Raw Food FAQ
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Question & Answers
about Raw Food Diets for Dog's
Q. Why a raw meat diet?
A. The answer is very simple – undamaged enzymes and
amino acids! A raw meat diet contains natural digestive enzymes
and the most complete amino acid profile (the protein building
blocks) totally undamaged in this natural state. Many of the
important amino acids and all digestive enzymes are destroyed by
temperatures in excess of 120 degrees F. Most processed and
canned pet foods are cooked at temperatures in excess of 212
degrees F. Animals consuming some highly processed foods often
become nutritionally compromised and manifest dry and itchy
skin, dull coats, weight problems, lethargy, and many more not
so obvious symptoms.
Enzymes are essential biological catalysts that enhance the
quality and quantity of nutrient assimilation. This allows your
favorite pet to conserve its own enzyme energy for other
important life enriching health benefits such as longevity.
Wouldn't we all like our four legged
companions to live long, healthy and happy lives?
Q. Why is the diet all meat and why it doesn't contain
grains or vegetables?
A. Because some dogs are very active, they
consume increased quantities of food and extract and burn more
calories from their food. A good Raw Food Diets contain small
amounts of cereal to assist in the consumption of Carbohydrates.
Also, the extreme digestibility factor of this food demands the
extra fiber for stool formation. Cats and dogs that
consume cooked grains as their predominate pet food, too often
manifest very apparent nutritional deficiencies, i.e. Weight,
skin, and odor problems.
Vegetables, though not most carnivores preferred choice of food,
can be successfully added to meat diets, but should be
emulsified and fed raw to protect their natural digestive
enzymes for better assimilation.
Q. I am a vegetarian and have a hard time digesting meat
- why would it be best then to feed it raw to my dog or cat?
A. Human beings, being omnivorous (feeding upon animal
and vegetable food), do not have the digestive tools our ancient
ancestors had, and dogs still have, in order to handle raw meat.
Even though we would digest our meat better if eaten raw, we no
longer possess the tools to handle the bacteria as well as
carnivores do when eating or feeding on raw meat.
Q. Why does a raw diet seem to be lower in protein and
fat compared to dry food?
A. When comparing diets, one must always compare on a
dry matter basis to get equivalent values. When compared on a
dry weight basis, diets are not low at all, 44-50% protein and
29-35% fat. The more important aspect of protein is the quality
of protein, or the biological value (the measurement of how much
of the protein is actually turned into body tissue). Raw diets
are at the “top of the food chain” when it comes to
digestibility and biological value.
Q. Will mixing dry kibbled food with Raw Meat Diets be
harmful?
A. Many of our many people reportedly feed this way
successfully. However, the quality of the kibble should be
considered.
Many of them have so much poorly digestible cooked grains and
other ingredients that you are simply adding volumes of
fertilizer to your yard. In addition, the meat that goes into
most kibble is “meat and bone meal” this ingredient has been
cooked once to extreme temperatures only to be added then to
cereals and grains and cooked again. How much nutrition can be
left after that? Check labels and use kibbles that are
predominately meat based – not cereal, meat and bone meal or
chicken by-product meal.
Q. Why is there such a difference in the stools on Raw
Diets?
A. The high biological value of the protein in Raw Diets will
result in a large reduction in the amount and frequency of stool
elimination. Digestion studies done on Raw diets showed protein
absorption in the 90% range.
Most commercial pet foods are filled with indigestible (however
palatable) ingredients that cause dogs and cats to overeat which
creates the need to eliminate several times a day.
Animals on Raw Diets generally eliminate just once a day or even
every other day. In addition, this kind of digestibility greatly
reduces stool odor and is a healthy and more natural occurrence,
just as in the wild.
Simple test: Stools from well-digested
foods, when placed in water, “float like a boat.”
Q. Is it harmful for me to cook the diet before feeding
it to my dog or cat?
A Meat that is cooked above 120 degrees F loses its natural
digestive enzymes as well as some of the important fragile amino
acids such as Taurine.
The preventative health benefits of an uncooked, balanced, raw
meat diet can be seen in the testimonials of Raw food Diet
customers. Meat eaters, from small pet ferrets, through all
sizes of domestic dogs and cats, to the Carnivore Magnificent
lions and tigers build strong immune defense mechanisms on Raw
diets, protecting them from infection and affording them the
healthiest diet prescribed by Mother Nature - raw meat!
Q. Why do some animals apparently do fine on commercial
dry and canned food, and yet others do so poorly?
A. Some dogs, especially when they are young, have an
amazing ability to digest just about anything that looks like
food and do well on it. However, even they have a tendency to
degenerate as they grow older, usually at 4-5 years of age.
When the organs of the body, especially the all important
digestive machine, the pancreas, starts to age, it is much
easier on the animal’s system to be eating a diet with the
digestive enzymes still intact and undamaged by heat processing.
Raw foods provide this.
Numerous people from European countries who feed raw meat diets
confirm the health benefits and longevity of large breed dogs,
i.e. Great Danes, Rottweilers, Mastiffs, etc. to ages of 15
years or longer. This reality is nearly unheard of in our
country, except those companion pets on raw meat diets.
Q. Can dogs and cats get worms or diseases from eating
raw meat diets?
A. If fresh table meat (using common in-home processing
procedures) is fed without cooking, processing, or freezing,
diseases such as toxoplasmosis and intermediate stages of
parasites such as tapeworms could be transmitted.
Quality control methods include the instant freezing of products
to a –40 degrees F which deactivates such agents; both freezing
and freeze-drying procedures used in product manufacturing
eliminate bacterial growth, as well. Controls for the purpose of
maintaining superior pet food product quality and freshness.
Q. Are raw meat diets dangerous to feed because of the
possible contaminants of Salmonella and E-coli?
A. Bacteria such as Salmonella and E-coli are becoming
more difficult to control in today’s meat because of the
concentration of animals living in close proximity. Raw food
diets are not made from feedlot cattle, but from more
free-ranging cattle.
In addition, dogs and cats have a natural deterrent to ingested
bacteria due to their highly acidic stomach environment.
However, it is important to introduce any raw meat diet slowly
to their present food and gradually increase daily for 7-10 days
to recommended levels. This gradual increase allows your
companion pets the opportunity to adjust to, and take full
advantage of their ancestor’s food of choice – nutritionally
rich raw meat with minimum risk!
Q. You claim that the diet reduces tartar on teeth –
why?
A. Raw meat diets do not produce tartar on teeth for
one reason – enzymes. Raw meat left between teeth or along the
gum line will self-digest because of the un destroyed natural
digestive enzymes. On the other hand, cooked food particles can
remain on the gum line, setting up the perfect host for bacteria
to proliferate, causing tartar and bad breath. Excessive tartar
can cause periodontal disease.
Q. Raw food diet reduces bloat – why?
A. There are various probable causes of bloat?
Just the opposite seems true. Raw meat diets have a high
digestion and rapid absorption rate, which reduces the chance
for gases to form. Many customers have reported bloat and
flatulence disappearing after their dogs were fed on raw meat
diets.
Describing raw food diets is a hard thing to do without talking
about real life experiences of people that use raw food
regularly! That is why we used the Question and Answer format to
help you understand Raw food Diets for Dogs. |
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