Should I Feed My Pet a Raw Diet?

My friend Jim has a one-year-old Boxer named “Crash” that constantly smells like fish, and scoots his butt on his rugs and Jim’s most expensive furniture. That fish smell is likely from Crash’s anal glands: anal saccules are glands that secrete a fluid that historically cats and dogs would use for marking territory in the wild. These glands should typically empty when a pet defecates, but can often become impacted, inflamed and infected leading to scooting, spinning/tail-chasing, and pruritus (itchy butt-licking/scratching). With Crash, we tried changing his diet a few times, fiber supplementation, and allergy meds – these seemed to help for a while, BUT (tee hee) the problem kept coming back!

Jim became frustrated with me for not being able to help his dog. He scoured the internet and contacted his breeder, who was convincing Jim to start his dog on a raw diet. Despite my concerns, Jim started a freeze-dried raw commercial diet. Jim has 2 young kids that basically share diets (chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, and raw food) and enjoy lots of face kisses with Crash. Whelp, after a few weeks of being on the diet, Crash got better… ugh! These cases are frustrating and unfortunately, the results are likely misinterpreted. Should everyone feed a raw diet? The science is mixed. Our goal is to help you understand both the potential benefits and the documented risks so you can make the best decision for your pet and household.

Raw food companies have done a very effective job marketing these diets as “more natural” “biologically appropriate,” “ancestral,” and “what wolves eat.” These companies also smear the big pet foods for being overprocessed, using fillers, and lower quality ingredients. Don’t get me wrong, I understand why many pet owners are interested in more natural feeding options. I want my family to eat less processed foods, and the best quality ingredients too. However, it’s important to me that manufacturing these diets follow sound food trial experiments and safety standards led by boarded nutritionists – not marketing companies.

Current research on raw pet food diets shows a consistent pattern: the strongest evidence relates to documented risks, particularly bacterial contamination (e.g., Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli), while evidence supporting broad health benefits remains limited and largely anecdotal. Nutritional deficiencies in essential vitamins, minerals and amino acids are also commonly reported. These diets are also many times excessively high in fat (which is why that coat likely looks so shiny). These imbalances create a higher risk for obesity, skeletal abnormalities, hormone imbalances, heart issues and inflammatory diseases like pancreatitis – many of which are life threatening.

Some studies report improvements in stool quality or microbiome changes, but these findings are typically short-term, involve small sample sizes, and do not reliably translate into proven long-term health advantages. Importantly, much of the positive perception surrounding raw feeding is influenced by confounding factors—such as simultaneous diet quality improvements, owner selection bias, and wide variability among raw products—making it difficult to attribute benefits specifically to feeding raw. Currently, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) DO NOT recommend feeding these diets to your pets.

Commercial raw diets are available and have SOME improvements compared to homemade diets. These benefits include many being formulated to meet AAFCO standards (Association of American Feed Control Officials), improved pathogen-reduction processes, and a more consistent nutrient profile – all of which are steps in the right direction. However, besides often being very expensive, many of these diets still test culture positive for pathogenic bacteria and have variable quality depending on the manufacturer. Pathogenic risks of raw diets leave pets vulnerable to illnesses themselves, but also create a potential transmission route to pet owners and their families through direct contact and environmental contamination. This risk is even higher in young children, elderly family members, pregnant women and anyone taking immune-suppressing drugs.

So, what’s a safer alternative? Well, the best evidence-based alternative currently is still a fully-cooked, complete and balanced commercial diet. These diets remain consistently ingredient formulated and pathogen-free, nutritionally complete and balanced, quality controlled and tested through veterinary feeding trials. A good alternative may also be “Fresh Food” diets. These diets are cooked, often highly palatable, and often balanced (look for an AAFCO statement on the label). The downside – they’re also usually more expensive, need refrigeration, and many of the smaller brands lack quality control, compared to the bigger pet food brands like Hill’s Science Diet and Nestle Purina. Another good option is a home-cooked diet formulated by a veterinary nutritionist. This is the safest homemade route, but requires more work, more money and often pet owners may “drift” away from the recipe and the important ingredients that keep the diet balanced. A recipe you found online is not recommended!

Bottom line: while there may eventually be a well-defined role for raw diets, the current lack of consistent regulation, quality control, and safety oversight introduces unnecessary risk for both pets and their families. Raw pet food companies have been highly effective at shaping consumer perception through compelling marketing and selective use of evidence, but the totality of current research does not support claims that raw diets are inherently superior to properly formulated commercial foods. For owners seeking fresh, minimally processed nutrition, a complete and balanced cooked fresh diet can deliver many of the desired benefits with significantly lower risk of bacterial exposure and nutritional imbalance.
– Dr. Tom

If you have questions about raw diets or what you should be feeding your pets call us at 848-217-5000 to schedule an appointment or visit our website at www.citybytheseavet.com