Nancy, I agree with you that there are disadvantages to every diet, and particularly with raw diets when handled or fed improperly. Most long time raw feeders see no negative health impacts on either their dogs' or their own lives. Obviously because raw food is.. well, raw
, there is an increased risk of bacterial infection. However, this risk is almost negligible to both dogs and humans if the owner is careful and takes the proper precautions. Dogs are designed to and are fully capable of handling the bacteria in raw meat. There is also the risk of quality control in pet food companies, but that is a risk you have to take with ANY company, raw or not. Cooking can kill some bacteria, making kibble at a lower risk of harboring food borne bacteria but after 2007, I have trouble trusting any commercial pet food, period. I would be willing to bet that more animals died during that salmonella outbreak than pets fed on a raw diet, ever. That is just a risk each individual pet owner will have to weigh for themselves.
I also want to address the claim that raw diets are relatively new. Raw diets are absolutely NOT new. First, raw diets have existed since the beginning of dogs since wolves in the wild eat raw meat. It is widely believed that raw diets are a fad that have just come about within the recent decades. This is untrue. Commercial pet foods have only been around for the past 100 year, making
kibble relatively new. What were domesticated animals fed before the invention of kibble? Homecooked and raw diets. Dogs have been around much longer than kibble has and their successful existence means that they were doing something right in the thousands of years before commercial pet food. There have been many accounts of owners with parents or grandparents who fed their dogs raw that lived long, healthful lives. I don't know what you mean by relatively new, but Jack Lalanne, a fitness expert in the 50s, fed his dog raw!
YouTube - Jack Lalanne - The Dog Diet
There many not be any current scientific studies that prove that raw diets are beneficial, but that doesn't mean that there isn't scientific proof! Dogs are anatomically, physiologically, and genetically engineered to eat raw meat. That is scientifically proven. That combined with millions of years of evolution as well the physical evidence provided by the outstanding health of my dogs... well, I don't need much more proof than that! Most scientific research is done by pet food companies, as is veterinary "nutritional education". Clearly they would not be interested in funding expensive research studies that could cause detriment to their revenue. To do an extensive study on the advantages and disadvantages of raw diets would require the collaboration of thousands of vets, pets, pet owners, and pets nationwide. Who exactly has the funding to do this? Perhaps someday I'll be wealthy enough to conduct such a study but until then we're left with what we have.
I want to clarify that I am in no way saying that raw is a superior diet and will work for ALL dogs. I
personally feel that my dogs thrive on raw and are receiving the best diet possible. Naturally, I want to share the benefits of this wonderful diet with others. I agree 100% with the statement that not every diet will work for every dog and that dogs can thrive on any diet whether it be raw, kibble, canned, or homecooked. It's all about finding what works best for your dog.
Just for some fun reading:
The world's oldest raw-fed dog, a 27 year old Australian cattle dog-bull terrier cross.
USATODAY.com - Outback mongrel could be oldest dog