Have you ever wondered why dog food comes in this huge bag filled with tiny kibbles of compressed unknown ingredients? Much of what goes into dog food is not high-quality in nature. Blood meal, bone meal, and fat, often derived from animal carcasses containing potentially harmful drugs or disease. Is it time to consider something better for your beloved pooch?

What does a dog eat in the wild?

Before marketers and advertisers took over the world, what did dog's eat? Let’s take a look at how dogs in the wild gain adequate nutrition. 

Photo by Jarl Eknes

A wolf, for example, survives from a kill. The contents of the animal's stomach are eaten first. By doing this, the wolf takes in grains and vegetables, as well as enzymes needed for good nutrition. Next, the wolf devours the meat, cartilage and  some bones. Protein and calcium have now been added to the diet. This natural diet in the wilderness has been effective in maintaining optimum health over the years. Unlike the domesticated dogs of today, such animals generally have excellent immune systems.

When your dog's diet consists primarily of unhealthy animal products, can you not assume that your dog will become unhealthy, as well? Today, veterinarians are seeing more health problems with dogs than ever before, a situation that can be directly attributed to poor diet.

A raw diet feeds the immune system of your pet. Your dog's diet will contain natural foods that provide the body what it needs to repair itself and perform at its best.

The raw diet is prepared one time a day. It is not complicated and well worth the time and effort to ensure the excellent health of your dog. The raw dog diet has helped many dog's combat health issues such as arthritis, skin problems, and weight trouble.

What is included in a dog’s raw diet?

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Ingredients of the raw diet include meat, veggies, and grains. Approximately half of the diet is meat. Vegetables, fruit, and grain cover the rest. 

When preparing your dog’s meal, feed the same amount of the raw dog diet as you would kibble. This is a good starting point. From here, you can adjust the diet as necessary to meet your dog's specific needs. 

Contact a local butcher to purchase ground turkey, for example. Each day, prepare a bowl of 50% raw ground turkey with some wet oats. Juice some vegetables such as carrots and swiss chard and add the juice to the mix.

Juicing the vegetables helps your pooch to absorb the vitamins and minerals. This is similar to the wolf consuming the contents from a stomach, that have been chewed and mixed with digestive enzymes. 

Photo by Deborah Breen

Your dog's diet will need a variety of different vegetables daily to maximize the potential for best vitamins and nutrients. Carrots should always be the present, add the other veggies according to their seasons and availability. Carrots will regularly supply potassium, calcium, vitamin A, B, C, D, and E.  Greens offer vitamin A, C, and chlorophyll. Apples are good for vitamin C. 

Certain veggies have healing properties. Kale, for instance, helps to remedy digestive disorders. Watercress and mustard greens help to cleanse the intestines. Parsley helps the metabolism and thyroid. Celery has numerous advantages. It helps with chemical imbalances, blood flow, and is a natural diuretic. Beets are good for the blood. They offer copper and manganese.

Flaxseed is a fabulous addition to the raw diet to encourage healthy joints and coat. The omega 6 and 3 fatty acids help with such conditions. 

What vegetables to avoid for your dog?

While your dog can eat many different veggies, here are some to avoid.

• Broccoli, cabbage, and turnips. These create intestinal gas. 
• Cucumbers, onions, and potatoes do not digest well in a dog's diet. 

Should you switch your dog to a raw diet?

As we have detailed above, a raw diet for your dog can combat many health issues through allowing your dog to eat what nature intended. You will have peace of mind (and save on vet bills, too) by knowing exactly what is in your dog's food bowl. It is also easy to implement and follow. So why not try it?

Have you tried a raw dog diet for your pooch? Please let us know.