a raw diet to our dogs, we did so because we thought it would benefit them. Initially, we fed dry food in the morning and raw food in the evening and saw an improvement in all our dogs.
As the dogs aged and we became more proactive in the effort to avoid health problems associated with aging, we decided to make the switch to 100 percent raw. We have fed a raw diet exclusively for three years and have two healthy, senior dogs.
Many anecdotes mention dogs suffering from health problems that were cured with only a change to a raw diet. A raw diet may be a good choice and help a pet on its road to recovery; however, depending upon the problem, it may also affect an animal negatively. Again, before making a dietary change on any pet, consult a veterinarian.
What are the Risks of Feeding a Raw Diet?
The two biggest risks cited by opponents of raw diets relate to feeding raw bones and to potential bacterial contamination of the meat and the bones. In addition, many fear feeding a raw diet, because there have been few studies to determine if it meets current nutritional guidelines.
Often, raw diet proponents feed raw chicken wings and necks. There is the apprehension that if a dog swallows a large piece of bone it may choke or the bone may perforate its digestive tract. Many others provide their dogs with large beef or buffalo bones, which do have the potential to wear and break teeth. These are valid concerns.
Dogs react to raw bones in different ways. Some nibble and gnaw, while others try to swallow them whole. If your dog is the latter type, feeding raw bones is not a good idea. Advocates say that if you start a puppy with wings when they are very young, they will learn to go slow and chew them well.
Another alternative is to grind the bones and mix them with the meat, which is what several commercial raw producers do. In this way, the dog benefits from the nutritional value of the bone, without the potential risks. However, one purported advantage of giving raw bones is that the gnawing action helps keep the dogs’ teeth clean.
Raw meat and bones provide an environment for the growth of many types of hazardous bacteria, such as Salmonella spp and Escherichia coli (E. coli). Reports show that almost all raw chicken sold at supermarkets is contaminated with Salmonella. Supermarkets do not view this as a concern, because the presumption is that consumers will cook the chicken thoroughly, thus killing all bacteria before the meat is consumed. When feeding raw meat, owners must be aware of possible bacterial contamination and consider how it will affect their dog.
Proponents claim that a dog’s digestive tract is different from that of humans and that dogs can handle much of the potentially dangerous bacteria. Anecdotally, it may be suggested that canines in the wild eat carrion loaded with bacteria and survive, and even our companion dogs may bury food, dig it up days later and eat it. Also, on a daily basis dogs ingest bacteria from their environment and seldom seem to get sick from doing so.
However, the real concern to public health officials is that even if the dog does not become sick from the bacteria, it may be a carrier and therefore a potential threat to human health. For this reason, responsible raw proponents are adamant about the safe handling of raw food. It is also the reason they suggest it may not be appropriate to serve a raw diet to pets in a household with young children or anyone with immune system problems.
Those who suggest that controlled studies must be done on raw diets before they are considered often state that feeding trials for kibble and canned food have demonstrated that they are safe and nutritionally complete. Unfortunately, a look at the requirements for a feeding trial (see box) will show that these trials are no better than the anecdotal evidence for feeding a raw diet. Companies are unlikely to perform an expensive study on feeding a dog with ingredients that you can assemble and prepare yourself, because there is no profit for them in doing so.
In part two of the raw food diet debate, options for feeding a raw diet, costs of such a diet, feeding all raw versus partial raw and resources for dog owners to learn more will be covered.
Don Hanson and his wife, Paula, own the Green Acres Kennel Shop (greenacreskennel.com) in Bangor, where he is the director of behavior services and training. He is a Bach Foundation registered practitioner animal specialist, certified dog behavior consultant, and certified pet dog trainer. He hosts the “Woof-Meow Show” at 8:30 p.m., every Sunday, on WVOM, 103.9FM.
