"But shouldn't dogs and cats eat meat?"
NUTRITIONAL AND HEALTH CONCERNS OF RAW MEAT
DIETS
Raw meat diets are, in fact, not natural and not healthy. Peer-reviewed research studies that examined these diets from a nutritional standpoint concluded that they are nutritionally-imbalanced and cause health problems.
The following are the most rigorous, up-to-date scientific evidences published on the subject of dog and cat safety, health risks, and health question assessment.
Each study has been linked so that you, your relatives, or your veterinarian may be educated and obtain the correct science all in a single place, allowing you to provide your dogs and cats with the safest, least hazardous diet possible.
Shortcut from science studies shared below;
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In a more recent study in Europe, investigators calculated amounts of 12 nutrients (e.g. calcium, phosphorus, vitamin A) in 95 homemade raw meat diets being fed to dogs. In that study, 57 (60%) diets had major nutritional imbalances.3 Yet another similar investigation reported that raw diets for dogs are low in calcium and phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and zinc.
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Raw meat diets formulated for cats have been also investigated. One study found that feeding raw meat to cats may cause hypervitaminosis A (too much vitamin A), as well as a condition called pansteatitis - a physiological state in which the body fat becomes inflamed
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Toxoplasma gondii – a parasite which can be acquired from raw or undercooked meats or from environmental exposure (contaminated soil or feces) – is a dangerous consequence of feeding raw meat-based food to cats. This parasite poses greatest danger to pregnant women and the developing fetus. Toxoplasmosis in a fetus can result in mental retardation, blindness, epilepsy, and death. Research shows that the consumption of raw meat significantly increases the prevalence of this dangerous parasite in cats.9
Analyze of the different diet available for cats
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As yet, there have been no published studies of this kind looking at the benefits of high fish-based diets (as cats are land mammals and fish falls high in the ingredients they are intolerant to), raw food diets or even insect-based diets and their benefits to cats, so this really is a step forward for sustainability and pet health.
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Most meat-based cat food have to be supplemented because the nutrients can be destroyed during processing. Cats in the 90’s were seen to suffer from more cases of dilated cardiomyopathy until this supplemented taurine was added to all cat foods and we rarely see cases of DCM in cats since 2000.
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Cats fed a nutritionally sound plant-based diet experienced a 23% reduction in guardian opinions of more severe illness
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The recent study corresponded with other results from 2021, where among a pool of 1,000+ cats, vegan-diet-fed cats better reported health, had more ideal body condition scores, and were less likely to suffer from gastrointestinal and liver disorders than cats fed meat. This pool showed no diseases were more likely to be found in the vegan-fed cats.
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Cats had better outcomes when fed vegan diets for every health indicator, representing a strong and consistent trend.Prof Andrew Knight notes, “It indicates that pet food manufacturers are now designing and creating vegan pet foods to include all necessary nutrients but with fewer of the dietary hazards that are prevalent within meat-based pet foods. Cats consuming vegan diets have better health outcomes, as a result.”
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Cats need a high-protein diet that includes certain nutrients, like taurine, preformed Vitamin A and arachidonic acid. These nutrients can be synthetically manufactured or sourced from specific plants and fungi and added into vegan food as supplements.