Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom – A recent study on raw food diets have shown that pets may not be getting everything they need.(http://www.delicousdogdiet.com)
The raw food diet is a pet feeding system that became extremely popular after the pet food poison scandals of 2006 and 2007. This diet focuses on feeding pets raw meat, vegetables, and fruit in measured amounts. The idea behind the diet is that this type of food is what wild animals eat, and since wild animals and domesticated animals share ancestry, their digestive tracts will respond the same way.
A recent study done at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, however, showed that raw food may not provide enough taurine to aniamls. Taurine is an amino acid needed for heart muscle function, reproduction, vision, and digestion in cats. During the study, 11 cats were fed raw rabbit while 11 others were fed commercial cat food. Those on the raw diet exhibited the shinier coats and other benefits advertised by raw food supporters, but between the groups there was no difference in growth rate, intestinal tract inflammation, or amount of intestinal bacteria.
This seems like a victory for raw feeding advocates, but 10 months into the study, 1 cat on raw food died of a heart attack, and 7 of the remaining raw fed cats had heart muscle changes and taurine deficiency.
“This study was done with cats.” says Maggie Rhines, author of Going Rawr! Dog Lovers Compendium. “I can understand how people will be wary about feeding raw after reading it, but I suggest that they simply monitor their pet's nutrient intake. The raw food diet is not completely closed off to supplements. It simply believes you need less. If a pet needs it, however, then owners should definitely give supplements.”
Off the bat, many people disagree with the raw food diet, believing that domesticated dogs have developed different digestive systems from wild dogs. Bernard E. Rollin, professor of philosophy and animal sciences at Colorado State University says “Domestic dogs have been eating cooked food for over 300,000 years and this cannot be compared with their wild ancestors.” Raw food supporters, on the other hand, don't think this is enough time to evolve.
So, presently, the debate continues. Until proper scientific research can back one claim over the other, pet owners can choose to feed their pets raw food. They simply have to make sure the pet digests enough and gets it's needed nutrients, using supplements if needed.
