Raw Food Benefits and Negatives

The first thing that needs to be addressed is the difference between raw and home cooked. The benefits of raw come in the fact that it is raw. It is the same ingredients you will find in high quality kibble, the difference comes in the fact that when dog food is cooked many of the proteins and fats are lost in the cooking process, as well all beneficial bacteria that relate to the digestive benefits of raw are lost. What to take from this is that home cooked food is NOT raw and therefor eliminates the benefits over good quality kibble. Many home cooked diets are also lacking in nutrients that simply cannot be obtained in most health food stores or supermarkets.

If someone were to ask me what is the best food you can feed your dog. Based on simply observation you can say with certainty that Raw Food will make your dog the healthiest he will ever be. Listening to the negatives such as the lack of studies is simply people trying to push you towards a food that they sell. Studies are not needed to show that Raw is better for your dog. He eats less, poops less, his coat is shinier, he has more energy. The fact that the food is raw speaks simply to the nature of the animal, we know wolves eat raw and wild dogs as well. So why doesn't everyone feed raw?

Raw food is not for everyone. First and foremost, when you take a field of dog food like raw, and look at the fact that the majority of the raw companies on the market don't offer full nutrition, it makes you realize that the food is not the problem, but some of the companies that make it. The same can be said for kibble, foods containing euthanized animals, road kill and saw dust can be found at many stores and reputable businesses. Raw is new, and therefor not well controlled. You can still feed raw, you just need to make sure you have a trustworthy and knowledgeable person selling it to you and you should always do your own research for any food you choose.
With Raw make sure it meets the following basics:
- Certified by a reputable organization of government
- Recall free, by far the most important. Raw can kill.
- The company has knowledge in pet nutrition and is not a butcher or other business trying to jump in on the popularity of raw.

At the end of the day feeding your dog the best food, might not be the best, remember that you can't really travel with the food, you need to defrost at most 3 days of food at a time, you need to clean your bowls regularly and you will want to be very careful around children. Dogs have very acidic stomach acids that can destroy bacteria like salmonella, children do not.