Why we feed raw - Give a Dog a Bone

We are so excited to share our answers to this question with you because there are just so many good reasons.

The more we have learned and the longer we have been feeding raw dog and cat food, the more the question has become:

Why feed anything else?

But, we do remember how nervous we were in the beginning. Decades of commercial pet food advertising had convinced us that hard, dry pellets filled with grains, rendered meat/meat meal, preservatives (and other ingredients that we could not see) were the only path to pet health.

We had been led to believe that we were incapable of feeding our beloved dogs and cats a balanced diet, and that we should put our trust in the big pellet companies with their glossy photos of model pets. These pictures promised “complete health” encapsulated in a small, convenient, dry nugget, and who were we to question the expertise of these companies? If they said this kind of pet “fast food” was the answer, it must be so… right? But our pets seemed to be telling us otherwise and we were hungry to learn. Now we are so happy to be able to share some of what we discovered with you.

Some Questions Answered:

Will my dog become more aggressive once he / she has tasted blood?

Absolutely not. All animals may be a little possessive over their food (a survival tactic in the wild), so we would recommend giving your pet a little space while they are actually eating, but that is true regardless of what you are feeding them or how sweet they may be. Trust your common sense – don’t let your two-year-old tug on ANY dog’s ears while they are enjoying their supper, for example – but there is absolutely no correlation between raw feeding and behavioural problems in general or aggression in particular.

I’ve heard that it’s not safe to give bones to dogs? (and I never even thought of giving them to cats!)

That is true of cooked bones, because the cooking process makes them brittle and likely to splinter. But a raw meaty bone is one of the best things you can offer your pet. Wild dogs and wolves gnaw on raw bones as a source of essential calcium and other minerals, and to clean the teeth and keep them strong. We will ask you to keep an eye your animals when they are eating raw meaty bones to avoid any risk of choking or teeth breaking. And while we wouldn’t necessarily offer a turkey leg bone to your cat (simple question of weight ratio!) our feline friends love chomping on our chicken necks, pilchards, and venison ribs.

Will my pet get sick from eating raw meat?

This is something many people are nervous about, so it’s a good question. Many opponents of raw feeding (mostly kibble / pellet companies) have raised a lot of fear about pathogens in raw meat. Firstly, to put your mind at ease, our food is registered, which means that we are subject to strict control regarding levels of bacteria / pathogens / salmonella in the food. The food gets tested at regular intervals, and so far has always come back with far better test results than even strictly necessary. These results are sent to the Department of Agriculture, who have even tighter rules about pet food than our South African laws on human food! So our food is very safe for your pet, and for you.

Regardless, let’s talk a little about bacteria in raw meat. Some of the confusion and fear comes in because one of the reasons humans cook much of what we eat is to kill bacteria. Dogs’ and cats’ stomachs are highly acidic, far more so than humans, which helps them process bacteria like salmonella (and others) without getting sick. The natural digestive enzymes and bile in their systems aid safe digestion and rejection of bad bacteria. Live enzymes in raw food help to boost your pet’s immune system and make it even better at this (sadly kibble is processed at way too high a temperature for these enzymes to survive, which can contribute to a weakened immune system in pets who only eat pellets… but this can be reversed when they return to a natural diet, so never fear!).

Is it going to be a lot of hassle for me to feed my pets a raw diet?

Nope, we’ve taken all the hassle out. We recommend a mix of our prepared dinners and whole foods (see our What’s On the Menu page for more information) but it is as simple as taking it out of the freezer and serving. Our trusted kitchen staff have lovingly hand-prepared each tasty meal and made sure it is balanced, delicious, and nutritious.

Okay, give me a list. What are some of the benefits my pet and I can look forward to?

