As French bulldog and English bulldog owners, we want only the best for our bullies. Canine owners have numerous options when selecting a diet for their dogs, and it can be challenging to navigate the overwhelming amount of information to ensure we’re doing the right thing. Within the last few years, the selection of raw-based diets has become extremely popular among dog owners. As such, it's important to investigate the overall safety of this diet as well as long-term and short-term nutritional effects to help canine owners decide if raw feeding qualifies as a safe option for their dogs’ diet.
What is a Raw Food Diet?
A raw food diet for dogs is often referred to as BARF or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food diet. Raw-based diets typically consist of various raw meats such as poultry, beef, and pork with the addition of grains, vegetables, and dairy products. The diet typically includes a range of fresh and unprocessed foods like muscle meat, bones, organ meats, raw eggs, and even fruits and vegetables.
Potential Benefits of Raw Food Diets
Some pet parents add raw dog food as a treat or kibble topper, and others passionately feed it with the belief that raw dog food offers real, natural ingredients that provide unmatched nutrition with a minimally processed advantage. Devout raw dog food enthusiasts tout raw as the most natural way to feed a dog. They anecdotally report that feeding their dog raw food results in a shinier coat, healthier skin, cleaner teeth, higher energy levels and smaller stools.
Potential benefits of the raw dog food diet that supporters tout include:
- Improved Coat and Skin: When you switch to a raw food diet, one of the first noticeable changes is often in your dog’s coat. A nutrition professor at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, Freeman says that many of the benefits attributed to a raw food diet for dogs, such as a shinier coat, instead are the result of the high fat composition of the typical raw diet.
- Better Digestion: Now, the fact that raw food is highly digestible means your dog’s body can absorb more of the nutrients and break down the food more efficiently. You see, a lot of the bulk and waste that comes from commercial dog food is due to fillers like grains, which are not as easily digested by dogs. Digestive health is another area where raw diets shine bright because these enzymes are found in raw meats and organs. In fact, dogs with sensitive stomachs or digestive issues, like gas, bloating, or diarrhea, experience relief after switching to a raw diet.
- Increased Energy Levels: One of the most prominent raw dog food benefits is that it gives your dog the fuel they need to thrive. So much so that many dog owners claim an increase in their dog’s energy levels because raw food is packed with high-quality proteins and healthy fats. As a pet care expert myself, I’ve seen how dogs fed raw diets may become more active, playful, and alert.
- Improved Dental Health: Raw food diets are naturally great for your dog’s dental health. The act of chewing raw bones provides a natural mechanical way to clean their teeth. Plus, this natural tooth brushing eliminates the need for dental treats or expensive cleanings at the vet.
- Stronger Immune System: The nutrients found in raw food diets are excellent for your dog’s immune system.
- Behavioral Improvements: Surprising as it might sound, your dog’s diet can have a significant impact on their behavior.
For some Bulldogs, it can drastically improve health, skin, and digestion. Bulldogs often suffer from dry skin and dermatitis. Since Bulldogs are prone to gas and bloating, raw feeding-when done correctly-can help reduce these symptoms. Bulldogs on processed diets may suffer from sluggishness. Many commercial dog foods include common allergens like wheat or chicken by-products.
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Potential Risks and Concerns
Many mainstream veterinarians as well as the FDA agree the risks of raw diets are well documented with several studies published in veterinary journals. Common negative impacts of raw-based diets are unbalanced nutrients, GI obstructions, and antibiotic resistance to pathogens from raw meat. The cause of the higher occurrence of DCM among dogs fed raw, grain-free, homemade, and other “boutique exotic” niche diets is still unknown.
Potential risks include:
- Bacterial Contamination: After all, raw meats, particularly poultry, can harbor dangerous bacteria like Salmonella and E. coli, among others. Anton Martinez and a specialist with a veterinary background concluded in a study that there is a significant connection between acute polyradiculoneuritis (APN) and the pathogen campylobacter. APN is a nerve disorder that causes body paralysis, while campylobacter is a pathogen commonly found in raw food-grade poultry. The canines in this specific study were commonly fed raw chicken necks and bones that were infected with the pathogen and soon diagnosed with the aforementioned nerve disorder. The transmissions of bacteria can be not only through food and its handling but also through water and fecal-oral routes; thus, documenting another reason raw meat preparation hygiene is important for all parties involved in the care and handling of animal products. This study concluded a direct link between canines fed raw food grade chicken and the pathogen campylobacter, this shows the significant risk of pathogen contamination risk and exposure when feeding raw-based diets. Raw meat can carry bacteria such as Salmonella or E. coli, which can be harmful to both dogs and humans.
