Are raw diets really better for your pet?

Hi again! It's your friendly neighborhood pet blogger with an interesting look into a very new trend on how to feed your family pet.

When we think about pet food, most of us think about dry kibble in a bag or a can of wet food that we can open and dump into our pet’s bowl every day.  For the majority of pet owners, that is enough, whether we’re using prescription food given to us by our veterinarian, organic food we order over the internet, or the kibble that is readily available in grocery stores, pet stores, and feed stores everywhere you look.   For some people who want to have a more direct hand in exactly what our pets eat, raw diets are becoming more popular across America.

What exactly is a raw diet?  The common idea of a perfect raw diet for dogs and cats is comprised of vegetables, fruits, meat (both regular “muscle” meat and organ meat), bones, eggs, and some dairy (usually plain yogurt)...all raw, in different combinations depending on your pet’s individual needs.

This trend toward “evolutionary diets” in dogs started in 1993, when  Australian veterinarian Ian Billinghurst created what he called the BARF diet, which stands for Bone and Raw Food, or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food.  He started with the idea that dogs would be healthier if they ate the same way their evolutionary ancestors did (raw meat, bones, and vegetation), and supported this idea with the thought that grain-based commercial foods were creating health issues with dogs such as allergies, cancers, gastrointestinal diseases, and overall obesity.

This idea has spread over the past few decades, and now raw BARF diets are being created by veterinarians and animal experts all around the world.  Dr. Billinghurst has a website where you can order freeze dried or frozen patties made of his particular blend of raw ingredients, and he ships all over the world.  Other websites and stores sell different brands of raw food, and recipes can be found in as many places as you can look for pet food A lot of people went 'raw' after the melamine tainted pet food that was recalled in 2007.

So the question remains:  Is that kind of diet better for your dog?  And could you do this for your cat too?  Dog diets vary widely from cat diets, as dogs can be omnivorous (can eat equal amounts of vegetable matter and meat) and cats are strictly carnivorous, and can’t survive on a vegetarian diet.   How do you know what’s best?

The possible benefits of a raw diet are: shinier, healthier coat, stronger bones, smaller stools, more energy, and cleaner teeth.  Who wouldn’t want that for their pets, you say?  Absolutely, sign me up!

However, there are mistakes that people make when deciding to feed raw to their pets.  You have to be very careful that you are allowing for proper nutrients and amino acids.  For example, if you feed your pet primarily raw chicken, they may be lacking in nutrients gained by eating organ meat, or other forms of protein.  Forgetting a calcium portion, like yogurt, can cause bone deficiencies.  Adding specific vitamins is crucial to avoid weakening the pet’s immune system, organ function, muscle tone and density, or sight.  

Many raw diets can be quite expensive, as well.  Some require a bit of preparation, and aren’t as easy to feed as the standard "throw-a-cup-of-food-in-a-bowl" routine so many of us are used to.  And while raw diets are touted as being just as healthy for pets as they age, this diet may be lacking in the kinds of supplemental vitamins they’ll need as they enter their senior years.  One more often reported problem with raw diets is the fear of a pet becoming injured while swallowing a bone splinter or piece of sinew from their raw formula.

As with any change to your pet's diet, if you do your research and, MOST importantly, speak with your vet before introducing your pets to any drastic change in diet, you may find that feeding your pets the BARF diet (really, it’s just fun to say!) is the best thing you could do for them.