By Dr. Judy Jasek, Animal Healing Arts
Yes, raw food can be fed safely to your pets. When handled properly, there is no danger whatsoever in feeding your pet raw food. Raw meat that is fresh or has been frozen fresh will not contain harmful bacteria. There are also commercial raw products that provide guaranteed freshness along with a balanced diet.
Raw is the most natural diet for dogs and cats. As carnivores, dogs and cats are designed to eat a diet that is about 75% meat with a high moisture content – as if they were killing prey in the wild. Their entire digestive tract, including teeth, saliva, enzymes and intestines are better equipped to digest meat rather than vegetables and grains.
The biggest benefit in feeding raw food is that it is nutritionally superior to feeding any form of processed food. Commercial foods are processed at high temperatures that can destroy important nutrients. There are also inherent benefits in feeding whole, unaltered foods. Certain nutritional components are only beneficial in the whole food form, not when broken down into their chemical counterparts. Many pet foods start with good ingredients and then process them into a dry kibble form that requires the vitamins and minerals to be added back in.
Ready to make the switch to raw? Get your dog's customized raw meal plan here.
Interested in dehydrated and freeze dried raw treats? Get them here.
Interested in the original article? Find it here.