Why Feed Raw?
- Posted on
- By Devon Murtagh
Replacing low quality leads to healthier gut bacteria, balanced blood sugar, and a better endocrine system--and that’s just the start!
Raw is the fastest growing sector of the pet food market. Let's find out why. Often people have mixed feelings about feeding raw food to their pets. Either, they are for it and often cite historical diets of pets, or because eating raw doesn't make sense for them that it doesn't make sense for their pets. In most cases, a pet's diet is in line with theirs. If you were to start a raw diet for your pet, the first change observed would be improved stools. This is because of raw's superior digestibility. Another delightful part of feeding raw is pets go crazy for it, it is very palatable for them.
Raw can be beneficial because it does not undergo the same processing as most kibbles. Although not all kibbles are created equal, and a lot of kibbles are not done in this way, most kibble undergoes an extrusion process: By extruding kibble, which is done at temperatures exceeding 130 degrees Celsius, grains are cooked and disseminated for the most part. As soon as the mixture leaves the extruder, the pressure drops which more or less 'blows up' the pellet, resulting in an extruded structure. Though digestible, this starch is of low utility nutritionally. In fact, a bowl of kibble once a day can actually be unhealthy. Sometimes after eating, blood sugar spikes, insulin levels rise, & blood sugar decreases.
Raw does not undergo this process and so many Natural enzymes and numerous beneficial bacteria are found in raw pet foods. This leads to better gut flora, which further aids in digestion. Since the immune system is so intricately linked with the digestive tract, a healthy digestive system often goes hand in hand with a healthy immune system. Take this historical observation, for instance, In the 1920s the Arctic explorer Stefansson observed Eskimos thriving on an all-animal meat diet while his men on the same diet fell ill with scurvy. But his men cooked everything. When they reverted to raw food like the natives, full health returned.
We often recommended a raw diet to dogs especially with health issues, and often see promising results. Although, not all dogs will react positively to a raw diet (allergies to certain meats), in most cases they become healthier. Because of these findings, we often recommend adding some sort of raw component to your pet's diet not only as a treatment for common health ailments but also as a preventative. We offer the widest selection of local raw around, so come speak with our staff about getting your dog on a raw diet today!