People who have switched their pets to our raw cat and dog food have found:

Dry, flaky, itchy, or uncomfortable skin has cleared
Allergic reactions their pets had previously had on commercial foods have disappeared with the raw diet
Generally improved mood, energy, and playfulness in both cats and dogs (many owners just thought their pet was naturally lazy or sluggish until they saw the renewed liveliness that a diet change brought about!)
Teeth are naturally clean – chewing on raw meaty bones helps scrape tartar off the teeth
Overall improved immune and digestive systems meaning fewer visits to the vet
Arthritis has significantly reduced in some dogs
Kidney function has improved in both cats and dogs
Dogs and cats are excited at meal times – no more of the “do I have to eat this??” facial expression!
The ripping and chewing involved in eating raw meaty bones develops the jaw, neck, and shoulder muscles, and aids coordination. Commercial foods will never assist in this important muscle development
Better weight control, for a few reasons:
– the food is more effectively digested (it is not clogged with unnecessarily high levels of carbohydrates)
– pets on commercial food often seem insatiably hungry because their food is not giving them the nutrients their bodies crave – this is no longer the case on the new diet
– owners confess to being less tempted to give table scraps and other excess treats because they watch their pets genuinely enjoy every meal!
No more pet odour
Stools are smaller and don’t smell as bad – this seems to be one of the most popular changes!
Cat owners agree, “no more stinky litter boxes and best of all – cat pee smell is non-existent!”
Their animals are living longer on a raw diet than their previous pets had survived on commercial dog and cat foods
Despite popular concern, the food is quick and easy to serve
Bitches manage their pregnancies better
Better weight and survival rates in puppies and kittens. Young ones develop at a more appropriate rate – and quick growth spurts are avoided. A GOOD breeder will want to stop fast growth in any pup or kitten.
Decreased vet bills (your dogs and cats are healthier!)
Pets who were previously on cortisone or anti-biotic medication now need less or none at all
And the greatest honour of all for us to hear, and we’ve heard it many times, “I think your food saved his/her life”.

Our customers have shared many other encouraging bits of feedback with us. We could write reams about the benefits but you would be reading all day, so please don’t hesitate to make contact if you have specific questions about health concerns or anything else we haven’t covered here.

How do I know if my pet will be happier and healthier on a raw diet?

Our first pet whose life was literally saved by the raw diet was our beautiful bullmastiff Kismet. We had watched her suffer for so long, and felt so helpless when vet after vet could do nothing for her. Two allopathic vets told us to put her down, and we felt truly desperate. It is hard to even describe the joy and relief we felt when we found the raw diet that would save her life. Kismet was the first dog to sample our Give a Dog a Bone recipes, and her delight and improved health were our inspiration. There are more details about her and our kitty Flat Cat’s journeys to health on the Our Story page (needless to say, Flat Cat was the founding furry behind Cat of the Day).

Our pets were among the many unlucky enough to fall visibly ill, but we have also had so many customers who didn’t even realise their pets weren’t as happy or healthy as they could be until after they had changed them to raw dog and cat food.

Chandre tells many of our customers about her cat Cuddles, who, at the age of three, did nothing but sleep. Her previous cats had suffered from bladder and kidney problems, and she says, “It was frustrating for me because I was doing everything ‘right’ according to the ‘rules’ of looking after your cat. But my cats just kept on being sick, which left me with the constant question, ‘what am I doing wrong?’” Chandre decided to try something new, and switched Cuddles to the Cat of the Day raw diet.

Cuddles became like a kitten again – playful, energetic, and simply happier. He showed no signs of the previous cats’ bladder or kidney problems. Cuddles’ vet was so excited when she saw his shiny coat, glowing eyes, and sparkling teeth, and was amazed to hear that all it had taken was a change to a natural raw diet.

More of our furry customers tell their (and their owner’s) stories on the Feedback from Well-Fed Friends Page in their own words

Why did you change your pets’ diets, and why should I?

We are a family with both two-legged and four-legged family members. We have always been slightly dog-crazy, and when our zany cat Flat Cat came into our lives, we swore it was possible to be equally “dog” and “cat” people. It was only when these beloved furry four-leggeds became sick from eating an expensive brand of pellets that our eyes were opened to raw feeding.

