Are dogs happier on raw diet

7 Benefits Of Raw Food Diet For Dogs: Are There Any Risk?

The benefits of raw food diet for dogs have gained attention among pet owners. They are seeking a natural and wholesome dogs nutrition diet. The raw food diet is believed to offer several advantages for dogs. It also cut down many diet related health complications.

I am going to share here some tested and proven raw food diet benefits. Besides, I will also share with you some of the risk factors of raw food diet for dogs. It will help you to make the right diet call for your lovely pet. Lets hover down to the main section.

What is in a raw food diet for dogs?

A raw food diet for dogs primarily consists of uncooked and unprocessed foods. It mimics dogs regular meal in the wild. The diet typically includes a variety of raw meats, fruits and vegetables. You can compare it just with a regular human diet but uncooked. A full list is shared below.

• Chicken
• Beef
• Lamb
• Fish
• Raw
• Carrots
• Apples
• Leafy
• Liver & Kidney

Main Benefits of Raw Food Diet For Dogs

Benefits of raw foods for dogs are endless. The raw food diet for dogs has gained popularity among dog owners in recent years. This diet consists of feeding dogs uncooked and unprocessed. Lets explore some of the proven benefits of them.

Better Health Balance

Raw dog foods can help achieve a better health balance. They are consisted of uncooked meat, bones and veggies. It is similar to what wild dogs will eat naturally. The health balance comes from the nutrients, enzymes, and natural anti-oxidants.

It will make your dog stronger like a wild animal. You are also going to see improvement in many other health areas. Cooked foods often lose the nutrition during the cooking process. Benefits of raw food diet for dogs include wide-range of necessary nutrients in a single meal.

Make the Dog Energetic

Raw food diets have been known to increase dogs energy levels. Raw foods are more nutrient-dense, and provide a sustained energy throughout the day. Dogs on raw diets often display increased vitality, and improved stamina.

It will give your dog the energy to run throughout the day without any worries. Raw food diets have the necessary nutrient to elevate your dog energy to the next level. These changes are essential if your dog seems to be weak all day long.

Healthy Immune System

Feeding your dog a raw food diet can support a healthy immune system. Raw foods are rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They are essential components to boost the immune systems function. A strong immune system can help your dog ward off illnesses, infections, and other health issues.

It will act like a defense against major health complications. Natural enzymes present in dog foods will play a key role here. Besides, the anti-inflammatory properties will contribute to a resilient immune system.

Rich Dental Hygiene

Chewing on raw bones and meat can improve dental hygiene in dogs. Bones chewing can also help to remove plaque and tartar buildup. It also improves the gums health. This will reduce the risk of dental problems such as periodontal disease and bad breath.

Raw foods need more chewing then processed foods. It will naturally increase the jaw muscles and cleans teeth. But you need to be careful with the choking incidents. Give normal size bones or meats for safety.

Soft and Shiny Skin

A raw food diet can contribute to soft and shiny skin in dogs. The high-quality proteins and healthy fats found in raw foods support skin health, and reduce dryness, itchiness, and flakiness. Additionally, the omega-3 fatty acids in raw fish promote a lustrous coat.

Some raw foods also have Omega-6 that support skin health. The natural vitamins and minerals in raw food diet for dogs will contribute to overall skin nourishment. But dont go overboard. Try to ensure a balance diet for your pet.

Improve Joint Health

The benefits of raw food diet for dogs are massive when it comes to joint issues. The glucosamine and chondroitin in raw meat has anti-inflammatory properties. You get them from raw meat and cartilage. It can help reduce joint inflammation and promote better joint health.

Dogs will feel better mobility on their muscle joints. Omega-3 fatty acid contributes here too. Many commercial foods claim to have Omega-3 acids but the portion is very little. Raw food seems to be best choice for Omega-3 rich dog diet plan.

Less Environmental Allergies

Some dogs suffer from allergies triggered by environmental factors around them. Switching to a raw food diet can alleviate these allergies in some cases. There are many potential allergens found in processed dog foods.

