Why Raw Dog Food Is Better for your Pet

We all know that while splurging on occasion is fine, we should really be eating a variety of fresh, healthy foods, and not living on highly processed foods alone. There is no question about that! Why would it be any different with our dogs and cats? These days, most people consider their pets family. We treat our pets like "children" in so many other ways. They have playdates, outfits, and maybe even social media pages and birthday parties! Yet when it comes to something as important as diet, we too often fail to put the same amount of thought into it.

Of course, us being a different species, our ideal diets look different from our pets', but they both contain whole, uncooked foods! Every animal needs them to thrive.  

Enzymes are one of the main benefits of eating uncooked foods. They are critical to the health and well-being of all animal. When a food is heated to a high enough temperature, 118 degrees, the enzymes in that food begin to get destroyed. Most kibble is processed at over three times that temperature! In addition to enzyme loss, much of the nutritional value of a food is also depleted as it is cooked. The longer the exposure and the higher the temperature, the greater the loss of nutrients.  

USDA CHART OF RETENTION

Below is data taken from a 2003 study by the USDA on the effect of cooking on nutrient lost in different foods. Each food was put though a "backing" heating process.

Cooked Pet Foods Require

Synthetic Vitamins

Because so many nutrients are lost when the kibble is cooked, they must then be replaced after the fact to make sure that the food meets the minimum requirements of AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials). This often comes in the form of synthetic vitamins and flavor enhancers to make the dry, highly processed foods appealing to our pets.  

Benefits of Raw Foods for Dogs and Cats

Your Pets Health

Add to that, the fact that it may not be a food product at all, but an added synthetic vitamin, preservative, or chemical causing the issue, and the list is longer yet.