Raw diets

People are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of healthy eating for their health and are more concerned about what they eat. At the same time, more and more pets are occupying an important role in the household and considered to be "core family members". Thus, it is only normal, and prefferable, that the people that care for them want them to eat the best food just as they themselves do.

For a few years now, owners have been offering a variety of foods to their pets. Furthermore, they look for products that are natural and organic, gluten-free, and free of animal by products, grains, and preservatives, because these elements are actually considered as harmful for their animal's health by the general population. 

By offering raw food to their pets, owners feel a sense of control on what their pet is taking in by feeding them with whole products which are not transformed nor contaminated by these "harmful" elements mentioned above. 

Commercial raw diets composed primarily of meat and bone or "BARF" (Bones and Raw Food or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) are often available frozen or freeze-dried. Some of them are marketed as being complete, whereas others are expected to require additional supplements.

It is very easy to find a variety of BARF diets that can be prepared at home on the internet. Most of these recipes suggest using a formula composed of 60% raw, fleshly bone, and 40% of green vegetables, eggs, milk, beer yeast, meat with muscles and organs, yougourt, and sometimes certain grains and other vegetables. 

Based on these recipes, we cannot expect that each meal be nutritionally balanced. In theory, a balanced nutrition from all meals is achieved by varying the ingredients from meal to the next. The problem that is often encountered with this practise is that most owners do not follow to the letter the instructions aiming to achieve a proper balance "with time" despite their best initial efforts. Consequently, most people end up using substitutes in these recipes or give less of the time and effort required for this feeding method.

Numerous studies have been conducted in order to evaluate the nutritional performance of these raw diets in addition to the possible risks and benefits that are associated them. There is currently no study that shows that this type of feeding provides beneficial longterm effects to animals' health when compared to other diets.

However, there are numerous studies that show that many raw diets, as well as commercial ones and home recipes, contain levels of essential nutrients that are inferior to the minimum requirements recommended by the AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials). In contrast, there are even published BARF recipes that contain excessive amounts of vitamins D and E, and also inadequate proportions of calcium and phosphorous.

Studies have also shown that despite the fact that proteins provided from raw meat are highly digestable does not mean that the amino acids which make up these proteins are 100% available to be absorbed by the animal's intestinal tract. This is of particular importance in the case of taurine, an essential amino acid in cats that, when in insufficient quantities in the being can lead to death of the animal.   

In addition, taurine defiencies have been identified in cats being fed raw diets perpared at home or being sold commercially. On one hand, the taurine content in animal proteins can vary greatly depending on its source. Muscles contain less than the organs for example. 

On the other hand, raw diets seem to promote the loss of taurine at the intestinal level. This was shown in cats that participated in a study where a taurine supplement was added to theirr aw diet. Despite the increased level of taurine in their food, the concentrations of taurine in these cats' blood was significantly lower than cats fed a traditionnal commercial dry kibble.

Another potiential risk associated with raw diets is about the possibility bacterial contamination from this food. In effect, microorganisms that are potential pathogens for humans were isolated in raw diets as well as commercial ones. For example, Salmonella was found in 20% to 35% of raw poultry and in 80% of raw diets for dogs. This bacteria was also found in 30% of stool samples of dogs eating a raw diet. Other bacteria that were also identified are Esherichia coli and Yersinis enterocolitica. 

Even though animals in good health won't necessarily develop symptoms when they ingest this bacteria, the risk of getting sick is very high for those who are immunosuppresent, young, and senial. Furthermore, whether they're sick or not, these animals can excrete bacteria in their stools. Thus, they represent a danger for humans and other animals in their environment. 

Consequently, those who handle these diets are also at risk of being contaminated , particularly children, the elderly, and those who are immunosuppressed. So it is extremely important for them to wash their hands adequately and clean and disinfect any utensils, bowls, and surfaces used in the preparation and handling of these raw diets. 

We invite you in this regard to consult the FDA's (Food and Drug Administration) website to be informed about the standards of the handling and safe preparation of food, as well as good cleaning practises. Interestingly, it has been shown that a routine cleaning of the envrionment and pets' bowls will not be sufficient in eliminating the potential pathogens contained in the food.  

In addition to the presence of bacteria, raw meat can also contain parasites that are contagious to both people and animals, such as Echinococcus spp, Neospora caninum, Sarcocystis spp, Toxocara canis, Toxplasma gondii, and Taenia spp.

Finally, eating raw bones can not only cause tooth fractures, but pieces that are swallowed risk causing intestinal obstructions leading to perforations.