Good night!
Doc of All Trades
September 3 at 3:57 PM ·
Its been awhile.... RAW DIETS
Unfortunately, there’s a lot of misconceptions surrounding raw feeding and alleged health benefits.
The American Animal Hospital Association, American Veterinary Medical Association, Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, World Small Animal Veterinary Association, Food & Drug Administration, and Center for Disease Control ALL currently advise against feeding companion animals meats that have not been processed to eliminate pathogens.
Links to their statements can be found at the end of this post.
There’s a number of reasons why, but it ultimately boils down to a risk-benefit analysis. We know there are dangers associated with raw feeding, and we have no documented evidence of significant benefit to outweigh those risks. Additionally, many home made raw diets are not appropriately balanced for complete nutrition.
If you are interested in feeding a raw diet, you should consult with a boarded Veterinary Nutritionist (DACVN) to discuss options.
I’ve written about raw diets here: https://www.docofalltrades.net/2019/03/pet-food-facts-fiction.html?m=1
Here are some studies on the subject of raw diets.
1: “The genomic signature of dog domestication reveals adaptation to a starch-rich diet” www.nature.com/articles/nature11837
2: “Perceptions, practices, and consequences associated with foodborne pathogens and the feeding of raw meat to dogs” www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2684052/
3: “Raw diets for dogs and cats: a review, with particular reference to microbiological hazards” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/31025713/
4: “Tuberculosis due to Mycobacterium bovis in pet cats associated with feeding a commercial raw food diet”
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1098612X19848455
5: “Enteropathogenic Bacteria in Dogs and Cats: Diagnosis, Epidemiology, Treatment, and Control” https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1939-1676.2011.00821.x
6: “Intake of minerals, trace elements and vitamins in bone and raw food rations in adult dogs”
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-nutrition/article/intake-of-minerals-trace-elements-and-vitamins-in-bone-and-raw-food-rations-in-adult-dogs/7520574DA173F4DB29330A6F858DE0E0
7: “Evaluation of recipes of home-prepared maintenance diets for dogs”
https://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/full/10.2460/javma.242.11.1500
8: “Raw food diets in companion animals: A critical review”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3003575/
9: “Apparent total tract energy and macronutrient digestibility and fecal fermentative end-product concentrations of domestic cats fed extruded, raw beef-based, and cooked beef-based diets”
https://academic.oup.com/jas/article/90/2/515/4764443
10: “Raw meat-based diets for companion animals: a potential source of transmission of pathogenic and antimicrobial-resistant Enterobacteriaceae”
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.191170?fbclid=IwAR32NQaCjJuqLqVOD7iC2phMpxzVbvOBjuJmvqBKNV5Iq-QQbyEy15HWYVU&
"RMBDs have a high risk for contamination with bacteria, parasites, and other pathogens. In addition to the risks of nutritional inadequacy and contamination with bacteria and parasites, other health concerns for an animal eating a RMBD include risks from ingestion of bones if they are included (e.g., constipation, diarrhea, dental fractures, gastrointestinal obstructions) and diet-induced hyperthyroidism from excessive ingestion of thyroid tissue. There is currently no properly documented evidence of health benefits for RMBD, but there are well documented risks. As such, the World Small Animal Veterinary Association Global Nutrition Committee recommends that RMBD not be fed to dogs and cats."
https://www.wsava.org/WSAVA/media/PDF_old/WSAVA-GNC-raw-diet-statement-12-3-14.pdf
"At this time, the vast majority of purported benefits of feeding raw foods remain unproven, while the risks and consequences have been documented. It is best to discuss the choice of feeding raw foods with your veterinarian so that an informed decision can be made with regard to your pet’s diet."
https://acvn.org/frequently-asked-questions/#canned
"The AVMA discourages the feeding to cats and dogs of any animal-source protein that has not first been subjected to a process to eliminate pathogens because of the risk of illness to cats and dogs as well as humans."
https://www.avma.org/KB/Policies/Pages/Raw-or-Undercooked-Animal-Source-Protein-in-Cat-and-Dog-Diets.aspx
“RAW PROTEIN DIET
Past proponents of raw food diets believed that this was the healthiest food choice for pets. It was also assumed that feeding such a diet would cause no harm to other animals or to humans. There have subsequently been multiple studies showing both these premises to be false. Based on overwhelming scientific evidence, AAHA does not advocate nor endorse feeding pets any raw or dehydrated nonsterilized foods, including treats that are of animal origin.”
https://www.aaha.org/about-aaha/aaha-position-statements/raw-protein-diet/
"The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) accepts the evidence for potential health risks to pets fed raw meat-based diets (RMBDs), and to humans who are in contact with RMBDs, or with pets fed RMBDs. The CVMA holds that the documented scientific evidence of potential animal and public health risks in feeding RMBDs outweighs any perceived benefits of this feeding practice."
https://www.canadianveterinarians.net/documents/raw-meat-based-diets-for-pets
Caitlin M | DVM Student
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