Evaluation of raw food diets for dogs
Open accessAbstract
Types of Raw Food DietsAll raw food diets are not alike.In fact, there are a number of types of raw food diets currently being fed to dogs and cats.However, there are 3 major categories of raw food diets.Commercially available complete raw food diets-These diets are intended to be complete and balanced without the need for additional supplements.These diets typically are sold in a frozen form.a-c Homemade complete raw food diets-Many recipes for homemade raw food diets are available in books and articles as well as on the Internet.The 3 most popular homemade raw food diets are the bones and raw food (BARF) diet, the Ultimate diet, and the Volhard diet.
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Risks for companion animals associated with BARF or vegan diets are the presence of microbial hazards, insufficient nutrition, and in raw meat diets the presence of risk materials like thyroid tissue.
“Risks for companion animals associated with BARF or vegan diets are the presence of microbial hazards, insufficient nutrition, and in raw meat diets the presence of risk materials like thyroid tissue.”
From A One Health Perspective on the Human-Companion Animal Relationship with Emphasis on Zoonotic Aspects. (2020) · cites this paper as [57]
The Potential Risks and Recommendations sections identify nutritional imbalances and bacterial contamination as risks of raw food diets, including BARF-style diets. The paper evaluates raw diets for dogs; the passages do not address vegan diets or identify thyroid tissue as a risk material in raw meat diets (searched: vegan diets, thyroid tissue). Page numbers were not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.88)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredNutritional problems, such as calcium/phosphorous imbalances and specific vitamin deficiencies, are reported in raw feeding.
“Nutritional problems, such as calcium/phosphorous imbalances and specific vitamin deficiencies [57] are also reported.”
From A One Health Perspective on the Human-Companion Animal Relationship with Emphasis on Zoonotic Aspects. (2020) · cites this paper as [57]
The Comparison of Homemade and Commercial Raw Food Diets with AAFCO Standards section (page unavailable) reports low calcium or phosphorus and unbalanced calcium-to-phosphorus ratios in several tested diets. It does not report specific vitamin deficiencies: the vitamin problems identified are excess vitamin D or E. The calcium/phosphorus part is supported, but the vitamin-deficiency part is not. (LLM, conf=0.88)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredRaw pet food commonly exceeds hygiene thresholds for counts of Enterobacteriaceae.
“Raw pet food commonly exceeds hygiene thresholds for counts of Enterobacteriaceae.”
From Raw diets for dogs and cats: a review, with particular reference to microbiological hazards. (2019) · cites this paper as Freeman & Michel 2001
The Comparison of Homemade and Commercial Raw Food Diets with AAFCO Standards section reports total bacterial counts in raw diets and describes one count as high. It does not report Enterobacteriaceae counts, compare them with hygiene thresholds, or establish that threshold exceedances are common. (LLM, conf=0.82)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe bacteriological quality of raw commercial pet foods, assessed by total bacterial, coliform or E. coli counts, has been noted to fail threshold levels for raw human meat products in a high proportion of sampled foods in both Europe and North America.
“The bacteriological quality of raw commercial pet foods, assessed by total bacterial, coliform or E. coli counts, has been noted to fail threshold levels for raw human meat products in a high proportion of sampled foods in both Europe and North America (Freeman & Michel 2001, Weese et al. 2005, Kölle & Schmidt 2015, Nilsson 2015, van Bree et al. 2018).”
From Raw diets for dogs and cats: a review, with particular reference to microbiological hazards. (2019) · cites this paper as Freeman & Michel 2001
Split into 2 atoms — 0 confirmed, 2 partially supported, 0 disputed, 0 misattributed, 0 unverifiable. Expand the claim to see per-atom verdicts.
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredInvestigations of both home- and commercially prepared raw diets commonly identified nutritional problems, such as calcium/phosphorous imbalances and specific vitamin deficiencies.
“Investigations of both home‐ and commercially prepared raw diets commonly have identified nutritional problems, such as calcium/phosphorous imbalances and specific vitamin deficiencies (Freeman & Michel 2001, Freeman et al. 2013).”
