by Holly S Rivney

Created on: November 04, 2009   Last Updated: November 05, 2009

Decades of research has shown that our pets do best when they are fed a balanced diet. Cooked foods can destroy some nutrients, but may also release some nutrients for easier digestion and absorption. As a Licensed Veterinary Technician, one of my jobs is to educate people about feeding their pets the best diet possible. Each animal is unique even among breeds and must be evaluated for its health, activity, age, and lifestyle. I would recommend that those of you who prefer a raw diet consider those foods as a supplemental item in your pet's balanced, high quality, commercial diet. If you want to pursue the most natural raw food, I have some suggestions. Try small prey - birds, snakes, lizards, rabbits, mice, rats, even grasshoppers and earthworms.

Fat soluble vitamins can reach toxic levels in the body if not regulated. Raw fish destroys Vitamin B1; raw egg inhibits the uptake of Biotin. How do you measure the trace minerals, or work protein equations, such as the energy requirement for a pet under 5 pounds? You must take their weight in kilograms, and multiply that by 30 x (kg to the .75 power). Feeding the wrong foods can cause decreased immunity, anemia, muscle weakness, and delayed healing.

Therefore, proceed with caution when formulating a raw or natural diet for your dog or cat. Although raw diets have received many raves in the last few years, some important information has been lost or ignored in the zeal to keep your pet healthy. A raw, natural diet for a dog is not made of muscle meat alone, nor does it contain just a few giblets or odds and ends sold at the butcher counter. You must include all the parts of the animal carcass to ensure that the pet is getting a balanced ratio of calcium, phosphorus, the 10 essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. It includes brains, fur, feathers, skin, bones, and even the contents of the intestines of the prey (its feces). It includes the stomach and what's inside, the lungs, the various organs and veins, cartilage, eyeballs, tails, and all of the things we'd probably rather not prepare for our pets in our kitchen. Simply going to the grocery store to buy chicken and giblets is a far cry from the "raw and natural" diet people talk about feeding their dogs. You will also need to provide your dog (not cat) with a vegetable portion - and in keeping with the theme, these would be raw vegetables, not washed.

Cats are even more difficult to feed properly. They are obligate carnivores, and must

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