Is Raw Diet Safe For Dogs? The Ultimate Guide On Raw Dog Food Leave a comment

When we look at the advantages and disadvantages of a raw diet, we see enormous benefits and a few side effects that can also be minimized if proper attention is given.

So, as per the veterinarians and animal nutritionists, raw dog food is absolutely safe to consume unless there’s a specific health condition with the dog. For your convenience, we have compiled a detailed guide about raw dog food, so you can decide if you should go for it or not.

Recommended Read: Is Freeze-Dried Dog Food Healthy for Dogs? Everything You Need to Know

*Discloser: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning, I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through one of my links, at no cost to you.

Is a Raw Diet Safe for Dogs?

A raw diet can be safe and harmful at the same time, and it entirely depends if it’s complete and balanced by the providers. A complete and balanced diet is always good for dogs, whether it’s a raw diet or canned food.

Vets and animal nutrients clearly talk about the enormous benefits of raw dog food, including healthier skin, shinier coats, increased energy, smaller stools, dental health, and high energy levels. So, we can conclude that yes, the raw diet is absolutely safe when well monitored.

Isn’t It Very Complicated to Feed Raw Food?

Yes, it can be challenging for most pet parents to feed raw food to dogs, especially when they are used to commercially cooked dry and wet food in the form of small kibbles, which are easy to consume.

In that case, it’s necessary to feed a raw diet in small and mixed kibbles. You can start with raw coated kibbles that are not entirely raw but not fully cooked either.

When choosing the best raw food, you can consider Rawpaws as your purchasing spot because it provides every small to large kibbles, raw mixed kibbles, raw coated kibbles, and more, whichever your dog likes.

Also, the company offers delivery at your doorstep at very discounted prices. The prices are further lowered when you subscribe to their monthly subscription.

How to Choose the Best Raw Diet for Your Dog?

Choosing the best raw diet for your dog needs more research and knowledge, but we have made it easy for you by going through many articles and coming up with the few things you should consider are listed below.

1. Dog food packages are either labeled complete or complementary. So, go for a complete and balanced label as they contain the perfect nutrients required for the dog’s body.
2. Make sure the package you’re buying must meet the safety standards set by the related authorities in the country. It will be clearly mentioned on the box, so you don’t have to look for it on the internet.
3. Always go for budget-friendly food that costs relatively less money and delivers everything you and your buddy needs.
4. Consider the company that offers home delivery and monthly subscriptions, so you don’t have to go outside in this pandemic and get as many discounts as possible by applying the subscriptions.

When looking for these considerations, we can make it easier for you by coming up with a brand that offers everything that comes under the best raw diet for dogs — Rawpaws. They offer home delivery and monthly subscriptions that make the already reasonable price more discounted. In addition, their food is fully approved by the related authorities to ensure safe and healthy food for your dog.

What Are Raw Diet Alternatives?

.if your dog is not happy with the new raw diet, you should not go back to entirely cooked dry and wet food. In this case, you can consider the alternatives first that can be the first step toward a raw diet as raw dog food is the final destination because of their enormous benefits to dog’s health. Consider these listed raw diet alternatives that are somehow different forms of raw dog food.

1. Dehydrated

Dehydrated food is relatively lighter and comparatively easier to digest than pure raw food. It’s the first step toward a raw diet, as dehydrated food is formulated by removing the water. It is the best option for dog parents who are looking for less processed food.

2. Freeze-Dried

Of course, freeze-dried food is healthier than kibbles and the best alternative to both cooked food and a raw diet. It offers minimally processed nutrition for dogs while providing taste. It can also be used as a full meal for fussy eaters.

3. Food Toppers

If your dog is one picky eater, raw food toppers can be the best option as it’s a safe and convenient way to add raw food to your dog’s diet. Once your dog gets used to eating this food, it will be much easier to directly switch to a raw diet.

How to Transition to Raw Food?

