In Defence of Raw Feeding

by Youlia Anderson

According to a poster hanging in my vet's office 85 % of all dogs in the USA are affected by periodontal disease (gum disease). I have to admit that my dog used to be a part of this sad statistic. Seeing tartar building up on my dog's teeth two months after a dental cleaning got me looking for some answers.

The idea behind feeding raw is so simple and so logical I can't believe I didn't think of it before. Dogs are carnivores just like their wild relatives - gray wolves. According to world-renowned microbiologist, Dr.Wayne, the difference between the mitochondria DNA of a wolf and a dog is less then 0.2%. "Dogs are gray wolves, despite their diversity in size and proportion; the wide variation in their adult morphology probably results from simple changes in developmental rate and timing." The Smithsonian Institute, in association with the American Society of Mammalogists, has adhered to the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature's revision of the taxonomic nomenclature from Canis Familiaris to Canis Lupus Familiaris. The domestic dog is now recognized by science as a subspecies of the gray wolf.

Frankly, I don't even need to know the DNA similarities between a dog and a wolf. Dog/wolf mating produces fertile offspring -- evidence that they belong to the same species. When we know that we are feeding a carnivore we only need to look at the diet that this species is meant to eat. Wolves thrived on the raw meaty bones of large herbivores for millions of years. Obviously the diet provided by Mother Nature served them well as they evolved or they wouldn't be around now.

Dogs were also thriving on raw foods until the idea of commercially-made food made an impact some 80 years ago. Your dog can share your bed and habits, it might need daily hair care and pampering but inside it is still the same dog as the one that shared the first meal with a cave man.

Commercial dog foods mostly contain loads of grains and strange ingredients unsuitable for carnivores.Dogs can't digest grains or vegetable matter adequately -- they don't have the digestive tract or enzymes to deal with plant material. The commercial dog food companies admit that they use grains because they are cheap.

Even kibble containing the highest percentage of meat is unsuitable for your dog. Cooking alters proteins, fats and carbohydrates and destroys enzymes, vitamins and micro-nutrients.

Look at the range of illnesses affecting our pets these days -- diet it mostly to blame. Over vaccination of course also plays it’s evil role. Processed food fed dogs suffer many immune disturbances resulting in what are often termed 'allergies'. Partly these allergies are due to the grains in the diet, partly due to the tartar build up on teeth. Tartar build-up and the resultant diseased gums put a heavy strain on the immune system and poisons are absorbed into the circulation.

In a recent veterinary article in a well-known dog magazine, the author identified dirty teeth as the most significant reason for kidney failure. Unfortunately, he didn't mention a diet of raw meaty bones as the best way of keeping your dog's teeth clean. Instead, he promoted the absurd "brush your dog's teeth" routine.

Step into any pet store -- there are dozens of products that claim to keep your dog's teeth clean. But they don’t work. I know this because I tried just about everything before I learned about feeding a diet based on raw meaty bones. Then I was amazed. I saw the change first-hand after switching my dog to a raw diet.

A raw meaty bones based diet is convenient and economical -- with huge savings on vet bills. Raw food fed dogs seldom need the vet.

Nowadays my dogs crunch on meat and bones rather than swallowing doom nuggets of unknown origin. Puppies develop beautifully on raw meaty bones using their shiny teeth in the way Nature intended. Feeding time is a pure joy now!

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