The debate surrounding how to best feed your pet is getting more confusing than ever. With so many myths and rumors surrounding raw food diets, it makes it very challenging to know what’s fact or fiction. So, to help you, we will debunk 2 myths about feeding raw, to provide you the education to make informed decisions regarding raw diets.
iRAWtional: Feeding Raw Pet Food Will Make My Dog More Aggressive and Increase his Prey Drive.
This is a myth that’s been around for a long time but is still very common today. What an animal eats does not change their natural prey drive. A lot of people mistake resource guarding tendencies for prey drive, while in fact they are two separate things.
Resource guarding behaviors are very common but aren’t based solely on food. Dogs will guard anything that they consider “high value” – this can be anything from humans to toys to specific foods. This is more about training and behavior modification than it is related to food. For instance, a dog who was starved will likely protect kibble if it’s something they perceive as high value and they haven’t had access to it before!
In contrast, prey drive is a genetically predisposed behavior relating to whether a dog (or animal) likes to chase moving objects. A dog with a high prey drive doesn’t necessarily like to kill things, they can just be drawn to the movement.
iRAWtional: Raw Food Will Make My Dog Sick Because of Bacteria, Parasites, and Pathogens.
Another iRAWtional reason why some veterinarians have historically been known to caution pet guardians about feeding fresh raw food is because of potential bacterial contamination such as salmonella, e. Coli, and listeria. For some raw diets this may be true, whether it’s due to lower quality ingredients, uncontrolled manufacturing processes or even improper handling of food.
But wait… Do you remember when there was a romaine lettuce recall due to e. Coli and salmonella? Did your doctor tell you to stop eating lettuce? Of course not! We would never consider removing fresh food from our diet just because there was an isolated occurrence of one type of food being contaminated.
There are risks associated with ALL pet food. It is not isolated to raw pet food diets. So, what are some ways for you to ensure that your pet’s food is safe? Let’s get into why you shouldn’t be scared about raw food.
Processed Food Isn’t Sterile Either
Salmonella, e. Coli, and listeria pet food recalls happen regularly on dried/processed pet foods. Additionally, processed foods are recalled for other horrifying reasons such as dangerously high levels of synthetic vitamin D supplementation and aflatoxin (a dangerous by-product of mold from rotten grain products) – both of which can make your pet extremely sick. At the UE You can check out the RASFF which provides food and feed control authorities with the exchange of information on the detection of a risk in feed or food or the
the FDA page to learn more.
Our question is why is that not being discussed more? Just because dry/processed pet food comes from a bag does not mean it is free of bacterial or fungal contamination. In fact, processed dry pet food is generally left in an open bag out of the fridge at room temperature — which creates an ideal environment for bacteria to multiply.
Pathogenic bacteria can come from anywhere since bacteria surrounds us all the time. When talking about humans’ food and environment, we have moved on from the days where we believed everything must be 100% sterile. Now we know that there’s both good and bad bacteria and that completely sterilizing things, food for instance, means that all the good bacteria is gone as well. Raise your hand if you haven't tried Kombucha for example.
This is the way we should be thinking about our pets as well. That’s why keeping your pet’s microbiome healthy is your first and highest priority.
Of course, Quality Control and Food Safety DO Matter!
It’s important to know WHERE your raw pet food originates and is processed.
We believe that natural raw food is the best option for dogs, that’s why we created an organic and non-GMO raw food for them. Inspired around the world and made with European ingredients, our foods are produced in Germany, to the highest possible standard.
We have been perfecting our raw food recipes to offer a diet with the perfect balance of all nutrients, especially proteins, vitamins, minerals, and other micronutrients which makes Aruba Raw as nutritious and safe as possible.
All our recipes are made in a CO2 neutral production facility, with human-grade ingredients, organic and non-GMO meats, vegetables and superfoods. And undoubtedly, according to the highest FEDIAF nutritional guidelines.
If you've enjoyed dismantling these iRAWtionals, stay tuned! Very soon we'll come back with more!
This blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical or nutritional advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice.