Is A Raw Food Diet Right For Your Pit Bull Terrier Dog?
Many Pit Bull owners are choosing to feed their pets a raw food
diet rather than use the commercially formulated mass produced
feeds. Others have never heard of the raw diet, also known as
the bones and raw food diet, but are seeking more information
about what this type of diet can offer their pet.
The raw diet entails feeding your Pit Bull or other pet mainly
raw meat and meaty bones. The raw meat diet also includes some
vegetables be added in as well. Leafy greens mixed in with the
raw meat helps give your Pit Bull a nutritional meal. As an
added bonus, finely chopped garlic can be added as a natural way
to give added protection against fleas.
In the wild dogs are omnivores, which means they eat both meat
and plant material. If you choose to try the raw diet, you'll
need to be sure and balance his diet by adding some vegetable
material into each meal. Some owners who are fans of the raw
diet like to add additional proteins like cottage cheese or eggs
into the meat and veggie mixture.
It has been reported that dogs on the raw diet tend to lead
healthier lives. Proponents of the raw diet say that canine
allergies as well as dysplasia and a wide range of other canine
ailments are mainly due to the commercial dog foods with their
non-meat proteins and additives. The commercial market has also
been accused of using the grain content in their feed simply
because they are cheap fillers, and aren't there for the true
benefit of the pet.
Those who choose the raw diet also say that they feel they are
giving their dog the diet that nature intended, and that
commercial dog food kills any real benefits of the proteins in
the cooking process. This in turn, they say, can cause problems
to the animal's immune system and cause other health related
problems.
Raw diet advocates also state that the commercial dog food
makers put special additives into the food which makes the food
more appealing to the dogs so they get addicted to the
commercial foods.
Of course the commercial feed makers state that there's no
difference in cooking a dog's food as there is to cooking a
human's food, and that the nutritional value is still there.
Commercial feed makers claim that dogs have very sensitive
digestive systems and that the raw food diet can cause vomiting
and diarrhea. As a responsible pet owner, it's up to you to
decide on how your Pit Bull gets his nutritional needs met. If
you have concerns about your Pit Bull's nutrition, or before you
change your Pit Bull's diet, talk to your veterinarian. Your
veterinarian can give you more information on the raw diet, as
well as recommend any changes which may need to be made.