Is raw meat more healthy for dogs?

So I have heard some people say that raw meat is more healthy for dogs. Is it true? I can understand that dogs ancestors eat their food raw, but they have been eating cooked food for many generations.

What is your opinions?

Some think a raw diet is the best for dogs. Personally I feed kibble as it is easier. My guy does get the occasional piece of raw meat for a treat though.

(03-31-2012 10:48 PM)bw Wrote:  Some think a raw diet is the best for dogs. Personally I feed kibble as it is easier. My guy does get the occasional piece of raw meat for a treat though.

How does your guy like the raw meat more than the cooked or he show no noticeable difference in favoring one over the other?

He actually seems to prefer cooked. But I think that is conditioning. You like what you get used to. But he will certainly not turn down the occasional bit of raw chicken.

(04-13-2012 12:13 AM)bw Wrote:  He actually seems to prefer cooked. But I think that is conditioning. You like what you get used to. But he will certainly not turn down the occasional bit of raw chicken.

It is probably the matter of habit, since your dog has been fed with cooked food for all his life. I'd love to see how a puppy would pick between the raw and the cooked, who has never tasted solid food before.

Never give cooked bones for your dog to chew on. Cooking makes the bones harder to digest and may cause bowel obstruction. Raw bones should have as little fat as possible. If you’re worried about bacteria from raw bones, keep in mind that dogs tolerate bacteria better than humans. Not all bacteria that are harmful to humans are also harmful to canines.

(04-16-2012 05:23 AM)diane21 Wrote:  Never give cooked bones for your dog to chew on. Cooking makes the bones harder to digest and may cause bowel obstruction. Raw bones should have as little fat as possible. If you’re worried about bacteria from raw bones, keep in mind that dogs tolerate bacteria better than humans. Not all bacteria that are harmful to humans are also harmful to canines.

I would agree on the bone part. From a recent National Geographic show, it said some wild animals go through the tough time by having the ability to chew on bones, because bones contain a lot of nutritious value inside them. Cooking obviously will destroy a lot of the nutrition in the bones.

Fresh raw meat shouldn't contain a lot of bacteria, especially if it had been frozen. Wild animals have been feeding on dead carcass for days without refrigeration, and some can even eat rotting meat just fine.

I personally give my dogs a mixture of both dry food and good quality raw meaty human grade consumption beef bones that have a small amounts of fat on them.The dogs love the meaty bones probably more so then the dry food lol.The raw meat on the bones is a great tooth brush/mouth wash for dogs as well it helps massage their gums and helps with the removal of dental plaque.Also the dogs stools are more natural looking and much less in size and smell compared to when they were having solely dry food.Its just the smells that go with the raw diet that can be a wee bit off putting if you get my drift

How many percentage of your dogs' diet is raw food? Do you see any noticeable improvements physically after you started to feed raw food? Usually what I heard most often is shining coat resulted from raw food. Not sure if it is really because of the raw diet.

Ram I think my dogs coats are beautiful.I can not say for certain if this is a result of feeding them raw food along side of dry.My dogs diets are a 50/50 mix of raw and dry food.Like I said earlier my dogs teeth and breath all look better and smell better so yes I really do think raw is great if you have the means to be able to do this.All my dogs stools decreased in size after giving them a mix of dry and raw foods and weight control is much easier to see.

I used to feed mine completely on raw food but it's costly if you can't find a good value, reliable supply and round here there isn't much. Now they have a mix of dry food, table scraps, raw meat and bones. There's no doubt in my mind that raw feeding is the best possible way to feed a dog - if money were no object mine would definitely still be on a raw diet.

The bone and raw food diet or BARF as it is refered to is certainly better for the dogs, at the moment my 2 are are a complete dry food, as it is cheaper and more manageable especialy with no freezer space to store raw food, some breeders will wean the pups straight on to a raw diet.
I have known many dogs who have been fed raw and their coats are always better than dry mix fed dogs.

I agree with the previous poster that commented that they feed their dog a mixture of both raw and dry food. The problem with some raw food especially red meat is that it can contain diseases ect.. Owners need to be just as careful with the selection and preperation of red meat for their pets as they are with their own meals. Chicken can also contain a lot bacteria which can be harmful if not stored or prepared properly.