Dogs are meant to eat raw food. Processed foods are more sensitive to stomach. But result may vary from dogs to dogs. As per my research, most dogs are less susceptible to allergies with raw food diet. Take vet guidance if needed.

Reduce Heavy Odor

The raw food diet may help reduce the unpleasant odor often associated with dogs. A diet consisting of fresh and unprocessed ingredients can lead to better digestion and nutrient absorption. It will result in reduced gas and less smelly bowel movements.

At the end, there will be less byproduct to deal with. One of the worst experiences with dog is bad odor. Processed food often contains ingredients which are harder for dogs to digest. Raw food diet for dogs seems to be a better choice in this sense.

Are there any risks of raw food diet for dogs?

There are multiple benefits of raw food diet for dogs. But you also need to be aware of few risks associated with the dog raw food diet. I am going to share some of them. You need to check them out before shifting to a raw food diet for dogs.

Nutritional Imbalance: It can be challenging to achieve a well-balanced diet that meets all the dogs nutritional needs. You need do cater a well-planned dog diet and monitor the results.

Potential for Parasites: Raw meat may contain parasites. Parasites can be found in fish or raw pork. These parasites can infect dogs and pose health risks.

Handling and Storage: Proper handling and storage of raw food are crucial to prevent cross-contamination. It requires careful attention to hygiene practices.

Final Verdict

You already know the top benefits of raw food diet for dogs. I also tried to introduce you with some potential benefits. Approve the raw diet for dogs with cautious. Dogs always need time to adapt with a new diet plan. You cant force a new diet plan on your dog.

Give it some time to adjust with the new raw food diet plan. You should consult with veterinarian before making any major decision about pet diets. Let us know what else you want us to cover next. Keep coming back for more updates shortly.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Are dogs happier on raw diet?

Dogs happiness on a raw diet varies. There is no guarantee that dogs will thrive on a raw diet. Observe your dog carefully when you first feed them raw diet. There are benefits of raw diet for dogs but some dogs may prefer alternatives.

Do dogs live longer on a raw diet?

The impact of a raw diet on a dogs lifespan is not definitively proven. It is believed that nutrient-dense nature of raw food can promote longevity. But the scientific evidence is limited. Dogs genetics also play a major role here. Raw diet seems to improve dogs health so in that sense dogs do live longer on a raw diet.

Can dogs eat raw every day?

Dogs can eat a raw diet every day. But it needs to be nutritionally balanced. A properly formulated raw diet should include a variety of meats, vegetables, and fruits. It is recommended to consult with a veterinarian to develop a suitable dog raw feeding plan.

Raw Food Diet for Dogs: A Comprehensive Beginner's Guide

If youve been thinking about switching your pup to raw dog food, you may have a lot of questions, like what is a raw food diet for dogs? Can dogs even eat raw meat? Is raw meat good for dogs? What are the benefits of a raw diet for dogs? Is raw meat for dogs safe? Can puppies eat raw food for dogs?

Heres everything you need to know about raw dog food for beginners.

What Is Raw Dog Food?

Raw dog food is an uncooked diet for canines that features a mixture of raw meat (and associated connective tissue and fat), organs, and bones. Some people also choose to add fruits and vegetables to their dogs raw food diet, but those ingredients typically arent necessary since dogs are biologically designed to thrive off animal parts alone.

While humans need to cook meat before consuming it to remove pathogens and properly digest it, dogs are still designed to safely eat and digest raw meat, just like their wild wolf ancestors. Unlike humans, dogs have strong stomach acid, bile, and digestive enzymes that are specifically designed to kill pathogens and break down raw meat.

Is Raw Meat Good for Dogs?

Yes! Raw meat is the diet nature intended for dogs, as long as its nutritionally balanced. Just giving your pup muscle meat without including any organs or bones would cause nutritional deficiencies, so its crucial to provide food (like We Feed Raw) that has the right proportions of muscle, organs, and bones.

