Today we have an interesting article about feeding raw meat in dogs, it is a very old debate but it has many followers, the truth is that I personally do not usually use raw meat in my Maltese Toy dogs, but let’s go for color tastes, the article is generally in all breeds of dogs. Do you usually give raw meat to your Maltese dog?
THE PROS AND CONS OF RAW FEEDING FOR DOGS
Feeding raw meat and bones to dogs is becoming more common. Today’s article is about the pros and cons of raw feeding. The ‘should’ or ‘shouldn’t’. Instead of “how to”.
Why do people feed dogs raw food? So why do people feed their dogs a raw diet?
Surely a carefully crafted complete commercial food is the surest way to ensure your pup gets all the nutrients from it? The answer is that raw feeders usually do so because they genuinely believe their dog will be healthier as a result.
But are they right? Works? But is crude oil just a fad, a reflection of our obsession with getting back to nature and going “green”? Or is this really a viable alternative to the intensively produced dog food found on the shelves of every pet store? And the risks of raw food? Let’s look at the former first, then move on to the benefits, both real and perceived.
Is raw eating dangerous?
You may have seen photos of little puppies munching on raw chicken wings and looking horrified.
Aren’t raw bones sharp and dangerous and drag in germs? Some people are happier with a commitment to a more natural food that is commercially prepared.
Especially chicken because we all know dogs shouldn’t eat chicken bones, and chicken is widely known to carry Salmonella, Campylobacter, and other horrible pathogens.
Is raw feeding dangerous in dogs? it is an interesting question One of the problems when comparing raw feeding to kibble feeding is that there is a great deal of opinion and very little evidence to indicate which is more beneficial and what the risks may be.
The great raw eating debate
When interest in raw feeding began to rise around ten years ago, there were several websites dedicated to educating the public about the dangers of allowing your dog to eat bones. And many veterinarians were quick to warn of the dire consequences for those who ate raw foods.
However, as more and more people feed their dogs a raw diet, it’s becoming increasingly clear that most dogs have no problem digesting raw bones and pathogens that would put you and me in the hospital. . Of course, nothing is risk free, not even eating.
And there are definitely risks in eating raw, not just for your dog, but for you as well. You need to be aware of these risks so that you can make an informed decision about whether this is the correct way to feed your pup.
The process of feeding raw meat in dogs
When your pup eats a piece of meat with a bone in it, for example a chicken wing or part of a rabbit, he first chews on the bones using the large molars at the back of his jaw.
This biting action crushes the bone within the meat to make the entire food parcel more pliable and easier to swallow. Even an eight week old puppy has a very powerful bite.
My 8-week-old Labrador and spaniel puppies, for example, can crush the bone into a chicken wing, in just a few seconds. They are bones as thick as your little finger.
What a bite. And it’s worth keeping this in mind when you think your pup is being rough at play, because this is what he’d be capable of if he didn’t “take the punches out.” swallow sharp fragments of broken bone.
Raw bone fragments are thought to be softer and less dangerous than cooked bone fragments, but don’t be fooled, there will be fragments, they will be sharp, and your pup will swallow them.
The risks of sharp bones
No one can tell you what the risks of swallowing these sharp bones might be. And fear of these risks keeps many people from eating raw.
It took me over a year to research and ask questions before I took the leap and started feeding my dogs raw, so my concern about this question was so great.
But now let’s put that risk in context.
Put risk in context
Here is an example. I’ve been about ten years years feeding my dogs raw meaty bones. I usually have at least four dogs and feed them once a day, more often when they are little. That means I’ve eaten between fourteen and twenty thousand “boneless” meals so far. No adverse effects. Of course you could be incredibly lucky.
So I have friends who have a lot more dogs than me, and who have been raw feeding a lot longer than I have. Again, uneventful, so we’re talking hundreds of thousands of raw bone-in meals here.
No adverse effects
Again, it could be luck. But while there is likely to be some risk of a puppy swallowing bones, it is increasingly looking likely that it is quite small. It is important to recognize that it is not only the risk of damage from sharp bones that needs to be considered, but also the risk of damage from sharp bones. risk of sharp bones being affected.
When a dog gnaws on a bone, especially a large bone, it swallows many small pieces of that bone. These fragments can accumulate in the intestine and cause a bit of “bottleneck” that prevents things from moving as they should. At best, this can cause your pup to become constipated. At worst, it could completely block the intestine, resulting in a medical emergency. Again, this has never happened to my own dogs, but some vets do worry about dogs being fed raw for this reason.
