{"id":46076,"date":"2019-07-08T08:18:06","date_gmt":"2019-07-08T13:18:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=46076"},"modified":"2019-07-08T08:18:11","modified_gmt":"2019-07-08T13:18:11","slug":"%ef%bb%bfis-a-raw-diet-the-best-option-for-your-pet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=46076","title":{"rendered":"\ufeffIs a raw diet the best option for your pet?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Haley Rau<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Garden Plain senior<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Raw feeding\nis a new trend in the pet industry. The goal in mind is a balanced diet of raw\nanimal products to dogs, cats, and even ferrets. The objective is to mix a\nration of 80 percent muscle, 10 percent bone, 5 percent liver and 5 percent\nexcreting organs. Making sure you are feeding a complete, nutritionally\nbalanced diet to the animals\u2019 requirements is important. Consult your\nveterinarian if in doubt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everything in\nthat ration is a direct byproduct of the meat industry. Benefits that pet\nparents have seen are allergy relief, better teeth, better joint health, and\nextended life, but there is a lack of medical studies which demonstrates these\nbenefits. With pet parents jumping at the opportunity to try to extend their\npets lives, it is also helping the beef industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, with\nevery benefit there are some downsides. Raw feeding is going to be a larger hit\nto your wallet. The average dry kibble costs anywhere from 85 cents to $2 a\npound while raw is more around $5 a pound. Shelf life is also an issue, with\nthe recommendation to keep frozen until the day before you plan to feed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The average\nhousehold in America has more than one pet, which can lead to more difficulty.\nWith storage also a problem, many parents decide to buy a whole new deep\nfreezer and will dedicate hours of their week to prepping raw food. Prepping\ncan range from grounding all portions together or leaving it in small chunks or\neven whole, depending on the size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A concern\nexpressed by a Hays veterinarian, Dr. Mike Gaughn, is that raw pet food should also\nbe handled like any other raw meat. A thorough cleaning is necessary for animal\nand human health. Veterinarians are also concerned about the bacteria found in\nand on raw meat when being digested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The American Veterinary Medical Association does not recommend feeding\nto cats and dogs any raw animal-source protein and prescribes cooking meat to\neliminate pathogens, which can potentially cause foodborne illnesses for your pet, which can be\nsecondarily transmitted to the family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However,\nallowing the stomach to adapt to the new diet change, your pet\u2019s health is not\nin any direct danger, says a group of avid raw feeders. Pet parents can buy\ntheir raw feed from the grocery store, butcher, or even local farmers. Many\nmeats can be fed raw. As a starter diet, chicken, rabbit, or other white meat\nis suggested. While introducing white meat, incorporate light bones to harden\nthe stools. A concern with bones is the dog damaging its teeth, choking or\nperforating their intestinal tracts, so grinding them would be beneficial.\nAfter about a week of white meat and bones, you can add red meats. Lamb,\nvenison, pork, and beef are included in many raw diets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When buying\nraw ingredients, another thing to think about is the supplier. Hunters and\nfarmers are big supporters of the raw dog food movement, and they can be your\nbiggest supplier. Farmers not only can sell you a whole cow to process, but any\nfatalities can also bring in money for them. A pulled calf that didn\u2019t make it\ncan be a financial loss to the farmers, but it can also be a point of sales in\nthe raw community. A lame heifer that needs to be euthanized can also bring\ncontribution to a pet’s diet versus being used on a compost pile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before buying\nor selling, contact your state\u2019s agriculture department to discuss the legality\nof selling. If you are a rancher or farmer, it can be a great idea to reach out\non Facebook pages specified as raw feeding groups. Social media is a great way\nto connect a supplier to a buyer. The page \u201cRaw feeding advice and support\u201d has\ncurrently 97,400 followers and counting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is a\nworldwide group but many are happy to have supplies shipped to them. Some beef\nproducts to search for are liver, green tripe, heart, brain, testicles, kidney,\nnon-weight bearing bones, and any muscle meat. By adding another demand to the\nmeat market, we can see growth in profit for farmers and ranchers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nagricultural community is always looking for ways to help supply the world with\nfood. Buying direct can also cut costs for parents and selecting the byproducts\nthat humans do not usually consume can add to a farmer\u2019s bottom dollar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Butchers are\nalso making money by selling to locals rather than big pet food companies. The\nraw pet food community is very strict with what they recommend to be fed, which\nallows farmers, ranchers, and butchers to charge more. Though feeding raw can\nbe expensive and time consuming for busy pet parents, it can help local\nfarmers, ranchers, and butchers. It is important to support local agriculture\njust like any other small businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If switching\nto raw has a chance of having a positive impact on your pet\u2019s life, it is worth\nthe time and money put it in, while also helping your local businesses and\nfarms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Haley Rau, a 2016 Garden Plain High School graduate, graduated this spring with a degree in agriculture (animal science) from Fort Hays State University. She is the daughter of Jason and Christina Rau, Garden Plain.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This essay on a topic in agriculture was researched and written by a student as part of a project in a senior animal science class at Fort Hays State University. The project director is Dr. Brittany Howell, associate professor of agriculture, bjhowell@fhsu.edu<\/a>, 785-628-4015.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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