The Science Behind Canine Raw Feeding

I feed raw and go with the Primal diet.

12 comments

All meat and bones with a supplement. Serena, I bet Amy is right. They need the raw bones. It will clear up the diarrhea. I put my Maremma on raw at five months and my Aussie at 2 years and they are doing wonderfully. Coats are beautiful and shiny, they are full of energy, and never have diarrhea. Wolves in the wild eat lots of bone in the prey they kill. The only bones they leave are the major ones because they are too dense to eat through. I recently came across your blog and was able to sit down this morning and read through your articles. I have two Pomeranians. One who has had so many issues with throwing up dry food and skin infections.

About a year ago I switched to raw and now I make my own raw. Their skin and coat is incredible now and they are both at a healthy weight. I look forward to reading more about your experience!

After a bout of scary seizures, I did research on alternatives to food and discovered raw feeding. My dog Doctor is energetic and full of life. Thanks for sharing and I love that you named your dog, Doctor. Just got back from vet visit and was scolded and strangely looked at for feeding the homemade raw diet to my year old beagle, Cooper. I began to second guess my sanity and have found the backing I need from this website to stay strong! I am paleo and so feeding a primal diet to my dog made sense and feels natural.

This is not uncommon though. You never know when you may need your veterinarian so it pays to have a good relationship despite differences of opinion. I have 2 small yo rkies and a Maltese who has allergies my vet put her on Apoquel and told me to put her on science diet food I did my research and decided to jump in on the raw food diet AGAINST my vets warning at first it was hard going my girls were used to cooked homeade food so the change was slow 80 20 using Primal diarrhea and stomach upsets at times but happy to say they are eager for their food now they love that stinky tripe and I am making my own dehydrated treats so glad I stayed with it and will be glad when and if our vets get on board as the raw diet rumble continues to grow.

Your email address will not be published. Don't miss out on exclusive raw diet information and tips - Subscribe to the Primal Pooch newsletter! These statements have not been evaluated by a veterinarian.

• Dueling Partners.
• 50 Ways to Slowly Kill Your Marriage?
• Existe-t-il un féminisme musulman ? (Islam et Laïcité) (French Edition).

This website is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease and is not intended to be a substitute or replacement for any medical treatment. This helps me generate some income, but I only recommend brands I use and trust. I absolutely love hearing from readers and welcome your contributions with open arms and paws! There are plenty of other places online for you to find like-minded people. Please be respectful by participating to learn and to share your story, not to ruffle feathers…. I reserve the right to edit or delete any comments submitted to this blog without notice.

Do you wish there was more clear-cut information about raw feeding? We all want proof. But… the harsh reality is that finding this information is a real crapshoot.

H.B. Turner (Author of The science behind canine raw feeding)

That is, until today. Testimonials Tell a Convincing Story Despite the information gap, the raw feeding movement has continued to thrive, why? Positive recommendations from other dog owners who have been in your shoes spread like wildfire. Testimonials are real stories from real people with nothing to gain.

• The science behind raw feeding — Raw Essentials | Real Food For Cats & Dogs.
• Poker Party (Bill & Andrea Bondage Adventures)?
• A Midsummer Nights Dream (Dover Thrift Editions).
• After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall.

So where would this funding come from, other than our own pocketbooks? Scientific studies and ongoing research can be quite expensive. Funding typically comes from: Government grants Non-profit organizations usually large ones with big budgets Companies and corporations for marketing or research and development Private investors. Which brings me to my next point.

Raw Feeding Research Is Not In the Best Interest of Pet Food Companies If irrefutable data existed illustrating the health benefits of feeding dogs a raw diet, pet food companies would be in a sticky situation. How do they do this? With scientific studies of course. Get ready for some good news.

Realistic Pet Food Research Susan Thixton, the face behind Truth About Pet Food , along with the help of some determined dog lovers and consumers, recently organized a history-making project. Finally, Raw Feeding Research! His current projects are: The risk of internal parasites can be virtually eliminated by freezing raw meat before feeding, not feeding guts or intestines, and avoiding meats that have the potential to be infected with freeze-resistant parasites such as polar bear or walrus.

Dogs, cats, and ferrets are equipped to handle much larger loads of bacteria in the diet [ 87 ], so the risk of salmonella or other bacteria is mostly a concern for the humans in the household rather than the pets. By practicing safe meat handling and sanitation when preparing raw foods of any kind — for consumption by pets or humans — the risk of salmonella to humans in the household can be greatly diminished. Owners should also continue to use care when handling and disposing of feces to prevent contamination. Of course, this is also not exclusive to raw pet food or raw fed pets, but applies to the handling of any kind of pet food or waste.

However, care should be practiced with raw diets, and owners should consider any potential risks. While kibble diets are convenient and cost effective for the average pet owner, more and more owners are beginning to consider more than just convenience and cost when choosing a diet for their pets. Pets are increasingly seen as members of the family to many owners, and their health and longevity is of utmost importance now more than ever before.

