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My dog's on a raw food diet. Is it healthy? What do vets think?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Female | unspayed | 1 year old | 59 lbs

What is the opinion of the doctors about feeding the dogs raw food diet and i found many many people on this diet and their dogs are so healthy ??

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Published on December 28th, 2017

Raw feeding is a very good option for many dogs, as long as done properly. hygiene and freshness of the ingredients are the key to this diet, it is important to get the raw meals from a good supplier, you will usually need a dedicated freezer to store the food. it is also very important to take the food out of the freezer not too long before giving it to your dog as it can go bad quite quickly when left outside.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Shaneez Wallani, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Raw diets are not recommended by the American Veterinary Medical Association due to the risk of transmission of food borne diseases to both pets and humans. Please see the following link for more information about this https://www.avma.org/KB/Policies/Pages/Raw-or-Undercooked-Animal-Source-Protein-in-Cat-and-Dog-Diets.aspx. If you are interested in alternatives to kibble or canned food for your pets, there as some great options for balanced cooked meals that you can try. You can visit www.acvn.org to find a board certified veterinary nutritionist in your area. If this is not possible, you can check balanceit.com for free recipes for meals for your dog that will provide her with the nutrition she needs. The ASPCA also has a free poison control app you can download for your phone to help you figure out what is and is not safe for Soska to eat.

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    Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

    Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

    Published on May 27th, 2017

    Raw diets can be a controversial topic in the veterinary community! I will preface my answer by saying that I do feed my own dogs raw, and feel that it has some benefits including improved dental health and fewer GI problems for one of my boys who has a sensitive stomach. I have also seen some client dogs with skin allergies that improved on a raw diet. That being said, it's important to understand that there are few, if any, scientific studies showing measurable benefits of this type of diet vs. a commercial dog food. You also have to be very cautious about handling raw dog food, since humans in the household can get Salmonella or other food-borne illnesses from contamination of your own food or cooking surfaces. Finally, it's very important to make sure that the diet is balanced, with a variety of different proteins, bone and organ content, etc. to avoid nutritional deficiencies. I would encourage you to do quite a bit of research on this if you think you may want to try it, as it's considerably more labor-intensive than feeding a regular commercial dog food. But it's possible that it could be a good choice for your dog if you are prepared to make sure you are doing everything correctly.

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    Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on November 30th, 2017

    In my personal opinion raw diet when done properly is excellent for your dog's health, you need to buy the raw diet from a renown source, it has to be high quality meat and fresh. you also must have a dedicated freezer in order to keep the meals otherwise it will turn bad real quick in the fridge. when feeding you must ensure your dog finishes the meal at once, whatever is left must be collected and not left outside.

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