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The raw deal: clarifying the nutritional and public health issues regarding raw meat-based diets

02 July 2015
Clinical
12 mins read
02 July 2015
Volume 6 · Issue 6

Abstract

In recent years, there has been growing interest in the feeding of unconventional diets such as raw, vegetarian and home prepared diets to companion animals. BARF diets, often referred to as ‘Biologically Appropriate Raw Food’ or ‘Bones And Raw Food,’ were popularised by Billinghurst in 1993. Such diets typically consist of 60–80% raw meaty bones and 20–40% a wide variety of foods including fruit and vegetables, offal, meat, eggs, or dairy foods.

Prior to domestication, the diet of dogs and cats consisted largely of raw food. Once cohabiting with humans, raw food remained the staple diet for cats whereas dogs survived on by-products of human consumption, i.e. table scraps. The nutritional inadequacy of these diets is cited as being responsible for the shortened life span and nutritionally-related digestive, musculoskeletal problems encountered at that time. Yet, current justification for the feeding of this diet stems from the belief that these species are healthier when fed as if still in the wild.

This article explores the nutritional adequacy and food safety issues related to feeding raw meat-based diets to companion animals and considers approaches for communicating with pet owners about the concerns regarding these unconventional diets.

Good nutrition is believed to be fundamental in promoting a state of wellbeing, prolonging life and preventing diseases in companion animals. Nutrition can also be used to help manage animals with various medical problems. In human healthcare, the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle and making good dietary choices are the focus of many public awareness campaigns (Michel, 2006). As people are pursuing healthier lifestyles and being very selective in what they eat, some are demanding the same assurances for their pets. To many people, feeding their pet is considered an expression of love and care with many owners using their own preferences to influence the food selection and feeding practices of their pet (Wakefield et al, 2006).

In recent years, there has been growing interest in the feeding of unconventional diets such as raw, vegetarian and home prepared diets to companion animals (Michel, 2006; Handl, 2014). BARF diets, often referred to as ‘Biologically Appropriate Raw Food’ or ‘Bones And Raw Food,’ were popularised by Billinghurst in 1993. Such diets typically consist of 60–80% raw meaty bones and 20–40% a wide variety of foods including fruit and vegetables, offal, meat, eggs, or dairy foods. In contrast, the ‘prey model diet’ is designed to resemble the presumed diet of carnivorous ancestors of dogs and involves consumption of whole prey, including organs, bones and muscle (Figure 1).

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raw feeding
nutritional imbalance
unconventional diets