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Is a raw diet safe for dogs? What are the potential risks?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Yorkshire Terrier | Female | spayed | 1 year and 10 months old | 3.96 lbs

I’ve been seeing a lot of people changing to raw diets, what can dogs eat and not eat from a raw diet

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Penelope Graben, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on July 12th, 2018

Hello, Veterinarians generally do not recommend feeding raw diets. Raw diets are associated with serious food borne illness (food poisoning) and the nutritional imbalances are associated with heart and bone disease. I would not recommend feeding any raw meat or bones to any pet, at any time, due to risk of illness. If you would like to feed a home cooked diet, I would recommend using the website balance.it which is formulated by veterinary nutritionists at the University of California-Davis. This website can direct you on making a homemade diet that is safe and nutritionally complete for Molly. If you're looking to purchase any complete diet, I recommend feeding one that is formulated to AAFCO requirements for canine nutrition. These requirements are based off of evidence based canine nutritional studies and the diets are regularly tested to ensure they are meeting every essential dietary need. Most popular brands are formulated like this- Purina, Iams, Royal Canin, Hill's, for example. I hope this is helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Elva Ma DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on February 12th, 2018

    Hello, and thank you for your question. Raw diets are generally recommended only in particular cases of dietary sensitivity or allergy. For most dogs, the cons outweigh the pros of feeding raw diets. The risk of bacterial contamination is high, both for you and your dog. E.coli, salmonella, campylobacter, and listeria are just a few organisms that are commonly found in raw diets (even commercial frozen ones), that can cause serious illness in people and pets. If you are still determined to try a raw diet for Cooper, I would make sure to wash the food bowls in hot soapy water every time he has used them. I would also make sure to wipe the fur around his mouth as well after eating. Avoid letting him lick any young children or immunocompromised individuals. And of course, wash your hands well after handling any raw diets. I hope this helps, and that Cooper is happy and healthy!

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