Switching food is never easy for dogs because they want what they always get. In that case, you need to go low to high and small to large through a few steps for easy switching. The problem is not only the dog will hate the new food, but the digestive system won’t be comfortable with a raw diet either. So, there could be digestion problems that can be prevented using the following things along with a raw diet.

• Digestive Enzymes

As raw food can cause digestion problems when directly switched from cooked wet and dry food. In that case, digestive enzymes help a lot by breaking down the food into small pieces, making it incredibly easy to digest. It helps other dog’s own digestive enzymes in quickly digesting the food.

• Probiotics

Probiotics are directly related to the digestive system because they help your dog digest food. Also, they make and absorb minerals and vitamins to make the dog’s immune system strong. So, when it comes to switching to raw dog food, they help a lot with their digestion abilities.

• Freeze-Dried Treats

Freeze-dried treats are much lighter than a raw diet which makes them easy to digest. Since the water is removed, this food becomes the lighter version of raw food for easy digestion. You can consider it the first step toward a raw diet transition.

• Avoid Plastic Bowls

When feeding a raw diet, avoid using plastic bowls as there are chances that dogs might chew the bowl as well. Also, they spread bacteria that cause infections and allergies. Overall, using plastic bowls while feeding dogs is not recommended for many dogs by veterinarians.

Benefits of Raw Diet Food for Dogs

Raw dog food is well-known for its many benefits to the dog’s body, skin coat, teeth, and more. That’s why it would be necessary to mention a few of them here to help you make a better decision about choosing a raw diet for your dog. Consider these benefits that will be coming with a raw diet anyway.

• Shiny Coat

A raw diet excessively contains omega-6, omega-3, and other fatty acids that are responsible for a shiny coat and healthy skin. Besides, it prevents hair falls that become easy for pet parents to take good care of dog’s skin while grooming them nicely. It is clearly seen that dogs who are eating raw food have better skin and coats than those who are being fed commercially cooked food.

• Immunity-Boosting

Dogs digest raw food faster than cooked wet and dry food only when they get used to a raw diet. So, it helps a lot by making an improved digestion system by boosting immunity. Raw dog food focuses on gut health, which is separately responsible for 70% of the immune system. It contains immune-boosting nutrients that help quick digestion even when mixed with cooked food.

• Good Gut Health

There are live, naturally occurring probiotics in raw dog food that help your dog keep the correct ratio of bad to good bacteria in the dog’s body. As a result, the food helps improve gut health and causes less poop to scoop. Also, nutrient-rich food along with probiotics helps promote good gut health.

• Cleaner Teeth, Bad Breath

Raw dog food is good for dental health because it allows more chewing than processed food. More chewing is healthy for a dog’s teeth besides removing plaque that causes bad odor inside the mouth. It acts as a toothbrush that cleans the teeth while providing calcium, minerals, phosphorus, and proteins that are helpful for dental health.

• Fewer Allergies

Since raw food is the easiest one to digest, it’s highly recommended to deal with allergies. If your dog is already facing allergies, it helps fight, and if not, it doesn’t cause allergy. Canned and dry food is more likely to cause allergies than raw food because it’s all-natural and doesn’t contain artificial flavors and by-products that cause allergies.

• Weight Management

When dogs that are facing obesity are switched to a raw diet, there’s clearly weight loss noticed. Actually, it contains digestive enzymes and removes a lot of unnecessary carbohydrates that cause weight loss in the shortest possible way. Also, raw dog food never leads to overeating because it contains more nutrients, even in small amounts.

Recommended Read: Help Your Dog Lose Weight, 3 Simple Steps

Conclusion

When seeing many benefits of raw dog food and also finding it easy to transition to raw food, it’s satisfying to go for raw dog food instead of commercially processed food that contains by-products and artificial colors and flavors.

Make sure to buy the raw food from certified places only, or you may end up blaming us for recommending raw dog food. We suggest trying Rawpaws because of their stunning offers, great quality food, and much more worth considering.