Raw VS Cooked Dog food
The raw dog food diet; Is it safe?
There is an ongoing debate about raw vs cooked dog food. Those in support of the raw food diet generally believe that everything you feed your dog, including meat, should be served raw. But what are the risks?
Proponents of the raw meat diet believe that it provides dogs with a more natural protein source. Is that truly the case? If so, are there potential health risks to feeding your dog raw meat?
The raw pet food craze has taken off over the last couple of years, but is it good for your pets? Unfortunately, the industry seems willing to oblige without offering scientific evidence that the raw diet as we know it is safe.
We dive deeper into the question and discuss a safe, healthy alternative. But, first, we must discuss your dog’s dietary needs.
Are dogs carnivores?
It is important to know what kind of feeder an animal is before one can make any assumptions about its dietary needs. Therefore, whether dogs are carnivores, similar to cats, or omnivores, like humans settles the debate around raw vs cooked meat.
It might also sound like a simple question, but scientists have debated whether dogs are carnivores or omnivores for decades. One argument is that dogs descend from wolves, but this is not a useful bit of information.
After all, birds descend from dinosaurs, and we have yet to spot a flying T-Rex. Birds, like dogs, adapted to their environment over time. The difference is that humans moulded the environment in which dogs became what they are today, especially regarding food.
Dogs and modern wolves may share an ancestor, but their gut microbiome has changed completely over the millennia they have spent with humans.
It isn’t easy to buy into the idea that dogs are essentially biologically similar to wolves when one looks at a chihuahua or a boston terrier. Dogs are not wolves. So why do people still get confused about it?
The genus vs species debate
One of the most confusing things about dogs and their relation to wolves is that they can interbreed. So if two different members of the same genus can produce viable offspring, those offspring will always be sterile.
However, the technical term ‘species’ is a technicality. The entire concept of grouping animals into categories and subcategories is just a way for us to make sense of the ‘tree of life.
We find evidence of such flexibility of these definitions in our history. For example, humans successfully produced fertile offspring by pairing with neanderthal, a different hominid species. To this day, some of us still carry those genes, even though we humans, as a species, are distinct.
And just as their appearance has become distinct, so has the dog’s physiology. So what does the science say?
Scientific evidence that dogs are omnivores
It is strange to think that there is a heated debate around something we all already know. We intuitively know that dogs are omnivores because that is how we feed them. It’s how our parents, grandparents, and ancestors fed dogs.
However, that is not scientific, and if we are going to get to the bottom of why raw meat is bad for dogs, we must have the full picture. What then are the scientific facts that suggest dogs are omnivores?
Amylase
Well, dogs have two important adaptations, and wolves don’t. One is the enzyme amylase. Present in the digestive system of both dogs and humans, amylase aids in digesting carbohydrates.
More specifically, it catalyses the hydrolysis of starch. That is a fancy way of saying it is important to have if you plan on digesting starchy foods and grains.
Obligate carnivores like cats don’t produce amylase in significant volume. The difference is stark when we compare a dog’s microbiome to that of a cat. A dog’s microbiome resembles a human’s more closely than any obligate carnivore’s.
And that makes sense; they have been eating our scraps for ages. So it makes sense that they would have transitioned as they grew more dependent on humans for food.
Taurine
Naturally, one enzyme is insufficient to make a definitive scientific call on the matter. However, amylase is not the only adaptation that would indicate that dogs are omnivores.
Most obligate carnivores can’t produce the amino acid called taurine. That means that animals like cats get all of their taurines from meat.
Without dietary taurine, a cat’s body starts digesting its muscle tissue. However, dogs don’t have this problem.
That is a major advantage if your diet lacks a steady stream of raw meat. If dogs were obligate carnivores, they would not need this adaptation. If you eat mostly meat, your body won’t waste resources on such adaptations.
Dogs are susceptible to meat pathogens
Another clear indication that dogs can’t eat a completely raw meat diet is that they are susceptible to pretty much all the same pathogens that we are.
Such pathogens include salmonella, escherichia coli, listeriosis, spirocerca lupi, and dozens of parasites. Wolves, cats, and other obligate carnivores produce enzymes that combat many of these pathogens.
