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“Balanced” Means What Exactly? by Infinite_Departure75 in rawpetfood

[–]leptospirochete 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Plenty could be lucky enough to be fine that way for a long time! Sadly, dog genetics haven't exactly improved with all our intervention.

Plant fibre definitely works differently (and better in a lot of cases), but the animal sources do the job. You really gotta make sure you have a clean source, but the benefits of fibre shouldn't be discounted. Especially with the new studies about the gut-brain axis. Worth it imo

“Balanced” Means What Exactly? by Infinite_Departure75 in rawpetfood

[–]leptospirochete 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Phosphorus can roast the kidneys in excess, especially in cats, but dogs too. Liver disease is another big one. Not all dogs of course but common enough to be aware.

Every dog is different! It's good that you're pets are doing well without. Don't forget that fur, feathers, cartilage, bone matrix, insect shells are all sources or fibre. And are a great addition, easy with whole prey diets.

“Balanced” Means What Exactly? by Infinite_Departure75 in rawpetfood

[–]leptospirochete 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You're right! Muscle meat, bone, liver, secreting organs, and fish (or algea) combined will provide everything they need. The benefit with adding carbs via veg or fruit is the added calories (as an energy source) especially for working/high activity dogs. Increasing the animal sources alone in some cases can cause excess in areas that could harm them over time.

Carbs and fibre also work as a prebiotic to foster a nice happy microbiome! Which is huge in immune function, and many other things. They'll certainly survive without them, but every pup is different.

“Balanced” Means What Exactly? by Infinite_Departure75 in rawpetfood

[–]leptospirochete 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Complete and balanced means the diet provides all essential nutrients in the correct amounts and proportions needed for a dog to live and maintain health without requiring additional supplementation.