Over the past sixty years or so, the market has been plagued with various types of commercial, ready-to-eat dog food.
Pet owners have become dependent on these canned and boxed foods for their dogs that they have forgotten all about the raw food diet which dogs of earlier times thrived on.
In the early nineties, a trend to go back to feeding dogs with natural foods emerged, developing into a whole movement to shift dogs to a healthier diet.
The raw food diet for dogs aims to provide canines with the food that they would find in their natural environment, which is the wild.
Ancestors of today’s canines were primarily carnivores but because they were also hunters and scavengers, they would often eat what they would find available to them.
These included carcasses, fruits, vegetables and herbs.
Of course because of their natural habitat, none of these were cooked or prepared.
These were eaten as is.
Today’s raw food diet for dogs focuses on giving dogs the same experience by giving them raw meat and vegetables in their diets and eliminating any processed or commercial dog food.
The ancestors of our present day dogs received a great deal of nutrients from their diet.
Raw meat, muscle meat and bones were regular components of their diets – something that cannot be duplicated by the sub standard ingredients that are used in commercial pet food.
These raw foods contain many enzymes, proteins, starches and fats which have not yet been broken down.
Much of the nutritional value found in fresh food gets lost during the process of cooking or preserving it, which is what commercial dog food goes through.
A basic premise of the raw food diet is that dogs should be given foods that they were meant to eat.
The idea of giving a dog whole raw food mimics the diet that dogs of the wild once had, thus even the feeding of innards such as animal organs can be done.
As part of the raw food diet, fasting is also done.
The natural food cycle in the wild would include periods of famine, which is also imitated by the raw food diet by occasionally fasting dogs for a day, giving them only water or broth.
By providing dogs with the food that they are meant to eat, an ample supply of nutrients needed by their bodies is brought about.
Much of the nutritional value found in fresh food gets lost during the process of cooking or preserving it, which is what commercial dog food goes through.
Many pet owners who have switched to the raw food diet for their dogs attest to the many benefits of this change in food intake.
A reduced chance of getting diseases, more energy and generally a healthier dog is what can often be observed among those dogs with a raw food diet.
Basically the raw food diet for dogs is all about feeding your dog with what is right for it.
By looking back to the roots of today’s dogs and taking on a diet that adheres to the dog’s Paleolithic diet can increase its life span and create better health conditions.