Furthermore, they have immune functions that combat some of the pathogens that make it past their digestive system. These are all adaptations that dogs have lost.
The only reason that would happen is that they stopped eating completely raw meat thousands of years ago. If so, their digestive system would no longer need to host enzymes and microflora to defend against common meat pathogens.
For many dog owners, this settles the debate of raw vs cooked meats. No one wants to put their dogs at risk when there are alternatives.
Then why do people feed dogs raw meat?
The reason people believe that raw meat is good for their dogs mainly comes from abstract nutritional data. Such data lists the nutritional value of food without consideration for potential pathogens.
Raw meat would be a fantastic addition to your dog’s diet in a world where such pathogens do not exist. The problem is that they do, but many professionals choose to share the abstract data without taking risks into account.
Once the idea that raw meat is good got around, many well-intentioned people started echoing the idea, along with facts that left out some important information on the topic.
There is no reason to suspect any ill intention from anyone, and the consequences of the raw meat diet would only surface as the diet became more widespread. Fortunately, the news is spreading, and people are searching for safer alternatives.
So what should I feed my dog?
Not Kibble
One of the most challenging things about finding the right diet for one’s dogs is that it’s a matter of nuance. While many of us are inclined to switch to the opposite extreme when something doesn’t work, the solution to this dilemma is a small change in preparation.
Taking extreme measures, like switching to kibble, is not the solution. It may seem safer in the short term, but the mid to long-term health problems are both concerning and dangerous to your dog’s health.
Facts over fads
Rather than replacing your dog’s diet with something just as– or potentially more dangerous, you need sound advice and proven facts. After all, there is a lot of merit to the idea behind raw food diets.
It’s just that raw meat presents a serious problem. But surely there is a solution to the problem? While many grains and herbs are great for your dog’s health, there are serious risks associated with cutting meat from your dog’s diet completely.
What if you didn’t have to feed your dogs raw meat but could still ensure they get all the nutrition they need?
The VONDIs difference
Over the years, we have seen many fad diets come and go. But, sadly, when it comes to pet nutrition, many dogs usually succumb to these fads before people realise they were wrong in trusting such diets.
That is why we don’t follow such trends. Instead, we at VONDIs dedicate time to ensuring, through scientific research, that our food is healthy, nutritious, and safe for your pets to enjoy.
That is also why we discuss raw meat rather than raw food. Furthermore, we agree that overcooking meat strips it of essential nutrients.
Our research found that the solution is finding a balance, as it so often is. We have found that meat should undergo cooking at no more and no less than 72° celsius.
All it takes to keep your pet safe – 72° degrees
72° degrees eliminates the risk.
Kill pathogens and parasites – 72° degrees
72° degrees is the responsible thing to do
Our methods of preparing meat preserve all the natural goodness of meat while offering your pup a safe meal. We at VONDIs believe in whole foods and keeping food as natural as possible without risking your dog’s health.
VONDIs has been producing natural pet food for 21 years and is a registered nutritional pet food manufacturer.
In closing
Many people promote the idea of feeding dogs raw meat to offer them a diet that is ‘more natural’—this idea rests on the fact that dogs share an ancestor with modern wolves.
Unfortunately, that is a bit of an oversimplified take on the issue. Dogs have changed dramatically since branching off from their wolf cousins. There is some debate over just how long ago dogs were domesticated.
Some estimates put it as far back as thirty thousand years. However, reliable science indicates that dogs started living alongside humans around fifteen thousand years ago. Either way, it is a very long time.
During that time, dogs learnt to eat what humans eat, and their bodies changed accordingly. As a result, they lost some digestive functions and gained others. Today, the dog’s digestive system and gut microbiome reflect that of an omnivore.
Therefore, raw meat poses many of the same dangers to dogs as it does to humans. In addition, many pathogens can cause serious, sometimes fatal, health problems.
The solution is not to completely change your dog’s diet. Instead, you can replace raw meat with a safe alternative like VONDIs scientifically formulated, 72° celsius recipes. Our formulae maintain nutrients while removing health risks.
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