Raw Feeding Advice
Here at The Vets @ Dronfield we do not actively recommend raw feeding but we do recognise that some pet owners prefer it and we are happy to advise and support you in that choice.
Our position is based on the current evidence for raw feeding and is in line with the advice from the World Small Animal Veterinary Association, the British Small Animal Veterinary Association, the American Veterinary Association and the American Animal Hospital Association amongst others.
If you are raw feeding your pet, we recommend that you use a commercially prepared diet, from a company who is a member of both UK Pet Food and of their Raw Certification Scheme. This scheme is independently audits the company and their facility to confirm they are following the correct health and safety protocols and are ensuring the bacterial levels in raw food are in acceptable limits.
We would also advise, as we would with any kind pet food, that the company employs properly qualified nutritionists to ensure their diets are correctly formulated with the right levels of nutrition for your pet. The qualifications you should be looking for are a Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionist, a PhD in Small Animal Nutrition or, at the very least, a Masters in Small Animal Nutrition. This is based on the WSAVA Selecting A Pet Food Guidelines.
At the moment, the only time when we would actively advise you to not raw feed is when you have a growing puppy or kitten. Their nutritional needs at this stage in life are extremely specific and it is very important we get them right, particularly in larger breed dogs. Our recommendation is that you feed a kibble based diet, suitable for individual growth rate, from a good quality company until they are fully grown, and then if you would like to switch you to raw, we can advise you on how best to do that.
If you raw feed, you do need to know that do not allow pets to be raw fed while they are staying with us an in-patients. This is to ensure we maintain excellent infection control in our hospital. Raw fed dogs do have a higher likelihood of carrying antibiotic-resistance bacteria and while they may be healthy in themselves, we do have a responsibility to other patients who may be poorly. We have a wide range of diets available for hospital stays and we will always ask you your pet’s preferences, so we can have something yummy for them after any operations or tests!
We would also advise that pets with healing wounds are fed a cooked diet until their sutures are removed, to reduce the risks of post-operative infections. If you prefer to raw feed though, it is important your pet cannot lick at their wound, as this would be the main way it could get infected and sore.
If you would like to chat about your pet’s food and their nutrition, we are always very happy to help! Both Katy and Sarah hold nutrition qualifications and Cat is a member of the WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee.
Links;
WSAVA Statement – Raw Meat Based Diets For Pets – https://wsava.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Raw-Meat-Based-Diets-for-Pets_WSAVA-Global-Nutrition-Toolkit.pdf
BSAVA Companion Animal Nutrition Statement – https://www.bsava.com/position-statement/companion-animal-nutrition/),
American Veterinary Association Raw Food Statement – https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/avma-policies/raw-or-undercooked-animal-source-protein-cat-and-dog-diets)
American Animal Hospital Association – https://www.aaha.org/resources/2021-aaha-nutrition-and-weight-management-guidelines/raw-protein-diet/)
Uk Pet Food – https://www.ukpetfood.org/
UK Pet Food Raw Food Certification Scheme https://www.ukpetfood.org/industry-information/safety-and-standards-new/raw-pet-food/certified-raw-pet-food-manufacturers.html
Nutritional Imbalances in raw food for puppies – https://www.dechra.co.uk/companion-animal/nutrition/risks-of-raw-feeding-barf)
UK dogs eating raw meat diets have higher risk of Salmonella and antimicrobial-resistant Escherichia coli faecal carriage
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jsap.13488
