Is it really healthier to feed raw meat to pets?
As politics and religion evolve, meat is fast becoming one of the topics that people generally disagree with. The latest controversy involves pet food.
Some people, including some veterinarians, believe that raw meat is healthier for dogs and cats. They make this claim based on the fact that more and more pet food is over-processed and loaded with flavorings and preservatives that are toxic to pets (these are substances used to preserve food and keep it with an enticing taste).
They advocate feeding fresh raw meat (and other raw foods such as vegetables) to pets. At present, the debate on this claim has become more and more heated, and the relevant pet food company's claims and counterclaims have been widely reported by various media. This article is mainly to introduce and explain the pros and cons of the point of view.
By the way, those who hold the third proposition are against feeding dogs and cats any meat. Vegetarians and vegans (people who refuse to eat any animal products) trust that they can create a suitable plant-based diet for dogs and cats. But this is actually a fallacy. While dogs can accept a well-formulated vegetarian diet, cats are strict carnivores and have trouble digesting plants.
There are three main types of raw meat diets:
Commodity raw food. Most of these foods are sold in frozen form, and they are nutritionally complete and balanced.
Homemade raw food. Homemade recipes for eating raw meat abound online, in magazines, and in books. One of the more popular is the "raw meat bone homemade method". For dogs, a healthy diet should contain 60% raw meat bones and the rest is a variety of foods that wild dogs will eat, including: green vegetables, eggs, milk, and some organs (such as liver or kidneys) .
A combination diet. This is a diet that mixes grain supplements with raw meat.
on one hand
Proponents of the raw meat diet argue that many commercial pet foods contain high levels of toxins that are harmful to animal health, such as sodium nitrate, artificial flavors and other impurities. They also believe that these meats have been over-processed and that the nutrients they contain are nowhere near what pets need. Veterinarian Jean Hofve said in the July 2001 issue of Cats: "Doctors and nutritionists have been telling us for years that eating fresh, raw fruits and vegetables is very important for our body's nutrient absorption. Likewise, for our For cats, eating fresh, raw, and cat-friendly food is much better than eating only processed, preserved food."
Dogs and cats that eat fresh food regularly should have better coat, fewer dental problems, fresher breath, and less body odor. Additionally, dogs, especially cats, are natural carnivores, preferring to eat fresh, species-appropriate raw meat rather than processed, heavily seasoned foods. After all, the cat species originally lived by hunting and eating raw prey, and their nature, which has lasted for hundreds of thousands of years, cannot be dismissed by those commercial pet foods.
In addition, these proponents argue that cats and dogs are more resistant than humans to bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella. One of the reasons those commercial pet foods are so processed is for the safety of pet owners, not pets, because the food that has been processed multiple times minimizes the risk of human infection from bacteria.
on the other hand
Where there is support, there must be opposition, and opponents of the argument that "cats and dogs are better for raw food" have raised many questions, arguing that there are only a few examples to show that raw meat is better, in other words, what those proponents claim Opinions are actually their subjective opinions and have not been proven by rigorous clinical trials.
On the contrary, there is a lot of evidence that "feeding your pet a raw meat diet that you think will work" is very dangerous. Relevant reasons include:
A high-quality commercial pet diet can actually provide your pet with enough nutrients for its current life stage. Trying to create a nutritionally balanced diet can be very difficult and can easily lead to certain types of nutrient deficiencies, especially for young, growing pets.
Bones in raw meat can break and then get stuck in your pet's throat or digestive system, blocking the digestive tract or cutting an organ. In addition, these broken bones are also very likely to break your pet's teeth.
Bacteria in raw meat are dangerous to pets and owners alike. Dogs and cats can suffer from persistent diarrhea as a result, and these bacteria can cause many other problems. In the case of cats, proponents of a raw meat diet claim that the cat's digestive system is more acidic, so it processes food faster, so bacteria can't divide and cause disease. In response to this view, animal nutrition expert Rebecca Remillard said: "This is completely nonsense. In fact, everyone's stomach is acidic, which is how we digest food." In addition, veterinarian Remillard said: "Promoting a raw meat diet The diet theories put forward by people are too vague, which can cause a lot of problems for pets, because they basically open the refrigerator and then take whatever they want to feed the pet, almost any raw food will be fed to the pet.”
An article in the March 2001 issue of JAVMA (Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association) compared a raw meat diet with a high-quality commercial pet diet. The comparison shows that there are clear nutritional and health risks associated with feeding pets raw food. All raw foods tested lead to nutritional deficiencies or excesses in pets. If these foods are used for long-term feeding, they are likely to cause serious health problems.
Veterinarian Remillard hopes the raw meat problem is just a blip. Currently, many people distrust pet food from big companies, and one of the reasons for this distrust is that the ingredient labels on many foods are confusing and scary (eg: when someone sees a food ingredient list) There are many additives in the food, it will be considered that this food is problematic). But in any case, the risks of a raw meat diet are also present, and the risks are considerable. So is it really worth the risk of feeding your pets raw food?