Meat is the basis of a healthy dog food. It represents at least half of the daily food requirements. To make natural nutrition really useful, you need to choose the right product for your pet. To begin with, understand what is best to feed the dog – raw or heat-treated meat.
Raw meat
Advantages of heat-treated raw product:
- Corresponds to the type of food of a predator in nature. Due to the high acidity of gastric juice, even coarse fibers of raw meat are effectively broken down and digested, and some pathogenic microorganisms are destroyed. Due to the small length of the intestine, the raw product does not rot during digestion. The dog’s jaws and teeth are also adapted for crushing pieces of raw meat.
- Provides maximum benefits. Raw meat retains all the proteins, vitamins and minerals necessary for a dog’s health, a strong immune system and disease prevention.
- Meets the taste preferences of most dogs. As practice shows, many pets eat raw meat with the greatest pleasure.
When choosing a product, it is important to ensure that it is safe. Pork is categorically unsuitable for dogs due to its high fat content and serious risk of parasite infection. Veterinarians also advise against chicken, which often contains antibiotics, which can cause allergies.
Steamed meat
Product advantages:
- Suitable for dogs with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, dental problems, as well as older animals. Heat-treated turkey and beef are especially useful – the most dietary types of meat.
- With proper preparation, it practically does not lose its beneficial properties. Classical cooking destroys the enzymes necessary for the proper digestion of food, “steals” a significant part of proteins, vitamins and minerals. If the meat is steamed – without contact with hot liquid – the loss of valuable components is minimized.
- The preferred option for the transition from “drying” too natural. A dog that has been eating dry food for many years may initially refuse raw meat that is unusual for him. Also, with prolonged feeding of dry food, the dog’s acidity level decreases and some enzymes stop being produced. Eating easily digestible steamed meat will simplify the transition to a healthy diet and prevent indigestion.
Thus, dogs can be fed both raw and heat-treated meat. The main thing is to choose high-quality and proven products, taking into account the characteristics of your pet’s body.