Pros & Cons of Raw Dog Food?

Question

A coworker just told me that he is thinking of switching his puppy to raw dog food (as in raw meat). He says he spoke to a salesperson last night and the salesperson thinks it's the best thing ever and his dog will be the healthiest it's ever been.

My coworker suggested I switch my dog as well, but I'm a little uneasy about it. What are the pros & cons of a raw diet for a dog? Do you have any experiences with it?

Thanks! :o)

Cat--I most certainly will call my vet before making any changes. I value her imput.

Embee--You said exactly what I thought when my coworker was sharing this information. I had looked into raw foods before, but quite frankly, was grossed out by the idea of my dog eating that. I think a salesperson is going to tell you what he/she needs to in order to earn commission. That's why I want to do further research.

I had my dog on Purina Pro Plan, but when I switched him to the adult formula, he stopped eating as well. I don't think he likes the taste. So I am looking for a new food.

Stillpointe--Me doing the killing is absolutely out of the question. While I don't have any problems with people hunting, I just can't do it myself. I tend to think "Bambi" instead of "dinner." I appreciate your opinion though.

Answer 1

well first, i would not buy any meat just from a grocery store. I would buy supplemented frozen meat from a holistic pet store.
Some people say raw diets don't need to be supplemented, but I think they need to, depending on your dogs own personal needs and requirements (age, joint health, skin and coat, etc)
I would supplement with vitamins and minerals, and enzymes. but again, some people say raw meat doesn't need it. I wouldnt take a chance though myself unless I did alot more reading to understand why raw meat doesnt need supplements.

Here are my opinions only based on my feelings and what I've read:

Cons:
1. expensive. It would cost about $10 a day or a little less to feed my 2 dogs (one medium to large breed the other small) supplemented frozen meat.
2. you have to know what youre doing. You have to make sure youre feeding enough, you have to make sure your dogs getting enough nutrients, and I would say you have to add fruits and veggies at least weekly.
3. and like i said above, i'm afraid about not giving them enough vitamins and enzymes and probiotics and all that.
4. Most vets will turn their nose down to raw diets.
5. if they got sick, and need to be fed special food, will be hard to make the switch, as their digestive systems will not be used to kibble

Pros:
ALOT HEALTHIER THAN MOST KIBBLE OUT THERE


Overall, I'm too afraid to make the jump to raw food diet and i dont think i trust it. i'm looking into more about adding healthy "people" food to my dogs kibble. Like good veggies, fruit, eggs, meat, and how much and when. right now i just give those things as training treats.
And feeding a kibble with no corn in it..
EVO is an alternative to raw food diet in kibble form..

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Negatives

Price. I know that it can be expensive to feed raw, especially when you have more than one dog or a large breed.

There is still controversy on whether or not it’s healthiest. Some people believe that dogs are too far removed from their wild canine ancestors to be fed this diet. I disagree, they have only been eating dry food for less than 100 years, before that and even now they eat raw meat. But it would be a good idea to research it and see whether or not you agree.

Bone’s can possibly fracture and puncture something. This is very rare but still is a possibility. I honestly don't think it will ever happen if they bones aren't cooked. But some people insist that it does, once again do your research.

Not getting a balanced diet. If you don’t do the research or go about it correctly you could end up not getting your dog important nutrients that are essential in a dog’s diet.

The squeamish factor. Some people just don’t feel comfortable feeding raw.

The ability to keep a lot of frozen food in a freezer and/or have the choice to buy it as need be, possibly every day or so.

Time. Some people don’t have the time to set aside times to prepare, feed, and then clean up after a raw feeding.

Resources, some people can’t get quality raw meat to feed their dogs.

Disease- The dogs will not be affected by the diseases on the raw meat, but if you don't clean up after your self you could be.

Positive

Health. Once again this is my opinion based on my research.

Many dogs are prone to allergies, many of which is caused by the low quality ingredients and grain used in dog food. Feeding raw takes out all the grains and gives you almost complete control over what your dog is eating.

While not feeding grains can still be accomplished through feeding a high quality grain free kibble it is my opinion that cooking takes too many valuable nutrients out of the food.