Fractured teeth
Another problem with eating certain types of bone is fractured teeth. This may not seem so important to you. A broken tooth is not life threatening after all. But in dogs, dental treatment is not easy. It requires a general anesthetic which is not without risk, and correcting the problem will make a serious dent in your wallet. So, this “raw” feeding lark is starting to sound like a nightmare.
Why the hell am I feeding your dogs raw meat and bones? Have we lost the trial? Or is there more than meets the eye?
Reduce bone risks
Considering that raw-fed dogs aren’t lining up outside every local animal hospital, it’s clear that there must be ways of feeding raw that avoid some or all of the risks. So let’s take a closer look. The first step in reducing bone risk is to feed the bone and meat together. Ideally as nature intended with the bone on the inside and the muscle on the outside. This makes a “bundle” of meat-wrapped bone and helps everything slide down without hurting the dog.
- Healthy belly
Feeding the bone and meat together (rather than the recreational bones on their own) can also help avoid the risk of impaction. The risk of impaction can also be reduced by ensuring bone is an appropriate proportion of your dog’s diet.
And making sure your dog always has access to plenty of fresh drinking water. A dog that just ate a bone carcass needs to drink more than a dog that just ate some muscle meat.
- healthy teeth
And finally, the bones that break teeth in dogs tend to be the weight-bearing bones of larger mammals. These are much harder than rib bones, for example, and are more likely to cause tooth damage.
So we must make sure that we do not feed our puppies the leg bones of large herbivores such as cattle or sheep.
- The risk of infection
The next most widely discussed “raw” risk is from pathogens found in raw meat. You won’t have to look far to find articles that warn you that raw meat, especially chicken, has germs. And it’s true. Fortunately, these germs seem to have absolutely no effect on the average dog. Of course, there’s an exception to this rule, so no one can guarantee your dog won’t catch a nasty belly bug from eating raw chicken.
But then again, thousands of dogs eat raw chicken every day and are not harmed. Not to mention all the other harmful substances that many dogs consume on a regular basis, including the feces of other animals. The fact is, dogs are generally capable of dealing with digestive pathogens that would make us very sick. However, there is another risk from pathogens in raw meat. And that risk is for the people who handle the dog.
- The risk to your family
Obviously, you’re sensible enough to take precautions when preparing raw meat. You don’t need me to tell you that you should store raw meat in a specific container in your fridge, and cut it with tools and on a board, used only for this purpose. Wash your hands and all utensils thoroughly afterwards.
- It is important to use specific cutting boards for raw meat!
But remember that when a dog has eaten raw food, the hair around its mouth and on its front legs is likely to be heavily contaminated with any pathogens in its dinner. This can be a big problem if you have small children and they play with your dog. Children are notoriously lax about hygiene.
He will fight to make sure they wash their hands effectively after any contact with a dog that has recently been exposed to raw meat. This is an important consideration.
- Eating raw can be a dirty business!
Also keep in mind that dogs are much more likely to be possessive of raw foods than kibble. Therefore, you will have to make sure that children do not disturb the dog when it is eating, or handle it for some time afterwards.
- The challenges of training a raw-fed puppy
The final drawback, and in my opinion one of the biggest drawbacks to feeding puppies raw is training. Today we train puppies with food. And little pups have a lot to learn. This means using a lot of food in early training.
Since we don’t want our puppies to get fat, we use their daily amount of food for this purpose. This is extremely easy to do with kibble, and much more difficult to do with raw food. Especially raw meat on the bone, which is an essential part of a balanced diet. All dogs need to be trained to some degree. And medium and large dogs need a lot of training to make sure they’re not a public nuisance. So training is not optional. Training is also a lot of fun if done correctly, so you don’t want to miss this.
The benefits of raw feeding
You will hear all kinds of claims for health benefits in raw fed dogs. These are some of those “claims”
-Shinier coats
-Healthier teeth and gums
-Less allergies
-Better behavior
-Less obesity
-Reduced risk of swelling
-Healthy anal glands
-More energy
The problem is that there is little evidence for most of these claims. No formal studies have been conducted comparing the teeth, coats, skin, and behavior of raw-fed and kibble-fed dogs. So how do we sort fact from myth? Well, it’s not easy, but we have to start somewhere, so let’s start with what we do have solid evidence for. And we’ll work our way down.
