Raw Diet for German Shepherds: Health Panacea or Potential Hazard?
We have gone over raw diets vs. kibble and canned food before. But we haven't specifically covered the risks associated with both. In this article, we'll cover recalls and food safety.
In 2023, 236 million pounds of dog and cat food were recalled with the #1 cause being bacterial contamination. Salmonella is the biggest cause, with E. coli and listeria not being too far behind. Mid America Pet Food alone recalled 35 different foods that made 7 people ill, 6 of whom were children. As part of a settlement, they paid $75 for each pet that fell ill and $150 for each pet that expired.
By comparison, the only company that sells a raw diet that was recalled was Blue Ridge Beef's prepared diet at roughly 1,350 lbs recalled. This sounds favorable for the raw, prepared diets, but they make up such a small part of the market share that it would be unfair to declare a raw, prepared diet to be safer.
Dr. Karen Becker, pet food formulator Steve Brown, and an associate held 2 meetings with the FDA last year regarding AAFCO’s one-size-fits-all all Nutrient Profiles. Evidence was bright forth that strongly suggested that the FDA's regulations on pet nutrition does not fit all all dogs by exampling how easily pets can be nutrient deficient or experience nutrient excesses unless they eat the correct amount of pet food. The FDA did admit that some pets “cannot get enough required nutrients” from their pet food.
The issue with this is if your dog needs less food to maintain weight, they would be nutrient deficient. Likewise, if a dog were the opposite, or a very active dog, the dog may need more food to maintain a healthy weight and thus would experience nutrition excess.
This happens to every person, and it's perfectly normal. Our diet is balanced over time by eating a variety of foods. Today, you may not have ingested enough iron, but tomorrow, you may eat 30% more iron than the amount recommended for a single day. It all balances through variety. The problem with pet food (especially kibble) is that there is no variety. The average dog eats the same ingredients for every meal for its entire life. Perfectly balancing kibble is effectively impossible. And since there's no variety, therein lies the issue that Dr. Becker met with the FDA to discuss.
With a raw diet, especially a homemade one, you have control over the ingredients. The diet would consist of human grade ingredients. You will be in charge of how it's handled. And you can add as much variety as so you may wish. It's easy to see the appeal of knowing where the food we feed comes from and how it's handled. But with that freedom of choice comes responsibility. I'm still surprised by how many people think a raw diet is simply feeding a dog raw steaks for every meal. If you feed a raw diet, you will have to do research on what you can and can't feed. Nutrition details to make sure your dog is getting everything it needs, including protein, fats, organ meat for the different vitamins and minerals they contain, etc.
Feeding a raw diet is far less convenient than opening a bag of kibble. And to be affordable, you'll need to buy in bulk and use either a lot of freezer bags, a vacuum sealer, or my favorite, reusable vacuum bags. You'll likely need to invest in a deep freezer. The size and expense depend on how many dogs you're feeding and whether you choose to purchase new or used. It is an investment of time, money, and more time spent researching. It doesn't help that there are half a dozen different "styles" of raw feeding, from the B.A.R.F. diet, the Raw Prey Model, diets with veggies and fruits, those without. Those that use supplements, and those that do not. Diets where people use grinders, and those that use whole foods for the dental benefits, but may increase the risk of choking.
There just isn't enough data to present raw food as a better option. Likewise, there isn't enough data to show that kibble is the better option. Dog food companies have no stake in researching diets they don't sell. And the farms that stock the shelves at your local grocery or butcher shop aren't going to benefit (much) from selling their food directly to pet owners. It all boils down to anecdotal evidence and preference.
The one thing we know for sure is that no diet is completely safe. There are food recalls on human grade foods, as well as every type and brand of pet foods. 236,000,000lbs of recalled pet food vs. 100,000,000 units of food being recalled for human grade food products. 1 in 6 people in the United States experience food poisoning every year, which brings us back to the point. The real choice here is what perceived benefits: you, as an individual, assign to any particular diet or type or brand of food for your dog.
Honestly, if you want "safe," a properly handled, home cooked diet cooked to about 200 degrees Fahrenheit, using human grade ingredients is about as safe as it gets. But, like raw feeding, it would come with a lot of research to make sure that your dog's nutritional needs were met.
It seems as if there is no winner here. But there are a few things you can do to ensure that your dog will live a longer, healthier, happier life. Don't overfeed your dog. Overweight dogs have a lower quality of life, and it is proven that they have a shortened life as well.
Exercise your dog. Good cardiovascular health means a longer, healthier life, and will help make sure your dog is more mobile later in life.
And last but not least: train your dog. A great diet, plenty of exercise, and a healthy weight have never stopped a dog from failing to recall and possibly getting hurt. A strong recall has prevented many accidents and tragedies. Head to the comments and let us know what diet you feed and why! Thank you.
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