Making your natural dog food from scratch is a great way to ensure his health and well-being. But which is better, raw or cooked food?
Our pets are now more understood, more valuable, and more expensive. We don’t want to lose them or see them in pain. We know more than ever before, the needs of our pets. It is important to take care of their teeth, their health, their coat, to watch their allergies, and their energy. We desire to feed them the best, but the supermarket is not the place to judge.
One lady sat down on the supermarket floor and taking each dog food available, studied the ingredients. Her little new dog was to be fed the best. She was unhappy with them all.
There are some foods that humans eat that are not good in any circumstance for any dog. Dogs beg and we tend to give them some of whatever we are eating. These foods should under no circumstances be shared with a dog:
- chocolate
- onions
- raisins or grapes
- bones cooked that splinter and will pierce the dog’s organs
We want to feed our animals the best foods possible if we can decide what are the best foods for them. It is hard to tell what is and is not good. Some arguments are conflicting. We hear advertisements, lawsuits, talk among friends, and reports of veterinarians. One advertisement purported that dry-cooked dog foods contained powdered meat.
Availability
Raw dog food
Today all types of pet food are readily available. The market has expanded as a pet, especially dogs, have become more costly and less loose to run about a neighborhood. Food can be made up exclusively for any animal, raw or cooked by feeding the makers the dog’s vitals. If the decision is to make the dog food at home, the next decision must be the dog nutrition needed. The proper raw dog goods to include in the meal must be bought. The food should consist of 10% starch, 40% protein, and 50% vegetables. It might be that different sizes, breeds, and levels of energy might require different varieties.
Raw dog food can be freeze-dried to make it light in weight for shipping and to preserve the taste, smell, and nutrition. It can be dehydrated for the same reason. It comes refrigerated or frozen and is found in the refrigerated aisle in a special box. Raw dog food can give variety to mundane repetitive dog food.
Cooked dog foods
Cooked food comes in refrigerated items, canned, natural dog food, and organic dog food. The cheapest and most common one, Kibbles. Kibbles in a can will be the same as dried Kibbles, same flavor and ingredients. Kibbles can be mixed with water, left overnight which will soften it and allow a dog who has few or no teeth to be able to eat it.
Natural dog food is processed with no unnatural chemicals. Natural food is often confused with organic dog food. Organic food is made with only those ingredients found on accredited organic farms.
Nutrition
Raw dog foods
The raw dog good foods have all the dog nutrition preserved in their original state. The ingredients can be:
- fresh lean meat,
- peas starch,
- oatmeal
- blueberries,
- corn gluten
- kale,
- probiotics.
- Sweetmeats
Raw dog good food does not have wheat, legumes, soy, or corn. It does not have fillers or preservatives that cooked food has. They need the preservatives for meat fat and gristle which will become rancid. The cooked dog food can have too much fat in it.
Because the food has less processing, it is higher in nutrients and has better absorption of those nutrients.
Cooked dog food
On the other hand, there is the argument that uncooked meat products might carry higher bacteria levels and thus be a danger. Pups should not be fed raw food.
Benefits of raw food
Some raw food positive benefits for any size or age dog are:
- ingredients can be seen.
- better digestion
- dog’s excitement at meals
- fewer sensitivities to food,
- better weight, improved skin, and coat.
- reduced chance of developing health conditions
Cooked foods lose some of their nutrition during heating. Some might contain sugar and low-quality ingredients.
Cooked dog food
Though the merits of raw food are enumerated, they may be unsafe because of the pathogens that can reside within because the food has not been heated. to high enough degree to kill them. All cooked food is complete to government standards and is safe and nutritious for our animals.
Cost
Raw dog food
If we decide to make our pet food, it will take time to prepare the food. Most of us do not have that time. If we decide to fix our dog’s food, we must prepare first, buy ingredients and set aside a time to do it regularly. The dog wants to eat each day. This makes the food cost rise.
Cooked dog food
As dogs get older, they lose teeth and need soft food that can work with their gums. Soft cooked foods are recommended. Dogs who are suffering from pancreatitis, cancer, or one of several other diseases cannot eat raw food. Their systems have less immunity and they need cooked dog food in which bacteria has been killed by heat.
Natural food for dogs would be fine for these dogs.
Some advantages of cooked dog food are the lower cost, the longer shelf life, and the ready supply.
The American Veterinary Association recommends cooked food. They “discourage the feeding to cats and dogs of any animal-source protein that has not first been subjected to a process to eliminate pathogens, because fo the risk of illness.”
Cooked foods are regulated by the government, state, federal, and local. The food must be labeled as to the contents, must be cooked in a sanitary place, must be balanced, and must contain edible ingredients. Cooked food can be soft in cans or hard like Kibbles. The two can be mixed.
Cooked foods can be organic, natural food for dogs, or general. All cooked foods contain preservatives.
Organic dog foods ingredients are raised with the same organic rules that human organic foods have. They have no pesticides or growth hormones. When in a rush, we can usually locate a bag of dog food at the local grocery store but it is hard to tell what is really in them because we don’t know what all the terms mean. Natural foods are more digestible because all the ingredients are closer to nature, not adulterated. They contain no chemicals, not of natural origin. Usually, natural dog foods do not use powders or fillers.
The AAFCO states that cooked food for dogs is adequate if the food is balanced and has enough dog nutrition.
Discussion
Both raw and cooked foods have significant-good qualities. There are several recalls of products that have killed dogs. We want the best for our dogs, but there is no way we can prepare for something like that. It happens and not on purpose. We want our pets to live full, energetic lives. All the products say they will give our dogs that. Reputably dog foods have balanced nutrition and much the same food elements. All products are rich in nutrients. It is hard to say which is best. When an animal is ill, we will do strange and labor-intensive things to help it get well. We will make their food and pray they will eat it. WE will try any or all of the dog foods out there. Then we will decide.
