Why Raw?
Raw fed dogs live longer, healthier and happier lives and we can prove it.
The benefits of a raw food diet include:
A glossy coat
Healthy skin
Lean muscle tone
Robust immune system
Boosted microbiome
Sweet-smelling breath
Healthy teeth and gums
Increased energy
Better digestion
A strong heart
Better behaviour
Less poo
A longer life
Better health
Millions of dog lovers all over the world have switched their dog to a raw food diet and seen the benefits.
You can join them in just 2 minutes.
5 reasons to switch your dog to a raw food diet
1. It’s what nature intended your dog to eat
A raw food diet (aka a ‘species appropriate’ or ‘natural’ diet) is what your dog would eat in the wild.
Over thousands of years, we humans may have changed the way dogs look on the outside but, on the inside, they are exactly the same as their closest relative: the grey wolf.
They have the same teeth and the same digestive system.
Which is why they should eat the same food.
2. Your dog can’t cook
Dogs are carnivores.
Many people think that because they can survive on a non-meat diet, they are omnivores, but they aren’t.
What they thrive on is raw meat and raw bones.
They also benefit from some vegetables, fruit and herbs.
When food is cooked, its chemical structure is altered, and much of its value (such as enzymes and amino acids) is lost.
Dogs need their food served raw in order to digest it properly.
There is a reason why dogs can’t cook.
3. Dogs have a different digestive system
Dogs have no digestive enzymes in their saliva (unlike humans) and very large, expandable stomachs.
In fact, they can eat 5% of their body weight at a single sitting, which would be like someone who weighs 60 kg eating 3 kg of food in one go.
Their digestive system is designed so that they can tear off chunks of raw
meat, crunch up raw bones and swallow the lot whole.
They also have indescribably strong stomach acids. Strong enough to burn your fingers and strong enough to dissolve bone!
The lack of digestive enzymes in their saliva and their inability to move their jaws from side to side (necessary to grinding food) is why they gulp everything down.
The entire digestive process takes place in their stomach.
4. Dogs receive a third of their nutrition from bone
In the wild, up to a third of a dog’s nutrition (including calcium, magnesium, complex fats and vitamins) may come from bones.
Bones keep their teeth and gums clean (it has been proven that dogs with healthy teeth live longer) and exercise their upper bodies and jaw.
Providing the bones are raw (cooked bones can splinter) they are completely safe for dogs to eat.
5. It is a million times better for them than modern dog food
This is how ultra-processed food – kibble and wet food – damages your dog’s health:
- It is cooked. Cooking destroys the vast majority of the nutritional value of the food from a dog’s perspective and makes it exceedingly difficult to digest.
- It contains inappropriate and damaging chemicals (binders, colouring, preservatives and other additives).
- Poor quality ingredients. Even expensive dog food often has very, very low-quality ingredients.
- It can contain grain (including rice). Dogs can’t digest it properly (one reason why they often produce such large and smelly poos) and it causes lots of allergies.
- It sticks to your dog’s teeth and gums, allowing plaque to build up. This gives rise to periodontal disease and worse.
Listen to leading vets on raw feeding
Honey’s Dog Nutrition Podcast offers entertaining, informative and reliable advice on what to feed your dog.
It includes interviews with some of the world’s leading experts including Dr Billinghurst, Dr Conor Brady, Dr Richard Doyle, Prof. Anna Hielm-Björkman, Dr Brendan Clarke and a host of other vets and scientists.
Presented by two well-known, independent, BBC radio journalists.
The science behind raw feeding
We all know that what we eat affects our health. If we eat fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and not too much dairy or meat, we will live longer, healthier lives.
If we eat too much ultra-processed food, we will live shorter, less healthy lives. In fact, everything from allergies to heart conditions and from skin complaints to cancer can be caused by a poor diet.
Well, what’s true for humans is true for dogs. Dogs that eat a natural, raw diet live longer, healthier lives. Sadly, modern dog food is the canine equivalent of junk food. As a result, we are seeing more illness in our dogs, and they are leading shorter lives.
Happily, it’s easy to put things right. And as those who have switched their dogs have discovered, the results can be amazing. Dogs on a raw food diet love the taste. They are also happier and calmer. Best of all, raw fed dogs can be expected to live longer and to suffer less illness and disease.
Indeed, if your dog has any health issues now, a switch to a raw food diet is almost certainly going to improve the situation and may even clear it up completely.
Every year sees the publication of new research – some of which has been funded by Honey’s – proving that raw food is better for your dog.
If you are interested in the subject we can provide research findings, information and further reading.
