RAWGUST DAY

RAWgust is an annual celebration of the many incredible health benefits of feeding your pet a raw diet. It’s a time of awareness and education, and a chance for pet parents who still have questions to learn all they can about going raw.

A raw dog food diet or raw cat food diet is exactly what it sounds like: a diet for pets that is based on feeding your dog or cat raw food. This means feeding your dog or cat raw meat, such as raw beef or fish, as well as adding other important nutrients to their diets such as vegetables, fruits, or other nutrient-rich food sources. Some also decide to combine a regular pet food diet and a raw food diet, instead of doing one or the other.

Heat-intensive processing such as canning, cooking, baking or roasting results in the breakdown of naturally occurring nutrients and enzymes, which tend to be highly sensitive to heat. 

Most pet food manufacturers simply replace the lost nutrients with additives and believe the end result is nutritionally the same.

The main principle behind raw feeding is that naturally occurring nutrients are healthier, easier to digest, and promote overall wellness more than the artificial alternative.

The many brands of the popular raw dog food, (freeze dried dog food) and treats are never exposed to high heat that would break down those precious nutrients. Instead, the raw meat and fresh fruits and veggies are freeze-dried in a slow 48-hour process that retains that natural goodness all the way to your pup’s food bowl!

When considering the switch, we recommend thinking about the benefits and drawbacks we’ve mentioned and asking yourself these questions:

• Have you tried a lot of other pet foods that aren’t working for your sensitive or allergic dog or cat? 
• Do you have the budget to invest in the right products for a raw food diet?
• Do you have the time to prepare a balanced raw pet food diet, and do the necessary research before starting?
• Is your pet’s current diet working well for them?
• Have you consulted with your veterinarian about a raw pet food diet?

These are some questions to help you figure out if you should switch your pet to a raw food diet. Before you make any big changes to your pet’s diet, especially when switching to a raw pet food diet, we always recommend consulting with your veterinarian. The decision is yours.