A raw food diet for dogs and cats is a natural and preferable grass fed meat diet. We recommend prey model feeding.
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I only feed my dogs pasture raised, organically fed meat that I source locally. I want to be conscious about the whole planet and my dog’s health for sure. The puppies are weaned directly onto raw meat pieces.
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Feeding whole prey and meat chunks is the 'closest to nature' method of feeding dogs. Our Carnivore pets are meant to be raw foodists. Meant to eat raw meat in other words. Not vegetables - not grains. Carnivores actually not have the digestive system for those carbohydrates, even though many dog enthusiasts are promoting vegetables with raw feeding, we don't recommend that style.
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Are Dogs Carnivores OR Omnivores?
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Just because pet dogs have evolved into a highly domesticated species with an extremely adaptive digestive system that has over the years enabled them to cope with their situation and life as an omnivore, eating all kinds of cooked foods, vegetables, grains and kibble does not mean that they are not true carnivores.
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In fact, they are for sure an obligate carnivore. Which means their system thrives on raw meat. They do not have the teeth, stomach ph or the digestive enzymes to digest carbohydrates.
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It is highly probably that most pet animals in the world today will probably never get the privilege of been fed a biologically appropriate diet, or receive all the incredible benefits.
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There are just too many issues around belief systems, whether it is due what your veterinarian told you, or even due to religious, economic, simply ethical reasons. It can also be related to sourcing those required meat proteins to make feeding our carnivores the appropriate diet even feasible. We still have the ethical issue of factory farmed animals and the impact on the planet. This is a very real issue that needs to be looked at for sure.
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With that being said, just knowing what a carnivore’s ideal diet should be is the proper foundation of any good nutrition program for our pets.
Many people still debate the question ' Are dogs carnivores or omnivores?' But the answer is clear by their digestive system: see more here: Why Cats and Dogs are Meant to be Carnivores
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Raw food vs. kibble diet for pets
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One of the main ways that naturopathic and holistic methods of pet care differ is that mainstream veterinarians don't recommend a raw diet for our carnivores. Most vets do not study much nutrition in vet school and what they do is sponsored by companies that sell vets pet food, such as Science Diet and Royal Canin.
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Traditional vets are mostly against feeding anything but kibble and canned foods because of this. This is what they were taught in vet school - kibble feeding is the only way a dog or cat can get a totally balanced diet. But it is nonsense. What are dogs and cats the only animals in the nature kingdom that need to eat cooked denatured food? Think about it.
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What many don’t realize is how and why the packaged dog food we feed our dogs got started.
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How dry dog kibble became popular
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What many don’t realize is how and why the packaged dog food we feed our dogs got started.
Well....the history of dry commercial kibble is all about profits. However, originally it was introduced because of the increased cost of food during the Great Depression. Kibble was heavily sponsored after the end of WWII when it gained popularity for its convenience, ease of supply and low cost when little else was so easy to come by for pet food.
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Jennifer Lee explains in her informative book, “The Inner Carnivore”:
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“During WWII meat and tin were both in short supply. This drove consumers back to dry foods for their dogs. In 1950 Ralston Purina was the first company to use an extruder to make dry dog food. Extrusion was a manufacturing process that Ralston was already using to produce Chex cereal. The production of enormous bags of dog food was in full production by the late 1950’s. By 1964 the national trade association of dog and cat food manufacturing launched a campaign to get people to stop feeding their pets anything except for packaged food. Feeding pets “people food” became branded as harmful. Companies began labeling their foods as complete nutrition, with no additional foods or supplements needed. A culture of dependence was then formed and adopted by the pet industries and veterinarians and is still in existence until this day.”
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In this modern era the species-appropriate raw approach to nutrition has gotten a foothold into the dog nutrition industry and is here to stay. There are many companies now manufacturing raw dog food, both frozen and dehydrated. These are trying to be balanced and better than most kibbles.
What I have come to understand after studying more about the natural approach and the philosophy of animal naturopathy is that top quality grain-free dry dog kibbles and even the freeze-dried raw diets are not quite what is appropriate to feed our carnivores.
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The most natural method of feeding is the ‘raw prey model’, which is what the most recommended feeding model by holistic vets and animal naturopaths is today. This means feeding raw meaty bones, and animal parts whole not ground up. This is so the animal gains the benefit for the jaws and teeth and inner carnivore vitality.
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