In an age where we are so used to feeding our dogs processed food out of plastic bags, certain researchers and dog owners are holding up a different school of thought. In their opinion, we should not alter the natural habits of our pets.

Why Raw Dog Food?

It is only natural for a dog to eat raw food and so we should feed them raw flesh and bones instead of processed biscuits and food. This kind of diet basically involves feeding dogs with raw meat, bones that can be safely chewed and certain fleshy and nutritious organs.

It is believed that providing raw food results in better fur qualities, lesser body odor and stronger healthier teeth. There is also greater virility in the dogs because of a natural diet.

Moreover, the greatest reason in favor of opting for natural food over processed food is that most commercial dog foods heat the product to high temperatures to remove bacteria.

This however, destroys most of the nutrition in the food as well. Also, the preservatives added are detrimental to the health of dogs. Artificial hormones that are added also pose a serious problem.

What Are the Major Pitfalls?

A great disadvantage of following a natural diet is the need to strike the right balance. Much stress is laid on the correct proportions of the components which include flesh, bones, fat, liver and other organs. Sometimes, vegetables and fruits are also needed.

Adhering to such strict norms daily can be very inconvenient. The processed dog food in this case scores over the natural way.

Also, the bones in the food can result in breaking of gums and puncturing of vital organs. This problem is often overcome by grinding the bones. Chewing bones however has its benefits. The abrasion of bones with teeth scrapes off food that is stuck. Ligaments and cartilage in the raw food act as natural dental floss and keep teeth healthy.

Since raw dog food is not processed in any way, it contains harmful bacteria that cause a lot of diseases. Dogs that are used to the natural raw diet are also found to be socially aggressive. Some dogs tend to develop predatory habits and kill rodents and even cats.

Most researchers strongly disapprove of the natural raw food diet for dogs. There might however be an unseen reason for that. Most of the researchers and research institutions are funded by commercial manufacturers of processed dog food. If these companies decided to freeze funds, it would mean curtains for most such institutions.

Very few people around the world actually go for the raw dog food diet. However, clubbing raw dog food periodically with processed food would not be a bad idea.