Truth – There are many benefits to feeding RAW bones. It can strengthen dog’s and cat’s teeth, fight gum disease, prevent tartar and plaque as well as bad breath. Our pet’s digestive system is able to easily break down raw bones.

Smoked or cooked bones are a different story. They are at risk for splintering and flaking and can perforate the digestive tract. This can lead to intestinal impaction, tooth breakage, and possibly choking. NEVER FEED YOUR PET COOKED BONES. Anything else carrying the name “bone” by virtue of its shape is generally not to be served – chances are it is either made of grain, or chemically treated hides or synthetics (which should never be eaten).

This myth is largely a common-sense issue. The fact is that it can be done safely, but you have to know what works for your pet. Will they gobble down big chunks of raw bone that could very well get stuck? Problems arise when pet owners offer the wrong type and size of a raw meaty bone to the wrong type or size of a dog or cat. Feeding Raw bones is great – you just need to know your pet and monitor accordingly.

Truth – Dogs and cats are not people.

They have a much shorter digestive tract than we do and they process the foods they eat very differently. While we humans can get very sick from eating raw meat, our pets remain unaffected because it is such an important part of their natural, ancestral diet. Our pets can digest foods much faster than humans do i.e. long before harmful bacteria are able to multiply and cause problems.

In addition, carnivores have a very high level of acidity in their digestive tracts. This acidity, (which allows them to process the nutrients in raw meats and bones) is also hostile to bacteria. We’ve all seen pets eat real rubbish (like rotten foods and decaying carcasses etc.) without any ill effects. This is because carnivores have adapted to eating a diet that suits their particular biological makeup.

Handling and hygiene of the raw meat should be in the same fashion as any other meat, and your pet’s dishes and eating area should be thoroughly cleaned after each meal.

It is important to note that there have been hundreds, or even thousands of dog food recalls from the commercial producers of dry and canned dog food due to bacterial contamination, but not even one report of dogs or humans being harmed from the bacteria coming from raw food for dogs.

Refer to Furchild’s “Returning to Raw” Booklet, section “Are Raw Diet’s Safe”.

Truth – Our grandparents and great grandparents fed their pets with raw scraps.

Our grandparents and great grandparents fed their pets with raw scraps from their own meals because, at the time, there was no such thing as bagged kibble and canned pet food. However, pets should NEVER eat cooked bones from leftover meals from their human companions. Dogs and cats are carnivores and have the jaw structure to rip, tear and swallow prey animals, but they are not designed for cooked bones.

They do not have flat molars like humans meant for chewing things like grains and whole vegetables. In fact they no need for human-like diet, which is rich with carbohydrates and grains. Their digestive tracts are short and manufacture very harsh gastric juices meant to digest whole raw meat and bone and move it through their system very quickly.

So in reality, feeding your pet our raw food is not feeding them human food per se, but in fact, feeding them a species-appropriate diet close to what they would get when eating a prey animal.

Truth – Your dog will NOT become wild and more aggressive just because they consume a raw diet.

The truth is that the balanced nutritional content of raw food can only have a positive effect on the dog’s cognitive functions. In fact, commercial dog food can contribute in the long term to the development of digestive problems and can affect brain chemistry, which in turn can lead to behavior problems. Since your dog is able to digest and pass raw food more easily than commercial pet food, they are better able to handle stress and be more responsive to commands.

You will notice with proper, high-quality nutrition your pet will be more lively, especially if your dog is usually bloated and lethargic after meals.

Truth – According to many Vets, the focus in their studies is not nutrition but how to ‘fix’ the pets’ health.

Veterinary school does not focus on nutrition; it focuses on medicine. It is not unlike medical school for MDs in that way. That is why nutrition is a completely separate field of study and degree. It’s also why, if you ask your doctor about diet, you’ll likely be handed a copy of the food pyramid. While it seems logical that these two fields be synchronized, too often, they are not. Most veterinary training offers little more than one week of nutrition.

If everything that we needed to know about nutrition could be learned in a week, we’d all be healthier. The classes are also, more often than not, sponsored by one of the major veterinary food companies (Science Diet, Royal Canine, etc.). So, the information being taught is often fraught with agenda. Colgate-Palmolive, the company that manufactures Hill’s Science Diet, spends “hundreds of thousands of dollars a year funding university research and nutrition courses at every one of the 27 US veterinary colleges.

Once in practice, vets who sell Science Diet and other premium foods directly pocket profits of as much as 40%” (Parker-Pope, T. 1997. For You, My Pet. The Wall Street Journal. 3 November 1997. In Lonsdale, T. 2001. Raw Meaty Bones. p266). There are some forward-thinking vets out there who do endorse the raw diet. These vets have decided to do their own research and think outside the box, thank you! Learn more at Comparing Types of Pet Foods

Truth – Variety is the spice of life and the heart and soul of a good raw diet. Each protein has different vitamins and minerals. Limiting proteins can lead to nutritional deficiencies. We suggest on average feeding 4 different proteins per month for a good balance.

Truth – There is very little difference. There is very little difference, if any, between a domesticated dog and cat’s digestive system and a wild dog and wildcat. Think of your beloved pet as a trained wild dog or cat. Raw food diets have all the nutrients your pets need to remain physically fit, energized, and disease-resistant. Learn more at Why Raw? The Ancestral Diet

Truth – A long list of diseases and illnesses strongly associated with cooked food.

There is a long list of diseases and illnesses strongly associated with cooked food will give evidence to the fact that they have not adapted to cooked food. Skin diseases, periodontal disease, cancers, obesity, and diabetes have been found to be caused by commercially prepared processed foods. If dogs and cats have adapted, as pet food manufacturers would have us believe, then their bodies would have been stronger and more able to resist disease-causing substances in their food.

Did you know that the highly processed kibble food only came out in the market about 100 years ago? In evolutionary terms, that is just a microscopic measure compared to the thousands of years that it took dogs and cats to evolve to where they are today, starting from the wild where they first lived and survived. Dogs and cats certainly didn’t feed on kibbled or cooked foods before they were domesticated and started to live with humans. Learn more at Comparing Types of Pet Foods

Truth – Commercial processed pet food is indeed convenient no doubt.

But they have also made it a convenient way to fill your dog and cat with toxic substances that can make them ill, reduce the quality of their life, and shorten their life span. If the pet that depends on you for survival and care is being fed commercial pet food for nutrition, you are letting your four-legged family member down. You don’t have to trade your own convenience with compromising your pet’s health

Truth – Furchild offers a perfect solution. Our products and services combine convenience, simplicity, and quality from a reliable and trusted source. There’s no excuse!

Truth – Even high-quality, premium, top brands of pet food are still processed.

The food has been cooked, stripped of its natural goodness, contains additives and fillers, artificial vitamins and minerals, and other mystery ingredients. They are still pale beside fresh raw meat and bones. Your pet is still exposed to the dangers posed by artificial ingredients and nutrients. Any processing necessarily lessens the food’s quality and value. Processed pet food is not natural and therefore has no place in your dog or cat’s diet.

High-quality, premium, top brand – they all are saying that the product is supposedly better than feeding them cheaper alternatives. While the most expensive pet food can deliver on their promises, there are still some important issues against them. Learn more at RAW vs KIBBLE & CANNED PET FOODS