Benefits Of A Barf Diet For Dogs
Dogs are facultative carnivores, which means they thrive on a carnivorous diet but can subsist on a diet that isnt meat-based. Raw diets, which tend to include fresh meat and more closely match how dogs fed in the wild, provide a more natural and nutritious way to eat.
Processed, grain-based commercial kibble and canned food, on the other hand, dont offer nearly the same health benefits as a raw diet. In fact, they can have an adverse effect on your dogs well-being, Dr. Dobias says.
From my experience, if people feed a raw diet, they will increase their dogs lifespan by 25 percent, Dr. Dobias says. Generally, raw-fed dogs are so much healthier. The changes are profound.
The numerous ways a raw diet can improve your dogs health include the following:
The gut is the biggest window to the rest of the body, Dr. Dym explains. Eighty percent of the immune system lives in the gut. And, he adds, a diet that falls short in nutrition or creates a gut imbalance can lead to all sorts of systemic problems for your dog.
Reasons A Raw Food Diet Is Better For Your Dog
Just think, how old is commercial food? Not too old in its creation. Long before commercial food, what did our dogs eat? These are a couple of hard-asked questions to ponder on and Im sure when you think about it, you can only agree that growth of human-made commercial food can not be good for a dog, that for thousands of years has ate raw food or scraps. guide and online course we never expected our website to become as popular as it did, but this we suspected was the growing trend in pet owners, switching over to a Raw Food Diet for their pets that has continued to grow and grow and the feed back with delighted dog owners has been overwhelming.
Still, a lot of people are curious, afraid and do not know where to begin so today we will give seven quick reasons to make the switch now, or to do your research to help your dog have a better, healthier life.
7 Reasons To Make The Switch to a Raw Food Diet
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The Practicalities Of Feeding Raw Dog Food
On the practical side when weighing up raw dog food pros and cons, Sue advises:
“Dog owners need to be sure that they have adequate storage in a suitable freezer and have a low shelf available in the fridge for the defrosted product.
“They need to consider the age of the dog and any illnesses that the dog might have that might mean that there are some varieties that would be more suitable than others and they need to be clear about how to transition across slowly from their old form of feeding to raw.
“The gut has to adapt to a new form of food and this takes a few weeks. Downloading a transition sheet well ahead of time can help owners understand how to do this safely.
And what about storage. How can dog owners prepare adequately?
“This will depend upon their proximity to one of our local stockists as for those who can buy it as they need it then they may not even need a freezer.
“I have a large male GSD who eats a Kilo pack a day, so I have always two defrosted and two in the freezer so I am never caught out by a weekend. For those who prefer to buy online and in bulk then a small freezer will be reasonable even for a very large dog.”
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Do Raw Diets Work For Every Pup
Even veterinarians who support raw dog food diets agree that theyre not appropriate for all canines. Since raw diets are usually higher in protein, they arent suitable for pooches with kidney or liver failure.
For dogs with pancreatitis or other digestive issues, start with a cooked, homemade diet and clear up all problems before switching your pup to exclusively raw. Dogs with cancer, receiving chemotherapy treatments, or pups with other immunosuppressive diseases also should avoid raw food.
Also, all puppies arent good candidates for a raw food diet. If puppies dont get the correct balance of calcium and phosphorous, they can have bone deformities and growth issues. Always check with your vet before switching your puppys food.
Are There Hazards Of Dogs Ingesting Whole Bones
Worries about dogs choking on a bone, breaking a tooth, or puncturing their intestine or stomach are valid. Cooked bones pose a threat because they can splinter into shards and cause choking or serious damage. That said, when feeding beef bones, stick to ribs, Dr. Dobias advises. Beef shank bones are too large, and pets can crack their teeth on them.
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Getting The Fat Right
The foundation of your dogs raw diet is proteins and fat. This makes up most of his meal. Its as simple as buying ground meat or chunks and putting them in your dogs bowl. But balance is important.
This means feeding a diet thats about 10% to 20% fat total, including any fats like fish oil that you add to your dogs raw diet. The remaining foundation of your dogs raw meals will be protein.
Its important to keep your fat within this range. Heres why
Too Much Fat
Fat is relatively devoid of vitamins and minerals and it contains a lot of calories. This presents a challenge if the diet is too high in fat.
If your dogs diet contains more than 20% fat, it will cannibalize his vitamins and minerals. The resulting diet can be nutritionally incomplete. This is especially important for puppies and older dogs, who need more nutrients than adult dogs.
Too Little Fat
If the fat dips much below 10%, youll start to see dry, itchy skin in your dog. This is one of the first signs of fat deficiency. So try to stay within the 10% to 20% range most days.
