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Your dog is relying on you to provide the appropriate diet to optimize their long-term health. You may be wondering: Is a raw diet good for dogs? It is crucial to approach this decision cautiously so you can make the most educated choice for your dog. Read on to find your best answer!
What is the raw diet for dogs?
Is a raw diet good for dogs? This question will be answered in the following sections. But first, you must understand what raw dog food is.
The idea behind raw dog food is to feed your furry friend the way their ancestors ate. Dogs have a lot of carnivorous characteristics, whether they’re domesticated or not. They are built to digest flesh, bone, and organs.
Raw dog food is uncooked or raw food. Many people misunderstand that raw food is just meat. In fact, meat is a big part of it, but the best raw diet for dogs must include all their essential nutrients. You have to ensure that the diet is nutritionally balanced.
A raw dog food diet typically includes:
- Muscle meat, often still on the bone
- Organ meats such as livers and kidneys
- Bones, either whole or ground
- Raw eggs
- Vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, and celery
- Fruits like apples, cucumbers, etc.
- Some dairy, such as yogurt
Let’s take a look at the different types of raw dog food so that you can choose the one that’s best for you and your dog.
- Frozen raw dog food
- Freeze-dried raw dog food
- Dehydrated raw dog food
- Homemade raw dog food
Is a raw diet good for dogs?
Yes, many owners agree a raw diet is good for dogs. It’s time to talk about some of the benefits you’ll discover once you switch your dog to a raw diet.
These benefits can help you resolve some typical health issues that your dog may be experiencing, as well as some that you may not be aware of.
The potential benefits of a raw dog diet that supporters tout include:
- Reduce bad smell: Feeding your dog a raw diet can reduce the odor and volume of their stool to a more manageable and tolerable level.
- Your dog will have a beautiful coat: One of the first benefits you’ll see when switching to raw feeding is a shinier coat and less shedding.
- Manage their weight and muscle mass: Feeding a raw diet will allow them to build and maintain muscle, burn fat, and provide more balanced energy to support increased physical activity.
- Improve your dog’s overall health: A raw diet provides the most natural sources of essential nutrients in a form that is easy for your dog’s body to recognize and use. Therefore, your dog’s overall health will improve so they can be healthier and live longer, happier lives with you.
- Mouth-wateringly delicious: Raw food is loved by even the pickiest pets. Your dog will look forward to lunchtime because of the texture, aroma, and taste of these foods.
What you need to know about raw food diets for dogs!
Ensuring quality ingredients
The type and quality of ingredients used in frozen raw dog food vary widely, and you should read the ingredient list of the product you plan to buy for your dog.
You can also prepare raw diets for dogs at home with ingredients from the grocery store or farmers’ market. You can choose which one to use and the quality of those ingredients. However, you must ensure that you feed them the right ingredients in the right amounts.
Getting balanced nutrients
Like humans, our pets require a well-balanced diet that includes essential nutrients, fluids, minerals, and vitamins. Proper nutrition provides our furry friends with the energy they need to grow and enhance their immune systems to fight off illnesses.
Imbalanced nutrition can happen by a diet with too much muscle meat and not enough other “parts” that make up the nutritional balance.
For example, wild dog populations may have a favorite prey source, but they never rely solely on it. They eat a variety of prey. This will provide them with a wide range of nutrients.
Wild dog populations also eat meat, bones, organs, tripe, etc. Mineral shortages will result from an all-meat diet, which is harmful to your dog’s health.
The best way to provide a healthy raw diet is to provide a mixture of meat, bones, organs, and green tripe from various prey sources. We recommend feeding your dog from at least three different prey species over a week.
Including raw bones
Including bones in a raw diet for dogs can provide nutritional benefits such as a natural source of calcium and phosphorus. They also reduce tartar accumulation, which is good for their teeth.
Raw bones like chicken, beef, turkey, or lamb are safer options than cooked bones for your dog.
Avoiding bacterial contamination
Is a raw diet good for dogs? Even for people, serving raw food has some inherent risks. Some raw meats can be contaminated with bacteria, such as Salmonella and E. coli.
The fact that dogs can handle bacteria that we can’t. But it doesn’t mean that they are invincible. You have to store raw food properly to prevent risks.
You should keep raw food frozen until you’re ready to use it. Only thaw what you can store in the fridge and feed within the following two days.
Never leave raw meat for more than 30 minutes at a time. Take the food away when your dog walks away from the bowl. Store it in the refrigerator until the next mealtime.
After each meal, you need to clean the bowls, sanitize the counters and utensils, and disinfect every surface or container that touches the food.
Last but not least, wash your hands with soap and water after handling raw dog food because all pet food can host bacteria that can make us sick.
Conclusion
Raw dog food is uncooked or raw food. Is a raw diet good for dogs? Yes, many owners agree a raw diet is good for dogs. The potential benefits of a raw dog diet that supporters tout include:
- Reduce bad smell
- Your dog will have a beautiful coat
- Manage their weight and muscle mass
- Improve your dog’s overall health
- Mouth-wateringly delicious
Do you ever try feeding your dog raw food? Does it help improve your dog’s health? Let me know by leaving a comment below.
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