Thus, the number of owners choosing to feed raw continues to grow — with or without the support of their veterinarian. Many of these pet owners report that they have a low amount of trust in veterinary advice, not only with respect to nutrition, but also in general [ 88 ]. By bridging the divide between veterinary professionals and raw feeders, we can address this distrust for the benefit of our pets. A divide also exists within the veterinary community itself.

There are those who take a stance of strict opposition to raw food diets [ 89 ], but there are also those that actively recommend raw diets to their clients and report great success [ 90 ]. Many veterinary professionals acknowledge that they do not have adequate education on homemade or raw diets [ 91 , 92 ], or feel that recommending a raw diet could be a liability if the owner does not take the proper sanitation precautions or ensure the are feeding a balanced diet, therefore — understandably — many vets do not feel comfortable recommending these diets to their clients.

However, rather than approaching this issue with strict opposition despite the growing evidence of the positive aspects of raw diets, veterinary and other pet care professionals should instead advocate for more evidence based, scientifically sound resources to be made available — to pet owners and professionals alike — regarding how to make sure the diet they are feeding is balanced and safe.

For bearded dogs like wire haired breeds, you may want to consider using baby wipes on the face after meals. We are one week into researching feeding this way. O we are looking at ways to get started and star adding to current kibble to slowly change them over. One thing we worry about is very raw juices on the face then come over to get some love.

How does this not get on humans or things the humans touch? The more education on raw feeding helps to take some of the fear of feeding raw. Reblogged this on The Healthy Dog Blog and commented: Glad I found your blog. One of my dogs developed clear evidence of leaky gut syndrome manifesting in skin yeast and allergies, and both dogs had weight management issues.

My vet and his practice colleagues are amazed at how my dogs look teeth especially , and the fact that one of them has completely healed with diet alone. Of course this is no surprise to me what so ever, since I see this in humans every day. The study concludes that a more natural diet for example carcasses better meets the psychological as well as nutritional needs, by taking into account diet consistency, texture, temperature, palatability and variability. Consumption of whole prey provides for a relatively high intake of raw animal derived fermentative substances which may enhance gut health, stimulate growth of microbial commensals and optimise immune function in a very different way from heat treated, largely plant derived processed foods.

Recent studies have shown that changes in the macronutrient content of the diet alters faecal microbial populations in the domestic cat. Dry processed diets, with low protein to carbohydrate ratio have been linked to obesity in cats. Emerging evidence suggest that microbiota are critical to the development of obesity 8,9 and shifts in the faecal microbiota may be as a result of an increased carbohydrate load entering the large intestine due to the low protein: An increasingly global and complex pet food supply chain further complicates the already substantial challenge of assuring pet food safety.

This is a shared concern applying to commercially prepared pet foods, raw food diets and home prepared diets. Common sourcing of ingredients from a global supply chain and increased size of production lots lead to escalating problems. Microbiological issues are often traced back to the use of contaminated raw materials, typically grains such as peanut flour. Managing Salmonella in the production of dry pet food can be very challenging, as many of the raw materials are naturally contaminated.

The most prevalent argument against raw feeding is to do with food safety as it pertains to both humans and pets. They also stated that cats and dogs with either clinical illness, or subclinical infection are a health risk to other animals and humans. They concluded with a recommendation to in the interests of public health avoid feeding raw food inadequately treated animal-source protein to cats and dogs.

Certainly food safety must be considered as a potential hazard when dealing with raw animal protein, and given the numbers of pet owners feeding their cats and dogs raw food the Veterinary profession would be wise to establish guidelines to educate owners about harm reduction. Instead, the AVMA released a blanket statement advising against any kind of raw feeding.

The science behind raw feeding

This is unhelpful to a large number of pet owners, and only serves to marginalise them. Upon examining the references, which we discuss in greater detail in a separate document on which the statement is based, one could be forgiven for feeling somewhat confused as to what the AVMA believes constitutes evidence-based policy. Many of the conclusions drawn were only very loosely based on study results, if at all. A thorough search of the literature reveals the depth of nutritional information available to us as veterinarians.

The literature shows the importance of a minimal nutrient profile being a starting point for the selection of an optimal diet for domestic pets, and confirms the importance of the diet being presented in a physical and functional form that meets the physiological and psychological needs of our companion animals. Food safety is confirmed as an issue affecting the global supply chain of pet food and an issue which must be addressed by all pet food manufacturers.

In this era of evidence-based medicine, the current and emerging science supports the feeding of a raw prey-based, species-appropriate diet, to domesticated carnivores for optimal health and wellbeing. Challenges in developing nutrient guidelines for companion animals. British Journal of Nutrition.

A review of stomach content analysis. Journal of American Animal Hospital Association.