Even though they sound like complete opposites, raw dog foods and gently cooked dog foods are often grouped together on store shelves. How are these foods similar? How are they different? Today’s post will discuss these two types of food and explore the reasons why pet parents might choose either one.
Raw Food
Raw food is dog food that has not been cooked in any way prior to consumption. It usually includes organs, bones, fruits and vegetables, and sometimes broth. It often comes packaged in individual portions, making it easy for you to grab one from the fridge for each of your dog’s meals.
Raw food closely mimics a dog’s natural diet, giving them all the nutrient-rich meat and produce they would consume in the wild. It’s minimally processed, too, avoiding all of the fillers and additives that are found in most commercial dog foods.
However, raw food can cause vomiting and digestive problems in dogs that aren’t used to it. This is because raw food often contains bacteria that would usually be killed during the cooking process. These bacteria won’t harm your dog, but they might make him queasy or cause some mild diarrhea.
Gently Cooked Food
Gently cooked food usually contains the same kinds of ingredients that raw food does – a minimally processed mixture of meat, fresh produce, and bone. The difference is that gently cooked food is exposed to a little bit of heat before being packaged, cooking it just enough to kill off most of the bacteria that might make it hard for your dog to tolerate.
This is usually done using the sous-vide method, a type of cooking in which the food is boiled at very low temperatures for several hours. This allows the food to retain most of the nutrients, moisture, and satisfying texture that you want in your dog’s diet.
Gently cooked food is easier on most dogs’ stomachs, especially if they are older or have sensitive stomachs in general. If you really want to feed your dog raw food even though he has had trouble with it in the past, gently cooked food is a great option that provides almost all of the benefits without as much risk of unpleasant symptoms.
Which Is Best for Your Dog?
Ultimately, only you can decide whether raw or gently cooked dog food is the right choice for your fur kid. You know him best, after all! If you’re really on the fence about it, you can always start out with gently cooked food and slowly transition your dog to a full raw diet. This feeding pattern helps dogs build up their tolerance to the raw food bacteria over time.
You can find a wide variety of both raw and gently cooked dog foods at For Your Fur Kids. Visit us today to see what we have available and get your dog on the path to a healthier diet.
