Raw feeding

Raw feeding is the practice of feeding domestic dogs, cats and other carnivores a diet primarily of uncooked meat, edible bones, and organs.

Supporters of raw feeding believe that the natural diet of raw meat, bones, and organs is nutritionally superior to cooked meat and commercial pet food. They argue that a careful plan of a raw diet gives the animal numerous health benefits, including a healthier coat and cleaner teeth and elimination of bad breath. Critics of raw feeding assert that the risk of nutritional imbalance, intestinal perforations and foodborne illnesses posed by the handling and feeding of raw meat and bones outweigh any benefits. The assertion that raw feeding is inherently better because it is natural has also been criticized by proponents of commercial pet foods.

There are now considerable numbers of veterinary surgeons who advocate species-appropriate diets including raw feeding dogs and cats. The Raw Feeding Veterinary Society (RFVS) was founded in the UK in 2014 and organises conferences and discussions regarding raw feeding and related issues for Veterinary Surgeons and Nurses.

There are numerous arguments over the health effects of feeding commercial pet foods, and many raw feeding pet owners claim to have noticed a significant increase in overall health after switching to a raw food diet. The number of raw feeding owners who make these observations over the life-time of their pet far exceeds the numbers of pets required to complete an in-house commercial pet food trial (6 out of 8 starters) that runs for 6 months only according to AAFCO guidelines.

Commercial pet foods, dry foods in particular, often contain a large amount of grains, which proponents of grain-free food feel are inappropriate for carnivorous dogs and cats. Because cats are obligate carnivores, it is believed that a switch to a predominantly meat based raw diet would be especially beneficial (as compared to a raw diet for dogs) due to cats' relative inability to digest grains. Studies comparing the source of protein in dry cat food concluded that the digestibility of meat-based protein is superior to corn-based protein.

Because commercial pet foods are assumed to be the primary or exclusive element of a pet's diet, manufacturers enrich their product by supplementing the food with vitamins and minerals. As the heat used to process commercial pet foods may reduce the level of naturally occurring nutrients, critics question the actual nutritional value of commercial foods. Critics argue that there may be elements to pet nutrition yet to be discovered or that are not understood well enough to be supplemented. There is skepticism over the efficacy of supplements vs the natural absorption of naturally occurring nutrients. The same rationale is used by some to reject supplemented home cooked pet food. A study involving rats has suggested that the digestibility of the amino acids in cat food is altered during heat processing.

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