An article by Born Free USA entitled What’s Really in Pet Food put us off pellets for good (more about the history of dry pet food at the bottom of the page). It made us realise that we had had no idea what the mysterious dry kibble was really made of. It promised complete health on the label but the listed ingredients in no way resembled real food. Dr Karen Becker puts it this way,

The truth is our pet population provides a place for recycling waste from the human food industry. Grains that fail inspection, human food past its expiration date, uninspected pieces and parts of waste from the seafood industry, leftover restaurant grease, deceased livestock, and even roadkill is collected and disposed of through rendering – a process that converts human food industry waste into raw materials for the pet food industry. Dry Pet food manufacturers purchase these raw materials and blend the rendered fat and meat with starch fillers.

With our Cat of the Day and Give a Dog a Bone raw food, on the other hand, you can see exactly what your animals are eating. You can be assured that your dogs and cats are getting a varied, species-appropriate diet filled with real fresh meat and other high quality ingredients (you can see these details on our What’s on the Menu page).

If you are on our website in the first place – and especially if you have read this far! – you obviously care a huge amount about your pets. So do we. The simple answer to the “why?” question is the guiding principle behind all our food – it is As Nature Intended. Where we used to feel intimidated and inexpert, we now feel awed and inspired. If you have any more questions do not hesitate to contact us. To read more about what the true experts think, have a look at our Feedback From Well-Fed Friends page.

For your interest: A Very Brief History of Dry vs Raw Feeding

We want to focus on telling you why raw feeding is good rather than detailing why dry food is bad – but a brief look at the history of commercial pet food certainly makes for interesting reading. There are many articles available online if you want to know more – we don’t want to simply repeat what they say here, but NYC Dogs lays out the history and much of the nutritional science in a palatable and easy read.

The short version is that pellets/kibble have only been widely used since the 1950’s when corporations discovered the enormous profits that could be made in the pet food industry via the technology of heat extrusion (where the food is processed at excessively high temperatures – yes, it kills bacteria, but it also kills most of the nutrition, including the live enzymes that would have contributed to a healthy immune system in their original, raw form). Already in the 1930’s, when most commercial pet food was canned and horse-meat based, the Natural Pet-Rearing Movement was started by the herbalist Juliette de Bairacli Levy. She promoted a diet of raw food for dogs and cats, and the treatment of ailments via natural remedies.

In 1993, Dr Ian Billinghurst published his work about the illnesses that have arisen since pellets became the staple pet food, and since then the modern natural feeding movement has been joyfully spreading. Dr Billinghurst is an avid advocate for feeding dogs and cats “Biologically Appropriate Raw Food” (BARF). Both Billinghurst, and Dr Tom Lonsdale (2001) researched the diets of wolves and wild dogs and showed us that the natural meal plan of our dogs’ ancestors can help us to keep our beloved pets as happy and healthy as they were meant to be. “Dogs are modified wolves and cats are modified desert predators,” says Dr Lonsdale. He asserts that feeding your pet only on commercial dry pet food is the equivalent of feeding your children fast food at every meal.

Other brilliant vets like Dr Jean Dodds, Dr. Mark Roberts, Dr Holly Mash, and Dr Karen Becker from the Raw Feeding Veterinary Society have taken this research further and we find their publications and talks very useful. Animal nutritionists like Dr. Conor Brady, Michelle Bernard, Kymythy Schultze, and many others have all contributed to our knowledge. For cats in particular, there is an advocacy group called The Feline Nutrition Education Society – their website is packed with informative and inspiring articles. If you’re looking for a vet who supports raw feeding in South Africa, drop us a line or look at the Complementary Veterinary Medicine Group. And the list goes on, as the research goes on.

The core philosophy that we and all the above-mentioned and many other writers, researchers, and vets share is that optimal pet health will only be obtained if we mimic the species-appropriate ancestral diets that our pets would eat in nature. They are natural creatures, after all.