Benefits of Raw and Cooked Dog Foods
Welcome back to our blog!
Today I wanted to talk about something that everyone has a different opinion on. As my mother says, opinions are like noses… everyone has one!
Raw vs. Cooked (or Homemade) Dog food. Which is better? What are the pros and cons to both?
As someone who has done both, I want to share my experience and what I have learned when doing extensive research on the matter. Feel free to leave your comments and opinions in the section below! It’s always good to have a healthy discussion.
Be warned: I am not going to sit here and tell you that one is better than the other. Everyone is different, and so are your dogs! What works for mine, may not work for yours, and vice versa. What I WANT people to take away from my blog is that there are better options out there than kibble. It saved my dogs life, and many others. As homework, please watch the documentary Pet Fooled – it really sheds light on behind the scenes of these kibble companies.
I want people to feel empowered to have a wholesome diet, throw that kibble away or add to it, whether that be raw feeding or home cooked meals. Read on, and decide what works for you!
Raw
Benefits
This is something my dog’s eat most of the time, at the moment. Why? Because they like it and they tolerate it.
- Raw is one of the best options because it isn’t highly processed like kibble, the ingredients aren’t cooked out from high heat levels and all of the nutrients are coming straight from the source. No added sugars, salts, just meat.
- Bones! Raw bones. It’s great for their teeth, full of calcium and such a great recreational activity. My dogs bones are ground into their raw meals, but they still get a duck neck or feet every few days as an additional treat and so they can work those jaw muscles!
- It’s what their ancestors used to eat and benefit the most from. The “Biologically Appropriate” diet. Balanced all their needs if done correctly!
- Less stool, less waste and healthier stool.
Cons
Personally, for my dogs, there hasn’t been any. But, for others there are!
- Some dogs can’t tolerate the raw meat. While dog’s bodies are made to be able to process raw meat (unlike humans), some dog’s lack the bile in their stomachs.
- They don’t like the taste – I’ve heard this a few times! Sometimes dogs are so accustomed to such flavored and sugared meals, having food that lacks added flavor is a hard adjustment.
- The owner can’t handle raw meat, or has a medical condition that prevents handling it.
- The dog has a medical condition that prevents raw meat from being in the diet.
It happens! Like I said at the start of this post, do what works for you and your dogs!
Cooked
(c)Photo credit: DamnDelicious.net
Benefits
I do not believed “cooked” meats should be highly heated whatsoever that the nutrients are cooked out, as that defeats the purpose. Lightly cooking meat is one thing, getting the edge off the raw meat, ect.
- Not raw – for those that can’t handle raw meat products, or dogs health condition prevents it.
- Dog may be more enticed to eat, as the cooked meat has more of a smell!
- Possibly less mess for clean up, less disinfecting.
- You can share! Sometimes. You might not want to eat chicken hearts, but if it’s a muscle meat you enjoy, go ahead! Just make sure you give the dog the UN-seasoned portion of meat before you season yours for dinner.
Cons
- Possibility to over cook, lower nutrient value.
- Can’t use cooked bones (as they splinter), so would still have to use raw bones.
- If not balanced, it’s a health risk (same for raw diets).
- Time – having to cook the food beforehand.
So as you can see, there are pros and cons to everything. I think the point is that YOU know what you are putting in your dogs food, you KNOW it is regulated and you know what you are giving is the best quality possible which can’t be said from kibble.
Did you know there was a man that won the Guinness World Record for having the oldest cat who, when asked how he managed to have the cat live so long, he replied, “I just added fresh foods to his diet!”
He managed to break this record twice with two different cats.
Let’s learn from his example! #freshfoodforthewin
Twitter : Facebook : Instagram : Pinterest
The post Raw vs. Cooked Meat for Dogs appeared first on For The Love Of Paws.
