Raw vs Dry Dog Foods

Here at K9 Raw Feeds, we won’t go too in depth with the science because we aim to provide bite size although insightful blogs to help you make informed decisions when it comes to feeding your K9 companions.

Over the last 10 years, “raw feeding” has become very popular amongst pet owners, inspiring many to set up shops just like ours to help provide the best foods to your dogs.

We’re sure, like many others, you may be dubious of feeding your dogs a raw meat based diet, who could blame you? There’s been a lot of propaganda over social media to discredit raw feeding, many myths have been passed around and all of them are dumbfounded.

Many have even labelled such feeding methods as “Fads” however, it’s not a new thing. If you think about it, raw diets/fresh food diets have been given to domestic dogs for centuries, originally in the form of table scraps, meal prep trimmings and butchers offcuts which seemed to be sufficient for all breeds to survive.

It wasn’t until 1869 that the first commercial dog food was produced by James Spratt. The “Fibrine Marine Cake” is where it all started, a complimentary food pioneered by the American electrician after witnessing street dogs eating Hardtack (essentially a cracker for voyagers/sailors) in Liverpool when he docked, Ignorant to the fact, these dogs were eating for survival in poverty-stricken streets not because it was their superior choice of nutrition.

In the last 162+ years, pet foods have evolved vastly and over time the leading companies seem to have been thriving by appealing to the owner’s convenience and affordability rather than the health of the pet based on the marketing tactics used.

Knowing the history of the pet food industry, we would argue the fact that it’s the commercial dry/tinned foods which are the “Fad” on the grand scale of life, wouldn’t you agree? Feeding fresh foods to dogs, lightly cooked or raw, is the most optimum way of feeding them to promote whole health.

Let us briefly explain why…

Commercial dry/tinned foods including the veterinary prescription foods can only sustain life due to their fortification of synthetic vitamins and minerals, these are known as a “pre-mix”. These mixes have been formulated by top scientists/vets using the nutrient requirements/guidelines set out by FEDIAF (European Pet Food Industry Federation) and are put through 6 months feeding trials before they’re approved for sale commercially.

Although these products are brilliantly marketed and science led, they are essentially cheap and nutritionally void whole foods in combination with fake foods that are intended to keep your dogs alive at best, they’re not intended to let them thrive although undeniably some do, a big issue for us and many others is that the nutrient guidelines for manufacturers are being set at the bare minimum that are needed to sustain life based on current studies, the bar really is set too low.

Every dog is unique, and they can’t all utilize synthetics equally, although this is factored into the formulations and feeding trials, some simply will end up malnourished on some formulas (malnourished doesn’t always been skinny) which is why veterinary intervention is sometimes needed and tins may be suggested as an alternative to dry foods or vice versa.

In our opinion, dry foods are the worst way to feed your dogs due to the harsh processing measures (extrusion), lack of moisture and ridiculously high carbohydrate content (50% on average). Dogs have zero nutritional requirements for carbohydrates, it’s why they don’t have to be labelled on the labelling, you’ll typically see the analysis of:
Crude Protein = X%
Crude Fat/Oil= X%
Crude Ash= X%
Crude Fibre =X%

To work out the carbohydrate content, you subtract those percentages from 100 and what’s left is the carbohydrate content, although sometimes “moisture” will be listed too, so also subtract that.

Dry foods especially are the largest contributing factor to periodontal disease, which according to the RVC (Royal Veterinary College) over 50% of dogs above 3 years suffer with the disease, the reasoning behind this is due to the fact dry foods are high in starch and sodium, two elements that promote plaque build up in dogs purely because dogs don’t have amylase in their saliva which is a necessary enzyme to break down those starches.

Have you ever eaten a biscuit and had to stick your finger in your mouth to remove the mushed up biscuit from your molars? The same thing happens to our dogs, but they don’t have fingers to remove it, so naturally the bacteria in the mouth has an all-you-can-eat buffet and the bacteria leaves an acidic residue behind, this slowly builds up into plaque.

Dry foods also don’t clean teeth, regardless of what the pet food industry marketers say, yes they might be abrasive and tough, but they also get stuck in the teeth which causes the issues.

If you’re adamant you don’t want to feed fresh foods to your dogs in the form of premade raw moods/cooked meals that we sell then you could opt for well formulated tins, freeze/air dried or cold pressed meals, these options carry more moisture removing the need for your dogs to drink all their required intake.

If your dog doesn’t get enough water and the protein is too high, then chronic kidney disease can soon come into play, because the kidneys simply fail to function to their optimum level, this can be fatal if unmanaged which is why we presume why some veterinary health care professionals recommend soaking certain dry foods to ensure adequate water intake.

When we’re sick, the GP always recommends a balanced diet of wholesome foods, avoiding processed (Junk) foods where possible to get us back to full health, so we apply the same logic to dogs, they too require fresh and wholesome foods. The veterinary health professionals are the only ones to suggest processed foods to promote whole health, it really is mind-boggling.

In the 90s, an Australian Vet called Dr Tom Lonsdale battled the AVA (Australian Veterinary Association) on the prevalence of periodontal disease in dogs/cats and laying blame on dry foods and that dogs/cats should be eating Raw Meaty Bones in order to combat this.

This notion was shot down at every turn, but he kept persisting along with his colleagues by gate crashing seminars with his academic finds and placing papers on attendees seats, Tom really was risking his Veterinary licence with these actions until one day the president of the Australian Veterinary Dental Society whose name we can’t recall, said that “in an ideal world, dogs would be eating oxtails with the hide still attached once/twice a week to clean their teeth, but it’s not acceptable in modern society” (Paraphrased)

That was it, it provided fuel to their campaign and “Raw Meaty Bones” began to be introduced to dogs by the public across the globe as Tom and his team led seminars in other countries including the UK about the benefits of feeding “Raw Meaty Bones”, he’s even launched a book (nudge nudge wink wink).

On a commercial level, ready-made raw meals were being sold with limited ingredients consisting of muscle meat, meaty bones and organs, which followed a ratio of 80% Muscle Meat, 10% Edible Bone, 10% Secreting Organ (½ being liver), Nobody is sure why this ratio was used other than a guestimate average of “prey” that wolves eat in the wild.

Somehow translated to being complete and balanced, but when comparing their analysis these meals were coming up short in respect of the FEDIAF guidelines, which is why some manufacturers now fortify them with synthetics too, or to our preference some add in plant matter within the meals too.

Thanks to the advocacy of plant matter for dogs by Dr Ian Billinghurst, another Australian Vet who pioneered the BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods) method. He too, saw the shortcomings, so suggested adding in a mix of veggies, seeds/ nuts and fruits to bridge the nutritional gap, His ratio was adapted to 70/10/10 + 7/2/1 which allows manufacturers to hit the FEDIAF figures with the carefully selected additions without the need of synthetic additives.

Over the years, many who have switched to fresh foods with our help have noticed an improvement in the following areas to their dogs:

● Mobility (Joint health)
● Oral Hygiene
● Skin and Coat (Shiny)
● Improved Weight Management
● Reduced itching (typically caused by allergies/intolerances and/or nutritional
imbalances)

This is what motivates us each day in our business. We’re here to help contribute to the whole health of your dogs. If you want to switch to fresh foods, don’t hesitate to contact us, and we will help you transition your dog from processed foods to fresh foods correctly and ensure nutritional adequacy.

Disclaimer: Food only goes so far, switching the diet isn’t magic, it simply provides their bodies with more of what they require, but it’s far from a cure for ailments as a blanket statement/approach, there are many pieces of the puzzle when it comes to complete health, but food is a big one that you can control.