Are You Feeding Your Dog Raw Dog Treats?

Most of the time, dog owners find it hard to believe that it is actually healthier to treat your dogs to an all natural diet than subject them to treats that have been processed over and over again. Then again, there are those who are not familiar with the basics of raw feeding.

A well balanced diet for your dog

Lucky for you, this article will delve into the elements of raw dog treats. Furthermore, some of the questions pertaining to raw feeding will be answered as well. By the end of this article, you will have had ample knowledge on how to properly make a balanced diet for your dog.

Without further adieu, let’s start with some of the basic information about raw fed dogs.

How to prepare a raw meal for your dog

Figuring out whether or not your dog is receiving raw treats is fairly easy. If your dog eats unprocessed or cooked food, then they are raw fed dogs. Most dog owners would subject their dogs to raw tripe, fish, eggs, chicken, and rabbit. Furthermore, if you are going to feed them raw meat, opt for organic meats or muscle meat. A whole or ground bone has also proven itself to be healthy and delicious. On another note, you can also feed them some fresh fruits – apples, banana, oranges – and vegetables – carrots, celery, spinach, and broccoli.

What are the benefits of raw foods for your dog?

Preparing a raw meal for your dog is easy; however, are you aware as to the reasons why this is necessary? Studies and researches have been conducted to prove that raw feeding can be quite beneficial for your pup. Here are some of the benefits when feeding your dog raw foods:

• Raw food helps your dogs produce less waste

For dog trainers, they will find that treating their dog to raw foods can further eliminate their waste. As a result, it is much easier to train them. With that in mind, you should know that meat and bone are the most ideal diet for your pups.

• Raw food promotes toning of the muscles

Naturally, dogs are carnivores. They need fat and protein to have a firm body. Raw foods are a great source of protein, which is considered as the building blocks of joints, muscles, skin, organs, and hair.

• Raw food eliminates kidney problems in dogs

You would know that your dog is experiencing several kidney problems if there is a noticeable increase in thirst, urination, and occasional incontinence. Furthermore, if they tend to stand near their water bowls yet unable to drink anything, you should start consulting a vet. Furthermore, you can also start changing your dog’s meal plans.

• Raw food promotes dental hygiene

One of the most neglected benefits of raw feeding is the improvement in your dog’s dental hygiene. By subjecting your dogs to a raw diet, you can reduce their bad breaths and decrease the chance of them suffering from gum diseases. The bacteria that usually contaminates the mouth of your dogs come from the sugar in processed dog treats.

• Raw food improves your dog’s coat condition

One of the noticeable effects of subjecting your dogs to a natural meal is the improvement of their coat condition. In fact, most of the protein from the raw foods directly goes into their coat and skin.

What are the common mistakes incurred when preparing a raw meal for your dogs?

• Neglecting the basics of nutrition

According to Dr. Judy Morgan, a certified food therapist, as well as a member of the Botanical Veterinary Medical Association, pet owners often consider feeding their dogs a pound of raw hamburger as an attempt to subject them into a raw diet. Keep in mind that a raw meal for your dog consists of uncooked meat and additives.

• Neglecting the importance of BARF diet for your dogs

A BARF diet – or a diet based on Biologically Active Raw Food – is a meal plan that has been pioneered by Dr. Ian Billinghurst, an Australian veterinarian. He proposed that commercial pet foods are very harmful to your dog’s health. BARF-based dog food is what your pups need because this was what they ate before they were domesticated.

• Thinking that a raw diet is only about feeding your dogs raw food

This is one of the mistakes that dog owners should be wary of when it comes to raw feeding. While it is true that a raw diet consists of raw meat, these types of meat are normally complemented by other ingredients.

Why use raw dog treats for dog training?

Have you ever experienced a nice day out in your backyard patio as you go about your usual training session with your dog? It’s quite nice, isn’t it? Most of the time, food is used as a treat during training. While feeding your dogs processed treats make your job a little easier, you may miss out on certain benefits that raw feeding can provide.

Furthermore, a five-minute session of training with your dog can only result in five sits. In each of these sits done successfully during the training, a treat is given to your dog. The frequency and size of the reward are important because this allows your dog to assess whether or not he did a good job during the training.

With that in mind, raw food as dog treats can eliminate risks that are brought about by processed foods. Nonetheless, if you are feeding your dog with raw foods, be sure to feed them by cutting up huge chunks of meat.

Now, we know that meat is not easily cut up. Furthermore, eating it and chewing on it will take time. Lucky for you, you can buy naturally processed food and other raw dog treats at your local pet store. These are organic meat that comes in the perfect training treat size.

What are some of the basic reminders when feeding your dog with raw food?

We all know that a dead animal’s flesh is subjected to the process of decay. With that in mind, it is important to consider the fact that raw feeding should adhere to certain rules, such as freezing the meat as soon as it has been purchased. It is best to refrigerate these types of food under four degrees Celsius so that it can still be used after a few days.

In addition, you have to protect your pup from hard bones. Of course, there are also risks presented in raw feeding your dog. One of these risks is tooth damage. While it can protect and promote your dog’s gum health, it can also result in intensive dental repairment. The good news is that this dental repairment can be avoided. As long as you be wary that you do not feed your dogs with any weight-bearing bones of large animals, you are good to go.

How often should you raw feed your dogs?

The frequency of feeding your dogs raw treats depends on their age. Moreover, spreading the raw meals throughout the day can be a good suggestion too. Be sure that there are three to four intervals. You wouldn’t want to stick to a guide too strictly, especially with three-month-old pups. They tend to eat only two times a day.

For adult dogs, some can eat only once or twice a day, others can do more than this. Furthermore, it is important to remember that dogs can go long periods without food and devour a lot of meat in one go. With that in mind, if your dog has missed a whole day of food, feeding them raw treats the following day will not harm them.

How to properly store your dog’s raw food?

Eventually, dog owners need to be able to figure out how to properly store their dog’s raw food. There are benefits to raw feeding; however, there are also risks presented to your dog and to you! When it comes to handling types of raw meat, especially chicken, you should know that this is always risky.

It was explained earlier that you need to refrigerate raw foods as soon as you have purchased them. For raw chicken, you should know that this is usually contaminated with a bacteria known as salmonella. Thus, eating raw chicken can make humans and animals sick.

To reduce salmonella in chicken, you have to ensure a number of things. For one, you have to use dedicated chopping boards when you are cutting meat. Furthermore, dedicated knives can go a long way as well.

You need to be able to protect your hands when dealing with raw chicken. Use warm water and soap to clean your hands for at least 20 seconds. In addition, you can eliminate salmonella in chicken by investing in fridge containers. Be sure to keep your raw chicken away from salads and other foods that are typically eaten raw so as not to contaminate them.

Final thoughts on subjecting your dog to raw feeding

For one, dog owners can improve the health of their dog and the status of their training. Furthermore, you get to lower the risk of having your dog acquire certain diseases typically found in processed food. Even before dogs were domesticated, they have already been used to eating raw food. However, studies have shown that a portion of completely raw food is bad. It is important to figure out the added elements in raw dog food that will make it less contaminated.

In the end, raw feeding can present a number of benefits, as well as risks, to you and your dog. Nonetheless, with ample research and proper food preparation, dog owners can safely experience all of the benefits that raw dog treats can offer.