It is possible to make, buy, freeze-dry, dehydrate, or buy raw dog food. Organ and muscle meats, entire or ground bones, raw eggs, fresh fruits and vegetables that are acceptable for dogs, as well as a dairy product like yogurt, are typically included in a raw diet. Shinier coats, healthier skin, greater dental health, higher vitality, and smaller stools are some advantages cited by proponents of raw food diets.
Some veterinarians caution against feeding raw foods to dogs in families with small children or adults who have weakened immune systems. The handling, preparation, and cleanliness of raw food all call for extreme caution. It’s possible that dogs with pancreatitis, cancer, or other illnesses need heated food. Cooked food is also beneficial for puppies.
The American Veterinary Medical Association is against unrestricted feeding of raw foods and opposes “feeding cats and dogs any animal-source protein that has not first been exposed to a method to eradicate germs, because of the danger of sickness to cats and dogs, as well as people.”
Can I give my dog grocery store-purchased raw food?
According to an FDA research, it not only puts you and your family at risk but also puts your dog at risk. Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli, and other dangerous germs are frequently present in raw meat.
These dangerous bacteria are eliminated when meat is cooked to a safe temperature. You run an increased risk of your dog contracting a bacterial infection or contracting a foodborne illness if you feed your dog raw meat.
The likelihood that you or a member of your family will come into touch with the germs and get a foodborne illness is also raised. The danger of infection increases when handling raw meat, letting your dog lick your face, cleaning up his poop, or coming into contact with any infected surfaces.
We advise consulting the safety recommendations released by the FDA, CDC, or AVMA if you decide to feed your dog an RFD. By doing this, the likelihood of contamination and foodborne illnesses will be reduced.
It’s important to note that many therapy dog organizations, like Pet Partners, forbid dogs with RFDs from participating in their program. This is because the risk of eating raw food for the people they are trained to assist is too great.
How can I feed my dog raw meat the most affordably?
Feeding a well balanced raw species-appropriate diet results in less money spent at the veterinarian’s office, even if it isn’t always the simplest sale.
No matter what medications, dietary supplements, or other therapies you give your dog, none of them are as critical to general health as food, claim the authors of Paleo Dog. If an animal’s dietary requirements are not met, its body cannot mend. 3
Alternatively said, pay now or pay later. Additionally, paying now by giving your dog a healthy diet means both you and your dog will benefit from their longer, happier lives.
What does a life filled with health, happiness, and fewer medical expenses look like? Here is an example4:
Is it expensive to feed a dog a raw diet?
The price is one of the main barriers preventing pet owners from switching to a raw diet. It goes without saying that commercial raw dog food costs more than kibble. But after accounting for everything, how much money do you really save by purchasing kibble? Let’s see how much is covered in this blog post by Nicole Lindsley.
Cost: Kibble vs. 100% Raw Dog Food
Many people believe that the cost of raw food is out of their budget range. I contend and believe that anyone can afford a raw food diet with a little clever money management. You will spend roughly 1.5 times as much to switch to a raw diet if all you currently eat is high-quality, grain-free kibble. Whoa, that’s too much. There’s no way I can afford that. But wait, the cash levels aren’t as shocking as you would believe.
By initially calculating the weight of a cup of kibble, I was able to calculate the feeding costs of five of the best grain-free dry pet foods (4oz per cup). I next calculated the suggested feeding amount per cup and used a mathematical formula to find the weight it represented. In the end, I calculated that it would cost $1.66 a day on average to feed a 50-pound dog a grain-free diet. It would cost $2.38 extra per day if you switched to feeding only Steve’s Real Food. Although it appears expensive, it only amounts to the price of one cup of coffee, and even considerably less if you order the upscale lattes or cappuccinos. If you have a smaller dog, such as a 25-pound Cocker Spaniel, the price difference is considerably tiny at just $1.19.
Cost: 75% Kibble & 25% Canned vs. 100% Raw Dog Food
If you feed your pet a mixed diet, such as canned and raw food, the price difference becomes even less. I determined the cost and daily feeding amounts for giving premium kibble like NOW by Petcurean and PureVita’s canned food. If you feed 75% kibble and 25% canned food, a daily cost of $2.37 is involved. Steve’s diet would cost $1.67 more per day than that one. That amounts to a little more than a 3/4th increase for a vastly improved quality and nutrients. Keep in mind that a kibble and canned diet still excludes any raw, enzyme-dense nutrients.
Cost: 85% Kibble & 15% Freeze Dry vs 100% Raw Dog Food
Many people have chosen to use a freeze-dry product as a topping to provide raw nourishment to a dry diet. It is advised to add 8 oz of freeze-dry food topper to a kibble diet in order to fully benefit from the raw nutrition in these products. Comparing it to a diet that is 100% freeze-dried, it works out to be roughly 15% of the advised amount. As a result, if you are giving Petcurean 85% of the time and Stella and Chewy’s 15% of the time, you are spending $5.28 per day, over $1.00 more than you would if you were feeding a 100% Steve’s Real Food diet.
Raw Brands Vary In Price
It’s crucial to keep in mind that all of these cost comparisons apply only to switching to Steve’s Real Food and not to other raw food manufacturers. Compared to Steve’s Real Food, many raw foods are $1 to $2 more expensive per pound. Our MSRP per pound is kept at roughly $4.50 since we think that all pets should always be fed a raw diet. We achieve this not by using inferior ingredients, but rather by keeping our margins low and providing substantial package sizes. We are selling more volume at a lower price if the typical Steve’s Real Food client buys a 13.5# box as opposed to a Stella & Chewy’s consumer who buys a 6# box.
