Is fresh best for your dog?

If you think about the healthiest way to eat for yourself, fresh, minimally processed food is considered best. But does the same apply to dogs?

As humans, we are encouraged to avoid artificial ingredients, preservatives and ultra-processed meals wherever possible.

However, if you search for advice on feeding dogs, you will often find the opposite. Dry food is usually one of the first recommendations owners come across.

But feeding dogs fresh food – particularly raw food – is gaining popularity, especially among more health-conscious owners.

When things go wrong

Of course, kibble is the easiest and quickest food to serve your dog. You don’t have to worry about balancing nutrients, as everything the dog needs is packed into each little biscuit.

However, owners whose dogs struggle with dental disease, allergies, intolerances or gut issues can find themselves searching for alternatives when conventional approaches are not suitable or start to cause issues (1).

Let me give you an example of my own dog. He was a handsome, young, full-of-life boy but suddenly began to struggle with his digestion and itching. He was fed good-quality dry and wet food, then we moved on to prescription diets in the hope they would solve his problems. Nothing seemed to help… and my bank balance definitely suffered.

He developed a persistent yeast infection on his skin, which would not go away no matter what treatment we tried. His stomach reacted badly to almost everything and we could not figure out why.

Road to recovery

Then a dog trainer we knew mentioned raw feeding – the first time I had ever heard of it. This was nearly 20 years ago, long before complete raw foods became widely available.

Back then, feeding raw meant doing everything ourselves. Every meal involved carefully balancing muscle meat, bone and offal, alongside supplements such as salmon oil and beneficial herbs; the list goes on.

Thankfully, today brands such as Rude Dog Food have made raw feeding far more accessible for owners who want the benefits of fresh food without having to prepare every meal from scratch. What once involved freezers full of ingredients and kitchen scales can now be as simple as defrosting a pre-prepared meal.

Out with the old, in with raw dog food

We started to notice changes surprisingly quickly. First, the itching began to ease. Then his digestion finally settled and we stopped dealing with explosive, stinky surprises every couple of days (2, 3). Eventually, the yeasty smell disappeared too and never returned.

After thousands of pounds in vet bills, prescription diets and countless attempts to manage his symptoms, the solution turned out to be much simpler than we expected: feeding him fresh food that actually agreed with him and which he enjoyed so much.

Reducing carbohydrates also appeared to help. Yeast thrives on sugars, so cutting back on these made a noticeable difference. Fresh protein and less-processed ingredients were easier on his digestive system, too.

The science behind feeding raw

At the time, raw dog food was still relatively niche. Today, it is becoming far more common, with many owners looking more closely at ingredient lists and questioning how heavily processed some pet foods are. That growing interest is attracting more scientific attention, too.

Researchers are beginning to look more closely at the impact of heavily processed diets on gut health. Some studies suggest repeated high-heat processing can alter fats and proteins in ways that may affect digestibility, inflammation and the balance of bacteria in the gut microbiome.

While much of the work in dogs is still emerging, studies in both animals and humans suggest processing can influence digestibility, inflammation and the balance of bacteria in the gut microbiome. In human nutrition, landmark studies have linked ultra-processed diets with poorer health outcomes, helping to drive wider interest in fresh, minimally processed foods (8, 9, 10). One study published in Animals found that dogs fed fresh diets developed a more diverse microbiome and different bacterial populations on both the skin and in the gut compared with dogs fed dry food (4).

Researchers from the University of Helsinki and its DogRisk group have also published work suggesting that dogs fed fresh, minimally processed diets may develop a more diverse gut microbiome (gut flora). In both humans and animals, a healthy gut microbiome is increasingly linked to immune function, digestion and overall wellbeing (2, 3).

Other studies have looked at allergy risk. Research led by Anna Hielm-Björkman (1) found that puppies fed fresh foods early in life appeared significantly less likely to develop allergy-related skin conditions later. While this does not prove that raw feeding prevents disease, it adds weight to ongoing discussions about diet and canine health.

Interestingly, researchers have also observed differences in the skin microbiome of dogs fed fresh diets, an area that may be particularly relevant for dogs with skin conditions (4). There is also evidence suggesting fresh diets may improve digestibility and stool quality (5), while raw meaty bones are widely recognised for helping reduce plaque build-up on teeth.

One size doesn't fit all

Much of this makes sense when you think about it. Dogs evolved eating fresh foods rather than highly processed diets, and many owners believe returning to a more natural approach has benefited their animals.

That does not mean raw feeding is without debate. Many vets still urge caution, particularly around hygiene and nutritional balance.

At the same time, attitudes within parts of the veterinary profession are beginning to evolve (6, 7), with organisations such as the Raw Feeding Veterinary Society encouraging more open discussion and evidence-based research into fresh feeding.

It is also important to recognise that not every dog will respond the same way. What is clear, however, is that more owners are seeing improvements in their dogs and more researchers are beginning to investigate why.

Get fresh through BASC

For me, switching to raw dog food was life-changing. My dog went from being constantly uncomfortable to healthy, energetic and settled again. Nearly 20 years later, I still feed the same way today. For my dogs, the difference has been too marked to ignore.

Want to feed raw but not sure where to start? Rude Dog Food, our newest commercial partners, offer great discounts to BASC members. Find out more on our member offers pages here.