Raw feeding is the practice of feeding domestic dogs, cats and other animals a diet primarily of uncooked meat, edible bones, and organs.
Supporters of raw feeding believe that the natural diet of raw meat, bones, and organs is superior nutritionally to cooked meat and commercial pet food. They argue that a carefully planned raw diet gives the animal numerous health benefits, including a healthier coat and cleaner teeth and breath. Critics of raw feeding assert that the risk of nutritional imbalance, intestinal perforations and foodborne illnesses posed by the handling and feeding of raw meat and bones outweigh any benefits. The assertion that raw feeding is inherently better because it is natural has also been criticized.
Few studies have been done to prove or disprove the numerous beneficial claims of a raw diet.
Read more about Raw Feeding: History, Raw Diet Types, Nutritional Balance, Bones and Dental Health, Bacteria, Viruses and Parasites, Commercial Preparation, Veterinary Position
Famous quotes containing the words raw and/or feeding:
“And we can get back to that raw state
Of feeling, so long deemed
Inconsequential and therefore appropriate to our later musings
About religion, about migrations. What is restored
Becomes stronger than the loss as it is remembered;
Is a new, separate life of its own.”
—John Ashbery (b. 1927)
“How did you feel feeding doughnuts to a horse? Had a kick out of it, huh? Got a big laugh. Did you ever think of feeding doughnuts to a human being? No!”
—Robert Riskin (1897–1955)