Why I started feeding our dogs a raw diet

One week ago, I finally jumped over my own shadow and did it: I mixed raw, organic meat in with the pups’ dehydrated veggies without having cooked it first. 

You may wonder what brought about my change of heart?

Benefits of Raw Dog Food

Since my girl Missy kicked cancer’s butt about 2 months ago, I have done a lot of research on healthier doggie nutrition. The benefits speak for themselves:

As a consequence, I transitioned both Missy & Buzz from a high-quality kibble & wet food mix to a homemade diet using dehydrated vegetables & organic, cooked meat:

Homemade dog food with Dr. Harvey’s Veg-to-Bowl grain-free pre-mix

I have recently read on several occasions that cooking the meat as opposed to serving it raw actually gets rid of a lot of its nutrients. 

I also read that a dog’s stomach is really made to absorb & digest raw meat, unlike our human digestive system.

When I thought about it, it really made sense: after all, when our dogs used to hunt for their own food in the wild, there was no human available to cook it over a campfire for them, right? Of course not!

Our Raw Dog Food Consists of:

• Organ meat Muscle meat (chicken gizzards & hearts) – One of the raw feeding lessons I learned is that gizzards and hearts are considered muscle meat, not organs. Only secreting organs (learn more about feeding organs by clicking) count towards organ feeding.
• Organic ground turkey/beef/duck (from local supermarket & Darwin’s Natural Selections)
• Raw eggs about once or twice a week
• Seasonal fresh, organic fruit (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, pineapple)
• Dehydrated, grain-free vegetable mix from either Dr. Harvey’s (Veg-to-Bowl) or The Honest Kitchen (Base Mix)

What About The Potential of Bacterial Contamination When Feeding Raw Dog Food?

One of the concerns I had before feeding Missy & Buzz a raw diet was the potential bacterial contamination we might be faced with. After reading up on the matter & using my common sense, I realized that it really is no different than preparing a meal consisting of meat for us.

When I cut up a raw chicken breast for Ian & myself, I make sure to wash the cutting board & knife used with hot water & soap, and also clean up the countertop I prepared the food on.

Well, preparing the raw meat for our pups is no different than preparing our raw meat! The utensils & dishes used to prepare Missy & Buzz’s raw meat get washed with hot water & soap immediately after having used them.

The same goes for the countertops which came in contact with the raw food, and their food bowls get the same immediate washing with hot water & soap as soon as the pups have finished eating (that’s something I’ve always done, even when we fed kibble & wet food ~ I don’t like the sight of dried food residue..#OCD).

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