Is it really healthier to feed your pets raw meat?
Along with politics and religion, meat is fast becoming one of those topics that people generally don't agree with. The latest controversy involves pet food.
Some people, including some veterinarians, agree that raw meat is healthier for dogs and cats. They base their claim on the fact that more and more pet foods are being over-processed with many flavorings and preservatives (substances used to preserve food and keep it have a tantalizing taste).
They advocate feeding pets fresh, raw meat (and other raw foods such as vegetables). At present, the debate on this claim is becoming more and more heated, and related pet food company claims and counterclaims are heavily reported by various media. This article mainly introduces and explains the views of both sides.
Incidentally, those who hold the third position object to feeding dogs or cats any meat. Vegetarians and vegans (people who refuse to eat any animal products) believe they can create a suitable plant-based diet for dogs and cats. But this is actually a fallacy. While dogs can accept a carefully 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 their nutrition is relatively 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 "homemade method of raw meat and bones". For dogs, a healthy diet should consist of 60% raw meat bones, with the remainder consisting of a variety of foods dingoes will eat, including: green vegetables, eggs, milk, and some organs (such as: liver or kidneys) .
Combined diet. It's a diet that mixes grain supplements with raw meat.
on one hand
Proponents of raw meat diets argue that many commercial pet foods contain large amounts of toxins harmful to animal health, such as sodium nitrate, artificial flavors and other impurities. They also believe that these meat products have been overly processed and that they contain far less nutrition than pets need. "Doctors and nutritionists have been telling us for years that eating fresh, raw fruits and vegetables is important for our body's nutrient absorption," says veterinarian Jean Hofve in the July 2001 issue of Cats. For cats, eating fresh, raw, and cat-friendly foods is far better than eating only processed, preserved foods."
Dogs and cats that regularly eat fresh food should have better coats, fewer dental problems, fresher breath, and less body odour. In addition, dogs, especially cats, are natural carnivores, and they prefer to eat fresh and species-appropriate raw meat instead of processed food with many spices added. After all, the cat species originally lived by hunting and eating prey raw. Their nature, which has lasted for hundreds of thousands of years, cannot be dismissed by those commercial pet foods.
In addition, these proponents also believe that cats and dogs are more resistant to bacteria such as E. coli and salmonella than people. One of the reasons those commercial pet foods are so processed is for the safety of the pet owner, not the pet, as the food has been processed multiple times to minimize the risk of bacterial infection in humans.
on the other hand
Where there is support, there must be opposition. Opponents of the argument that cats and dogs are better off eating raw food have raised a lot of doubts. They believe that only a few examples can show that raw meat is better, in other words, what those supporters advocate. Views are actually their subjective views, and have not been proven by rigorous clinical trials.
On the contrary, there is a lot of evidence that "feeding your pet the raw meat diet you think is feasible" is very dangerous. Related reasons include:
High-quality commercial pet diets can actually provide your pet with enough nutrients for its current life stage. Trying to make a homemade nutritionally balanced diet can be very difficult and can easily lead to certain types of nutritional deficiencies, especially in young, growing pets.
Bones in raw meat can break and get stuck in the pet's throat or digestive system, blocking the digestive tract or cutting organs. In addition, these bone fragments have a high chance of breaking your pet's teeth.
Bacteria in raw meat can be dangerous for both pets and owners. Dogs and cats can suffer from persistent diarrhea as a result, and the bacteria can cause a host of other problems. In cats, for example, proponents of a raw meat diet claim that the cat's digestive system is more acidic, which means it processes food faster, so bacteria can't break down and cause disease. Rebecca Remillard, an animal nutrition expert, said in response to this point of view: "This is simply nonsense. The fact is that everyone's stomach is acidic, which is how we digest food." In addition, veterinarian Remillard said: "Advocating a raw meat diet People put forward diet theories that are too vague, and that creates a lot of problems for pets because they basically open the fridge and take whatever they want, almost anything raw."
An article in the March 2001 issue of JAVMA (Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association) compared a raw meat diet to a high-quality commercial pet diet. The comparison revealed significant nutritional and health risks associated with feeding raw food to pets. All raw foods tested resulted in nutritional deficiencies or excesses in pets. If these foods are used for long-term feeding, it is likely to cause serious health problems.
Veterinarian Remillard hopes the raw meat problem is just a blip. Currently, many people do not trust big business pet food. One of the reasons for this mistrust is that the ingredient labels of many foods are difficult to understand and also cause fear (for example: If there are many additives in the food, it will be considered that there is a problem with this food). But in any case, the risks of a raw meat diet also exist, and the risks are considerable. So is it really worth taking the risk of feeding your pet a raw diet?