- Nutritional Imbalances: Although incredibly healthy, a raw food diet can have nutritional imbalances. Josepha DeLay and co-author Laing cover a case involving a litter of puppies that were fed a raw diet upon weaning. The puppies all exhibited symptoms of malnutrition as well as weakening of limbs. Veterinarians performed necropsies on the puppies of this litter and found evidence of poorly developed bone tissue, as well as fractures due to extreme calcium deficiency caused by the raw diet. Canines fed a raw-based diet are most commonly noted for their physical impairments that are typically linked to the overall unbalanced aspect of feeding raw. Formulating a balanced raw diet requires precise ratios of meat, bone, organ, and supplements.
- Choking Hazards: While bones are a natural part of a dog’s diet in the wild, they can present serious hazards when not handled carefully. Bulldogs’ short snouts and aggressive chewing habits make them more likely to choke on raw bones. A study completed by the Clinical Nutrition Team at Tufts University involving Lisa Freeman and colleagues heavily discusses the health concerns that arise by implementing a BARF (Bone and Raw Food) diet as a source of “nutrition” and debunk the myths that support the nutritional benefits of feeding a raw diet to canines. A few health concerns include nutrient deficiency or excessive intake, the possibility of swallowing bone or bone fragments leading to blockages that require intensive care and risky exploratory surgeries, and even overall ingestion of bacteria or high-fat content that is a known cause of inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract.
- Cost and Preparation: Raw feeding typically costs more than kibble and requires careful handling, preparation, and storage. A final consideration of feeding a dog raw food is the financial and time investment costs.
- Veterinarian Concerns: Many vets do not recommend raw diets due to the risks mentioned above.
Raw Feeding: A Veterinarian's Perspective
After reviewing a brief survey presented to classmates the majority ruled that they believed feeding their dog a raw diet was a safe option and resulted in health benefits. In the survey when asked where they would look for information to properly balance nutrients in a raw diet, 55.6% of students responded with Google. The other options presented to students were pet store, certified veterinary nutritionist, human nutritionist, or other. While comparing data between the two surveys it is noted that the participants in the PetSmart survey were more likely to consider feeding their dog a raw-based diet, while veterinary staff members were completely against feeding raw. Three of the PetSmart participants who selected health benefits in Fig(2) also admitted that they did not have any research to back up their answer but were heavily influenced by media and ads that feeding a raw-based diet had health benefits.
I was able to obtain an interview with Chris Bellinger, a certified DVM with twenty years of experience in the field. Bellinger has performed a vast number of “foreign body” operations which involved removing large pieces of bones and fragments from the GI tract that wound up there due to dog owners feeding a raw-based diet with large quantities of whole chicken with bones intact. Bellinger explained that he has seen multiple cases of salmonella and E. coli. contaminations as a result of feeding raw-based diets.
I interviewed, Abraham Aviles, a licensed DVM with 10 years of experience in veterinary medicine. When posed with the question, do you believe raw-based diets cause negative health impacts, Abraham immediately took a stance against feeding raw. Abraham admitted he had no personal cases that were directly linked to negative raw feeding impacts but has had canine patients who were on raw diets that always seemed to have a poor body score that he believed to be linked to poor nutrition.
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Brandy Osburn, RVT graduate of OSU, OKC was interviewed to provide evidence of the negative health impacts of feeding a raw-based diet to canines. Brandy accounted for many safety concerns involving raw diets mostly revolving around pathogen risk and GI obstruction. Brandy could recall being present for many foreign body surgeries involving the removal of bone fragments and salmonella infection after being fed a raw diet. Brandy went on to say, “I would never recommend a raw diet to a client dog or consider it for my own, I have yet to see any credible research stating any positive health impacts but have seen first-hand negative impacts, as well as many studies and credible sources, advising to avoid raw-based diets at all cost.”
