Is Raw Dog Food Actually Safer Than Kibble?
So we’ve covered raw diets vs kibble before. Never really talked about the scary stuff though. Time to get into recalls and safety issues.
Brace yourself for this one. Last year, 236 million pounds of dog and cat food got recalled. That’s insane when you think about it. Most of the time it was because of bacteria. Salmonella being the worst, then E. coli and listeria.
Mid America Pet Food was a mess. They recalled 35 different foods and made 7 people sick. Six were kids, which is awful. They had to pay $75 per sick pet and $150 if the pet died.
Compare that to raw food recalls. Blue Ridge Beef recalled around 1,350 pounds of raw diet. Sounds way better for raw, right? But raw prepared diets are such a small slice of the market. So it’s kinda unfair to say raw is safer based on that.
What’s Wrong with the FDA
Dr. Karen Becker and some pet food expert Steve Brown actually met with the FDA last year. They complained about AAFCO’s nutrition guidelines. Basically the FDA treats all dogs the same nutritionally. Which is dumb.
Think about it. Small dog that doesn’t eat much? Might not get enough nutrients. Big active dog that eats tons? Probably getting too much of some nutrients. Even the FDA admitted some pets “cannot get enough required nutrients” from their food.
We don’t eat perfectly balanced meals every single day. Some days I eat way too much sodium. Other days barely any. It evens out over time because we eat different stuff.
Dogs don’t get that. Most eat the exact same kibble every meal for years. There’s no way to make one kibble formula perfect for every dog. Since they never get variety, problems happen.
Raw Feeding Reality
With raw feeding, especially making it yourself, you control everything. Human quality ingredients. You handle the prep. Add whatever variety you want.
I get why people like it. Nice knowing exactly what your dog eats and where it comes from. But man, there’s a lot of responsibility.
Still can’t believe how many people think raw feeding means tossing your dog a steak every day. That’s not it at all. You gotta research what’s safe and what isn’t. Learn about nutrition – proteins, fats, organ meats for vitamins and minerals.
Raw feeding is way more work than opening a kibble bag. To keep costs down you’ll buy in bulk. Need freezer bags or vacuum sealer. Probably a chest freezer too. Size depends on how many dogs and if you buy new or used.
It’s a real investment. Time, money, lots of reading and research.
Then there’s all the different raw feeding styles. BARF diet, Prey Model, some with vegetables, some without. Some people add supplements, others don’t. Some grind everything, others feed whole pieces for dental health but worry about choking.
The Data Problem
Here’s the thing though. Not enough research to prove raw is better. Also not enough to prove kibble is better.
Dog food companies won’t study diets they don’t make money from. Farms selling to grocery stores don’t really care about pet owners buying directly. So we’re mostly stuck with stories people tell and personal opinions.
Nothing’s 100% Safe
No food is completely safe. People food gets recalled all the time too. 236 million pounds of pet food recalled vs 100 million units of human food. One out of six Americans get food poisoning yearly.
Really comes down to what you think matters most for your dog.
If you want the safest option, home cooking is probably it. Cook everything to 200 degrees using human grade stuff. But like raw feeding, you’d need to research nutrition big time.
No Perfect Answer
There’s no clear winner here. But some things definitely help dogs live longer and healthier.
Don’t let your dog get fat. Overweight dogs feel worse and die younger. That’s proven fact.
Exercise matters. Good heart health equals longer life and better mobility when they’re old.
Train your dog properly. Best diet and exercise won’t help if your dog runs into traffic because they won’t come when called. Good recall training saves lives.
What do you feed your dog? Why’d you pick that option?