WHY RAW IS THE BEST DOG FOOD

This week on the blog I cover why Raw is the Best food for Dogs - it's just what makes sense. Watch the full live on instagram or facebook.

All pet food manufacturers say that their food is best.  Whether it be kibble (dried food) or wet or canned.  There are even some that claim cooked food is best. 

When considering what is best, take a word of advice from a pet nutritionist and that is:  “What makes sense?” 

And what makes sense is raw, because it is biologically appropriate for your pet.   

You may see the term BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food OR Bones and Raw Food) pop up frequently and that’s because the raw dog food movement is growing in popularity among dog owners who highly value the health of their dog. BARF is a relatively easy concept to understand.

Like me at the beginning of my journey creating Frontier Pets I had a load of questions like what does it really mean? Is a raw diet beneficial and why? And, Ultimately, what’s best dog food for your dog?  

Here’s an insight into what I found… 

Dr Ian Billinghurst, the father of BARF feeding explains; 

“The raw feeding program is about feeding dogs and cats the diet they evolved to eat over millions of years of genetic adaptation.”  

And states that “if we want our dogs and cats to reach their full genetic potential in terms of health, physical activity, longevity and reproduction we must match or closely mimic their evolutionary diet”.  

The benefits of feeding a raw diet to your dog: 

• Higher energy levels. The BARF diet does not promote the feeding of grains. Your dog will get their energy resources from slow-release carbohydrates (protein, sweet potato, leafy greens).   
• Healthier Skin. As the BARF diet is gluten free. Many of the commonly occurring skin irritations and conditions in dogs come from gluten, without it, you will be eliminating the potential for these skin conditions to develop.  
• Cleaner Teeth. If you think that dogs need kibble to clean their teeth, I’m afraid you have been misinformed. Kibble is heavily processed and causes decay in your dog’s teeth. The only thing that will clean your dog’s teeth, is a raw meaty bone. We recommend feeding your dog a bone once a week and leaving them to chew on it for no more than two days.  
• Smaller and less smelly stools (and farts). A healthy raw fed dog or cat tends to produce significantly less poo that is also smaller than that of a kibble fed dog. This is because your dog is using up more of the nutrients in their food.  

SHOP RAW FOOD

Potential threats of feeding a raw diet to your dog: 

• Health concerns. Some fear that bacteria in raw meat could be harmful to your pet. By feeding human grade, free-range meat you are eliminating this risk.  
• Unbalanced Diet. If you’re planning to feed raw, we recommend doing your research so you can ensure your dog is getting all the essential nutrients he needs. Once you have a sound idea of the BARF diet, it becomes relatively simple.  Or better still, get Frontier Pet food.  We’ve done the work for you.  You just need to add water. 

Potential threats of not feeding a raw diet to your dog; Commercial canned and dry pet food, are;  

• A prime cause of periodontal disease in all breeds of dog and cat.  
• Associated with gas accumulation and twisting of the stomach, generally with fatal consequences.  
• A common cause of diarrhoea.  
• Cause intestinal allergies, associated with skin itch and behavioural changes.   
• Prime cause of flatulence and offensive odour in dogs.  

It’s important to note that a raw diet is not a new trend nor is it a fad, rather this diet is based on the pre-existing diet our pets have eaten for millions of years.  

It is only in the last 70 years or so that pet food manufacturers worldwide have conditioned consumers to believe that heavily processed tinned pet food and kibble are what’s best for your dog. If you think about it logically about it, it just doesn’t make any sense.  

The promotion of dried and canned food has been made popular through the support of vets by Hills and Royal Canin - two of the biggest suppliers of heavily processed pet foods here in Australia – both of which are owned by offshore big brands Mars and Nestle. 

Veterinarian Ian Ballinghurst states  

“As a profession we will shortly be hanging our heads in shame as we realise that we have acted as unpaid sales staff for an industry that has not promoted the health of our clients’ pets.

An industry that has pushed products that are clearly and demonstrably responsible for much of the misery suffered by pet cats and dogs in the western world while generating huge profits”.  

Raw feeding can be overwhelming, as well as research and labour intensive, so it makes sense that grabbing a bag of kibble from your local vet is an easy choice for many first-time pet owners.  

If you want to give your pet the best pet food available and don’t have the time to home prepare, there are plenty of Australian dog food companies like Frontier Pets who have produced a range of raw dog food, that is biologically appropriate, meets all your dog’s nutritional needs, is preservative free and is the same as a home prepared meal without the hassle.   

Remember, Frontier Pets food is made completely from human grayde, free-range ingredients and is Australian owned.  

If you’ve got any questions for us, contact us at info@frontierpets.com.au or give us a call on (02) 6682 4163. 

References

Raw Meaty Bones, Tom Lonsdale  - Raw Meaty Bones - Tom Lonsdale - Google Books  

Dr Ian Ballinghurst - Pet Nutritionist - Dr Ian Billinghurst  

Australian Veterinary Association, Annual Report 2020 - annual-report-2020.pdf (ava.com.au)