Is a raw food diet dangerous for dogs? - Pets - Brief Article

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), April, 2002

The current fad of feeding Fido a raw meat diet may be detrimental to his health, according] to Lisa Newman, president of the International Natural Pet Care Association and author of eight books on natural pet care. She says that the daily consumption of raw meats and bones has resulted in many of these animals being diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome, continuous digestive problems, and immuno-related weaknesses with various symptoms.

"The raw meat diet is too hard to digest for most dogs. Without easy-to-digest and easy-to-assimilate nutrients, the animal's body lacks enough fuel to work its own miracles and fails to repair and support itself. Consequently, the body fails to thrive and prematurely ages while suffering from a number of complaints and ailments."

Newman believes a home-prepared meal is best for a dog, as long as it is well-balanced. She recommends meals consisting of 60% lightly steamed, ground, or shredded meat, preferably beef, lamb, venison, rabbit, ostrich, or turkey. Newman considers pork, fish, and chicken to be very weak meats for dogs.

The rest of the portion should consist of 30% cooked whole grains and 10% raw vegetable or fruit. The cooked grains she suggests are rolled oats or oatmeal, barley, millet, and spelt, a variety of grained wheat. Brown rice should not be frequently used, and white rice should be avoided, as both are difficult for dogs to digest. "Recent university studies have shown rice may be a major contributing factor of diabetes in dogs."

If home cooking is not an option or the preferred method of feeding a pet, Newman's advice is to provide a well-balanced diet of premium commercial dry and canned natural pet food, supplemented with daily multiple vitamins, herbs, or nutritional products as required by the pet's age or specified needs.

When selecting commercial canned or dry dog food, she suggests purchasing a high-quality product made with "human-grade" ingredients. She cautions against purchasing products from pet food manufacturers that do not fully disclose the exact nature of all ingredients on the labels. "Look for descriptions such as ... `beef' instead of `beef by-products' or, worse, `meat by-products meal,' which can include roadkill or euthanized dogs and cats. These brands are of a lesser quality, obviously not made with human-grade-rated ingredients, and are usually the source of a pet's physical or behavioral crisis."