Brandy went on to say that she believed many clients who do a simple Google search on rawbased diets are flooded with misinformation revolving around the subject and are heavily led to believe raw feeding is a healthy option. Brandy advised anyone looking to seek information on the subject to reach out to their veterinarian to obtain credible information on the matter.
Considerations for English Bulldogs
It depends on your lifestyle, your Bulldog’s health conditions, and your ability to maintain a balanced raw regimen. Some Bulldogs thrive on raw food; others develop complications. Raw feeding is not a one-size-fits-all solution. For some Bulldogs, it can drastically improve health, skin, and digestion. For others, it may present unnecessary risks. If you’re unsure, start with small changes or consider cooked homemade meals as a middle ground.
Common Questions About Raw Diets for Bulldogs
- Can puppies eat a raw diet? Yes, but extreme care must be taken to balance calcium and phosphorus.
- Is it okay to mix raw and kibble in one meal? Most experts recommend not mixing raw and kibble due to different digestion rates.
- What raw meats are safe for Bulldogs? Beef, turkey, chicken, lamb, and duck are commonly used.
- Can raw feeding help with Bulldog allergies? Yes, in many cases.
- How do I know if the raw diet is working for my Bulldog? Look for signs like improved coat condition, reduced itching, regular stool, and increased energy.
Balancing the Diet
Unfortunately, there is currently no “gold-standard” protocol for a raw-based canine diet readily available to dog owners. A quick Google search on raw diets will take you down a rabbit hole of information, and the majority of it pushes owners meaning well to feed a heavily unbalanced diet. Furthermore, it is encouraged by veterinary staff that owners seek advice from a boardcertified veterinary nutritionist. Graduates of vet school are certified for general practice they then achieve further specialization through continued education typically involving on-the-job training under a specialist DVM. These veterinary nutritionists are well-versed in balancing home-cooked diets and in some cases raw-based diets. Veterinary technician Jessica dives into the difficulty of properly balancing a raw diet not necessarily because of the food portion but because of the nutritional misinformation. Jessica emphasizes that raw diet protocols are commonly offered to the public through nonprofessionals, stating her concern surrounding this as the misinformation surrounding balancing a raw diet is vast.
If you’re formulating a raw food diet for your dog, it’s crucial that the diet be complete and balanced to give your dog all the nutrition they need.
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Commercial Raw Food Options
Today, raw dog food comes in a variety of commercially prepared offerings. If you’re interested in the benefits of feeding a raw food diet but keen to avoid the health risks, then it’sworthwhile to consider a commercially prepared raw recipe. Yes, several companies including Acana offer commercially prepared raw diets. Wellness CORE+ is a complete and balanced high-protein kibble (in grain-free or wholesomegrains options) with the addition of 100% raw freeze-dried meat pieces.
Mixing Kibble and Raw: Is it Safe?
Many dogs are fed diets that include kibble and raw. For the sake of health, we don't eat diets of entirely processed foods; neither should our dogs. In particular, the movement encourages the feeding of 20% fresh into a processed diet. Why 20%? Because that small of an amount is where you start to see health benefits, but that amount is not going to mess with the balance being provided by a good quality processed diet. Everyone can do 20% no matter their need for affordability and convenience, or their knowledge level for balancing a diet.
Some people think you shouldn't mix the 2 as they digest differently but that is not true and it is totally okay to mix them together.
Sure, transitional GI upset can occur whenever a dog switches up to something new, especially a dog who has been mostly fed the same thing day in and out. It can even happen when you change brands or protein sources from kibble to kibble. You can deal with GI disruption by having some organic canned pumpkin on hand and some slippery elm is always handy too. You can also avoid or minimize it by doing a slow transition to anything new going into the bowl, and holding back further increases until the GI system is normal again before proceeding with greater proportions of the new food.
Rotating Proteins
When feeding raw, it is important to rotate between 3-4 proteins as each protein has different nutritional value. One protein should be a red meat. That doesn't mean you have to feed a different protein each day. For instance, sometimes I feed one protein for 1 week and then switch, sometimes 2 weeks, I have even gone longer on 1 protein. Sometimes I give 2 different proteins over 2 weeks, etc. Definitely rotate proteins, that prevents new food allergies cause they can develop allergies to what they eat everyday and every protein has its own benefits.