by Charlotte Howard

Created on: November 08, 2009   Last Updated: November 09, 2009

As pet owners we are always looking for ways to improve our pets' health, and one of the best ways to take good care of our furry friends is through a good diet. With the variety out there on the shelves, choosing a good diet can be a difficult decision and some pet owners decide to go for a natural diet made up from raw ingredients. Whilst there are many advantages to this, there are also a lot of disadvantages of a raw food diet in cats and dogs.

Nutritional Content

It doesn't matter whether the diet is raw or cooked, if you are going to create your own menu for your cat or dog you must make sure that the nutritional content of the meal is correct. It is highly important that certain nutrients are available.

Cats are unable to create their own taurine. Without this organic acid cats are likely to suffer from diseases such as dilated cardiomyopathy (a form of heart disease) and central retinal degeneration (a disease affecting the eyes). Taurine deficiency causes blindness, hair loss and tooth decay before eventually becoming fatal.

Bacterial Infection

One of the biggest concerns with a raw food diet is bacterial infection. E. coli, salmonella, campylobacter are the most common infections on meat, but there are numerous other bacteria that can cause symptoms such as:

*Sickness

*Diarrhea

*Dehydration

*Lethargy

*Death

Not only do these bacteria make dogs and cats ill, but they can also be transferred to humans, especially those who are cleaning up after their pets.

The only way of reducing the number of bacteria on meat, and therefore limiting the risk of infection is making sure that the meat is thoroughly cooked.

Parasitic Infection

Raw meat, especially pork, can also contain worm eggs. One of the most common ways of picking up worms is by eating raw meat. This is why dogs and cats that scavenge or hunt should be treated for parasites on a more regular basis than those who don't.

If a piece of raw meat infected with roundworm is eaten, there is a high risk of your pet getting trichinosis. Trichinosis is a disease that damages bodily tissues and can cause haemorrhaging and death if not treated.

Tapeworm eggs are often found in raw meat, especially cuts that are given to animals as they deemed unsuitable for human consumption. Tapeworms attach to the lining of the intestines and can grow over 2 meters long. If not treated, tapeworms can cause severe anemia and malnutrition.

Pesticide Poisoning

Whilst cats are obligatory carnivores, meaning they only need to

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