Is raw dog food safe and nutritionally balanced for my pet?

Question

In relation to this article on choosing right food for my 3 yr old dog. A friend swears by RAW food and that’s all she gives her little dog. What is your opinion of RAW food for my dog? Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | neutered | 3 years and 8 months old | 25 lbs

Jessica Desrosiers · Accepted Answer

Personally, I don't approve of raw diets as there are way too many issues with them. First off, you have to make sure you're sourcing products that are safe, however with any raw food you are always running the risk of introducing bacteria and pathogens not only to your dog eating it, but if your dog licks you or your family -- especially if anyone including your pet is immunocompromised. Secondly, balancing nutrition can be hard with a raw diet. It isn't a matter of just giving a piece of bone with meat on it and being done. You have to make sure there are the right balance of proteins, fats, carbs, vitamins, minerals, etc being given, and formulating the correct diet for your dog's needs can be time-consuming with creating food at home, regular vet visits and bloodwork to monitor nutrition, etc. It's often why people go for commercial diets as they are convenient, safer usually, and already nutritionally balanced. Thirdly, any sudden transition, especially a large one from commercial foods to raw foods can cause major GI upset in some dogs. It involves completely changing your dog's gut flora, which can take time and some stomach upset to deal with. That said, some diets that are freeze-dried/dehydrated or utilize whole ingredients (AKA semi-raw) such as Honest Kitchen, etc are pretty good and are a good compromise to an entirely raw diet. They're often slightly processed so safer to feed, and are pre-formulated to balance nutrition with convenience.

Is raw dog food safe and nutritionally balanced for my pet?

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