It is only necessary to look at the ingredients list on the label of a dog food to realize how full of unnecessary ingredients the food contains. There are fillers, additives as well as meat of questionable origin. So is it a good idea to think about changing our pet's eating habits and switching to raw one? The raw dog food diet is highly controversial, and has numerous passionate supporters, and an equal number of critics. So what is it about the raw diets for dogs that people are able to see and not approve of?

Argument FOR

The belief that dogs should be fed an all-raw diet comes from observing a dog's food habits before they became domesticated. Wild dogs were naturally able to catch prey and eat them in raw form. It is what they were meant to eat, therefore it's the right way to feed their pets. This is obvious when feeding your dog meat that is raw, they get far more excited than the pet food you buy at the grocery store.

A lot of people believe that a raw diet can have a positive impact on the health of a dog. This is because the majority of shop pet food is laden with additives, preservatives, or other ingredients your dog never meant to eat. This can play havoc with your dog's digestive system and potentially result in allergies. A health problem that may be aggravated by dog food that is generic is the issue of shedding. The wrong food can increase shedding, dandruff and itchy skin in your pet.

Argument AGAINST

The opponents of a raw diet claim that domesticated dogs may not be able to digest raw food like wild creatures do. This would be because they would not have the proper enzymes in order to break down raw food. Likewise raw meat often contains bones which if swallowed, they could end up inside the intestinal tract, causing health problems.

Additionally, a raw food diet seems to be discouraged among those who favor food kibble because of the fact that raw food like bones could be harmful to the digestive tract.

At the end of the day, homemade food will always be more nutritious than dog food that is bought from the store even if it's prepared and served raw. Raw meat is certainly safe to feed a dog provided that bones are removed and you do not feed the pet pork. If you aren't willing to go to the extent of feeding your dog raw meat opt for the best quality dog food available on the market.