Raw Food Series Part 2: Benefits of Feeding Your Pet Raw Food

Yellow Lab in Grass Holding Up Food Bowl with Mouth

Benefits of feeding your pet raw food are endless... 

All pet foods range in quality — and raw food uses only the highest quality meats and vegetables available to deliver your cat or dog optimal nutrition inundated with naturally-occurring enzymes. This means that raw food provides: 

  • Greater bioavailability
  • Easier digestion
  • Better utilization of food nutrients; eating less overall
  • Healthier immune system
  • Less additives = less allergies

Because raw food has a higher level of nutrients that kibble or cooked food, more nutrients will greatly impact your pet's skin and coat.

  • Healthier skin and fur — skin is the last organ to receive nutrients.
  • The increased level of moisture in raw frozen food and rehydrated freeze-dried food contributes to better overall hydration. 
  • Higher nutrients and hydration decrease shedding and hairballs and contribute to natural flea and tick prevention.

Raw food means pure, high-protein food and nutrients without the added carbs, grains, and additives that contribute to weight gain and health issues over time. 

  • Helps with weight management.
  • The proper balance of nutrients enables your pet to better regulate its own body weight.

Dogs and cats get the majority of their DNA makeup from their wild ancestors. Their digestive systems are designed to break down the live enzymes and high nutrients contained in raw meat, contributing to more consistent energy levels. 

  • Bioavailable nutrients mean more energy!
  • The body doesn’t have to work as hard to digest food.

Did you know that your pet food affects your pet’s dental health? With raw food: 

  • No carbs to get stuck in the teeth, contributing to plaque and sugar build-up.
  • Tiny bone shards in raw food help scrape the teeth while eating.

Last, but certainly not least for many people:  Raw food creates smaller, harder stools!

  • Firmer stools and less overall stools (higher nutrients utilized by the body lead to smaller output on the other end).
  • Less gas is produced during digestion.

Raw food is made in USDA-regulated plants. 

Yellow Lab in Pet Store Sitting Next to Large Dry Kibble Bags

Nutrition is the key to health. It’s no secret that if we limit our diet to healthy, quality food, we’ll be healthier and feel better than if we ate fast food every day. The same applies to our pets! 

All pet foods range in quality, and raw food incorporates the highest quality meats in human-grade, USDA-regulated plants. The food that enters these plants must pass human consumption standards, which is a higher bar than is held for most pet foods.

  • USDA facilities ensure that food is human food grade going into the bag.
  • A USDA inspector is on site every day to ensure that the facility is adhering to regulations. Many inspectors even have an office at the facility.

Learn more about why you should go raw! Click here to see Part 3 of our Raw Food Series reviewing the common misconceptions about feeding Raw.