MYTHS ABOUT RAW FEEDING | happyhealthyhounds

Myths about feeding your dog raw food.......

Unfortunatally there are a lot of myths surrounding raw feeding, you only have to do a google search to find these, most have been posted by commercial dog food manufacturers or other like minded people who's profits are at risk, or by people who have been ill informed themselfs.

It can be scary taking the leap from feeding a commercial diet to raw, but once you understand it ....it really is a breeze!

Below are a few of the more common myths, and i have hopefully managed to dispel these or at least got you thinking about it.Hopefully the below information will assist you in your final choice on how to feed your four legged friend(s)

Myth: dogs are omnivores....

Dogs are carnivores, not omnivores. Dogs ARE very adaptable, but even though they can survive on an omnivorous diet certainly doesn’t mean its what’s best for them. The assumption that dogs are natural omnivores remains to be proven, whereas the truth about dogs being natural carnivores is very well-supported by the evidence available to us.

Dogs are designed to eat meat, bones and organs and animal fat, not dried pellets of cheap over processed kibble.

An animal’s teeth are especially structured their specific diet that they are meant to eat. Take a dogs teeth for instance, they are that of a carnivores, all pointy and designed for grabbing, ripping, tearing, shredding, and shearing meat , a complete contrast to an omnivores teeth (like ours) We have nice, large, flat molars that can grind up veggies, Dogs and most candid’s lack these kinds of molars, there’s a good reason for that….because they do not eat plant matter! So why are we feeding them it? Dogs are equipped with powerful jaw and neck muscles that assist in pulling down prey and chewing meat, bone, organs and hide. Their jaws open widely to allow them to gulp big chunks of meat and bone. Dogs skulls are heavy, and shaped to prevent lateral movement of the lower jaw when captured prey struggles, this only allows the dog an up-and-down crushing motion, whereas if you look at herbivores and omnivores they have flatter depression in the temporal bone that allows for the lateral motion necessary to grind plant matter. Although man has changed the physical appearance of dogs over the year, they most certainly have not altered their internal working, from a great-Dane to a Yorkshire terrier…they all have the same anatomy and physiology, and they are all still carnivores. Canines have an elastic stomach especially designed to hold large quantities of meat, bones, organs and hide. Dogs have an undeveloped “caecum” this is a pouch-like portion near the end of the large intestine, its job is to is to provide bacteria that can help the body break down plant-based foods, they have a short foregut and a smooth colon that is un-sacculated, this simply means that food passed through quickly, HOWEVER, vegetables and plant matter have to have time to ferment, so they sit for longer, to do this they ideally need to be in animals with a sacculated colons with larger and much longer large intestines…which dogs do not have. Omnivores & herbivores have amylase in their mouths, this is a digestive enzyme which helps with the breakdown of starches and carbohydrates, dogs do not have this as their digestion starts in their stomachs, So in order for dogs to process this plant matter that it has ingested the dogs pancreas has to produce large amounts of amylase to compensate and to break down the starch, cellulose and carbohydrates in the plant matter, this puts added pressure on this organ instead of it just producing normal amounts of the enzymes needed for digesting proteins and fats....when dogs are fed raw, these enzymes begin to "self-digest" when the cells are crushed through the dog chewing and tearing and their enzymes are released.

Myth: A raw diet isnt balanced and complete....

This is a true to a degree…if you were to ONLY feed your dog raw meat then it would not be getting a balanced complete diet. Raw fed dogs need to have all elements of the diet, that is; meat, bone, and offal.

When your dog is getting all 3 in the correct ratios they will be obtaining all the nutrients they require to have a balanced complete diet. The best way to achieve this is to feed what’s called “prey model”, where your dogs gets as close to possible the whole animal in a meal…so for instance a whole rabbit fur and all. Obviously this isn’t always possible so a meal may instead consist of muscle meat, bone and offal, or balance over time to achieve this. Variety is key; a varied diet for your dog of different meats, bones and organs will mean that their diet is balanced and complete. Raw food contains all the exact portions your dog needs of protein, fat, vitamins, enzymes and minerals.

