[Ellie May]

I don't feed or recommend raw. Before starting this kind of diet, please make sure none of the following would be something you'd be concerned about your pup consuming. And if you do have concerns, find out what needs to be done to make sure these things aren't present in the meat that you feed.

E. coli
Salmonella
Campylobacter
Neospora
Trichinella
Toxoplasmosis
Brucellosis
MRSA
Anthracis
Trematoda
Mesocestoides
Taeniasis
Etc.

Of course not all of these are present in certain places and some are only found in particular species. Some are rare. Some can be found in kibble too. Some things can be killed by freezing at certain temps for specific periods while others can't and there is a potential of reactivation when thawed. Companies who make premade raw foods do some testing. What testing do they do? Is this adequate for you and your pup?

Dogs can and do choke on bones, even raw bones. They can tear up intestines leading to emergency surgery, enemas, and potentially death.

Prey model diets are balanced by owners or nutritionists without the credentials to decide what a balanced diet is. Veterinary nutritionists (veterinarians who are members of the ACVN) will usually help balance a prey model diet, but they generally do not support feeding this way. When trying to figure out if a pup's diet is balanced (prey model raw or homecooked), a veterinary nutritionist should be consulted. Unbalanced diets can lead to blood and bone problems (very quickly in puppies).

Before straying from an AAFCO approved kibble or canned food, remember that just because there aren't a ton of reports of alternative diets negatively affecting pets, that doesn't mean they don't exist. They just aren't always talked about online.

And most vets try to redirect their clients to AAFCO approved foods not because they don't know what they're talking about, but because they are about your pets. Next time when a vet says they don't agree with feeding raw or even homecooked, maybe ask them why. Some will have old cases of very serious problems with these diets. I know Ellie's vet does.