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Are domesticated dogs “capable” of eating raw foods?
The answer is absolutely, YES!
Although human intervention and selective breeding of dogs has, in some cases, dramatically altered the external appearance of our domesticated dogs, the internal functions of all dogs remains fundamentally the same as that of their historical ancestors. Their digestive systems and the manner in which food and nutrients are utilized by the body for growth, maintenance, repair and reproduction is unchanged.
Is it O.K. to feed my dog bones?
Remember that dogs are carnivores by evolutionary design.
Feeding RAW meaty bones to your dog is both a necessary and beneficial component of a RAW diet. Nutrients and trace minerals are made available to your dog from the meat, bone and marrow and the act of knawing on a bone keeps teeth and gums clean, stimulates digestive enzyme production and assists in the development and maintenance of jaw, neck, shoulder and chest muscle structure.
NEVER FEED A DOG COOKED, SMOKED OR COMMERCIALLY PROCESSED BONES. These are dangerous to your dog, as cooking makes the bones brittle and splinters could become lodged in the throat, stomach or intestinal tract, causing choking, blockage or punctures.
Shouldn’t the food be cooked?
Definitely not. Wolves and wild dogs did not evolve by eating cooked foods – our dogs are no different in their nutritional needs.
Cooking foods change the composition of food and destroys nutrients, vitamins (especially the B vitamins and vitamin C) and enzymes. Enzymes are required for the digestion of food and they slow the ageing process. Cooking reduces the nutritional value of the food and the interaction of the components.
What about the need for a “balanced” diet?
The commercial pet food industry has done a very good job of making us all feel completely incompetent and “unqualified” to provide appropriate nutrition to our dogs, without their help and “expertise”.
This is complete spin by the commercial pet food industry.
Considering that the commercial pet food industry only started in North America in the 1930’s, how is it that innumerable dogs existed in the world prior to the creation of the commercial dog food products?
Balanced diets are created by providing a variety of protein sources, fruits and vegetables and RAW meaty bones over an extended period of time. The concept that every meal must contain every nutrient, mineral, vitamin, protein, vegetable and fruit required by a dog or a human for that matter, is utterly ludicrous.
In the wild, dogs and wolves do not set a plate with a bit of protein, a bit of vegetable, a bit of bone. They eat what is readily available at the time. If that meal lacks a component necessary for their health, they will eventually obtain it from a future meal, or seek out a source for it (such as a buried bone or particularly ripe patch of fruits or a kill by another animal).
You do not have to provide your dog every possible nutrient in every meal. It is simply necessary to ensure that a wide variety of food sources are provided. The balance is there naturally, over time.
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