Why Is Raw Dog Food Better Than Cooked Homemade Dog Food?

If you love cooking for your family, you might already cook for your dog (or be interested in trying). While cooking for your pup is a far better option than highly processed kibble, raw is actually the best diet you can choose for your dog. Cooking meat also removes much of its nutritional value, which then needs to be added back. Your dog is designed to get the most nutrition from raw food; feed them what nature intended.

Benefits of a Raw Food Diet for Dogs

Raw food has a wide variety of benefits for dogs of all ages. Here are some of the reasons people are switching their dogs to raw diets.

Smaller, Firmer Stool

Since raw food for dogs isnt packed with species-inappropriate grains, fillers, or other ingredients your pup cant digest, your dog will have smaller, firmer poops on a raw diet. Thats because your dog is actually digesting and absorbing more of their food, so less comes out as waste.

Improved Skin and Coat

With its increased moisture and healthy fats, dogs fed a raw diet tend to have healthier skin and coats than dogs on other diets. Additionally, with fewer ingredients, raw diets may be less likely to cause allergies. In fact, a recent study at the University of Helsinki showed that puppies fed raw food are less likely to grow up to suffer from canine atopic dermatitis compared to puppies fed kibble.

Since gut health affects skin health, it shouldnt be surprising to learn that dogs fed a species-appropriate raw diet have healthier skin and shinier coats than dogs fed kibble or canned food.

Weight Control

Packed full of carbohydrates that dogs cant properly digest, kibble is one of the leading causes of the pet obesity crisismore than half of all dogs and cats are overweight or obeseand obesity causes many of the same health issues in animals as it does in people.

Switching to a raw diet and cutting out certain treats may help your dog lose excess weight and maintain a healthy figure. 90% of our customers said their dogs maintained a healthy weight after switching to We Feed Raw.

Better Dental Health

Highly processed foods like kibble contain high levels of starches and sugars that can cause unhealthy bacterial growth. As much as dry dog food manufacturers want you to believe that kibble is good for your dogs dental health, its about as effective at cleaning your dogs teeth as eating crackers would be at cleaning your teeth.

On the other hand, raw dog food contains naturally occurring enzymes that do help protect gums and teeth. We also recommend feeding recreational raw bones a few times a week to naturally clean plaque and tartar from the teeth while also providing jaw exercise and mental stimulation.

More Mealtime Excitement

Would YOU be excited to eat kibble for every meal? Since dogs were designed to eat raw meat, they naturally get more excited for the scent and taste of We Feed Raw than they would at the sound of hard brown pebbles clunking into a bowl.

Stronger Immune System

When your dogs body doesnt have to work as hard to digest their food and extract nutrients from it or fight off inflammation caused by species-inappropriate ingredients, the immune system can better do what its meant to do: fight off illnesses and keep your dog healthy.

Reduced Allergies

Commercial pet foods typically contain a huge variety of ingredients that dogs werent designed to digest, which can trigger allergic reactions. Since We Feed Raw uses only species-appropriate animal meat, organs, and bones, its less likely to trigger allergies, making for happier, healthier dogs.

Potential Concerns About a Raw Diet for Dogs

Pet food companies want people to be afraid of a raw meat-based diet for dogs, so theres a lot of misinformation out there about raw feeding. Lets talk about some of the potential concerns you may have about feeding a raw diet for dogs.

Safety

Raw dog food could make your pup or your family sick! Youve likely heard a friend, family member, or even your veterinarian warn you that raw meat could make your dog or even your human children sick.

Since raw and undercooked meat can make humans sick, its natural to worry. However, with some basic food safety precautions and We Feed Raws high-pressure processing (HPP), you and your entire family can stay safe while your pup enjoys the diet they were built to eat.

High-Pressure Processing (HPP)

Also used to ensure the safety of food intended for human consumption, high-pressure processing (HPP) is a food preservation method that uses cold water and high pressure to inactivate potentially harmful pathogens without affecting the integrity of the food itself.

