Raw meat-based diets for dogs are growing in popularity but carry welfare and public health risks that owners need to understand to make informed feeding decisions.
Nutritional deficiencies from poorly formulated raw diets cause serious welfare conditions including rickets, secondary hyperparathyroidism, and developmental bone disease. Bone injury risk including broken teeth and intestinal perforation causes acute welfare emergencies. Dogs with access to contaminated raw meat can shed pathogens that pose public health risks.