Raw food diet YAY or NAY?

Raw food diet has been gaining much attention in recent years.

Many raw pet diet supporters claim that animals in the wild have always been eating whole uncooked preys. Hence, their pets should do better with raw diet. There are also reports of cats or dogs doing better on raw diet.

However, these studies do not have a control group and results have not been peer-reviewed. Raw food diet for pets could be sold commercially or home-prepared. Commercial diets are usually dehydrated or frozen to increase shelf life.

Most vets do not support the feeding of raw food or home-prepared meals. They may not be nutritionally balanced compared to the dry or canned commercial food we are used to. Yet, I believe that information is readily available nowadays and there are more well-informed pet owners out there. It is up to the owners to ensure that their pets well-being are not compromised. There are vet nutritionists out there who offer distant consultations. Nevertheless, I have several concerns regarding raw food diet, for example:

• Some raw or home-prepared commercial diets may not be nutritionally balanced. For instance, the lack of Taurine in some raw cat diets.
• Bacterial contamination – Mainly Salmonella, Campylobacter and E. coli. Pets could be unaffected but may infect their owners through handling of their stools.
• Raw bones may perforate intestines.
• Parasites in meat.
• Freezing will not remove all pathogens. Some bacteria survive well under low temperature.
• High bacterial load may lead to illness in immune-compromised individuals

It is important to read food labels carefully and question claims sceptically.

Remember that domestic pets have evolved with us over the years.