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Do vets support raw diets, and is dry kibble truly healthy for pets?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Persian | Female | spayed | 11 years and 10 months old | 4 lbs

Does any vet here support a raw diet, i.e. Darwin or Rad Cat? It seems all vets I have talked to recommend pet food from the major manufactures who are unregulated or regulated by AAFCO who actually caters to the big pet manufacturers. Doesn't dry pet food keep the animal in a constant state of dehydration and for the most part contains several chemicals which might harm the animal? By products might have nutrition value but making pet food out of carcasses doesn't seem a good idea or healthy.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Published on July 1st, 2017

I personally support raw feeding diet but for most owners it will usually not work out. there are some good points in your posts, dehydration resulting from dry food can become a problem especially with cats (in theory, it has not been proven), many commercial foods contain many by products indeed and i personally believe those are very unhealthy. in my mind, if you afford and are willing to feed your cat a raw diet- then you should definitely go for it.

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on January 19th, 2018

    Great question! Dry kibble is better in that it helps keep tartar off the teeth, but wet food adds more moisture to the animal's diet. You can do dry kibble, but make sure they both have access to plenty of fresh water. You can also mix dry and wet together. Keep in mind that it is hard to get the correct balance of nutritions a dog and cat needs in a homemade diet, cats especially. This is because of their biochemistry. There are essential amino acids that must be present in their diet because they cannot synthesize them from other amino acids like dogs. I will put a link below to two websites I trust for homemade diets. Both websites are run by veterinary nutritionists, so you can be sure your dog and cat and getting the balanced diets they need to be healthy. Good luck, I hope this helps! https://secure.balanceit.com https://www.petdiets.com