From Raw diets for dogs and cats: a review, with particular reference to microbiological hazards. (2019) · cites this paper as Freeman & Michel 2001
The Comparison of Homemade and Commercial Raw Food Diets with AAFCO Standards section reports calcium-to-phosphorus imbalances and other nutritional shortcomings in both homemade and commercial diets. Its vitamin findings, however, concern excess vitamin D or E, not specific vitamin deficiencies; Tables 1 and 2 show the measured vitamins at or above the listed minimums. Page numbers were not provided in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.88)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
The shift from heat-treated processed food to raw feeding has been driven by perceived health benefits to pets and a suspicion of industrially produced pet food.
“This shift from heat‐treated processed food has been driven by perceived health benefits to pets and a suspicion of industrially produced pet food.”
From Raw diets for dogs and cats: a review, with particular reference to microbiological hazards. (2019) · cites this paper as Freeman & Michel 2001
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“Nutritional problems, such as calcium/phosphorous imbalances and specific vitamin deficiencies [57] are also reported.”
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“The bacteriological quality of raw commercial pet foods, assessed by total bacterial, coliform or E. coli counts, has been noted to fail threshold levels for raw human meat products in a high proportion of sampled foods in both Europe and North America (Freeman & Michel 2001, Weese et al. 2005, Kölle & Schmidt 2015, N…”
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“Numerous studies (Freeman et al., 2013; Freeman, Janecko & Weese, 2013; Freeman & Michel, 2001; Kohler, Stengel & Neiger, 2012; Lenz et al., 2009; Leonard et al., 2011; Stiver et al., 2003; Strohmeyer et al., 2006) have reported the risks of feeding RAP diets, in particular bacterial disease,…”
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“Several studies reported the contamination of these diets and their ingredients with pathogenic bacteria (Freeman and Michel, 2001; Weese et al., 2005; Strohmeyer et al., 2006; Finley et al., 2008).”
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“A variety of commercial raw meat-based diets (RMBD) and brands are available in most pet shops and supermarkets (Freeman & Michel, 2001; Freeman et al., 2013).”
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“…which have been repeatedly demonstrated to have nutritional deficiencies, such as specific vitamin deficiencies and calcium/phosphorous imbalances [37,42], as well as bacterial and non-bacterial pathogens and zoonoses, risking the health of both dogs and their guardians [38 – 40 , Even when…”
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“Although some studies (Freeman and Michel, 2001; Dillitzer et al, 2011) have purported to demonstrate nutritional inadequacy, factors such as testing methods, limited sample size and lack of long-term evaluation of the health of the animals eating the diets cast doubt over their conclusions…”
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“A well-known “natural diet” is the bone and raw food (BARF) diet (Freeman and Michel, 2001; Joffe and Schlesinger, 2002; Köhler et al., 2012).”
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“Although RMBD products are sometimes labelled or advertised as “complete feed”, they often do not provide a nutrient supply that fulfils all the requirements of growing or adult dogs [14,15].”
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“…pets with these diets is a controversial issue among veterinarians, animal scientists, and owners with regard to the nutritional benefits and the risk that they pose to the health of both animals and humans (FREEMAN; MICHEL, 2001), especially when analysing issues of food safety and public health.”
BackgroundPrantil, L. R., Markovich, J. E., Heinze, C., Linder, D., Tams, T., & Freeman, L. (2016) · Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care · doi:10.1111/vec.12364 · Cited by 3
Self-citationKiprotich, S. S., Altom, E., Mason, R., & Aldrich, C. G. (2025) · Frontiers in Veterinary Science · doi:10.3389/fvets.2025.1547953 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“Previous researchers in the discipline (10) described BARFs as homemade complete raw food diets, with most popular recipes consisting of 60% raw, meaty bones with the rest of the ration comprising “a wide variety of foods that a wild dog would eat.”
