More on the Raw Pet Diets
By Dr. Moira Drosdovech
A Kelowna Veterinarian
In the first two articles on the raw pet food, we discussed benefits as well as the issues of chewing on bones and bacterial contamination. In this last article, I’ll discuss the remaining arguments often used against raw diets as well as discuss some of those against strictly dry processed diets. Also, exactly what comprises a raw diet.
Is the raw diet balanced and nutritionally complete? Yes, when basic guidelines are followed. Many different types of puppies, from Great Danes to Yorkies, are raised from weaning to old age on these diets with no problems with their development.
Nay Sayers to the raw diets disagree. They do not feel that these diets are balanced or that every day pet owners are capable of balancing the diet. This begs the question: If I can’t be trusted to feed my dog, how can I be trusted to feed myself and my family? Should I be getting a degree in nutrition before I have children?
When I drive around town and see the multitudes of obese dogs lagging behind their owners, often limping, I can’t help but think that malnutrition lies in the feeding of “100% Complete and Balanced” processed foods.
Where did we ever get the idea that is was better for a dog or cat to be fed the same cooked, preserved foodstuffs, day in and day out, for their whole life? Would you do that for yourself? Do you think the National Cancer Institute would recommend it? Not very likely.
Breeders who have experienced problems with feeding raw are not applying the general principles. I have yet to see a single case of nutritional deficiency or excess in my practice. Puppies are fed the same basic diet, only more, and seniors are fed less, with perhaps a slightly higher vegetable percentage.
Are there dangers in feeding an exclusively dry food diet? I think so. Obesity, and all the dangers that go with that, is at an all time high and I attribute this mainly to overfeeding of grain-based diets. Dental disease is more and more common as dogs have had the joys of chewing on raw bones taken away from them. Diabetes is a common diagnosis in both dogs and cats. Bloat, while not a common diagnosis, is rarely, if ever, seen on raw fed dogs.
Numerous times, dry dog foods have been recalled by the manufacturer due to high levels of certain toxins, often resulting in multiple deaths due to liver failure or kidney failure. These problems are usually related to mould toxins, mainly from mouldy grains.
Pedigree Recalls More Dog Food
11/03/2004
Taipei - The United States dog food maker Pedigree expanded the recall of its product from Taiwan to nine other Asian countries on Thursday after Thailand and the Philippines also reported dogs dying from kidney failure.
The expanded recall comes one day after Pedigree inspectors found mildew on two kinds of ingredients for Pedigree dry dog food in its Thailand plant.
November 3, 2003
ALERT TO PET OWNERS -- RECALL OF PETCUREAN GO! NATURAL PET FOOD
On October 22, 2003, Canadian dog-and-cat food marketer Petcurean Pet Nutrition, Inc. announced an immediate voluntary recall of all Go! Natural pet food manufactured in Texas. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to receive reports from veterinarians indicating an association between Go! Natural dog food, and dogs being treated for liver disease or liver failure.
In 1995 Nature’s Recipe pulled off tons of dog food after consumers complained that their dogs were vomiting and losing their appetite. The problem was once again a fungus that produced a vomitoxin contaminating the wheat. In 1999, another fungal toxin triggered the recall of yet another dry dog food. This time, the toxin killed 25 dogs.
And please let us all not ever forget the hundreds of dogs and cats that suffered terrible deaths related to the contamination of pet foods from China with melamine. Not to mention the owners of these poor creatures who not only lost their pet but had to pay for it as well.
What does the opposition have to say about raw diets?
From: Iams Partners for Health; Vol. 2 No.5, May 2004
Raw-food diets, often referred to by the acronym BARF (Bones And Raw Food, or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food), have drawn a considerable following in
some pet owner circles. Dozens of books, Web sites and Forums on the Internet are dedicated to professing unconventional diets' merits. Proponents are drawn to the philosophy's holistic, "nutrition as nature intended it" rhetoric, which often tries to simulate whole-prey diets.
However, the diets do not generally fare well under scientific scrutiny. There's mounting evidence that illustrates the health risks not only for pets, but also for their owners. Primarily, experts believe there are no nutritional advantages gained, and pet owners may be courting the following health concerns:
gastrointestinal or esophageal problems due to ingested bones
endoparasite infection with Escherichia coli and Salmonella infection
nutritional imbalance or deficiencies when used in a long-term feeding program
zoonotic disease risk due to the shedding of infectious organisms.
According to a 2003 study; two cats from the same household - one 14 years old and the other 10 weeks old - contracted Salmonella gastroenteritis and septicemia from home-prepared, raw-meat-based diets. The older cat died from Salmonella infection while the kitten was euthanized at the owner's request.
Researchers at the University of Georgia's College of Veterinary Medicine were the first to link fatal Salmonella infection in domestic cats with the raw-food philosophy.
Other conditions potentially associated with raw-food diets include anemia, dermatoses or poor skin and coat condition, hypercalcemia, secondary nutritional hyperparathyroidism, constipation, pancreatitis, and rickets.
Do your homework
Though it's difficult to nutritionally analyze the dizzying array of raw-food diets out there -- not to mention supplements -- help is available. Peruse academic journals arid the Veterinary Information Network's (www.vin.com) clinical nutrition discussions to learn what your colleagues are saying.
Talk to your clients about the health benefits and convenience behind premium diets. Illustrate the point that consistent, balanced, nutritionally complete formulas help provide abundant energy; healthier skin, coat, and teeth; and promote overall better health. By feeding premium diets, clients avoid the serious medical conditions associated with
raw-food diets, especially bacterial and gastrointestinal parasite infections and
nutritional imbalances. Strive to use an evidence-based approach to avoid unproductive confrontation. Refer die-hard BARF pet owners to the FDA's web site for information on food-borne pathogenic microorganisms and natural toxins, as well as guidelines for
manufacturing and labeling raw meat meant for consumption by companion animals.
Suffice to say that the opponents of a raw natural diet have very little ammunition with which to oppose it. There are so many more pets, relatively speaking, that are suffering or prematurely dead as a result of being fed a commercial dry processed diet than will ever be a problem with the raw fed pets. The most common feedback I hear when clients switch to raw is “He is like a new dog!” You can’ tbeat that!
