Special Request Tuesday

A faithful reader contacted me with a special request. As always, I will bend over backwards to accommodate my faithful readers, so I didn't hesitate to start researching the topic. The faithful reader posed a very interesting question: had I ever heard about people feeding raw meat to their dogs. They went on to explain that they knew someone who fed their dogs raw chicken and other raw meats. As soon as I heard the words "raw chicken" I have to confess I felt the warm water start coming up in the back of my throat. As soon as I had the chance, I did some research and here's what I've found on the topic of Raw Feeding.

Wikipedia tells us that raw feeding is "the practice of feeding domestic dogs and cats a diet of primarily uncooked meat, edible bones, and organs." Once again, I feel the warm water starting to come back again. At first I thought this was just crazy talk, but the more I read about it, I have to admit that it didn't sound as crazy as I first thought. Supporters of raw feeding believe that the natural diet of an animal in the wild has evolved to consume what it is most adapted to. They try to mimic a similar diet for their domestic animals. It makes total sense to me -- animals have been around for thousands and thousands of years, and wayyyy back in the day they only had raw meat to eat; people back in the days of the Bible didn't have Purina or Iams food to feed their animals, and those animals were fine enough to reproduce and keep their species alive.

Raw feeding supporters also believe that a balanced raw diet gives the animal a healthier coat, cleaner teeth and breath, reduced stool volume and odor, and better overall health. They are usually opposed to commercial pet foods, which they believe is detrimental to an animal's health. They believe that dogs lack the necessary enzymes to digest grains and plant material, causing bacteria to form on the teeth, in the mouth, intestines and bowel. Opponents of raw feeding believe that the risk of nutritional imbalance, intestine problems and food borne illnesses posed by the handling and feeding of raw meat and bones would outweigh the benefits. Veterinary associations worldwide have warned of the animal and public health risk that could arise from feeding raw meat to pets and have stated there is no scientific evidence to support the claimed benefits of raw feeding.

I don't have a dog, but if I did, there is no way in blue heaven I would feed my dog a raw chicken, or any other raw meat for that matter. I would not feed my dog something that I would not eat myself. For the reecord, let me say that as a kid, I have tasted canned and dry dog food on a dare, and it didn't kill me. Even kids have sense enough not to dare someone to risk their life by eating raw chicken.