hey, out of curiosity as someone who has never had pets and likely won’t for a long while, is raw feeding in general really that bad? like. i see videos alllll the time of folks feeding their pets like. raw liver and chicken hearts and ground fish and chicken feet, especially in like slow feeder videos. is that bad for pets?
Bluntly, yes.
There's the pathogen and parasite risk, to both humans and animals.
There's the foreign body or intestinal perforation risk from consuming bones.
There's the strong potential for malnutrition if not working with a veterinary nutritionist.
And the vitamin/mineral supplement used by many/most raw diets has now been shown to be able to cause a unique type of bladder stone.
There is zero overt benefit that outweighs the risks.
There are a very limited number of pet foods that have done lifetime feeding trials to ensure that they are nutritionally balanced and unlikely to cause long-term issues (like heart disease or malnutrition) or cumulative issues (like bladder or kidney stones) - as far as I know, no raw or grain-free pet foods have done these kinds of trials and many of these brands haven't existed long enough to do these kinds of trials so we don't *know* what the lifelong impact of raw feeding is (though we can see issues like the bladder stones mentioned above increasing in frequency, and any consumption of uncooked meat is a pathogen risk for pets and humans).
Eukanuba, Royal Canin, Hill's, Iams, and Purina have done lifetime feeding trials for years and are demonstrably proven to provide complete nutrition for your pet without any undue risk. If your pet has specific allergies or sensitivities, those brands also offer options to accommodate those needs.
Your pets rely on you to take care of them. It is totally understandable for you to want what is best for them. That's why it's so frustrating that raw and grain-free pet foods prey on your desire to provide the best for your pet while selling you an expensive product that increases your pet's risk of adverse health effects.
For more information on nutrition for your pets, check out the World Small Animal Veterinary Association, which has a handy FAQ as well as more in-depth information available.