- No more stinky poop.
The first and least debatable advantage of switching to raw food is that it’s not for your dog at all. It is for you. It’s about what comes out of your dog, not what goes in. The poop produced by raw-fed dogs is much less odorous and much smaller in quantity than the poop produced by kibble-fed dogs. Which lets face it, it smells horrible. Raw meat-fed dog poop is largely ground bone, and it smells very little. This is of no interest to your dog, but rather a source of great pleasure for raw-fed dog owners.
- Reduce the risk of swelling
Bloat is a life-threatening condition in which the dog’s stomach becomes greatly distended. If the stomach turns, the blood supply may be interrupted and immediate veterinary treatment will be necessary to save the dog’s life.
One study showed that dogs were more likely to experience bloat if they were fed certain types of kibble. Another study (source) showed that dogs fed only dry food were more likely to bloat than dogs fed wet food.
Fortunately, most dogs aren’t particularly susceptible to bloat, but if you have a dog who is at risk, such as a large, deep-chested dog (source), or a dog who has a close relative who suffers from bloat , then it might be worth keeping this in mind when choosing how to feed your dog.
- Keep the anal glands healthy
This is a lovely subject – but perhaps not one to read on the breakfast table! If you have ever seen a dog “scooting” (dredging its underside along the ground) you have probably seen a dog with anal gland problems. The canine anal glands are located on either side of the anus and are squeezed each time a dog empties its bowels.
If the dog’s bowel movements are frequently soft, these glands may not empty effectively and may become inflamed or blocked, causing the dog irritation or discomfort.
- Scooting is a symptom from this
When this happens, your vet will empty your dog’s glands using a gloved hand. You can also be taught to do this yourself.
With a raw fed dog, this tends not to happen. There is a good reason for it. Their bowel movements are usually firm, and their anal glands empty each time they are emptied. This keeps them in good health, without the intervention of a human hand.
Of course, not all kibble-fed dogs have anal gland problems, and somewhere there’s probably a raw-fed dog that does. But it is clear that the claims for better anal gland health for raw fed dogs appear to be well founded.
- Perfect teeth
Perhaps the most frequently reported effect of raw feeding is improvement in dental health. My initial reasons for switching to raw included concerns about my dog’s teeth. Even my younger dogs had heavily discolored teeth on their kibble diets, and I had heard some excellent reports about the benefits of a raw diet on dogs’ dental health. Indeed, within a few short weeks on the raw, my dogs were all sporting a great set of brilliant white teeth.
- How bones clean teeth
Veterinarians claim that a high percentage of dogs suffer from dental problems and gum disease. And of course, the enlargement of the teeth is not only a big problem to correct (under general anesthesia), the treatment has to be repeated regularly (at least once a year).
The reason why the raw diet keeps teeth and gums healthy is twofold, firstly the diet is free of carbohydrates and secondly the broken bone fragments in the dog’s food have an abrasive action on the dog’s teeth. dog, getting rid of the dirt and leaving them nice and clean. There is an alternative, of course, you can teach your dog to let you clean her teeth in the morning and at night, just like her children.
The difference is that you will have to do it for him for the rest of his life, and if you have more than one dog, this could be very time consuming. The fact is, most people don’t bother.
- A slim figure
It is quite difficult to overfeed a dog with raw food. Dogs tend not to overeat raw and without sugars in their diet, they seem less inclined to gain weight. This is actually a bigger bonus than it might seem at first glance, because obesity is such a big problem for dogs right now, and because obesity is associated with a wide range of other health problems. While it’s true that your kibble-fed dog doesn’t need to be overweight, the sad fact is that many, if not most, are.
- The joy of eating
There is no doubt that dogs love raw meat and bones. A bowlfull of kibble takes less than three minutes for the average dog to consume. Then you have until the next meal to dream about food. A meaty piece of ribcage, rabbit or chicken tenderloin will last up to ten times longer and provide copious amounts of pleasure. This pleasure is difficult to measure or balance against other factors, but there is no doubt that it exists.
