|          Pet Orlando....The Natural Choice!          |          Call us toll-free 866-464-0294 - Ask For Deb          |          6421 Milner Blvd. Suite 3, Orlando FL, 32809          |         

Back to Advice & Education

Click Here To Download Our Free "Why Raw?" E-Book

The Basic Physiology of Dogs and Cats Remains Unchanged From Their Ancestors

Domestic dogs and cats no longer need to hunt for their food but their basic physiology remains unchanged from their ancestors.  They are carnivores designed to eat raw meat, bone and plant foods. The three main reason we know dogs and cats are carnivores has to do with their teeth, small intestines and acidic digestive system.  Dogs and cats chew their food just enough to gulp down large chunks. Their teeth are made for ripping and tearing not matriculating.  It’s the highly acidic digestive juices that do all the work.  Their intestines are short to enable the meat to go through quickly before it putrefies. That is why raw vegetables must be processed into very tiny pieces the size of sand or salt in order for a carnivore to utilize them.  People have three times the length of small intestines in comparison to a carnivore.  People have time to break down vegetables and some grain dogs don’t.  Even people don’t do well with most wheat products.”

We Must Add Vegetables As Well As Raw Meat

“In nature, carnivores would get predigested vegetation after a herbivore they captured had already digested the vegetation.  So we must provide raw ground vegetables as well as raw meat, to have a properly balanced meal that is as close to what Mother Nature would provide as possible.”

Why Raw rather than Cooked

Cooking food destroys live enzymes, amino acids and essential fatty acids. All processed foods for people and animals have been cooked, sterilized or pasteurized which means all the enzymes that are needed to digest and utilize the food are destroyed.  Heat destroys enzymes not freezing.  Enzymes begin to be destroyed at 102 degrees and are totally destroyed at 126 degrees.  The saying “we are what we eat” is not exactly correct.  We are what we utilize.

Click Here to learn why the cooking of dog food can cause allergies and malnourishment.

Cats and Dogs Are Carnivores

Cats and dogs are carnivores, or meat-eaters. Yet ALL dry commercial pet foods are at least 60% (or more) grain because the carbohydrates are needed to hold the food together. But as The Merck Veterinary Manual (8th ed., pg. 1628) tells us, dogs and cats have "no dietary requirement for carbohydrate." Does it make sense to feed our carnivores a diet that contains at least 60% of a substance they don't even need? Additionally, carbohydrates are metabolized by the body to glucose (sugar) which is known to feed cancers, diabetes and many other disorders that now plague our companion animals. If grains and vegetables were a primary nutrient source, you'd see cats and dogs stalking ears of corn and heads of wheat.

Raw diets simulate the menu that nature intended carnivores to eat. When a carnivore eats an herbivore like a rabbit, the carnivore eats some meat, some bone, some organ meats (liver, heart, kidney, etc.), and some green vegetation contained in the herbivore's digestive tract. That's nature's perfect meal - the meal that raw diets replicate.

Are Raw Diets Safe?

Dogs and cats are NOT humans. They have a very different digestive tract and process. For example, we can eat all the onion we want without harm, but some dogs can get anemic from a single, small portion of them. We can eat a pound of baker's chocolate and merely get fat or nauseous, while dogs can die from even a lesser amount. We can get very sick from raw meat, while dogs thrive on it as their natural diet. Again, they are NOT human.

Compared to us, dogs and cats have a very short digestive system, which means that foods are processed quickly -- before harmful bacteria have a chance to multiply and cause problems. Also, carnivores have a very high level of acidity in their digestive systems. This high acidity, which allows them to break down the nutrients in raw meats and bones, is also hostile to bacteria. We've all seen dogs eat true garbage (rotten foods, decaying squirrel carcasses, etc.) without any ill effects. Nature did not evolve carnivores to eat a diet that would kill them. And remember, we aren't suggesting you feed spoiled, contaminate foods. A raw food diet consists of good quality, USDA-inspected and approved meats and bones.

Protect the Health of Your Animals with the Diet Designed by Nature

A high-quality, raw food diet can provide the nutrients that will help insure that your animals lead a long and healthy life. Some animals with existing health problems, when switched to a raw food diet, may experience an improvement in their conditions. Healthy animals on a raw diet are likely to avoid some of the illnesses that are now becoming common in our companion animals. Lifetime picky eaters, when given the diet designed by nature, may suddenly turn into chow hounds. Raw diets for almost every animal significantly reduce, or even eliminate the need for veterinary dental work. While you are spared the cost of that dental work, your animal will not be subject to the risks of the associated anesthesia.