How Raw Feeding Can Improve Your Dog's Behaviour.

Introduction

Raw feeding can greatly benefit dogs, Dog owners highlighted several advantages, including improved body condition, higher energy levels, shinier coats, clean teeth, normal bowel movements, and reduced health problems.

I began feeding my dogs Raw meat when they were two years old. I saw the benefits straight away. Their coat became shiny and soft, their bowel movements reduced and became small and easy to pick up (by far the best benefit) Bert became more muscular and now at 10 years old everyone asks me if they are puppies! I cannot say that this is because of Raw Feeding specifically, but I believe that it has impacted their health greatly.

Raw Meaty Bones raw meaty bones will provide calcium, phosphorus, and other minera

Would I recommend Raw to all dog owners? 

Yes and no. There is no reason why a Raw diet would not be suitable for your dog. However, there are some conditions where care should be taken in which proteins you need to feed your dog for optimum health. If in any doubt, contact a holistic nutrition expert.

Many different companies supply pre-made Raw with the nutritional needs for the dog ready for you to feed, however, I always advise people to have some basic knowledge of what the dog needs to cover their nutritional needs, and if you want to make it yourself, a lot of knowledge!

If Raw meat isn't for you or your dog, plenty of alternatives will still give you most of the great benefits of fresh feeding.

• Freeze-dried raw - almost no loss of nutrients and it is still 'raw' as it is not cooked but it has a long shelf life.

• Dehydrated and air-dried raw are technically not ‘raw’ as it is cooked during dehydration. It minimally reduces the nutritional value of the ingredients it has a longer shelf life than Raw meat and is easier to store

• Cooked, fresh foods - if you cannot stomach Raw, or if anyone is immunity-challenged then cooked food is a good option. It still contains fresh ingredients and is frozen but it can be safer. There are many suppliers of this type of food.

• 80/20 dry kibble contain 80% meat and 20% veg - These are a great option but can be expensive and they are cooked into a dry kibble form and potentially nutrients are lost in the high-temperature cooking process. But it is still a better option than most kibble that is on the market,

You may have heard that high protein diets cause behaviour problems in dogs. I have never seen this in my work, or studies so I am unsure if this is one of those myths that have been passed around through Chinese whispers and become 'fact' or if there is any scientific data to back this up.

A fresh food diet has been proven to have positive effects on a dog's behaviour. The digestion process and the gut is directly linked to the brain via the gut brain axis .

I was always taught that the brain releases dopamine through the neural pathways, however, recent studies have found that approximately 50% of dopamine is released by the gut. Dopamine is related to motivation and profoundly affects how your dog behaves. Too low dopamine, and your dog may not move much and seem unhappy or depressed, too high levels and your dog may not be able to be still or relax and always be on the go.

Seratonin the neurotransmitter that stabilises mood is mostly released from the gut, up to a whopping 95% is released! Serotonin helps reduce dopamine levels and improve mood and focus.

A good gut microbiome is essential for the release of neurotransmitters related to behaviour; therefore, a good diet is linked to behaviour.

Studies have shown that raw-fed dogs increase the gut microbiome. I suspect it would be a similar result in fresh feeding because the lack of processed ingredients, fresh meat and vegetables will improve the gut microbiome.

It can be more expensive to feed this type of food, however, much like humans, feeding a good diet can help alleviate vet visits that can be costly.

Find more information on gut microbiome and behaviour

Do you think your dog has gut issues? Find out more here

Conclusion

A healthy diet is important to maintain health as well as improved digestion, behaviour, improves anxiety and gives your dogs a lovely shiny coat.

If you don't feel Raw is for you, there are different alternatives for you to consider. It may be tempting to buy dog food from the local supermarket, especially due to the cost of living at the moment, however, spending more on fresh food can save you time and money in the future.

By making my own dog food, I save a lot of money, but I have studied what to feed my dog so I can be sure that the nutrients are given to them. I feed eggs, beef, lamb, heart, liver, kidney, chicken, fish mixed in the ratio of 70% meat, 10% offal and 10% bone. I often add different veggies to the mix.

Give it a go and see your dog flourish!