Bone and Raw Food
Raw feeding is the practice of feeding domestic dogs and cats a diet primarily of uncooked meat and bones. Domesticated dogs, which are a classified as a subspecies of wolves, and cats, which are obligate carnivores, would have a diet largely consisting of fresh prey in the wild. Canids are known to eat fruit and vegetable as part of their natural diet.
Supporters of raw feeding believe that raw diets are closer to the natural diets of the animals in the wild and would therefore be better for the animal. Opponents believe that the risk of food borne illnesses posed by the handling and feeding of raw meats would outweigh the purported benefits and that no scientific studies have been done to support the numerous beneficial claims.
Arguments in favor of raw feeding
Proponents of raw feeding commonly believe their animals benefit from a raw diet that mimics the natural food source of their wild relatives. They are commonly opposed to commercial pet foods, which they consider poor substitutes for raw feed.
A raw diet is believed to improve the nutritional value. The intense heat used to process commercial pet food reduces nutrients. Studies with rats showed that the digestibility of amino acids in cat food is changed significantly by heat processing. Taurine, an essential amino acid for cats, is reduced or eliminated in heat processing. Pet food manufacturers must add taurine supplements to cat food, which is generally unnecessary in a raw diet. Some raw feeders believe that supplements have reduced nutritional value compared to the same nutrients in raw food. Some raw diets, however, include supplements such as fish oil, Vitamin C, and apple cider vinegar, among others.
Proponents claim feeding a raw diet with bones eliminates the need for dental cleanings, helps strengthen the animal's immune system and gives them a more natural diet. Wolf care managers questioned on the topic of feeding bones identified the presence of animal hide with hair as offering some protection from intestinal perforation in the wild.
Commercial pet food often contains meat by-products — typically offal, skin, bones, etc. not normally consumed by humans, but readily consumed by animals in the wild. Meat and bone meal is frequently used as a low-cost protein source for pet foods, particularly in the USA. Opponents of meat by-products and meals in pet foods believe that this practice harbors the risk of spreading diseases; for example meat and bone meal is thought to have been responsible for the spread of BSE (mad cow disease) in Britain. Frequently, unhealthy tissues such as tumors or parasite-infested organs are included in meat and bone meal production.
Commercial pet foods, especially dry foods, also often contain a large amount of grains, which proponents of grain-free food feel are inappropriate for dogs and cats. Studies comparing the source of protein in dry cat food concluded that the digestibility of meat-based protein is superior to corn-based protein.
Arguments against raw feeding
Opponents of raw feeding generally believe the potential risks of a raw diet outweigh any potential benefits of a raw diet. Raw meats may contain bacteria that are unsafe for both dogs and cats.[8] Because of the high incidence of bacteria, some experts and enthusiasts believe that the risks inherent in raw feeding outweigh the benefits when compared to a manufactured pet food with high quality ingredients. It is important to note that disease levels are high in intensively reared animals, and that bacterial diseases in these animals are of a type and level of pathogenicity that is not the same as that within the "natural" environment of the ancestors of modern pet canids. Manufactured pet food generally is processed with intense heat, which destroys any potential bacteria. Opponents note that though the risk of bacterial infection can be greatly reduced with safe handling and trusted meat sources, there is always a potential for bacterial infection. An example of this danger can be seen in a disease that afflicts greyhound racing dogs, called "Alabama rot." The disease is caused by E. coli in the raw meat that was given as part of their diet.
Landing Animal Clinic in Alberta performed a small study on the levels of salmonella in the stool of dogs that eat a raw diet. The study did not examine the health of dogs that ate a raw food diet. 30 percent of the stool samples from dogs fed a raw food diet contained salmonella, while none of the control dogs (commercial fed) contained salmonella. Dogs on a raw food diet may therefore be a source of environmental contamination. However, an outbreak in August, 2007 of Salmonella in dry dog food in Pennsylvania, reported by the CDC, seems to indicate that Salmonella is not just restricted to raw food diets. Raw meats may contain harmful parasites. As with bacteria, these parasites are destroyed during the heat processing of manufactured pet foods. Some raw diet recipes call for freezing of the final product, which greatly reduces (but does not necessarily eliminate) the potential for parasites. Careful handling and dosing of raw meats further reduces this possibility.
The nutritional balance of a homemade raw diet is not generally verified by organizations such as the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), and as such, many who oppose raw diets believe that a raw diet carries a risk of unbalanced nutrition. One study that analyzed the nutritional content of 3 homemade diets (included the BARF diet) and 2 commercial raw food diets and compared it to the AAFCO standards, showed that nutritional imbalances occurred in one or more of the fellowing areas: calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, vitamin D, and vitamin E. When feeding a raw diet, even proponents of raw diets recommend frequent analysis by a veterinarian to verify that proper nutrients are being ingested. Proponents of raw diet sometimes dismiss the importance of AAFCO standards, claiming that many inexpensive pet foods are far less nutritionally complete than most raw diets. Many cite that the oldest dog ever recorded, a 29-year-old Australian cattle dog named Bluey, died in 1939, several years before commercial pet food was invented, and that, of the two oldest dogs in recent years, one was fed primarily on kangaroo and emu meat.
Raw food diets can be low in calcium and phosphorus and have abnormal calcium-to-phosphorus ratios. This can lead to hyperparathyroidism and fibrous osteodystrophy in puppies. In some raw diet recipes, whole bone is used. Some experts believe that the use of whole bone creates a risk of dental fractures, intestinal obstruction, gastroenteritis, and intestinal perforations. Some proponents of raw diet believe that there is noticeable benefit to the dental hygiene of pets who eat raw bones, while others believe that ground bone should be used instead, which virtually eliminates the possibility for intestinal puncturing and dental fractures. Furthermore, many note that the same risks of obstruction, puncturing, and dental fractures are present in pet chews, with little evidence indicating that this is a serious problem particular to raw diets with bones. Most veterinarians state that chewing raw bone is an inadequate substitute for regular dental cleaning and tooth brushing. Raw bones are flexible and not prone to splintering. If the dog swallows them right away without chewing, the bone should be held to force the dog to chew. Cooked bones should NEVER be fed, as these can be very dangerous and can splinter.
The quality of intensively farmed meat is also a concern. This applies to all birds that are selectively bred and reared to reach slaughter weight within a short period (usually 39 days). The bone within these poultry carcasses is of very low density, due to the high growth rates and inadequate mineral content of poultry feeds. So the calcium content of raw chicken wings is unnaturally low. The fat content of intensively farmed poultry meat is much higher than for extensively reared, slow growing poultry. These, and a number of other factors related to intensive animal rearing, mean that the composition of farmed poultry meat does not reflect that of wild prey, which undermines a central tenet of BARF and other diets, i.e. that the ingredients of the animal's diet are natural and balanced.
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