Myth: Feeding my dog raw will put my health at risk.....

Feeding your dog a commercial diet is putting its health at risk! Unfortunately we live in a society that has a massive fear about bacteria, it is estimated that out of all the millions of bacteria on the earth less that 1% is harmful. Developmental biologists have recently learned that bacterial exposure is absolutely necessary for the development of a healthy immune system. Us Humans and dogs have evolved in the presence of many different bacteria’s, living in a society that pushes sterile everything has created more damage than good, please do not assume that I am suggesting we all stop cleaning and live in filth, I as simply pointing out that not all bacteria are bad, dog food manufacturers will have you believe that raw foods for dogs are swarming with killer bacteria ready to pounce on you and kill you! This is farfetched and a scare-mongering tactic so they can acquire more custom and even more money, unfortunately it’s your poor dog that suffers.

Yes raw meat will have bacteria on it, and yes if you have poor hygiene practice it could harm you, but good common sense, and good raw food sourcing will help with this. Many anti-raw campaigners will inform you that you can get all sorts of nasty bacteria from dogs fed raw, especially when they lick your face…..well, ill let you into a wee known fact, dogs that eat meat have far less bacteria in their mouths than those that eat commercial foods, dogs that eat a raw diet should have no plaque on their teeth as the chunks of meat and bones are natures tooth brushes, the raw food is not covered in muck like commercial foods that stick to their teeth, doggy saliva contains lysozyme, this is an enzyme that lyses and destroys bacteria, but raw fed dogs have nowhere for bacteria to build up as they have no plaque. Now let’s look at a kibble fed dog……A kibble-fed dog's mouth, provides the perfect environment for bacteria growth: plaque-covered teeth with sugary and starchy complexes provide both food and shelter for bacteria. The bacteria thrive in the mouth of a kibble-fed dog because it provides both a perfect atmosphere and a good food source (Lonsdale, T. 2001. Raw Meaty Bones.)

The bacteria on the kibble fed dogs teeth and gums is the very reason they have such bad breath, because the dogs fed raw do not have this they have odourless breath…..i know which dog id rather have a kiss off haha.

The pictures below are that of a raw fed dog and two processed fed dogs...i call this the good the bad and the ugly ;)

Myth: VETS ARE THOROUGHLY QUALIFIED TO DISPENSE NUTRITIONAL ADVICE.

So, picture this, you’re at the vets with your obese pooch, your vet is spouting off information about specially formulate diet foods for your dog….and oh, how lucky are you, they just happen to stock that very diet food out in reception with a hefty price tag, being a concerned owner and wanting to do what’s best for your dog you go and purchase it immediately…after all your vet will have trained in canine nutrition….WRONG!

This is a touchy subject, let’s face it, when you take your dog to the vet you trust what the vet tells you, as you would when you go to the doctor etc for yourself, and I’m not saying that all vets are the same, far from it, But unless your vet is one with knowledge of raw feeding then id take what they say with a pinch of salt.

Veterinarians perform much-needed services for our pets, and of course we are grateful for this. However, these services should not include 1) selling pet food, and 2) administering nutritional advice. MOST Veterinarians receive very little nutritional training, unfortunately the training the do receive makes up a tiny portion of their overall learning period to become a vet. Most of the nutritional “training” they receive is In fact by big dog food manufactures who come along and inform the students that dogs are omnivores and of course need their carbohydrate, cheap filler, additive rich dry foods…..and they may even give these newly qualified vets FREE food to sell in their new practice…and continued business in the future with the vets practice receiving a cut of the dog food sales….isn’t that nice of them?? Handy for the vets too as the people that buy the food for their dogs are then usually back into see the vet as their pet is suffering from a variety of illnesses linked to their (and other manufacturers) processed foods, such as cancer, diabetes, arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, hyperactivity, seizures, obesity, allergies etc . . . .of course your dog is then pumped full of vaccines and pills and portions to "help" with the problem….

