I watch my Belgian Tervuren bitches do “natural and raw” food. While my boys prefer cooked and served on a platter, the girls will catch a rabbit, and they eat all of it. Hair, head, guts, along with muscle meat. Is this a natural raw diet? Not really.
Most raw diets concentrate on muscle meat and bones. At-home versions are heavy on neck bones, wings, and backs. And, importantly, supplements are needed to round out the diet and approach nutritional completeness.
Vital vitamins and minerals must be compensated for in a raw diet. Getting the calcium/phosphorus balance just right, especially for puppies, can be very challenging. Properly feeding raw you make yourself is not as easy as your dog catching and consuming an occasional rabbit.
Proponents of raw diets believe that raw is more natural and more nutritious. The catch is that commercial and even homemade raw diets aren’t mimicking a true natural diet for canids, which includes a variety of prey (dead and alive), as well as plants, berries, and vegetables.
Are Raw Diets Healthy for Dogs?
To be healthy, a raw diet must be balanced and complete, and there are commercial raw diets that do just that. Vegetables, fruits, and supplements may be included. Most manufacturers rely on freezing, freeze-drying, or dehydration to preserve the foods for shipping and storage.
Can a Raw Diet Safely Provide Good Nutrition?
Yes, it is possible, but it requires more expense and effort than the average dog owner can or will put in to do it correctly. If you choose to feed raw, do your research and make the effort to do it right. For some dogs, it does seem to help (anecdotally, as there are no clinical studies), probably from minimal ingredients as much as anything.
Is a Raw Diet Dangerous for Dogs?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends avoiding raw diets for pets, for both human and pet potential health problems. Many veterinarians agree.
Raw pet foods are in the news a lot due to cats dying from raw diets and raw milk infected with avian flu. Freezing and freeze-drying do not kill the avian flu virus. At this time, dogs appear to be resistant to the avian flu virus, but that could change with mutations.
In addition, an FDA study from 2014 found the risk of exposure to some foodborne bacteria (Salmonella, Listeria, or toxigenic E. coli) in frozen raw meat diets for pets purchased online is about one out of three. Remember, freezing and freeze-drying do not affect most viruses, although many bacteria and parasites will be wiped out. Any toxins present may be preserved.
While dogs in general are fairly resistant to these pathogens, many are not. Puppies with immature immune systems and seniors with weakened immune systems are at risk, along with any dog with an immunocompromising health problem, such as cancer. Also, people are more susceptible to those bacteria than dogs.
That means food hygiene while preparing these foods must be perfect. A household with human seniors, very young children, and anyone with an immune-related illness should avoid touching raw pet foods.
Then, why don’t my dogs who catch and eat rabbits get sick? These girls are eating truly fresh meat with no chance for bacterial growth or toxin production sitting on your kitchen counter thawing. (Of course, my dog could still get things like tapeworms from those “fresh” meals.)
When it comes to “natural food,” dogs have evolved to eating a wider variety of foods than their wild ancestors with domestication, such as utilizing starches better than wild canids. If you choose to feed raw, simply ensure you take all safety precautions and ensure that the food you purchase or make yourself is nutritionally complete.
