Feeding your dog a raw diet is a topic that sparks debate among pet owners and veterinarians. Let’s delve into the pros and cons of raw feeding to help you make an informed decision.

The Pros of Raw Diet for Dogs:

1. Natural Ingredients: A raw diet typically includes raw meat, vegetables, fruits, and raw bones. Advocates believe this mimics what dogs would eat in the wild, promoting a more natural diet.
2. Palatability: Raw foods are highly palatable due to their high meat content and retention of natural fats. Even picky eaters often enjoy raw meals.
3. Potential Benefits: Supporters claim that raw diets can lead to weight management, cleaner teeth, shinier coats, and improved overall health.
4. Control Over Ingredients: If you prepare the raw food yourself, you have control over the quality and sourcing of ingredients.

“There are also no clinically proven benefits of a raw food diet…”

American Veterinary Medical Association

The Cons of Raw Diet for Dogs:

1. Pathogen Risk: Raw meat can harbor harmful bacteria such as Salmonella and Listeria. A study found that nearly 25% of commercially available raw dog food samples tested positive for these pathogens.
2. Nutritional Imbalances: Preparing a balanced raw diet at home can be challenging. Without proper guidance, dogs may suffer from nutritional deficiencies.
3. Bone Hazards: Raw bones can pose risks, including choking, broken teeth, or internal punctures.

Salmonella and Dogs:

• Human Risk: Salmonella causes food-borne salmonellosis in humans. Symptoms include fever, diarrhea (often bloody), nausea, vomiting, and stomach pain. Children, the elderly, pregnant women, and immunocompromised individuals are at greater risk.
• Dog Risk: Dogs can carry Salmonella in their intestines without showing signs of illness. This makes them potential reservoirs for ongoing exposure to humans in the household.

Listeria and Dogs:

• Less Well-Understood: Listeriosis is less well-understood in dogs. It’s caused by Listeria monocytogenes and can lead to symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and inappetence.

IS THERE ANY WAY TO PROTECT MYSELF SHOULD I OCCASIONALLY CHOOSE TO OFFER RAW FOOD TO MY DOG?

The best protection against salmonellosis and listeriosis is to avoid the bugs altogether by not feeding raw food to your dog. Be aware that by feeding raw dog food you can infect yourself and the other people in the household. That said, here are some ways in which you can protect yourself if you handle raw dog food:

roughly wash your hands with soap and water after handling raw dog food.

Clean and disinfect all surfaces and objects that come into contact with raw food.

Keep raw food frozen until you are ready to use it, and then thaw it in the refrigerator or microwave (not in the sink or on the counter).

Keep raw food separate from other food.

Use a completely separate set of dishes, storage containers, and cutting boards for your pet’s raw food.

Cover and refrigerate what your dog does not eat, or discard the leftovers safely.

Do not kiss your dog on the face or allow him to lick your face, particularly right after he has eaten raw food.

Wash your hands after petting or being licked by your dog.

In summary, while raw diets have their proponents, the risks associated with pathogens, nutritional imbalances, and bone hazards should be carefully considered. There are also no clinically proven benefits of a raw food diet, but there are documented hazards and risks. In addition to the potential for nutritional deficiencies and harmful bacteria and parasites, the presence of bones in a raw food diet can lead to perforation or obstruction of the gastrointestinal tract. Chewing on these bones may also lead to dental fractures.