Dogs have evolved on this diet. While many will try and say that they have become domesticated to the point of not being able to eat raw meat, I disagree. I believe when choosing a diet for a domesticated animal we should base it off of what they would eat in the wild, and what they had evolved on and then make allowances for the domestication. But dogs have not been fed dry food that long when all the time that they have been around is taken into consideration. But once again, this is something that needs to be researched and decided by oneself.

Allergies. Many dogs with allergies seem to become much healthier and less allergy prone once on a raw diet.

The bones are a natural teeth cleaner. They keep the dogs teeth from becoming covered and plaque and provide a great source of calcium.

Their digestive system has evolved to eat raw meat. Dry and canned are harder to digest, covered in bacteria that they can't fight off (unlike the bacteria on the raw) and foods without a high water content (raw has a water content from 50%-70%) lead to bloat and can contribute to other diseases.

Supporting a company that promoted raw. When you feed kibble in most cases you’re feeding a dog food that is made by a large chain company. If you feed pre packaged raw this is also true (though they are making a healthier food) but if you aren’t feeding raw that’s from a company you are most likely not supporting a large company, which is always a plus in my book.

To me really the positives all seem to come down to a healthier, happier, hopefully longer lived dog.

I hope this helps a little

Answer 4

I'm going through this debacle right now myself actually. I'm not happy with the current events at Timberwolf (it's still a good food, but they seem to lack customer service skills and organization on a corporate level). I'm consideing feeding raw, but I'm not sure I could stomach it, even if it's the best for my dogs. I love the idea of a raw meaty bone and the dental benefits it has. I love the idea of raw meat and the benefits it have. But when it comes to the execution, I don't think my stomach likes the idea of watching my dogs dive into raw meat. Also, premade raw food is VERY expensive (averages about $5 a pound and my 40lb dog would need about a pound of food a day).

What I will probably end up doing is switching to Innova EVO and serving a pre-made raw a couple times a week (about 3 times a week). That way, they'll still get some of the benefit of raw and if I have to travel with my service dog or board my dogs. They will be okay with kibble.

I'm looking at doing Primal brand nuggets if you were wondering.

Good luck!

Answer 5

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Answer 6

I've been successfully feeding a raw food diet for 15 years. I do, however, use high quality kibble as training rewards.

Pros:
*Healthy dogs- fewer trips to the vet. I've had NO ear infections, NO need for anal gland cleaning, NO itching/dry skin, NO allergy issues, NO TEETH CLEANING!

*Alert, active, mentally acute dogs- I train Service Dogs and see a marked difference when I train a dog who has been on kibble and I move him to a raw diet.

*Knowing the QUALITY of the product going in to the dog. I have no worries that I am feeding my dog any substance that a dog shouldn't be eating.

*Price: I feed 3 Bernese and a Samoyed. Feeding raw is less expensive than feeding a high quality kibble such as Innova Evo. I buy/get meat from a variety of sources.

*Less waste: I have not cleaned my yard in over a year. The poop decomposes and washes away into the grass within a day or so. (compared to a kibble poop from a visiting dog.. the poop remained intact for 6 weeks!!)

*I believe its a more natural way of feeding dogs, and is very similar to the way my grandparents fed their Samoyeds 40 years ago. Life expectancy of their dogs was 15-17. Life expectancy today is 12-15.. I firmly believe the difference is the quality of the diet.

*My dogs look fantastic. I win at dog shows.

Cons:
*It requires some studying to learn how to balance the diet out over the course of a few weeks. (not every meal must be balanced but balance must be achieved over time).

*It requires a large freezer if you are going to do it with any cost efficiency.

*It requires some degree of cleanliness so the humans in the house don't get salmonella (handling poultry is hazardous whether its for dogs or humans) *I* have never had an issue with it.

Edit: What I feed my dogs raw is not very different in appearance from what I myself eat after cooking. Chicken, turkey, ground meat (stuff for the dogs comes from the butcher and has some organ meat in it) meaty bones (commonly called soup bones when intended for human consumption). I quite often buy whole chickens, strip off breasts and legs or whatever for human consumption and feed the rest to the dogs. Yes, its handling raw meat... but I have to do that if *I* want to eat too.