Some foods you may already buy for your family that are often sanitized using HPP include juice, guacamole, seafood, salsas, baby food, fruit purees, dairy products, and many more.

High-Quality Ingredients

We Feed Raw uses USDA-certified human-grade meats with strict compliance requirements of BRC-safe quality food manufacturing, so you can be sure your pup isnt eating diseased animals that could make them sick.

Raw Dog Food Safe Handling Tips

You likely wash your hands and disinfect surfaces after handling raw meat when you do your own cooking, correct? Taking these same precautions after handling raw meat-based diets is simply the final step in ensuring your entire family stays safe.

Cost

Theres no getting around the fact that raw dog food is more expensive than kibble because it isnt filled with cheap ingredients that bulk it up without adding any nutritional value. However, you may save money in the long run by having fewer vet bills thanks to having a healthier pup. Also, you dont need to commit to feeding your dog a fully raw diet to reap its benefits.

Save Money in the Long Run

If your dog suffers from allergies, dry skin, obesity, or another malady that may be caused by their diet, switching them to raw food may actually save you money in the long run by improving their health and reducing their health-related expenses.

Mixing Raw Dog Food With Kibble

Cant afford to feed a strictly raw diet? No problem! Its totally safe to mix raw dog food and kibble. Your pup will still get some of the benefits of a raw diet even if its not the only thing they eat.

Time

Trying to create a perfectly balanced raw diet yourself can be extremely time-consuming. From measuring the ingredients to ensure your dog gets the right proportions of everything they need to sourcing things like organs and bones, raw diets can be a time suckbut they dont have to be.

We Feed Raw Is Easy

Made from approximately 80% meaty meat (muscle meat and associated connective tissue and fat), 10% organs, and 10% finely ground bones, We Feed Raws patties provide complete and balanced nutrition. All you need to do is thaw, portion, and serve, making our raw food nearly as easy to feed as kibble.

Disapproving Vet

Unfortunately, most vets are given little education about pet nutrition in vet school, aside from what they learn from kibble-funded studies. Most veterinarians only spent a few hours learning biased information about the best food for dogs or cats.

How to Talk to Your Vet About Raw Dog Food

You should reassure your vet that all We Feed Raw meals have been formulated by a PhD animal nutritionist with 30 years of experience. All of our recipes are complete and balanced and comply with AAFCO recommendations for dogs of all life stages. Finally, inform your vet that We Feed Raw uses high-pressure processing (HPP), a USDA-approved pathogen-reduction step that is effective at neutralizing Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria.

Choosing the Best Raw Dog Food Diet for Your Dog

How do you pick the best raw food for your dog? There are many factors to consider. Do you have the time and expertise to do it yourself? Are you looking for a commercial diet?

A few things you should keep in mind when selecting raw dog foods include:

• Make sure the diet is complete and balanced

• What steps does the company take to protect the food?

• Do you need to add anything extra to make sure your dog gets the proper nutrients?

• Do they deliver directly to your door?

• Where do they source their meats?

If you still have questions about We Feed Raw, check out our FAQ page.

Which Is the Best Raw Meat for Dogs?

Some dogs have allergies to specific meats (most commonly beef or chicken), and theres no one best raw meat thats perfect for all dogs. Each protein source has its own pros and cons. We recommend rotating between at least 3 different meats so your dog gets the most well-rounded diet they wont get tired of.

How Much Raw Dog Food to Feed Your Dog

A wide variety of factors go into determining how much raw food to feed your dog, but a general rule of thumb is to feed 2-3% of their body weight each day. What does that look like?