Heres a list of the typical fat percentage in common meats you can buy at the butcher or grocery store:Fat Content Of Common Food
Ground beef : 10%Ground beef : 20%Regular ground beef: 30%Salmon: 7%Egg: 10%
So step 1 is finding the proteins for your dog and making sure the fat content is not too high or low. But before you choose the proteins your dog eats, its important to understand that your dog needs minerals.
Frozen Raw Food Vs Freeze
If, in consultation with your vet, youve decided to give raw dog food a try, you still have one more decision to make: frozen or freeze-dried?
Keeping raw dog food frozen is the easiest way to prevent the food from contamination and spoiling. The downside is, of course, that you need to have room to store it in the freezer, and youll need to thaw it before feeding.
Freeze-dried dog food and meal toppers are a shelf-stable, convenient way to include raw food in your dogs diet without paying the price of a full menu of raw frozen food.
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Cooked Vs Raw Dog Food
We have run side-by-side nutritional studies comparing cooked vs. raw proteins and have found that the nutritional loss is minimal when food is cooked in a proper manner. The advantages of cooking far outweigh the risks associated with raw feeding.
At Ricks Dog Deli, it is our job to navigate the food chain for you and your pet. We work with our suppliers to get the best possible ingredients at the best possible price.
We prepare all food in our open-concept kitchen using commercial equipment which is sanitized following the equipment manufacturer and HACCP standards. Proteins are kept separate to avoid any cross-contamination for our allergy-sensitive dogs. After foods are prepared, they are quick frozen to lock in all the vitamins and nutrients. Simply thaw and serve.
Your best friend deserves the same food you do!
What Are The Benefits Of A Raw Food Diet
Anecdotal evidence from Billinghurst and his supporters say those benefits include a shinier coat, healthier skin, cleaner teeth, more energy, and smaller poops, according to the Canine Journal. That sounds great, right? Except there isn’t any scientific evidence to support those claims.
Plus, it’s the nutrients in any particular diet that are going to determine which benefits a dog gets from eating it, says Jessica Romine, DVM, DACVIM, a veterinarian at BluePearl Veterinary Partners in Southfield, Mich. “It’s not so much the raw nature of the food as it is the actual components of the food,” says Romine, who is board-certified in veterinary internal medicine. “For example, if a raw food diet is higher in fat than what the dog was eating previously, then he’ll develop a glossier coat.”
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What Is A Raw Diet For Dogs
There is an overwhelming number of dog food options at the pet store. Whether you are considering switching to a homemade or a raw-fed diet, you probably have a lot of questions. Its important to keep in mind that a balanced diet is really important when feeding your dog any type of homemade dog food.
If youve been curious about a raw diet for dogs, read on as we dig into the risks, benefits and rules. We will also provide you with a 5 day menu to get your dog started if you choose to go the raw route.
Pet Parents We Cleared Up 5 Myths About A Raw Dog Food Diet Here’s Why We’re Relieved
As pet parents, we can all agree on one thing: We only want what’s best for our pup. But between all the emerging trends and ever-evolving research, it’s easy to feel confused about what’s true and what’s false when it comes to dog health. Because diet is always the first line of defense, we decided to home in on debunking the myths that stand between us and a well-fed pet. Specifically, we took a closer look at the raw food diet, with the help of Instinct Pet Food, to investigate five main myths surrounding how we should be feeding our dogs:
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What About Illness From Listeria Food Contamination
Listeriosis is a less well known food-borne illness than salmonellosis. Listeria monocytogenes is actually a leading cause of hospitalization and death from food contamination. While it is rarer than salmonellosis, over 90% of people with listeriosis end up in the hospital. In the US annually, the CDC estimates about 1,600 cases with about 260 deaths. In the European Union, the numbers are similar. One of the problems with Listeria is that the bacterium is quite hardy, surviving in salty, acidic, and cold environments.
Listeriosis particularly targets newborns, the elderly, pregnant women, and those with compromised immune systems. The L. monocytogenes bacterium can invade many tissues including the brain, the tissues surrounding the brain and spinal cord, the gastrointestinal tract, and the bloodstream. Symptoms depend on which tissues are affected. The time between exposure and illness is about 3 weeks, making it difficult to pinpoint the precise exposure event. Pregnant women may only experience non-specific flu-like symptoms, but their babies may be born prematurely or even stillborn. Newborns fare the worst with listeriosis as up to one-third will die despite aggressive treatment.
Dogs can carry L monocytogenes without showing any signs, making them a potentially dangerous reservoir.
Types Of Raw Food Diets
Dr. Peter Dobias, who has 30 years of veterinary experience and has advocated for raw pet diets since 1995, says theres no contest between processed dog kibble in a bag and a raw diet that mirrors what dogs ancestors ate. He adds, The closer we get to what canines eat in nature, the better.