Vékony, B., Bodor, Z., Veres, D., Vajdovich, P., & Mák, E. (2024) · Veterinary Record Open · doi:10.1002/vro2.70004 · Cited by 2
Commercial and Home‐Prepared Diets
Fascetti, A., & Delaney, S. (2013) · doi:10.1002/9781118785669.ch8 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Nutritional management of diseases
Bartges, J., Raditic, D., Kirk, C., Witzel, A., Hamper, B. A., & Murphy, M. (2011) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-1-4377-0660-4.00018-1 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Conventional cooked and raw dog diets: Swiss owners’ risk perception and knowledge
Knörr, A., Bearth, A., Zhou, X., Stephan, R., & Siegrist, M. (2025) · Preventive Veterinary Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106609
Díaz-Regañón, D., Llorca, C., Sainz, Á., Rodríguez-Franco, F., Villaescusa, A., Olmeda, P., & García-Sancho, M. (2025) · The Veterinary Record · doi:10.1002/vetr.5013 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“3,9 Increased levels of thyroxine due to ingestion of residual thyroid tissue, which could result in clinical signs of hyperthyroidism, have also been reported.”
Taylor-Brown, F., Beltran, E., & Chan, D. L. (2016) · The Veterinary Record · doi:10.1136/vr.i4683 · Cited by 1
“Such diets are deficient in calcium and phosphate and have completely inappropriate calcium:phosphate ratios to support normal bone growth (Freeman and Michel 2001, Taylor and others 2009, Hutchinson and others 2012).”
BackgroundConsecuencias de la alimentación cruda en la salud gastrointestinal del perro: revisión sistemática
Diaz-Arias, M. S., Almagro-Guevara, B. S., & González-Salas, R. (2026) · Sanitas. Revista arbitrada de ciencias de la salud · doi:10.62574/sanitas.v4iespecial6.017
Shehata, H., Elsayed, H., & Waly, N. (2023) · Assiut veterinary medical journal · doi:10.21608/avmj.2023.186958.1117
“Despite these developments, some pet owners still prefer preparing food at home for their animals (Freeman and Michel, 2001).”
BackgroundALIMENTAÇÃO PÓS-OPERATÓRIA PARA GATOS
Bomfim, V. V. B. D. S., Alba, D. J. M., Romeiro, E. T., Franco, E. D. S., & da Costa, A. C. M. D. S. F. (2023) · Revista Ibero-Americana de Humanidades, Ciências e Educação · doi:10.51891/rease.v9i5.9979
One Health approach to companion carnivores with special regard to raw-feeding
Mouhanna, A., & Csivincsik, Á. (2020) · Acta Agraria Kaposváriensis · doi:10.31914/aak.2433
Nutritional Approach to Chronic Enteropathies
(2019) · Blackwell's Five-Minute Veterinary Consult Clinical Companion · doi:10.1002/9781119376293.ch76
Flavour of the month: foods as diagnosis and/or treatment
Roudebush, P., & de Souza, C. P. (2017) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/9781119278368.ch7.11
Chapter 19 – Current Controversies in Feline Nutrition
Murphy, M., Bartges, J., Kirk, C., Witzel, A., Hamper, B. A., & Raditic, D. (2011) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-1-4377-0660-4.00019-3
- Authors
- Freeman, L. M., & Michel, K. E.
- Affiliations
- Tufts University (US)
- Venue
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Published
- 2001-03-01
- Volume
- 218
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 705-709
- ISSN
- 0003-1488 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2472671385
- Cited by
- 121
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 8
- FWCI
- 2.37
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Veterinary › Small Animals › Veterinary Medicine and Surgery
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Animal Science and Zoology › Animal Nutrition and Physiology
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Aquatic Science › Aquaculture Nutrition and Growth
- Keywords
- raw food diet, dogs, BARF diet, homemade dog food, canine nutrition
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Animal Feed, Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena, Avitaminosis, Cats, Dogs, Food Contamination, Food Handling, Food Microbiology, Frozen Foods, Minerals, Risk Factors
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