Raw food for dogs - ideal diet or dangerous fad?
Raw food for dogs is controversial. But diets that emphasize raw meat, bones, fruits and vegetables are gaining in popularity.
Running greyhounds and sled dogs have long had a raw diet. Extending these feeding practices to the family pet is a more recent idea, proposed by Australian veterinarian Ian Billinghurst in 1993. He called his feeding suggestions the BARF diet, an acronym that stands for Bones and Raw Food, or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food.
Billinghurst suggested that adult dogs would thrive on an evolutionary diet based on what dogs ate before they were domesticated: raw, meaty bones and vegetable scraps. Commercial grain-based pet foods are said to be harmful to a dog's health.
Many mainstream vets disagree, as does the FDA. The risks of raw food have been documented in several studies published in veterinary journals.
Potential benefits of the raw dog food diet touted by proponents include:
Shinier coats
healthier skin
Cleaner Teeth
Higher Energy Levels
Smaller stools
Possible risks are:
Dangers to human and dog health from bacteria in raw meat
An unbalanced diet that, if administered for a long time, can be harmful to the health of dogs
Whole bones can choke an animal, crack teeth, or cause an internal puncture
Since the publication of Billinghurst's book, Give Your Dog a Bone, several other types of raw dog foods have emerged, including commercially processed raw foods that are frozen or freeze-dried, and combo diets that use blends of grains, vegetables, and vitamins with those of raw meat mixed that the owner bought at the grocery store.
Raw dog food recipes and feeding tips are easy to find online and in books. Interest from pet owners continues to grow, with the widespread recall of melamine-contaminated pet food in 2007 attracting new supporters.
Raw Dog Food: What It Is
A raw dog diet usually consists of:
Muscle meat, often still on the bone
Bones, whole or ground
Organ meats such as liver and kidney
raw eggs
Vegetables like broccoli, spinach and celery
Apples or other fruits
Some dairy, such as yogurt
Raw Dog Food: What the Research Shows
For pet owners who want to avoid commercial diets, Freeman, professor of nutrition at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, recommends a homemade diet prepared by a certified nutritionist with the American College of Veterinary Nutrition. Many of the benefits attributed to a raw food diet for dogs, such as a shiny coat, are instead a result of the high fat content of a typical raw food diet, she says. She notes that there are high-fat commercial foods available that produce the same effect without the risk of an unbalanced diet. Supplements can also be used as a substitute for added fat in the diet.
Raw dog food: concerns overblown?
Proponents of raw dog food are quick to point out that commercially processed pet food can contain harmful bacteria, as can raw meat sold for human consumption.
The FDA guidance document also suggested that manufacturers address typical nutritional issues associated with a raw meat diet, including ensuring it gets enough calcium and phosphorus, which are important for bone health. A liver-rich diet of raw meat can also provide too much vitamin A, which can lead to vitamin A toxicity with prolonged feeding.
Even vets who support raw food diets like Knueven say they aren't right for all dogs. Because the diets are typically high in protein, they are not suitable for dogs with late-stage kidney or severe liver failure.
He recommends that dogs with pancreatitis or other digestive issues start on a cooked, home-cooked diet and fix problems before switching to raw food. Dogs with cancer, chemotherapy, or dogs with other immunosuppressive conditions should also not eat raw food. And puppies are not good candidates either.
Running greyhounds and sled dogs have long had a raw diet. Extending these feeding practices to the family pet is a more recent idea, proposed by Australian veterinarian Ian Billinghurst in 1993. He called his feeding suggestions the BARF diet, an acronym that stands for Bones and Raw Food, or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food.
Billinghurst suggested that adult dogs would thrive on an evolutionary diet based on what dogs ate before they were domesticated: raw, meaty bones and vegetable scraps. Commercial grain-based pet foods are said to be harmful to a dog's health.
Many mainstream vets disagree, as does the FDA. The risks of raw food have been documented in several studies published in veterinary journals.
Potential benefits of the raw dog food diet touted by proponents include:
Shinier coats
healthier skin
Cleaner Teeth
Higher Energy Levels
Smaller stools
Possible risks are:
Dangers to human and dog health from bacteria in raw meat
An unbalanced diet that, if administered for a long time, can be harmful to the health of dogs
Whole bones can choke an animal, crack teeth, or cause an internal puncture
Since the publication of Billinghurst's book, Give Your Dog a Bone, several other types of raw dog foods have emerged, including commercially processed raw foods that are frozen or freeze-dried, and combo diets that use blends of grains, vegetables, and vitamins with those of raw meat mixed that the owner bought at the grocery store.
Raw dog food recipes and feeding tips are easy to find online and in books. Interest from pet owners continues to grow, with the widespread recall of melamine-contaminated pet food in 2007 attracting new supporters.
Raw Dog Food: What It Is
A raw dog diet usually consists of:
Muscle meat, often still on the bone
Bones, whole or ground
Organ meats such as liver and kidney
raw eggs
Vegetables like broccoli, spinach and celery
Apples or other fruits
Some dairy, such as yogurt
Raw Dog Food: What the Research Shows
For pet owners who want to avoid commercial diets, Freeman, professor of nutrition at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, recommends a homemade diet prepared by a certified nutritionist with the American College of Veterinary Nutrition. Many of the benefits attributed to a raw food diet for dogs, such as a shiny coat, are instead a result of the high fat content of a typical raw food diet, she says. She notes that there are high-fat commercial foods available that produce the same effect without the risk of an unbalanced diet. Supplements can also be used as a substitute for added fat in the diet.
Raw dog food: concerns overblown?
Proponents of raw dog food are quick to point out that commercially processed pet food can contain harmful bacteria, as can raw meat sold for human consumption.
The FDA guidance document also suggested that manufacturers address typical nutritional issues associated with a raw meat diet, including ensuring it gets enough calcium and phosphorus, which are important for bone health. A liver-rich diet of raw meat can also provide too much vitamin A, which can lead to vitamin A toxicity with prolonged feeding.
Even vets who support raw food diets like Knueven say they aren't right for all dogs. Because the diets are typically high in protein, they are not suitable for dogs with late-stage kidney or severe liver failure.
He recommends that dogs with pancreatitis or other digestive issues start on a cooked, home-cooked diet and fix problems before switching to raw food. Dogs with cancer, chemotherapy, or dogs with other immunosuppressive conditions should also not eat raw food. And puppies are not good candidates either.