The ongoing trend of raw dog food has been boosted in the past few years. Many owners still shy away from feeding dogs uncooked food as it sounds a little unconventional. Are you googling ‘what is a raw diet for dogs’ or ‘raw pet food suppliers near me‘? Is this diet appropriate for dogs? Does it do good or bad for your dogs? Come, find the answers to all your questions!
What is a Raw Diet?
A raw diet refers to uncooked meals majorly consisting of meats of different kinds. There are two widely used variants of raw food diets for dogs. The first variant is the biologically appropriate raw food diet, which consists of raw foods, including 60–80% of raw meats and bones, while the other half is raw vegetables, fruits, eggs and dairy. The other variant of the diet advocates feeding dogs the diet they would have if they were out in the wild. So this includes around 80% of muscle meat, 10% bone and 10% organ meat.
Is Raw Food Good for Your Dogs?
Raw foods have both pros and cons for your dogs. Many owners have vouched for the benefits of raw food for dogs as they result in a shinier coat, improved skin, higher energy levels and cleaner teeth. All these benefits of raw food diets have made them catch on among dog parents.
However, on the flip side, regular feeding of uncooked raw food to dogs might increase health risks for dogs, according to the reports. While this is a cause of concern, it can easily be eliminated using specially packaged raw food created only for dogs. You can google search ‘raw pet food suppliers near me‘, and you will find some matches that can supply raw food specially created for dogs.
The cons of this raw food diet mainly exist because of the possibility of contagion and bacteria in uncooked meat. If you use the same uncooked meat from the butchers that sell meat for people, it is bound to have more bacteria in it because it is assumed that it will be cooked before consumption. Searching for any raw pet food supplier and purchasing from them can be a good idea to avoid health risks.
How to Switch Your Dog to a Raw Food Diet?
You won’t have to make any extra effort for dogs to consume meat and uncooked food. Since it is their natural diet, they will easily adapt to this diet. However, it is recommended that you take a vet’s suggestion before switching from one diet to another.
The portion size of raw food is also different for each dog. It depends on the weight and dietary requirements of the dogs. Ideally, a 50 lb dog should eat around 1 to 1.5 lbs of raw food daily. This goes to 2–2.5 lbs for dogs with over 100 lbs weight.
Do All Dogs Benefit from a Raw Food Diet?
Not necessarily. This is important to remember: Not all dogs are the same. Their digestive conditions, dietary requirements and use of supplements can determine whether a raw food diet can work for a dog. Hence checking with your vets is important before switching to raw food.
Final Words
You can ask any neighbouring dog owners or just search online suppliers for raw pet food near you, and you can find a variety of raw meats suitable for dogs. Now that you know everything about raw diets, it’s time to talk to your vets and switch to raw food for dogs!
