Why Raw?

We get this question from many of our clients looking to improve their dog and/or cats health; we think the more pertinent question should be WHY NOT RAW? Let’s be open minded here, I know raw meat sounds strange and you have many questions, let’s address these one at a time, below I will answer FAQs to help you better understand why raw dog food is best for your pet. If at the end of this post you should still have questions, please feel free to contact me directly [email protected], I will be happy to set a one-on-one appointment with you to create a customized nutrition program.

Q: What are the benefits of a raw diet?

A: Well my friends the benefits are endless. A raw diet provides live enzymes, phytochemicals, antioxidants, and unadulterated amino acids, as well as vitamins and minerals that only a raw diet can provide. These nutrients are lost when a food is chemically processed and/or cooked with high heat. Other benefits include but are not limited to – fewer allergies or controlled symptoms, glossy coats and healthy skin, smaller firmer stools, healthy teeth and gums eliminating the need for dentals, increased energy and lean body mass.

Q: Is raw meat safe for my dogs to consume?

A: The answer is YES absolutely it is! In their “natural” or “ancestrial” habitat, dogs would hunt and eat raw meat, in fact they might consume the same carcass over a period of days. Please remember that dry “kibble” dog food was not even created until about 70 years ago – so what was a 1930′s canine to eat? Their main diets consisted of left overs, yes table scraps and they HUNTED. Clearly we can not give our dogs the scraps off our modern tables but we can however provide the raw part, without them having to hunt. Today’s pre-manufactured raw diets are pathogen safe and ready to feed out of the bag. They are pathogen safe more for the human handling concerns than for the health risk to the dog.

Q: Will my dog have diarrhea from the transition to raw?

A: Yes, some do and some don’t, there is no way around it, think of a vegetarian deciding one day to eat steak. Yes, there will be digestional changes during the transition process. How bad it will be is going to depend on the sensitivity of your dogs stomach and how quickly you transition. The general rule is to transition over a 2-3 week period, gradually incorporating the old food with the new. Work through it, your pet will benefit in the long term.

Q: My veterinarian recommends a prescription diet, shouldn’t I feed what my vet recommends?

A: There are extreme situations when yes, you should follow your vets reccomendations on what to feed, however just like your general practitioner is not your nutritionist neither is your vet your pet’s nutritionist. Your vet knows a little bit but not enough to make an educated recommendation, the “prescription” pet food industry is much like the pharmaceutical industry, get it? Educate yourself on the facts and then find a vet that augments your wishes for your pets health, not one that goes against it.

Q: Is raw more expensive than regular dog food?

A: Well it depends on how you view it…yes the actual cost of the food is more than dry food of any variety however, the long term benefits keep you out of the vet’s office. You do the math and decide.

I hope this information is helpful, we believe that a well balanced dog is obtained through training, nutrition and socialization.

visit www.truthaboutpetfood.com to learn more facts.

Kristen Woodliff, Canine Nutrition Specialist

Barks 5th Avenue