February 11th, 2020 by Chris Chapman

Raw food is an increasingly popular but increasingly controversial subject among dog owners. It’s even divided the vets and experts, too! Hundreds of pet shops across the country now stock raw food for you to try, and social media is full of people who swear their dogs are happier and healthier on a raw food diet. On the other hand, there is an equal number of people who point to the risks of a raw food diet – that it can lead to health problems and choke hazards.

Like any dog owner, you’ll only want the best for your four-legged friend. This means, if you’re thinking of trying out a new diet plan for your pup, you’ll want to get all the facts before you take the plunge.

What is Raw Feeding?

Raw diets are made up of raw meat – often left on the bone – as well as offal, raw eggs, and sometimes uncooked fruit and veg. The idea is that commercially-available dog food is too full of additives and has little actual nutritional value, while raw food offers something healthier for dogs who are natural carnivores. Raw feeding is sometimes called a Biologically Appropriate Raw Food diet (or BARF for short, which isn’t exactly the best name for a diet plan!) for this reason.

Benefits of a Raw Food Diet

It’s easy to see the thinking behind the raw diet craze. In the time before they became man’s best friends, dogs were wild animals. They’d have to hunt and forage for their own food – pouches of kibble weren’t readily available back then, apparently! Pro-raw dog owners say that going back to a natural diet has several health benefits for their pooches – here are a few.

Promotes Good Digestion

Dogs are natural meat-eaters. While some green stuff is always good for a bit of variety, dogs can struggle to digest large amounts of plants, fruits, and veg because their digestive systems aren’t really designed for it. Humans and other omnivores have an enzyme in our saliva which helps break down plant matter before it hits our stomach. Dog saliva doesn’t have this enzyme, so it takes a lot more work for their stomachs to digest plant-based food.

Helps Ease Pancreatitis Symptoms

Pancreatitis is a condition which causes your dog’s pancreas to become inflamed. It can be painful and makes it hard for them to digest fatty and carb-rich foods. Raw food is usually very lean and rich in protein, so – with guidance from a vet – it can be used to help manage your dog’s condition.

Provides a Sleek, Shiny Coat

Many pet owners report that their pooches look better than ever after they’ve been on a raw diet for a while. When meat is cooked, it does lose some nutrients as it starts to break down. The idea is that raw meat contains more fatty acids and amino acids, which helps fur to grow sleek and shiny. Your pooch won’t truly look their best unless you use some high-glycerine shampoo like Gentle Touch, of course, but every little helps!

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Risks of a Raw Food Diet

With all of the benefits listed above, why wouldn’t you want to try a raw diet? Unfortunately, there are a few risks that you should be aware of.

There’s Still a Lot We Don’t Know

One of the main risks of a raw diet is that there’s simply so much we don’t know about the subject! To date, the number of studies into BARF diets is still very small, which means many vets are naturally suspicious of the raw trend. Of the studies that have been carried out, some have flagged up risks (which we’ll outline below), but these are fairly recent studies which use a relatively small sample. If you feel like it’s too much of a risk, stick to some high-quality cooked pet food.

Balancing a Diet is Hard

You might think serving up a raw diet is easy enough – you just mix some raw meat in with a few bones and fresh veggies and let your pooch dig in, right? Sadly, it’s a little more complicated than that. Unless you’re an expert in animal nutrition, you absolutely should not feed your dog homemade raw food. It’s extremely difficult to give them the right balance of all the vitamins they need with a raw diet. Your pup needs 37 nutrients to stay healthy, and finding the right balance of things like zinc, phosphorus, and iron is really hard unless you know what you’re doing. Commercial raw dog food often uses added supplements to ensure your dog gets the balanced diet they need, but not all of them do.

When looking at dog food in a pet shop or online, try and make sure it’s accredited by the Pet Food Manufacturers Association (PFMA). They’re usually called “complete” pet food, so you know your pup is getting everything they need from it!

Bone Splinters

Many raw foods serve lean muscle meat which is still attached to the bone. While raw bones are far less likely to splinter than cooked bones, there is still a risk that the bones in a raw meal could hurt your dog. This is a bit of a controversial issue, as bones help keep teeth clean and healthy, while they’ll also give your dog a lot of essential nutrients (as well as a bit of entertainment!). However, the risk of a mouth injury or internal puncture – even if it’s a small one – is too much for many people.

Risk of Infection

A US study found that 80% of raw chicken diets tested positive for Salmonella. Salmonella is a strain of bacteria that rarely causes issues in dogs, but – as you probably know – can be quite serious if it infects a human. If you do decide to prepare a raw food diet, you’ll need to be extremely careful, especially if you have young children in your home. Make sure you follow any preparation instructions to the letter and wash your hands and kitchen utensils after handling raw meat packaging.

Dogs have a short, acidic digestive tract which means they’re not as susceptible to food-borne infections as we are. However, if your dog has a problem with their immune system, they may be more at risk and you shouldn’t feed them a BARF diet.