If you’re transitioning your dog to a raw food diet, there are many health benefits. Some are immediate, while some take time to take effect. This will be impacted by how old your dog is, their health history and how long they’ve been on a kibble diet.
We know how much you care about your pet’s health (or you wouldn’t be reading a blog post on raw feeding) and we also know a lot of diets promise plenty of healthy benefits. So below is a list of changes to look for when transitioning to a raw diet that will give you peace of mind to know you’ve made the best choice for your dog.
Cleaner Teeth
Despite a lot of marketing dollars being spent on promoting the idea that kibble and canned food can clean teeth due to its crunchy and firm nature, 75% of dogs suffer from periodontal disease because their food isn’t giving them the proper dental benefits claimed.
Having bad breath is a clear sign of your dog suffering from periodontal disease and can further cause systemic problems as the presence of bacteria in their system wears it down.
Eating raw food like meaty bones means your dog has to chew through soft bone and meat, which scrapes plaque from their teeth and provides a gum massage that generates circulation. Even without the inclusion of raw meaty bones in their diet, you may see a change in the appearance of your dog’s teeth with ground raw formulas. Consider how your teeth feel after eating a bag of potato chips versus eating a salad. Dry crunchy foods can actually leave a film on your pets’ teeth causing tartar to develop whereas clean meats easily slide off the tooth leaving a clean surface. There is a short wait to seeing a positive difference in your dog’s oral health once switching to raw dog food. You’ll notice it in the colour of their teeth and the smell of their breath.
Better Digestion
Feeding dogs heavily processed grains, meat byproduct and fillers forces their digestive system to break down food that it was not designed to do. Dogs have no nutritional need for grain and therefore they do not have the digestive enzyme amylase which is needed to digest grain.
Kibble can also contribute to other health concerns including kidney disease as well as chronic diarrhea and bowel disease as it absorbs water quickly, putting your dog at an unnecessary risk.
It’s easy and quick to change your dog to a raw dog food diet with raw meat, bones and organs so that their digestive system works in sync with food they were designed to eat. Where will you see this change? In their poop! Poop will be smaller, light in colour and will disintegrate quickly and naturally on its own.
Healthy Coat
A healthy coat is heavily dependent on your dog’s diet; feeding your dog a species appropriate diet of raw meat will produce a beautiful, shiny coat.
This is because of the high nutrient value of a raw dog food diet. Having your dog eat raw food will reduce the common pet odour and greasy coat that can be produced by eating kibble. Kibble creates these problems, as the toxins that are in the body escape through a dog’s skin. Without these toxins, what is left is a clean, shiny coat.
Reduce Allergies
Pet allergies are increasing as dogs are fed an inappropriate diet of with grains, fillers and dyes. This type of diet is what can often cause these allergies to occur or be heightened.
From environmental and dietary allergies to a lifelong extreme itch, owners can be at a loss of how to bring their dog some relief. Most turn to antibiotics or steroids but, what can help significantly is switching to a biologically appropriate diet of raw food that can assist in showing quick relief.
After seeing the change in your dog’s health from dental to digestive to a reduction of allergies, you’ll never go back to kibble and canned food. Knowing a raw dog food diet can relieve your dog of most of their health concerns just by choosing raw food from trusted manufacturers like Iron Will Raw will make the transition that much easier! And if you’re transitioning, we’re here with you every step of the way to answer questions or provide tips. Just contact us.