- Allergies
Evidence for raw feeding as a solution for allergies is anecdotal. In other words, no studies have been done to support the claims people make about changes in their dogs’ skin conditions as a result of going raw. That being said, most kibble contains some type of grain, often in the form of wheat, corn, or rice. They also often contain artificial flavors or colors. Therefore, it is not impossible that your dog could be allergic to one or more of the components of his dry food.
Keep in mind, however, that switching to another type of dry food can have just as much impact on your dog’s skin or behavior as switching to raw. This is something you would need to discuss with your vet, preferably one who specializes in dermatological conditions, which can be persistent and difficult to resolve.
- The great carbohydrate debate
We should probably bring up carbs again at this point because the key difference between dry and raw food (aside from water content) is that kibble is carbohydrate-based.
One of the reasons I feel more comfortable feeding my dogs a raw diet is that I am concerned about the long-term effects of feeding large amounts of carbohydrates to an animal that is primarily built to process and digest carcasses.
- Grain concerns
It is true that modern dogs have evolved somewhat ability to digest grain to some extent, like us humans. But we’re only recently discovering the impact of mass grain consumption on the human population, and it’s not looking good. I’m also not convinced it’s good for dogs. Grain is a relatively recent introduction to the diets of both humans and dogs, a change that has occurred only since the dawn of agriculture.
And we, and our dogs, are still in possession of the digestive systems that kept us in good standing when we were social predators, eating meat, leaves, roots, and berries.
Not everyone agrees, of course, that large amounts of carbohydrates are bad for you. For dogs or for humans. But science is certainly changing your mind about the virtues of living on a starchy diet.
This is something I consider less appropriate for dogs than for you and me.
- Bright layers and energy
Finally, I should mention that I have not seen any evidence that raw-fed dogs have shinier coats or more energy than their kibble-fed counterparts.
In fact, some of the shiniest coats I’ve seen on dogs have been kibble-fed dogs. And switching my own dogs to raw made no difference at all to their coats or their energy levels. However, many raw dog breeders disagree, claiming that their dogs’ coats have improved from being fed raw.
What is the conclusion?
We’ve covered quite a bit of information and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s all a bit confusing. So let’s try to summarize what we know so far. Remember, raw eating is a very big thing, so we need to be aware that there is likely to be a trend for people to see benefits where there are none. This is always the case when people have made a large investment in a lifestyle change. We tend to qualify results as better than they really are.
But it is important to try to be objective. Because raw feeding is not the right choice for everyone.
- Summing up the disadvantages
The disadvantages of raw feeding are that there may be some risks. The risk of internal injury or impaction to the bone and the risk of infection, both for your dog and your family.
The risks may be less than once thought, but we have no way of knowing for sure. This is an especially important consideration when it comes to boys and girls. Balanced against these risks are the risk of bloat, in kibble-fed dogs (probably only relevant if you have a susceptible dog) and the as-yet-unproven concerns I and others share about feeding dogs high carbohydrates. It can be more difficult to use food in training with raw fed dogs, an important factor while your pup is young, but this gradually improves.
- Summary of benefits
The benefits of eating raw are likely to include great dental health (and fresh breath). This may be more important than it first appears.
There is evidence that poor dental health has an impact on the immune system and the general health of our bodies, and there is no reason to assume that this does not apply to dogs as well.
Some people report improvements in allergies (skin conditions and stomach problems) in dogs after switching to raw, although this has not yet been proven. Cleaning up after your dog will be more enjoyable when raw fed, and your dog will enjoy his meals much more than before.
My recommendations?
As you can see, this is not a direct “right or wrong” decision. I feed all my dogs a raw diet, but that doesn’t mean it’s right for you. There are advantages and disadvantages to feeding a dog a raw diet and you have to take into account your own family circumstances as well as those of your dog.
your circumstances
I recommend that you think carefully about the potential risks of raw feeding, and consider postponing such a measure if you have young children (for the hygiene reasons mentioned above) or a very young puppy (for the training reasons mentioned above).
If you are interested in raw feeding it may be best to wait until your children are older and you have basic obedience training established with your pup.
Large, deep-chested dogs
If your dog is at risk of bloating and you want to start raw feeding immediately, you will need to make sure that children cannot access the dog while she is eating and for some time afterwards. You will also have to be prepared for the Get a little dirty when training your pup.
Your instalations
If you’re ready to start eating raw, you’ll need plenty of freezer space and a good supplier of the right ingredients.
There are a number of companies now supplying products specifically intended for raw fed dogs.
