Questions for the Raw Feeders...

[Maverick]

I understand that you guys/gals feed your dogs raw food because you think its "natural" for them. I understand that it was probably natural for them 15,000 years ago but I think that dogs have adapted and their bodies have changed. Basically I am trying to say that your basic dog 15,000 years ago isn't the dog you see today.

Your thoughts?

[RawFedDogs]

I understand that you guys/gals feed your dogs raw food because you think its "natural" for them.

I don't "think", I know definately that it is natural for them. Why wouldn't it be? Kibble has only been around for 50 years or so. Dogs have eaten raw meant, bones, and organs for a million years and thrived on it.

I understand that it was probably natural for them 15,000 years ago but I think that dogs have adapted and their bodies have changed.

How do you thnk they have adapted or changed? Their digestive system is exactly the same as it was a million years ago. Dogs don't have the ability to cook or process their food. Have you ever seen a dog grazing in a wheat field? A rice paddy? A corn field? THen why would you feed him a food that is mostly grain? In what nutrition book will you ever see that whole foods are inferior to highly processed food?

Basically I am trying to say that your basic dog 15,000 years ago isn't the dog you see today.

Our dogs have been selectively bred to look different and be different sizes but the internal organs are still exactly the same. No dog has been bred for diet.

[jcmnh]

Just because dogs have, unfortunately, adapted to the foods humans have chosen is easier to feed them, does not mean it is good for them. Dry dog food kibble did not become available until the mid 50's and it was simply a convenience for pet owners that could afford to buy it.

Dogs are not designed to handle the digestion of grains and carbs and have no need for that type of food. Not to mention that cooking food means a loss of nutritional value and commercial dry dog food has to be cooked or it would spoil.

Dogs do not choose vegetation, unless it is something to make them feel better- thanks to Mother Nature instilling in them with the knowledge of what to eat when they are sick. When a wolf takes a large animal down and rips their bellies open they pull out the stomach, which they tear open and shake to rid it of all the vegetation inside.

Dogs are not capable of chewing their food, their teeth are flat and their jaw moves up and down only, not side to side. Their jaws and teeth are designed to rip, tear, pull and crush. Besides being the way Mother Nature intended carnivores to eat, it is excellent mental stimulus for your dog and good exercise for their jaw and chest muscles.

It certainly is far more interesting than eating something day in and day it that resembles small croutons.