What’s the story with digestibility of raw vs. cooked meat for dogs?
Raw meat may be closer to a dog’s natural diet, but cooked meat may both be easier for you to handle and for your dog to digest — and it may even get your pooch more excited about eating. The reason comes down to digestion, smell, and texture.
First, let’s discuss digestion. Dogs need to get the majority of their protein from meat. Many raw dog food diets are 90%+ meat — but too much of a good thing may not be the best for your dog’s digestion. Diets that are this high in meat are also high in fat. For some dogs, excess fat can lead to digestive problems.
With gently cooked foods, more vegetables are incorporated into the recipe. This offers more healthy sources of fiber to aid in digestion. In short, if your dog has a sensitive stomach or seems to have trouble digesting a raw food diet, gently cooked foods could be the perfect solution.
Next, let’s discuss cooking. The thing is that cooking makes meat taste better! Meat that gently simmers along with other tasty and beneficial ingredients — like parsley for sweet breath, and more — gets tender, tasty, and fragrant. A picky dog may prefer cooked meat over raw food simply because cooked meals smell so amazing.
Definitely choose a raw or gently cooked food option for your dog before dry food. There’s no research that proves whether raw or cooked meat is more digestible for dogs, but there is research showing that animals digest whole food diets better than kibble or other highly processed canned foods.
If you choose a cooked meat dog food, look for gentle cooking methods, like sous-vide cooking, and minimal processing that allows whole food nutrition for your dog. A Pup Above is a great example.
Do vets recommend feeding dogs raw meat?The American Kennel Club (AKC), American Veterinary Medical Association and other groups discourage pet owners from feeding dogs raw or unprocessed meat, eggs and milk. Raw meat and dairy can carry pathogens, like E. coli, listeria and salmonella, which can make pets and people sick or even cause death.
Avoid using seasonings in the cooked meat for your dog. Onion and garlic can cause anemia in your pet that can lead to vomiting and breathlessness. Other spices and seasonings, such as salt, can also cause problems. Too much salt in a pets diet can cause sodium ion poisoning. Baking soda, baking powder and nutmeg are among some of the pantry items that could make your dog deathly ill.
While the natural diet of dogs is raw meat and vegetables, raw meats may contain bacteria, such as salmonella and e. coli, and parasites that can make your pet sick. By thoroughly cooking meats, you rid the meat of these dangers and still provide your pet with the benefits of an all-natural diet. Make sure the meat is fresh and free of fat, gristle and bones that may splinter or get caught in your dogs throat. In other words, if the meat or meat byproducts are not good for a human, they are likely not good for your pet, either.
When commercial dog foods no longer appeal to you or your dog, an all-natural diet that is high in protein and nutrients is the obvious alternative, but you need to decide on a raw meat or cooked meat diet. Both diets have pros and cons that need to be considered before feeding your four-legged friend.
Avoid drastic and sudden changes in your pets diet from a commercial dog food to a cooked meat diet. The shock to your dogs system may cause him to get sick. Rather, begin by mixing a little cooked meat with his regular dog food and gradually — over the course of a couple of weeks — add more meat and vegetables as you decrease the amount of commericial dog food.
An all-meat menu will not provide your pet with a balanced diet. Just like humans, canines need a healthy mix of fruits, vegetables and grains. Commercial dog food producers carefully gauge the amount of each nutrient that is needed for a pet. You will want to do that for your pooch, too, based on your veterinarians recommendations. Specific health conditions, age, dog breed and size are all factors that play a role in determining the balanced diet needs of your pet.