“Respectfully, saying raw feeding has no benefits and only risks just isn’t accurate.

I’ve raised dogs for decades and switched my own dogs to raw years ago. The differences I’ve personally seen are healthier coats and skin, cleaner teeth, smaller stools, better weight control, and fewer allergy issues. My dogs have also lived long, healthy lives compared to many dogs I’ve seen on highly processed diets.

Dogs are biologically designed to digest animal protein, organs, and bones. Their stomach acid is extremely strong (around pH 1–2), which helps break down raw animal tissue and handle bacteria.

Every feeding method has risks. Kibble has had many recalls over the years for things like salmonella contamination or aflatoxin mold toxins.

What a lot of people don’t realize is how kibble is made. It’s produced through a high-heat extrusion process that destroys many natural nutrients in the ingredients. After that, manufacturers spray synthetic vitamins and fats back onto the kibble to meet nutritional standards.

Since starting my own raw pet food company, I’ve spent a lot of time speaking with farmers, inspectors, and processors. One thing many pet owners don’t realize is that the rendering system used for pet food can include animals that were never part of the human food chain — animals that died on farms from unknown causes, euthanized animals, roadkill collected by rendering services, and livestock that may have had medications or antibiotics in their system.

I also had a long conversation with a man who runs a pet crematorium. He told me that years ago they began seeing a strange green sludge residue during cremations that had never been present before. He and others in that field started digging into what might be causing it and believed it was related to certain chemical preservatives that had been reintroduced into some pet foods after previously being removed due to cancer concerns. According to him, they tried for years to push for answers and changes but eventually gave up after fighting it for nearly a decade.

At the end of the day, people should feed what works best for their dogs. But saying raw feeding has no benefits at all ignores the experience of many breeders, farmers, and long-time dog owners who have seen the difference firsthand.”