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Related Questions

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I continuosly see posts about dryfood effect on heart diseas, FDA says. And most vets recommends dryfood instead raw food which is a real diet. Plus dogs need 12 aminiacid found in real food which cannot be found on dryfood. Why??
This debate is an ongoing debate, it's true dry diets are the most recommended diets and their advantages over raw diet is still debatable. regarding amino acids this isn't true, you do find all the amino acids your dog needs in dry diets, heart diseases have not been linked to dry diets either but i am not denying that raw food might very well be better for a pet's health. the main reason for recommending dry diet is because those diet are complete (unlike many raw diets) and safe on the pint of view of infectious diseases (which is not always the case with raw feeding). it's also easier for big companies to make dry food cost effective.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
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Hi, why you dont recommend for all pet owners to feed their cats and dogs raw food?. Since dry food and canned food are not healthy at all, containing carbs and starch, which leads to cancer. Today i made a research about Gluconeogenesis, which is th
Thank you for you post on Boop by Petco. I do agree that some canned and dry pet foods can have less then desirable ingredients. Therefore I only recommend those which have been tested. There are only three pet food brands which are fully approved by veterinarians. These are Hill's science diet, royal canin and purina pro plan. Only these three Have undergone detailed research to ensure they provide an adequate and nutritious diet for pets. This research is approved by veterinarians. Any other food brands may not be as regulated or researched as thoroughly. For this reason I would only advise feeding one of those three. In regards to raw food diets, there are undeniably benefits to this type of fresh, less processed food. The issue can be obtaining, and preparing quality enough meat to prevent infections from food borne pathogens. An alternative to consider to raw food diets are home prepared diets. This is what I serve to my own pets, and what I recommend to clients who have
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
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Is it true that dryfood label are written before they are been exposed to high temperature, then it will lose its nutrients?. I'm lost, many pages advice to switch to raw food since its healthier for pets because dryfood is causing many health proble
Dry food labels give the amount of nutrients that are contained in the finished product. Period. Be aware that pet food marketing is a serious business. And unfortunately, buzzwords and trend diets are generally used to sway your views towards whatever product is attempting to be sold to you, and these buzzwords don't have your pet's best interest at heart. I would encourage you to explore some sites published by those who have dedicated their careers to advancing veterinary nutrition. This is a great article about raw food: http://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2016/01/raw-diets-a-healthy-choice-or-a-raw-deal/ Scroll down to the 2nd 1/2 of the page for some common questions regarding pet foods. http://www.acvn.org/frequently-asked-questions/#choose This one is a bit long, but has some really good information: http://dels.nas.edu/resources/static-assets/banr/miscellaneous/dog_nutrition_final_fix.pdf Thank you for asking Boop by Petco!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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I was curious if changing my dogs food to a raw diet is more beneficial then feeding her dry kibble. I have read some things online about the raw diet and was wondering if it’s recommended.
For the vast majority of dogs, a raw diet is not recommended. Remember that you find all kinds of false information on line. Raw diets require careful formulation to be sure that they are balanced. Raw diets also pose a potential health threat to humans. That being said, there are a few dogs with specific disease conditions who may benefit from a raw diet but these are rare. Here are some links with good information: https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-health-literacy/get-facts-raw-pet-food-diets-can-be-dangerous-you-and-your-pet https://www.petcoach.co/article/raw-and-homemade-diets-what-you-need-to-know/ In general, commercial kibble is not only nutritionally balanced but it's also safer. I hope this helps.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
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Hi! I'm Yoon from Korea. :) I have a question. What do you think about Raw food for dogs and cats? I would appreciate it if you could reply to my question. :)
Hi Yoon! I never recommend raw food diets. There is no scientific evidence they are actually good for cats and dogs, they are often unbalanced, and they pose a health risk to both the pet and owner. Both pets and owners have gotten sick from bacteria like E coli and Salmonella with raw diets. The pets from eating it, and the owners from handling it and/or being licked by their pets (the bacteria lives on the tongue for a while after eating). I would feed them a commercial dry diet food. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
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I have a cat that is about 2 years old and she seems to be very healthy, however I read that I shouldn't give her dry food at all but instead feed her raw meat. I'm not sure if I should start feeding her that, feed her canned food or keep feeding her
Cat are obligate carnivores and eat to fulfill their protein requirement. Canned food is the best option in my opinion. Raw feeding is difficult to make sure that the diet is balanced with all of the nutrients needed. There is also a human and animal concern about contamination with bacteria when feeding a raw diet. Some cats will resist eating canned food if they have always been on a dry food. So, if you are trying to change, do it slowly. Sometimes, the best that you can do is supplement their dry diet with canned food if they are resistant to change. Cats can make themselves sick if they try to starve themselves. They need protein to move fat out of their liver. So- if she is resistant - make sure that she is eating something. Thank you for reaching out to Boop by Petco!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
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I feed dry food and wet food. Is that enough for her Or Should i switch to raw food
There is no evidence that raw food is safer or healthier for pets. A good-quality commercial cat food should be good for Litchi. As long as she isn't overweight, letting her choose wet or dry food is fine.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
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I am looking at making homemade dog and cat food for them..i have looked up good nutritious food but need to ask would just wet food be better or dry kibble..emmi is a 5yr old hyper active cocker spaniel she is about 15 pounds and doesn't gain weight
Great question! Dry kibble is better in that it helps keep tartar off the teeth, but wet food adds more moisture to the animal's diet. You can do dry kibble, but make sure they both have access to plenty of fresh water. You can also mix dry and wet together. Keep in mind that it is hard to get the correct balance of nutritions a dog and cat needs in a homemade diet, cats especially. This is because of their biochemistry. There are essential amino acids that must be present in their diet because they cannot synthesize them from other amino acids like dogs. I will put a link below to two websites I trust for homemade diets. Both websites are run by veterinary nutritionists, so you can be sure your dog and cat and getting the balanced diets they need to be healthy. Good luck, I hope this helps! https://secure.balanceit.com https://www.petdiets.com
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I have been hearing a lot about the Raw Food Diet for dogs and was wondering if this truly is the most nutritious option for my dog. If so, are there resources you can direct me towards?
Raw food diets are a huge area of controversy in veterinary medicine. Most vets will tell you that they aren't worth the risk and many websites will tell you that they are miraculous. I think (like most things) that the reality is somewhere in the middle. I tell clients that I don't think there is any benefit for most dogs to eat a raw diet over a fresh food diet and there are certainly risks associated with feeding a raw diet. My preference is a dehydrated diet (like The Honest Kitchen https://www.thehonestkitchen.com) or a freeze dried diet over a raw food diet. If you are interested in making a homemade diet, you could consider a recipe from Balance It (https://secure.balanceit.com/#). There are also a number of new companies that offer fresh food dets delivered to you, but I do not have as much experience with those. I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Boop by Petco.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
With so many new options in the pet food market like lightly cooked foods and raw is kibble inferior to these new options? Why or why not?
Great question!! This last decade has brought an incredible amount of new products to the shelves and I know it must be daunting and very confusing to consumers. Unfortunately, most information about these foods comes from the pet store employee or an equally unqualified source on the internet. It's very wise of you to ask an expert. The truth about most of these foods is that their claims usually amount to nothing more than that of a fad diet (i.e. paleo or atkins) and are not supported by sufficient evidence (even though they will make it sound like it is). As scientifically trained practitioners, us vets prefer to offer evidenced based treatment and the same goes for feeding suggestions. That back-story was all so I can give you the facts. Here they are: 1) Raw Food has no scientific evidence that it is better for your dog than cooked food and is actually more dangerous. 2) lightly cooked, grain-free, natural, etc. are really just marketing gimmicks meant to increase sales
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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