NOTE: In my haste, the source of this information was not recorded so it is impossible to link to the source and give credit. Sorry. A further effort will be made to retrace steps and find the original...
But now, feeding raw – that is, feeding your dog hearts, necks, livers, kidneys, bones and muscle of animals such as chicken, lamb and rabbit – is becoming more mainstream.
It’s a $100-million industry in the United States, and while there aren’t market figures available for Canada, the Canadian Association of Raw Pet Food Manufacturers says raw companies are multiplying rapidly, with some reporting a 30 to 40 per cent growth in business last year.
It doesn’t come cheap: For a 50-pound (roughly 23-kilogram) dog, feeding raw costs about $2 to $8 a day compared to $1 a day for grocery-store kibble. But more and more people are willing to pay the price, says Inna Shekhtman, manager of Red Dog Deli, one of British Columbia’s largest raw dog-food manufacturers.
Her company goes all out – adding juiced, organic veggies to the raw-meat mixture, to mimic the “semi-digested greens that a wild dog would find in the stomach of its prey,” she says.
“Dogs don’t have microwaves or grocery stores in the wild,” she says with a laugh, adding that she believes a dog that eats raw will lead a longer, healthier life than one fed traditional dog food.
The raw theory has no shortage of critics, however, especially in veterinary circles
“It’s a fad, absolutely,” says Danny Joffe, medical director at Calgary’s Animal Referral and Emergency Centre. “
Just anecdotal stories on the Internet. And sorry, that’s not good enough.”
Dr. Joffe says owners should stick with kibble that is “based in good science” – brands such as Iams, Hills, Purina and Royal Canin. He has written papers in peer-reviewed veterinary journals and lectured across North America about the perils of a raw diet (including what he views as the human risk – salmonella levels in the home, and dogs eating raw meat, then licking a human’s face).
But Dean Ricard, president of the Canadian Association of Raw Pet Food Manufacturers and owner of Edmonton’s Mountain Dog Food, which sells nearly three million pounds of meat a year, says safety is at the top of his mind too.
The raw pet-food industry in Canada is unregulated – something Mr. Ricard wants to change. He’s recently created a set of guidelines on how to operate a safe raw company. “We want protocols and processes and inspection agencies coming in,” he says. “Right now anyone could just start a raw company out of their kitchen, and that’s so worrisome.”
It’s a criticism heard often by the Pet Food Association of Canada, whose members include the vast majority of kibble companies in this country. “Those who criticize are just misinformed – they believe what they read on the Internet,” says executive director Martha Wilder. “The fact is kibble is highly tested, based on decades of science, and it’s formulated in accordance with a dog’s complete nutritional needs.”
Kibble vs. raw: a cost comparison
An approximate cost comparison for feeding a 50-pound dog:
Grocery-store kibble (Purina, adult, all life stages, chicken and rice)
Recommended daily intake: 261 grams a day
Money spent: $1 a day
Vet-recommended dry dog food (Royal Canin Medi-cal, only sold at veterinary offices)
Recommended intake: 251.5 grams a day
Money spent: $1.36 a day
Commercially made raw (Nature’s Variety lamb patties)
Recommended intake: two patties a day
Money spent: $7.33 a day
But now, feeding raw – that is, feeding your dog hearts, necks, livers, kidneys, bones and muscle of animals such as chicken, lamb and rabbit – is becoming more mainstream.
It’s a $100-million industry in the United States, and while there aren’t market figures available for Canada, the Canadian Association of Raw Pet Food Manufacturers says raw companies are multiplying rapidly, with some reporting a 30 to 40 per cent growth in business last year.
It doesn’t come cheap: For a 50-pound (roughly 23-kilogram) dog, feeding raw costs about $2 to $8 a day compared to $1 a day for grocery-store kibble. But more and more people are willing to pay the price, says Inna Shekhtman, manager of Red Dog Deli, one of British Columbia’s largest raw dog-food manufacturers.
Her company goes all out – adding juiced, organic veggies to the raw-meat mixture, to mimic the “semi-digested greens that a wild dog would find in the stomach of its prey,” she says.
“Dogs don’t have microwaves or grocery stores in the wild,” she says with a laugh, adding that she believes a dog that eats raw will lead a longer, healthier life than one fed traditional dog food.
The raw theory has no shortage of critics, however, especially in veterinary circles
“It’s a fad, absolutely,” says Danny Joffe, medical director at Calgary’s Animal Referral and Emergency Centre. “
As a scientist, I need evidence – and
there is zero scientific study here.
Just anecdotal stories on the Internet. And sorry, that’s not good enough.”
Dr. Joffe says owners should stick with kibble that is “based in good science” – brands such as Iams, Hills, Purina and Royal Canin. He has written papers in peer-reviewed veterinary journals and lectured across North America about the perils of a raw diet (including what he views as the human risk – salmonella levels in the home, and dogs eating raw meat, then licking a human’s face).
But Dean Ricard, president of the Canadian Association of Raw Pet Food Manufacturers and owner of Edmonton’s Mountain Dog Food, which sells nearly three million pounds of meat a year, says safety is at the top of his mind too.
The raw pet-food industry in Canada is unregulated – something Mr. Ricard wants to change. He’s recently created a set of guidelines on how to operate a safe raw company. “We want protocols and processes and inspection agencies coming in,” he says. “Right now anyone could just start a raw company out of their kitchen, and that’s so worrisome.”
It’s a criticism heard often by the Pet Food Association of Canada, whose members include the vast majority of kibble companies in this country. “Those who criticize are just misinformed – they believe what they read on the Internet,” says executive director Martha Wilder. “The fact is kibble is highly tested, based on decades of science, and it’s formulated in accordance with a dog’s complete nutritional needs.”
Kibble vs. raw: a cost comparison
An approximate cost comparison for feeding a 50-pound dog:
Grocery-store kibble (Purina, adult, all life stages, chicken and rice)
Recommended daily intake: 261 grams a day
Money spent: $1 a day
Vet-recommended dry dog food (Royal Canin Medi-cal, only sold at veterinary offices)
Recommended intake: 251.5 grams a day
Money spent: $1.36 a day
Commercially made raw (Nature’s Variety lamb patties)
Recommended intake: two patties a day
Money spent: $7.33 a day
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