Should you feed your pet a raw food diet?
Dogs were domesticated from wolves approx. 10,000 to 135,000 years ago. Recent DNA research shows that this occurred in stages in different areas, and that not all dog breeds came from the same wolf or from the same demographic area. Domestication of cats started much later than it did for dogs, about 8,000 years ago, with full domestication taking place only 4,000 years ago. The primary ancestor of the domestic cat is believed to be the African wild cat, Felis libyca. During this time, dogs were hunters and cats were vermin killers on the farms. As we evolved from a hunting society to a farming society our needs also changed.
Dogs did not continue to hunt and eat raw foods once domesticated; they primarily eat out leftovers and scraps. Because we have not consumed a raw diet since fire was discovered, our dogs did not eat raw food either. Cats were domesticated for their ability to control small vermin on the farm, they have continued to eat a raw food diet for a much longer period of time.
Raw food diets are nutritionally superior to processed diets and are “what nature intended dogs and cats to eat.”
Myth: There is no scientific evidence showing that raw food diets are nutritionally superior to processed food. All processed foods are required to meet AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) standards. These standards can be met in one of 2 ways. They can be formulated to meet AAFCO standards or feeding trials can be done. Feeding trials are the preferred method, since this looks at the nutrient content and the nutrient loss due to processing and digestibility. Raw food diets overall are not marketed as “complete and balanced” and therefore do not meet AAFCO standards because they have not done feeding trials. Some raw diets have this claim and meet AFFCO standards, but this claim means that they are “complete and balanced” over a period of time, not for each meal. Some raw food diets may be nutritionally superior to some commercial diets, such as poor quality foods that have not gone through feeding trials, use lower grade ingredients, and have high cereal contents. Feeding any premium quality food would show an improvement just due to the increased quality of the ingredients used. Pet food manufactures know what changes occur with the processing methods and supplement as needed to maintain optimum nutrient levels.
Domesticated species tolerate bacterial contamination in food without problems, even if they are pediatric, geriatric or critically ill animals.
There is no scientific evidence to support this claim, and in fact 3 studies have found either bacterial contamination in the food or dishes or death related to pathogenic bacteria directly related to the diet being fed. (Freeman and Michel, 2001; LeJeune and Hancock, 2001; Striver et al., 2003) Many food borne pathogens can be found and cultured from these diets. 20-25 % of chicken carcasses intended for human consumption test positive for Salmonella organisms. E.coli has been identified in dog feces being fed a raw food diet. As much as 89 % of the commercially available raw meats may be contaminated with Yersinia enterocolitica. There are also food borne parasitic infections that can also affect dogs and cats, including tapeworms of the bile duct, pancreatic duct and small intestines; the giant kidney worm, raccoon roundworms and Sarcocystis spp., Toxocara canis and Tricenella spiralis.
Uncooked food is more easily digested because it contains enzymes that cooking destroys.
Some nutrients are destroyed by heat, but not all heat sensitive nutrients are eliminated during the cooking process. This is dependent on how the food was processed, stored and cooked. Heat can affect proteins. Proteins can be denatured. This happens with egg whites when they are cooked – the albumin becomes denatured and easier for the body to digest. Some proteins in meat also exist as enzymes. Raw food manufactures say that these enzymes become inactive when cooked, but these enzymes also become inactive when the meet up with the digestive enzymes in the stomach. There are other enzymes that are resistant to digestion and may or may not be affected by stomach acid or heat from cooking. For the enzymes that are affected by heat there is little evidence to suggest that they are more beneficial to animals that eat them raw. As carbohydrates are heated and cooled with water, the cells undergo a process called gelatinization. The greater the degree of gelatinization, the greater the degree of digestibility. The central nervous system and the red blood cells need glucose for energy, and this is most easily obtained from carbohydrates. Remember that an excess will be stored as glycogen and fat.
Since there are no feeding trials done with the majority of raw food diets, their nutrient content, digestibility and supplementation levels are unknown. By using raw meats you are leaving yourself and your pet open to bacterial or parasitic infections, and there is no guarantee of improved health.
Samantha
Reg. AHT
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