If you do find a vet knowledgeable on raw feeding and holistic pet care....keep hold of them!

Myth: There are hundreds and thousands of dogs eating a “complete & balanced” commercial diet each day that are fine…

Yep, they do that……but they also fill the waiting rooms of veterinarians. These poor dogs can suffer all manner of things such as; dermatitis’s of different kinds, cancers, joint problems, heart problems, kidney problems, digestive problems ("lack of enzymes"), liver problems, pancreas problems, coat problems, tooth problems, anal gland problems, glandular disorders, allergies, diabetes, and obesity to name but a few…all from them eating a grain-based, artificial, highly-processed, additive-filled food touted as "healthy" for your dog. I’m not saying all diseases are caused purely because of diet, , but many of them link strongly with processed diets and diet-induced periodontal disease, and yet the dog food industry keeps on producing these artificial pet foods and vets and petshop owners / breeders etc keep recommending them to their clients. Millions of dogs are eating dry and canned foods and suffering from bad teeth and stinky breath, decreased longevity and quality of life, and underlying health problems. These dogs are being maintained on an artificial, grain-based diets containing synthetic vitamins and minerals plus a whole host of chemical preservatives and additives—by the way…the collective effects of these have NEVER been researched. The key here is that dogs are merely existing. Sure, kibble (even "premium" kibble) is sufficient for keeping your dog alive, but is it the best, most appropriate food for your dog?

Keep in mind that kibble has only been around for just over a hundred years…and only really became popular between 1930 and 50……so what did dogs eat before that…yep, meat, bones and scraps!

The dog food industry is a multi-billion one, they pay millions for advertising to suck the consumer in to buying their product for their pet, most use the cheapest of ingredients so they make a huge profit, no thought goes into the dogs health or wellbeing ……yes a dog can survive on dry and tined food, but they don’t thrive on it…..

Most people have no idea what goes into commercial pet food when it’s made, and thats just how the manufacturer likes it..did you know that some

American companies get their “meat” from kill shelters, so some poor dog is eating euthanized cat and dog for supper…did you know that a lot of dog food manufacturers here source their meat from America? Here’s some other ingredient’s, all of which are appalling… yet each can be lawfully used to make dog food: Slaughterhouse waste (organs, heads, hooves, beaks, feet),Bread and cereal rejects (cobs, stalks, mill sweepings),Contaminated grain middling’s, Dying, diseased and disabled farm animals, Road kill (deer, skunks, badger), Distiller fermentation waste, Spoiled supermarket food, Dead zoo animals, Restaurant grease. These lovely ingredients can be spotted on the back of the dog food label as : Poultry by-product meal, Meat by-product meal, Fish meal, Animal fat.

These are all put in huge vats and cooked at such high temperatures that any nutrients that were originally in them are extinct, so after the cooking process the manufacturer has to add back in artificial nutrients, minerals etc, along with funky colorants to turn some of the pellets green, yellow & red…this is all for the consumers benefit not the dogs. Just because a dog food has a high protein % (good) doesnt mean its protein the dog can best utilise and gain nutrition from (animal protein) it could all be protein from cereals etc (bad) that the manufacture can get away with putting on the label to fool the consumer.

Please note: raw diets are not a "cure-all". Many conditions can be improved and possibly even relieved by feeding a raw, species appropriate diet. However, the toxic burden on our pets—accumulated over years of repeat vaccinations, poor diets, pesticide administration, environmental pollution, and genetic chronic disease—is quite large and has undoubtedly contributed to the illnesses we see in our pets. Commercial diets are but one part of this problem, BUT it is a large part. Diet is one of the cornerstones of total health, and if the diet is poor, how can the animal effectively fight off assaults on its system and repair the body? Feeding a species appropriate raw diet provides the animal with the best possible nutrition for total health.