Raw feeding diets for dogs have grown in popularity, with welfare, nutritional, and public health considerations requiring careful evidence-based assessment.
Dogs on nutritionally inadequate raw diets develop calcium-phosphorus imbalances causing bone and joint disease. Young growing dogs are most vulnerable. Contamination with Salmonella can cause gastrointestinal disease in dogs and poses cross-contamination risk to household members. Balanced commercial raw diets may offer digestibility benefits. The welfare case for raw feeding depends entirely on nutritional adequacy — an imbalanced raw diet is a welfare harm, not a benefit.