Raw Dog Food Diet: What You Need to Know

Trina

Raw dog food feeding is now one of the biggest trends in pet care.

If you own a dog or even a cat, it is very likely you have noticed, wondered about or even made the switch to feeding raw food, successfully or not.

There is a huge amount of information on raw food feeding, we hope this article goes some way to bringing you some clarity and supporting an informed decision on the subject.

Raw food feeding is essentially very simple, it is simply a switch to feeding real, actual, fresh whole foods to your dog. Rather than the processed, sterilised foods that make up the majority of the pet food market, be that as dry kibbles, tins or the plastic trays.
We know that our own doctors are incredibly pro wholefoods, our government has even created ‘5 a day’ guidelines encouraging us to eat more whole foods, fruits and vegetables.

Top TV chefs are supporting us to switch to a healthier fresher diet ourselves, and superfoods have well and truly made a stamp on the food sector.

It is no surprise then that the pet food market has also slowly but surely shifted towards this way of thinking.

About the Author

This article is written by ProDog Raw – one of the leading suppliers of Raw Dog Food. With many years of experience and an expert team of veterinarians and dog nutritionists – they are driven to teach the world about the benefits of a raw dog food diet.

Confusion Around the Raw Dog Food Diet

With that thought comes a whole heap of ideas surrounding whether this is safe to do so, and also how exactly you should go about feeding a dog raw food, or fresh food diet.
Fears of balance and bacteria being the most common concerns, coupled with strong views from various different existing raw food fans who all too often insist that there is only one way to begin raw feeding or one way that works for every dog. This can lead to confusion as a newbie to this way of feeding, and all too often very off-putting as there are various ideas and opinions floating around on the internet.

However, if this has been you, or you simply wonder about the balance and bacteria aspect these top raw food facts will, we hope, go some way to explaining why it is this trend is sticking around, and perhaps why it really does work wonders for a pets health, happiness well-being.

Raw pet food is now available in ready-to-serve already balanced tubs, you simply defrost and feed. You can even defrost in your pet’s bowl and simply hand this to your pets. There is not a need to touch the defrosted food if you wished not too.

Professional Raw pet food manufacturers are strictly regulated by both Defra and the PFMA (Pet Food Manufacturers Association). Salmonella tolerance is actually zero, (yes 0!) and adherence required to stay in trade.

Following common-sense hygiene, cleaning bowls and surfaces, washing hands and treating your pet’s food ensures you can feed this food entirely safely.
In 26 years of feeding this way I have yet to see a dog leave fresh food in their bowl, no interested child would get a look in!

Feeding a fresh, wholefood diet ensures your dog’s digestive system, including their stomach, can produce a greater volume of gastric acid. This reduces a Sensitive Stomach, usually (in my experience) eliminating this problem entirely. Rather than bacteria causing an issue the freshness of the food actually supports better digestion.

And the biggest secret in raw pet food?

Every Dog is Different

Your dog will have an individual metabolism, require slightly different amounts of foods for weight balance and benefit from a slightly different nutrition profile.

The beauty of feeding a raw food diet is that you can over a short amount of time really get to know your dog’s likes, dislikes and nutritional needs. You can also on a daily basis adjust the meals to suit their ever-evolving needs. Should you feel your dog needs some extra berries, would prefer a unique protein rather than one they have an intolerance too or would benefit from the Phyto-nutrition found in a certain culinary herb then you can add that.

 

Switching to the Raw Dog Food Diet

Feeding a fresh, wholefood diet to your pet is not any different to feeding your children a varied diet or eating a fresh diet yourself.

Whilst it can appear there are Rules within some groups or forums these are belief sets rather than what is correct for your dog as an individual.

Professional raw pet food manufacturers employ vets, holistic vets and nutrition specialists to ensure their range of foods offer something complete and balanced for all different dogs.
Ultimately the raw food diet works because its real, actual food not only because its raw. Real food is unprocessed, just as our own doctors recommend for health.

As a start if you wished to feed cooked real food to your pet you could also do this, however, this is actually far harder to balance this at home than a raw food diet.
Over time a home-cooked diet would miss out on the imperative Bone Content that our dogs, and cats, require for digestive health and vital minerals. Whilst human intended minces and meats are safe (they are simply real food) they do not contain a bone content, as we are not so keen on eating that, long term the mineral content would be lacking.

Next time you visit your pet store why not take a little detour past the freezer section. You may be surprised at what you find!

If you prefer to have your pet food delivered straight to your door you may also wish to check out companies such as ProDog-Raw, one such professional pet food manufacturer creating foods that enhance nutrition and offering full support on transition, and all of your dog’s real, fresh food feeding journey.

Photo by Magdalena Smolnicka on Unsplash

Photo by Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash

The post Raw Dog Food Diet: What You Need to Know appeared first on Wag The Dog UK.