Why Feed Raw? 

By feeding a natural species appropriate diet, your dog will thrive. Raw food is packed full of all the essential nutrients needed for a balanced diet. With no nasty additives or preservatives, you can be sure your dog is eating the healthiest and best diet possible. 

Feeding raw offers many great benefits, some of which are; 

·       glossy coat with zero or little odour

·       reduced itching, licking and scratching

·       optimum immune system

·       better oral hygiene and teeth

·       improved behaviour and vitality

·       reduced allergies and intolerances

·       less tummy upsets

·       healthy digestion and much smaller stools

·       last but not least fussy dogs become very unfussy dogs

By feeding raw, you are making the best decision to ensure a happy, healthy life for your four-legged companion. 

Reduced Allergies and Intolerances 

Allergies and intolerances in dogs and humans have soared since the introduction of processed foods. Cheap grains are mass produced with the use of pesticides and harmful chemicals. These can cause allergies and more commonly intolerances and sensitivities in dogs which can lead to a myriad of health problems. 

How Raw can Help 

There is no doubt that by feeding a raw diet which is 100% natural, you are removing a considerable number of allergens and harmful substances present in highly processed food.

Some of the many benefits of feeding raw to reduce allergies, intolerances and sensitivities are: 

·       natural, raw food contains absolutely no allergens

·       raw food is much easier for your dog to digest

·       your dog’s body absorbs and utilizes the nutrients more efficiently 

·       live enzymes in raw food strengthen your dogs gut 

·       strengthens your dogs immune system, and helps fight off allergens

·       overall improvement in health including organ functions and joints

·       excludes wheat, corn, soy, starch and carbohydrates

Allergies, intolerances and sensitivities are often caused by food but are not limited to food. Other allergens include: Pollen, mould, dust and dust mites, prescription medication, fleas and chemical flea repellents and chemical wormers, to name a few.

Allergies 

Actual allergies, especially to protein are extremely rare. Only 1-3% of both humans and dogs, experience true allergies. The most common type of allergic reaction to food is known as an IgE-mediated food allergy. An allergic reaction is caused by over-reactivity or hypersensitivity of the immune system, to an allergen. Dog’s with true allergies have a compromised immune system. Their body reacts to the allergenic substance by mounting an immune system attack with part of the immune system known as allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies. In short, it can no longer differentiate between harmful invaders like infection and viruses, and harmless ones like grass or food. 

By removing these from the diet, symptoms such as:

·       itchiness and scratching

·       sore or flaky skin

·       persistent loose stools

·       yeasty infections

·       sensitive tummies

can be reduced, and in most cases disappear for good.

If your dog has a real allergy to a food, the immune system will be triggered. Potent chemicals, like histamine from mast cells are released. These cause local inflammation like redness, swelling, and itching. This type of adverse reaction usually starts rapidly after ingesting the allergen and often provokes a severe anaphylactic response. Seek veterinary advice for severe reactions.

To prevent true allergies, the allergen needs to be identified and removed from the diet. The risks associated with a severe anaphylactic response should not be underestimated. A child or adult with a severe nut or shell fish allergy, can only avoid a severe and often life threatening allergic response, by making sure they do not eat those allergens! Identifying and avoiding the allergen, is the only way to prevent an allergic response.

Intolerance 

An intolerance means your dog lacks the enzymes needed to break down and absorb certain ingredients. The inability to digest wheat, corn and soy, is a common food intolerance. 

Food intolerance can be hard to diagnose as the reaction is often delayed and more subtle, this type of response is not life-threatening. Intolerance starts in your dogs digestive tract. This happens when your dogs body can’t digest something. This is also known non-IGE mediated food allergies. 

Symptoms include: 

·       loose stools

·       vomiting

·       IBS

·       bloating and discomfort

·       excessive wind

Highly processed foods contain a multitude of indigestible ingredients. This is why switching to a raw diet that is totally natural and highly digestible, is so effective in recovery from most food intolerances. To prevent an intolerance, the substance causing it needs to be identified and removed from the diet.

Sensitivity 

Food sensitivities, can also be hard to diagnose as the reaction is often delayed and more subtle. If left undiagnosed, it can become more severe and cause chronic inflammation. Sensitivity differs from an intolerance and is almost certainly linked to a leaky gut. As with Intolerances, these can present as mild or severe.

Symptoms include:

·       loose stools

·       IBS

·       bloating and discomfort

·       vomiting

·       excessive wind

·       itchiness and hair loss

Your dogs intestines rely on a mucosal liner, this barrier helps nutrients pass into the bloodstream while keeping pathogens and other threats out. An unhealthy digestive system that lacks a healthy mucosal barrier, will allow undigested particles into the blood stream, this is known as Leaky Gut. Initially in most cases, there is no immune response. When happening regularly over time, the body may start to attack these particles as it would other foreign invaders. This would mean an immune response similar to that of a true allergy with histamine being released. The sudden onset of food allergies is more likely, as the body begins to see food as the enemy.

Vets may only treat the symptoms of leaky gut, like skin conditions and recurring ear infections, while the root problem continues to go untreated. If you’re consistently seeing more than one symptom, it might be time to consider leaky gut as a root cause.

Benefits to Oral Health 

By feeding a raw diet, your dog’s teeth and gums are cleaner and healthier. When gnawing or crunching on a suitably sized bone, plaque is scraped of their teeth. Chewing a large chunk of meat occasionally, is also a very effective natural toothbrush. 

Chewing on bones offers a great source of mental and physical enrichment for your dog too.

When feeding a natural raw diet, you can expect

·       cleaner teeth

·       healthier gums

·       less build up of tar tar

·       better breath

·       less tooth decay

·       physical and mental enrichment

·       no refined sugars or carbohydrates 

If you are concerned about feeding whole bones, don’t worry. When feeding our minced completes, your dog is still benefiting from better oral hygiene. Minces have bone in them which act as an abrasive cleaner, perhaps less effective than whole bones but still very beneficial. 

All our food is 100% natural, so there are no nasty additives, sugars or carbs that cause and accelerate periodontal disease. Like feeding too many sweets to kids, we know it is bad for dental health! 

Bone should be fed sparingly and should always be supervised. Cooked bones should never fed.

Periodontal Disease 

It is a sad fact that around 80% of dogs will exhibit signs of periodontal disease before the age of 3. This is almost entirely down to diet. Feeding kibble, which is very high in refined sugars and carbohydrates, helps to create the perfect environment for harmful bacteria to flourish.

Sticky residue stays on the teeth and accumulates at the gum line, leading to 

·       build-up of plaque and tar tar

·       inflamed and sore gums

·       bad breath

·       tooth decay

·       painful tooth extractions

It is also very important to remember when you are feeding a raw diet, it is totally devoid of the refined sugars and starch found in all kibbles. These are a key driver in the shocking statistic: that 80% of dogs show signs of periodontal disease before reaching 3 years of age.

Canine Dentition 

Dog’s have the correct heads and dentition along with digestive systems to chew and digest bone very easily. Since domestication, we have created many different sizes and breeds of dogs. They all look different externally, but their dentition and internal anatomy are almost identical to their carnivorous ancestors. 

Your adult dog has 42 mostly sharp and jagged teeth which are designed for

·       grabbing

·       ripping

·       tearing

·       crushing bones

Carnivore jaws hinge open widely, allowing them to gulp large chunks of meat and bone. Their powerful jaws and teeth are designed to crush bones, Carnivores cannot chew as they have no lateral movement in their jaws.