It seems like I see a new article every day about the dangers of raw feeding cats and dogs. I read each article and find it interesting that they all seem so similar. What’s even more interesting is who is writing, publishing and pushing these posts. Do a little research, and you’ll find yourself on a trail leading directly to big brand pet food companies. How curious.
It’s true, raw food can be a scary thing. Growing up, we were conditioned as children to believe that we could die if our meat wasn’t cooked thoroughly – and it’s hard (especially for Adrienne) to kick that thought process. It was equally hard to chew the steak my mother cooked. 😉
Then came the brilliant world of sushi and everyone ordering their steaks rare.
Now these things are normalized.
With sushi we’ve learned that it’s not only safe but healthy to eat raw fish. And, in my opinion, it’s also delicious. And for meat lovers, there’s nothing like a melt-in-your-mouth fillet tenderloin served rare (though Adrienne still orders it medium).
So why aren’t we all dead by now? Or at least sick as dogs? Because it’s not actually a health risk to eat raw meat. It’s a health risk to eat contaminated raw meat. It’s also a health risk to eat contaminated cooked meat.
And here’s something not mentioned in all the new articles about dangerous raw foods: The pet foods that have caused thousands of illness and deaths in pets were processed. They were cooked. They weren’t raw.
Do a basic google search for pet food recalls – and the deaths caused by these recalled foods. How many are raw foods?
So why all the hype about the dangers of raw feeding cats and dogs?
First – simply and sadly, fear sells. But besides fear – and more intentionally (in our opinion) is the fact that a multi-billion dollar industry makes their money by selling glossy bags full of rendered and diseased ingredients – not real, fresh food. And the growth of the fresh feeding community is a real, fresh threat. Raw food companies are not invested in the special interest groups or high dollar lobbyist that big pet food brands hang their stocks on. Most raw food companies barely make enough money to advertise – and instead put their money into their real, fresh ingredients. We’ve long thought that if we see a commercial for a pet food, we know what not to feed – because we know where their money is really going. And they’re not investing in a healthier pet for me. Since you probably still have google up, go ahead and see how much it costs to run a 30 second commercial during prime-time TV.
Our cats have been fed a species appropriate balanced raw diet for nearly 4 years. And, from our experience, the “dangers” that you can expect from feeding this way are a healthier, shinier coat, less health problems, less dental issues and a happier, livelier cat. If that’s too dangerous for you, fine. Raw feeding is a risk that we’re so glad we took.
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