• 100-lb dog = 2-3 pounds of food per day

• 50-lb dog = 1-1.5 pounds of food per day

• 25-lb dog = 0.5-0.75 pounds of food per day

Its sometimes easier (especially with smaller dogs) to convert their weight to ounces. Simply multiply your dogs weight by 16 to get their weight in ounces; then use that number to find out how many ounces of raw food they should get per day. For example:

• A 25-lb dog weighs 400 oz and should get 8-12 ounces of food per day

• A 15-lb dog weighs 240 oz and should get 4.8-7.2 ounces of food per day

• An 8-lb dog weighs 128 oz and should get 2.56-3.84 ounces of food per day

Keep in mind that dogs who are younger, more active, or need to gain some weight may need more than 3% of their weight in raw food per day, while senior, inactive, or obese dogs may need less than 2% of their weight in raw food per day.

We Feed Raw makes it easy. When you take our quiz and tell us about your pup, we tell you exactly how many ounces of We Feed Raw you should feed your pup each day. You decide how many meals to split that amount into.

Can Puppies Eat Raw Dog Food?

Yes! Puppies can begin eating raw food as soon as they start weaning off their mothers milk. We Feed Raw is an excellent choice for puppies because all our food goes through high-pressure processing to neutralize pathogens, making it a safe, natural choice.

Can Dogs Eat Raw Eggs?

Yes! Dogs can absolutely eat raw eggs. In fact, eggs are full of nutrients, like folate, riboflavin, iron, fatty acids, and more. We recommend only including a raw egg in your dogs diet a few times a week, however, since too much egg white can cause a biotin deficiency.

How to Transition Your Dog to Raw Food

Many dogs are prone to stomach problems when switched to any new diet suddenly, so its best to transition your pup to raw food gradually. We recommend adding 25% raw food to 75% of your dogs current food for 3 days, then feeding a 50/50 mix for 3 days, then feeding 75% raw and 25% of their old diet for a further 3 days before transitioning fully to We Feed Raw on Day 10.

Get Started With We Feed Raw Today

Hopefully, weve managed to answer all your questions about raw feeding. Take our quiz now to find out how much We Feed Raw your pup will need each day and make the switch to our balanced and complete, easy-to-feed patties today.

FAQs

What is raw meat for dogs?

Raw meat for dogs is an uncooked diet that consists of a mixture of raw meat (including connective tissue and fat), organs, and bones. It is based on the natural diet of their wild wolf ancestors and provides the necessary nutrients for optimal health.

Is feeding dogs raw meat safe?

Yes, feeding raw meat to dogs is safe when it is nutritionally balanced and handled with proper food safety precautions. Dogs have strong stomach acid and digestive enzymes designed to kill pathogens and break down raw meat, unlike humans.

What is raw dog food?

Raw dog food is a diet consisting of uncooked animal parts, such as meat, organs, and bones, which is designed to mimic the natural diet of dogs' wild ancestors. Some people also choose to add fruits and vegetables to their dog's raw food diet, although these are not typically necessary.

What is a raw dog food diet?

A raw dog food diet is an uncooked, species-appropriate diet for dogs that features a mixture of raw meat, organs, and bones. This type of diet is based on the natural feeding habits of wild canines and is believed to provide numerous health benefits for domesticated dogs.

What is feeding raw meat to dogs?

Feeding raw meat to dogs involves providing them with a diet of uncooked animal parts, such as meat, organs, and bones. This type of diet is designed to closely mimic the natural feeding habits of wild canines and offers numerous health benefits for dogs.

Should dogs eat raw meat?

Yes, dogs should eat raw meat as long as it is part of a nutritionally balanced diet. Raw meat is the natural and species-appropriate diet for dogs, providing them with the necessary nutrients for optimal health.

What is feeding dog raw meat?

Feeding dog raw meat involves providing a diet consisting of uncooked animal parts, such as meat, organs, and bones. This type of diet is designed to closely mimic the natural feeding habits of wild canines and offers numerous health benefits for dogs.

What is raw feeding for beginners?

Raw feeding for beginners is a guide for those who are new to the concept of providing their dogs with a raw food diet. It covers essential information, such as the benefits of a raw diet, potential concerns, how to choose the best raw dog food, and how to transition your dog to a raw food diet.