Is it safe to feed raw meat to dogs?

Dogs when undomesticated and years ago, lived in packs, hunted, killed and ate their prey. There are still packs of wild dogs today, doing much the same thing. Humans also eat raw beef. That's what they call beef tartar in high class restaurants.

Is it OK for Fido to eat raw beef? It probably wouldn't kill him, but domesticated dogs have gotten used to dry dog food or canned dog food, which is usually cooked. Most likely, it would make ol' Fido, "sicker than a dog". He wouldn't have the digestive system tuned in to raw meat and you'd probably get it back a few minutes later, if you catch my drift.

Unless I lived on a cattle farm where he might get an occasional piece of raw beef every few days as a regular part of his diet, I'd stay away from giving him any. Then again, there's always the question of other items in the beef, or living in the beef which could be harmful to the animal. (Especially raw pork. Trichinosis, for example.)

Technically, yes, if accustomed to it, dogs eat and have eaten raw meats for eons. And if he occasionally snags a bit o' raw hamburger from the cookout when you're not looking, it may or may not make him sick. Depends on the dog, his size and normal diet. That's why when you change the brand or style of dog food, say canned from dry, etc., it's always best to wean them over by mixing in a little of the new with the old and increasing the ratio until they're completely changed over to the new.

Feeding Raw Meaty Bones to Carnivores

Dogs cannot digest carbohydrates, they are carnivores. They don't have molars as humans do. They have four large canines which are used to tear and rip food. When a dog eats kibble there is nothing to tear and rip and the dog's jaw doesn't get the proper exercise it needs. Most dogs wolf down their kibble because they have no teeth to grind it up with.

When you switch from kibble to raw, do it cold turkey. Don't mix a little of kibble and a little of raw or alternate meals. Stop kibble and leave 12 hours between the time you switch to raw. Start with the easiest to digest of meats, chicken. Chicken hindquarters work best for most medium to giant breed dogs. Smaller breeds or certain medium breeds may require different parts of chicken. Cut off all skin and fat for the first couple of days. Some sensitive dogs require skin and fat removed for a week.

Feed less than what you dog needs when you first start off. You figure 2% of their ideal adult weight. When they are adjusted to raw feeding adjust accordingly from 2 to 3% of their ideal adult weight. Do weekly body checks, can you feel their ribs? Do you see a waist when looking down on your standing dog?

Check your dog's feces to decide when to add back the skin and fat. Check it to decide when to give more food than 2%. Our dogs had no loose feces from the switch over. We followed the recommended switch over from kibble to raw. From what I've read, the dogs which have the most problems are owners who've fed raw and kibble in one day. Also dogs switching from kibble with grain in it.

Don't feed raw ground meat to your dog. Always feed the whole meat. For instance, feed round steak minus the bone. Ideally, you'd feed this with a bone meal such as beef ribs.

Never feed weight bearing bones such as round bones when you feed raw meaty bones. The reason is a dog can break its teeth on them because they jaws become more powerful the longer they eat raw meaty bones.

More information about feeding raw feeding dogs search for raw meaty bones or raw feeding dogs.