Answer 7

Hi Green Eyes,
I am a dog trainer and I have successfully fed my dogs the raw diet for 3 years. I think that it is the responsible thing to do to call your vet. In MY experience with my local vets they are ABSOLUTELY NOT versed in raw feeding. My personal vet warned me against the process, siting that the dogs would not get the nutrients that they needed and they may develop food poisioning. AFTER my first 2 years of feeding he finally agreed with me that it was OK.

Vets generally don't spend very much time in schooling on this subject (approx. 4 hours on general dog nutrition to become a vet is what I have been told by VETS) So they aren't the be all end all when it comes to the subject.

I have found that out of ALL of the packaged food that I have sampled over the years with my dogs NOTHING comes close to providing the balanced nutrition that a raw food diet gives. The only con is cleanup and prep time. It isn't quite as fast as scooping out some dry food.

You can do more research yourself to see if it is the right choice for you and your pooch by searching B.A.R.F or raw food diets for dogs.

Answer 8

I was looking into this as well, but I don't have the freezer space for it. There are some raw feeders on this site that I'm sure will be of more help to you, so I starred your question.

Pros are that you know exactly what your dog is eating... so no worries about recalled pet food. They tend to defecate less, which means less yard clean up for you. In the dog having a better diet, there is also the advantage of having less vet bills in the future.

Cons are the storage issue. I have heard that you really should have an extra freezer for this. While some say it is more time consuming, it is cheaper to buy in bulk, separate the food into individual meals, then freeze. So in one day, you will have all your dogs food for a month. Then each day, put a few meals in the fridge to defrost.

Answer 9

My 5 year old Doberman has been on RAW diet based on the whole prey model. It has been great for him, his coat and skin are healthier, his breath is better smelling and his doggie waste is less in size, frequency and odor. Basic pros and cons:
Pros: Natural ,antibiotic and hormone free food is ALWAYS healthier for humans and dogs, It is the way nature intended our canines to eat, And I've had less vet visits because of less GI upset or issues
Cons: Can be costly, there is allot of info to research, you need to ensure they dog is getting all the nutrients they need, when traveling- storing the food may be an issue, and you need to make sure you have a good hygiene system going since you can spread salmonella and ecoli to yourself !

Answer 10

Prey model raw has been excellent for our dogs, improving their weight, coat, leanness, shininess, energy level, and overall wellness. It's even improved a few major medical problems, like chronic liver disease and severe allergies. No recipes-- just 80 percent muscle meat, 10 percent bone, 10 percent organ. No supplements or add-ons, which can easily unbalance the diet. I try to feed the raw diet in large pieces-- whole chicken, etc.-- if possible. The gnawing is better for dental health, and larger pieces prevent choking. But I do use a variety. I think it's best to buy on sale or in bulk, then pre-measure portions using a cheap little kitchen scale. You can put the pre-measured portions in baggies, and then freeze the baggies in a big cardboard box or extra large plastic bag in the freezer. Each night, take out the next day's portions and put them in the fridge to defrost overnight. Then, in the morning, you can just toss the portion to your dog. You'll also learn tricks to save money and time as you go along. For example, I use a lot of chicken backs, because they're cheap (like 20 cents a pound!), and they include meat, bone, and organ stuck to the frame. I really like the books "Raw Meaty Bones Work Wonders" by Tom Lonsdale and "Raw and Natural Nutrition for Dogs" by Lew Olson-- and I got them both for really cheap on Amazon. Also-- switch "cold turkey" (no pun intended), and not gradually. Dogs digest raw food very quickly, which is why the bacteria in it isn't harmful to them. Kibble is digested much more slowly, and those differing rates of digestion can cause problems with bacteria. That's also why it's not advisable to feed kibble *and* raw, even at different meals. Good luck! And: Raw is not a "fad," Beatty!! It's a dog's *natural* diet, from thousands of years ago...

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