One of the most common concerns about feeding raw dog food is bacterial contamination. Bacterial contamination on raw food is a very real concern for people but not for dogs. The reason dogs don’t have a problem with bacterial contamination is the design of their digestive system.
I dog’s stomach produces very strong acids with a ph of 1, this is strong. The low ph kills the bacteria. This is also why dogs don’t die after eating garbage. Dogs are carnivores and scavengers by design would it make sense for them to die from food they were designed to eat? Oddly some veterinarians caution their clients about feeding raw meat. It makes no sense.
Fortunately, there is a wealth of knowledge and experience supporting the benefits of feeding raw meat based dog food. Do a little searching around on the internet and see for yourself.
Don’t be fooled by the neigh sayers. The biggest critics have often never fed 1 dog a raw meat based dog food.
You have written an incredible resource.
I would like to feed my new puppy a raw diet. However, I have three young children at home and worry about cross contamination. Would you recommend a cooked diet instead? Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Shawn
Shawn,
Yes, I would recommend feeding the easy cooked dog food. Click here to view the dog food recipe. I just posted the video.
Hi!
I was jsut wondering, is it okay to always make the easy raw receipe? Do I need to advance to your intermediate recipe for any reason?
Penny,
No,
It is fine to continue feeding the easy raw dog food recipe. Your dog will do great eating this dog food.
I am currently feedind my dog the raw recipe, but just saw your cooked recipe video. How do I go about switching from the raw to the cooked. Also, I had replaced the rice with green beans, but would like to add the rice. Is barley a good substitute for the rice if I choos to use that instead?
Yvette,
I’ve personally fed the raw one day and the cooked the next with no digestive upset. I like white rice. I’ve never used barley.
Hello! I’m just curious why you use ground beef for the cooked recipe? Isn’t it loaded with fats? Also, I’ve been reading about “pink slime” in ground beef, and curious what your opinion is on that matter and if you think ground beef is still safe to feed to dogs. I think that just because its in the super market, doesn’t always necessarily mean it’s safe for our consumption (just look at the MSG in so many things nowadays!). I’ve just been very conscious of everything we buy and use ever since we had our baby 3 months ago, and I’m very interested in getting my Chihuahua on a home-prepared diet. Thanks! 🙂
Jessica,
Dogs thrive on good animal fats. I buy ground meat that does not contain pink slime. You have to remember the meat that is in dog food is not considered food grade. This means it is deemed by the government to be NOT fit for human consumption. Watch some videos on youtube about what’s really in dog food. Some dog foods that contain meat meal use euthanized pets. It’s gross.
I have seen first hand how dogs thrive fed homemade dog food. It is like night and day. You will be happy you switched.
Hello. Raw food works for my one year old french buldog. Ground meat,vegetables, raw eggs,garlic, fish oil. I add to the meal cooked sweet potato’s and oatmeal.He is eating this food since he 3 month old. Since the food contains water, he does not drink a lot. Marrow bones
work as a natural toy. I will recomened this diet.
Thank you,
Yanna
Can people be exposed to the bacteria in raw meat if your dog licks you after eating? Is it necessary to wash their mouths/face with anything, and if so what do you recommend? Thanks!
Yes, it can be a problem for people with compromised immune systems. Cooking the food will kill the bacteria.
I’m ordering some of your products today and can’t wait to get started on the recipies! I have an 18 lb chihuahua/dachshund mix that I got at our local humane society when he was 3 months old. They had him on doxycycline as a preventitive measure for kennel cough. He is now 10 months old and likes to lick his feet quite a bit. From what I’ve read and learned on your site, he probably has yeast. My question is, can I follow the yeast starvation diet with cooked ground beef instead of raw, will it still work ?
Thank you so much for a great site !
Allena,
It should but I prefer the raw ground beef.
Ed, thanks for such a great resource. I’m considering going raw with our dog. She’s a farm girl, gets raw bones, chews on gross dead things and is outdoors most of the time. She is parasite and flea free, but she chews and itches a lot. I am thinking it’s her over-processed dog kibble. How do you feel about using venison as the primary protein? What could I do to up the fat content since it’s so lean?
Sally,
Venison is fine but super lean. Add the Lickochops and Dinovite and you should be fine.
Great website.
I’ve been thinking about making my Boston raw food instead of buying the premade raw food. This is a great resource.
I grew up in Papua New Guinea and we didn’t have “pet food” during the time I was there. My dad fed our dogs ground beef and rice and bones. They were extremely healthy – we never went to the vet. Came here in the late 80s and I recall going to the grocery market seeing kibble and canned dog food for the first time.
Now as an adult I’ve researched dog food and learned about “rendering” (look it up in Wikipedia) where the food industry converts waste animal tissue into edible products. If you think about it – it’s like space food. It’s all dehydrated and it’s not healthy because of all the fillers and additives. When you feed your dog kibble it puffs up in their stomachs and they are so thirsty. When you feed raw you will find dogs are not as thirsty and their poops are smaller and not as stinky.
Anyway – I really enjoyed your recipes. I’m going to make the jump to start preparing her food on my own instead of buying the frozen raw.
Thank you!
Ed, thank you so much for your time and effort on this site. I recently got a 7 week old boxer, having lost my last one to lymphoma in her stomach. I started researching homemade food and found your wonder site. My baby girl loves this food. However, when I took her for her 1st puppy check up I told the vet about it and he didn’t seem to think it such a good idea. Why do you think they don’t like this…..I am continuing to feed her this food because I believe you and I want her to thrive and be healthy for a very long time. Her coat actually glistens and she certainly seems very happy with it.
Thanks again.
Shirley,
I think this is because vets are not trained in nutrition. Most also don’t raise animals as a hobby and therefore don’t see good results first hand. They pretty much see sick animals day in and out.
Hi! I am new to the idea of making my own dog food. I have an 11 yr old Weimerainer that had his first episode of enteritis. I started researching dog food and was amazed at what I found. I literally can’t afford to buy all the “top dog foods.” Can you tell me what the approximate cost of a months supply would be for him? He is approx 96 lbs.
I would like to have a glucosamine supplement for his joints. Does your supplements provide that?
I don’t know if I have the time to do this but would love to be able to give him the best possible nutrition from here on out. He deserves it!
The price will vary around the country depending on the local costs of the ingredients. The supplements with the recipe work well. Glucosamine will be supplied by the lining in the egg shells.