A Raw Diet for Your Pets

A well-balanced raw diet keeps these pets healthy. Photo: Laura Dallas

“Raw meat is what dogs are designed to eat,” says Doreen Hock, DVM. “It’s much closer to their ancestral diet.” We’ve been talking about the advantages of human-grade pet foods as compared to the more common, less-expensive foods that contain meat by-products. I’m already convinced from my research that anything containing meat by-products isn’t what I want to feed a pet that I love. But this idea of giving only raw foods is new to me.

“I rescued a foster dog, a little Chihuahua, that was on the verge of death,” Hock says. “She was about to be put to sleep because she was so unhealthy. After feeding her raw meat and some supplements for three months, she’s beautiful now. She gets younger every day.” Hock also tells me about “a dachshund who had a horrible skin condition. Using a raw diet, we got him looking much better.”

Laura Dallas, of rural Johnson County, Iowa, has four dogs and two cats, all of whom eat a natural, raw diet that she prepares for them. “It consists of raw meat, bones, and organ meats and is modeled after the natural proportions of meat, bone, and organ found in prey animals,” Dallas says. “I also give them free-range, natural eggs and occasional small amounts of vegetable matter. I prefer to feed organic or naturally raised meats to my dogs; but if I find they’re not available, I’ll feed conventionally raised meats, in a pinch. The most important thing in a healthy diet for cats and dogs is the absence of grains and starches.”

Dallas adds, “I feed food in the largest possible pieces, to encourage chewing and promote teeth cleaning. My three dogs, ages 10, 6, and 3, have never had a dental cleaning, yet every time they go the vet, I hear praises of how wonderfully clean their teeth are and what healthy gums they have.”

A dedicated pet owner, Dallas has fed her companion animals a raw diet for seven years. She raised a puppy on the diet, and that three-year old now competes in flyball. Her 10-year-old border collie earned an ONYX title in flyball while on the raw diet. “We also live with two cats, Wasabi (1) and Megatron (11), who thrive on a natural, raw diet and enjoy their chicken necks, beef heart, turkey, rabbit, liver, and other items. All my dogs and cats are rescues, either adopted from an animal shelter, a local rescue, or found as strays,” she says. Dallas orders some of her pet’s foods from My Pet Carnivore.

At Dr. Hock’s store, the Healthy Pet, in Eugene, Oregon, about 70 percent of the items they sell are high-quality, holistic or organic pet foods. “The rest is frozen, complete, raw diets. Some people will buy the meat from us, then add vegetables on their own. There are also other ways to feed pets raw foods that are not as expensive or time-consuming as you might think,” she says.

Robust health begins with excellent nutrition. Photo: Laura Dallas

Julie Phye, co-owner of Leash on Life pet supply in Iowa City, Iowa, agrees that a raw diet can be a healthy choice. “When pet owners say their animal has persistent allergies or diarrhea, that often clears up when they feed their pet a raw diet.”

But Phye and her partner, Laurie Smith, decided not to carry raw foods. “A pet store that sells raw foods needs a freezer to keep the meat safe while it’s in the store. Yet, that alone doesn’t guarantee the safety of the food,” she says. “Some distributors have transportation and freezer problems. As store owners, we have to rely on the transportation company to keep the meat safe while it’s in their hands.”

Transporting raw foods isn’t just a problem for distributors. “When owners are traveling with pets, a raw diet is very difficult to maintain, so they rely on organic or holistic pet foods,” Phye says.

“Owners have to be very careful about cleaning pets’ bowls and keeping the food preparation area clean for both their pets and themselves,” she cautions. “If you have a pet that likes to graze all day instead of gobble the food down at one sitting, you’ll have to be especially careful to empty and clean the bowls so that your pet doesn’t get salmonella. I don’t want to sell raw foods to someone if they’re not committed to good hygiene. I don’t want to be part of making their animals sick.”

She adds, “It’s also pretty complex to make sure that pets get the right amount of other nutrients to make a complete and balanced diet. For example, when you give your pet a calcium supplement, you have to know the right amount of magnesium to balance it out. Some of my customers who feed their pets a raw diet often buy a bit of kibble to mix with it.” Phye suggests that pet owners should do research to find out if a raw diet is for them. It’s not as simple as feeding out of a bag.

Pet owner Dallas says, “Sometimes people tell me that they would feel more comfortable feeding a processed food in a bag, their thought is that they won’t be able to get the nutrients correct. My response to that is I think that feeding a variety of fresh whole foods, food similar to the foods that canines evolved eating, will certainly provide better nutrition than a monotonous processed diet, even if that processed diet has plenty of fancy supplements. For people who want the convenience of a dog food in a can or bag, or just don’t feel comfortable with being responsible for the entire diet, I encourage them to add in fresh foods to what they are feeding. Just like with people, a diet full of variety that is processed as little as possible, is the healthy way to go.”

If you decide to try a raw diet, be sure, as Phye says, to research it thoroughly. It may be the healthiest choice for your animal, but the success of the diet depends on your commitment to providing complete and balanced nutrition, as well as hygienic conditions. And, one more thing, check with your pet’s veterinarian to find out what’s best for your animal’s individual needs.

Julia Wasson

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Part 1: Pet Foods and Mystery Meat

Part 2: Pet Foods Good Enough to Eat

Part 3: A Raw Diet for Your Pets

Food Pets Die For: Shocking Facts About Pet Food