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Is feeding my pet a raw diet safe? What do vets really think?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Australian Cattle Dog | Female | unspayed | 6 months and 23 days old | 20 lbs

Hi, this isn't a top priority question, I don't want to get in the way of someone who needs a quick answer. However, I am curious: what do you think about Thomas Sandburg's Long Living Pets Research Project? I know that most commercial vets don't like pet parents to feed raw diets, but do Sandburg's results after 15 years make you change your opinion? I'm aware that there are many people who don't take time to research how to balance and can unknowingly harm their pets, so vets discourage it.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on August 7th, 2017

Hi, I think it's great you are asking about this. I know there is a ton of conflicting information out there and nutrition seems to be a topic that is always under scrutiny. Also, I was not even aware of Thomas Sandberg before I read this, so I had to do a little research on him. The first thing I noticed is that Mr. Sandberg has absolutely no credentials in the topic he is researching. Meaning, he has no degrees in nutrition, animal science, veterinary science, or anything related. I cannot tell if he even has a bachelors degree, but he definitely does not have a PhD. I don't mean to tear the guy to pieces here, but his lack of credentials tells me: 1) He does not know the depth science behind nutrition that would be required to carry out his research; 2) He does not know how to run a quality scientific experiment. This information alone tells me that whatever research he is conducting is not quality. However, possible that he is hiring a nutritionist to do the study...I'm not sure, because there seems to be a big lack of information regarding the actual research. The biggest problem veterinarians and veterinary nutritionists have with raw food, is that there is a concern for infection and that there is no good scientific evidence that it is more beneficial than cooked dog food. That is why we do not recommend feeding raw food: we don't think the risk of making you or your pet sick is worth it. I can probably write a novel about this topic, but instead, I'll give you a link to a credible source that discusses raw food. Please check this out: http://vet.tufts.edu/wp-content/uploads/raw_meat_diets_memo.pdf If you would like to discuss more, then you are welcome to start a consult with me. I hope this helps.

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    Answered By Bette Isacoff

    Dog Trainer

    Published on

    The problem with any kind of special diet, which may be somewhat beneficial but not really necessary, is that it may not be able to be maintained for a number of reasons. What happens, for example, if you are hospitalized for an extended period (even a few weeks)? If your financial resources change and you can no longer afford the foods, or if you are no longer able, due to physical or time constraints, to prepare it? The easiest way to understand this is to compare a dog's situation to a human's. I was a registered nurse at a hospital in The Berkshires of Massahusetts, which boasts many "healing, macrobiotic, vegan, holistic," centers (Kripalu, Kushi, etc.) and any other kind of diet and lifestyle you could imagine. Yet these devotees can into my care at the hospital with some regularity, and did not seem to live any longer than those who practiced reasonable dietary and exercise practices. Most dogs do very well on a good quality commercial dog food. Your time would be better invested in playing with, walking with, or training your dog . . . things you can enjoy together.

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