Several varieties of raw food diets exist:
- Raw Meat-based Diets : These diets typically consist of uncooked animal muscle, organs, and bones and can be homemade or commercially prepared. Not all RMBD meals on the market are nutritionally balanced some require owners to add other food or ingredients.
- The Prey Model Diet: This diet replicates what a dog would eat in nature. Owners who adhere to this diet feed their pets entire prey animals, such as rabbits, chickens, and game hens. The idea is that dogs derive all the nutrients they need from prey animals and the food this prey has eaten.
- The BARF Diet: Short for Bones and Raw Food, or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food, this diet adheres to a specific ratio of animal to plant-based ingredients and is nutritionally balanced. If you dont want to prepare BARF diet meals for your dog, you can purchase commercially prepared meals
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Raw Food Is Key To A Soft And Shiny Skin And Coat
Did you know that the overall health of your dog is reflected by the condition of their skin and coat? A healthy coat is both shiny and soft. If their coat is coarse, or their skin is greasy, flaky, or bumpythese may be red flags. One of the most obvious changes pet parents have observed after putting their dog on a raw diet is healthier skin and coat. That has to do with the natural oils and omega fatty acids in Instinct Raw formulas, which help their coat stay extra pettable.
What Is A Raw Diet
A raw food diet is as simple as it gets: Just think real ingredients, like cage-free chicken and non-GMO fruits and vegetables. Those whole-food ingredients are never cooked or heatedmeaning more nutrients remain intact than in cooked pet food, like kibble. Some pet parents create their own homemade raw diets with raw meat and morebut it’s important to note that this method isn’t typically the best or safest. On our own, it’s difficult to calculate the proper nutritional balance, and there’s no pathogen-reduction step. Premade raw diets like Instinct Raw are the best option for safe, complete, and balanced raw food.
Instead of high heat, Instinct uses cold pressure , a natural, USDA-recognized process that ensures their raw food formulas are safe and free from bacteria. Instinct’s raw recipes are loaded with nutrients, minus the artificial ingredients and preservatives. And how is that connected to your dog’s best self? Check out these five reasons:
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What Should You Feed Your Dog Raw Vs Kibble
From how you train your dog to how you feed them, almost every facet of dog ownership has a debate surrounding it.
One of the most heated controversies is pet nutrition. Should you feed your dog a raw food diet or kibble?
Raw diets consist of organ & muscle meats, bones, and other animal parts. Dogs on a raw diet can also eat raw eggs, some dairy , and dog-safe fruits, vegetables and grains.
Kibble is generally made with grains, protein sources, starches, and fruits & vegetables. Its supplemented with vitamins and minerals to meet your pets nutritional needs. Higher-quality kibble contains more protein than starches, and many brands are even grain-free.
There are pros and cons to each diet. But this debate begins with the question: do dogs even need to eat plants?
Raw Dog Food Pros And Cons: Summary
To sum up the topic of raw dog food pros and cons:
The pros of raw dog food centre around health, with regular feeders of raw reporting a dog’s coat, skin, teeth and digestive system all benefiting from the more natural diet.
The cons of raw dog food focus mainly around storage and preparation, which is an issue to be considered before feeding raw, but both are potentially easy solved with some research into how best to handle raw dog food and insight into how much food you’ll need to feed and order, to know how much you’ll need to store.
Sue concludes with some final words of advice for dog owners considering the various raw dog food pros and cons:
“Do your research. Learn to read dog food food labels and really look at what is in different types of food. Talk to us and to others who are already using complete raw food.”
Further reading on raw dog food to help you consider the pros and cons
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What To Look For In Raw Food
Find a veterinarian who is familiar with raw foods, understands your dogs health and can direct you through the correct handling and cleaning needed to resolve any potential health issues.
Kibble
The ingredients in dry food or kibble differ by brand, but they must all be healthy to meet a dogs nutritional needs. All animal foods must be safe to consume, processed under sanitary conditions, contain no hazardous substances, and be truthfully labeled, according to USDA regulations.
Kibble is made up of processed and cooked ingredients. Protein sources such as beef, poultry, fish, and eggs are needed, as are grains, cereals, and vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Preservatives are needed in all dry dog foods to prevent the fat from being rancid. Some products are high in carbs or contain low-quality ingredients and sugar.
Reduced dental plaque, cleaner gums, reduced risk of infection, easier handling, less risk of spoilage, and cost-effectiveness, according to those who feed their dogs kibble. However, because of the dangers associated with kibble, some dog owners, such as Ollie, prefer to turn to fresh food.