10 Ways a Raw Diet Will Make Your Dog’s Life Even More Amazing

While it may take some time, feeding a high-quality, balanced, varied raw diet can have an incredible impact on your dog. Take a look at some of the benefits of raw (and this is just a sample—there are lots more!).

Benefits of Raw:

• Shiny teeth and strong healthy gums (no tartar or plaque, and no periodontal disease either!)
• Shiny coats and flake-free, non-itchy skin
• No “doggy odor”
• Bad breath becomes a thing of the past
• Improved energy
• Huge reduction in poop size and quantity
• Increased cognitive ability
• Better health and vitality
• Resistance to parasites like fleas and ticks
• An ultra-strong immune system and ability to age gracefully and healthfully

 

Remember too, raw feeding is not just about the physical benefits (although that’s a huge part of it). It’s also about the emotional and mental benefits. When you feed your carnivore pet a diet they have evolved to eat, it taps into something primal. If you watch a dog crunching through bone or enjoying raw meat, you’ll notice the same ecstatic look on their face as we get when we’re eating a delicious meal at a fine restaurant. Imagine the bliss you felt the last time you had an extraordinary meal. Even before you started eating, the scent of the food reached your nostrils. In anticipation of the feast to come, your mouth started watering, you felt pampered and relaxed, and when you did bite into your food…well, at that point, your meal became a delectable journey of culinary ecstasy.

 

Our dogs feel the same way. A species-appropriate raw diet—providing as it does the chance to use their powerful jaws for the exact purpose for which they were designed (that is, to rip, tear, and shred their food) and providing variety, enticing smells, various textures, and what must, judging by the looks on their faces when they are eating, delicious taste—is one of the most beneficial but also joyful experiences you can give your dog. As pet owners, we’ve turned treats and toys and other pet accessories into a multi-billion-dollar industry, but from what I’ve seen, showing love to our dogs starts with feeding them in a way that supports and benefits them physically, mentally, and even emotionally. Love: one of the biggest benefits of raw.

 

Even when she was 18 and 19, our dog Cleo still got excited and started bouncing up and down and barking when it was time to eat. (And, my friends…if you’ve never experienced an 18-year-old dog hopping up and down, bumping you with her nose, and chattering her teeth and barking at you to hurry up!, you’re missing out.). She would race outside and twirl around while she waited for us to set her food down. Our littlest dog, Motley, walks on his hind legs backwards to his eating spot when it’s mealtime because he’s too excited to keep all four feet on the ground. Barkley jumps straight up in the air, the top of his head rising above mine (and I’m 6 feet tall) in excitement and anticipation for his food. Elle races to her food spot, then races back to me, and repeats this until we get to her area.

 

When I set the food down, they almost always bury their noses into the food for just a moment to inhale it before they dig in. I liken that moment to the appreciative sniff we sometimes take before we start to eat…it enhances the pleasure we know is about to come. And once they do dive in, they look like they’ve been transported to an amazing place. There’s such joy on their faces as they settle in with their food.

 

For me, the benefits of raw and the disadvantages of processed food make my choice to feed my animals a raw food diet very easy. But the icing on the cake for me is seeing their joy during each meal. They are carnivores, and by feeding them the way nature intended, I’m honoring not just their species, but their essential natures as individuals.

 

If you want to learn more about getting your dog started on a raw diet, check out our article here.

For essential tips about raw diets, check out our article here.