Animal BITES

As many of us revert to more traditional ways of eating, it’s only natural we should consider what we feed our fur babies. The growing popularity of raw pet food has sent some pet owners back to basics. But there’s disagreement in the industry about exactly how far back we should go. Is a raw-food diet what nature intended, or is it a step too far?

Because of some risks around raw feeding, the veterinary industry has traditionally advised against it, but more holistic vets view it as a solution for many health issues. We asked four professionals from different sides of the debate to weigh in.

Raw Essentials vet Dr Rebecca Brown spends her days consulting with clients about their pets’ health issues and figuring out how she can help them via a species-appropriate raw diet. She’s long had an interest in wholefoods and lives by the quote, often credited to Hippocrates: “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”

Rebecca says the company supports those who choose to give their pets raw food to make sure they do it well. “We frequently observe positive, sometimes phenomenal, health benefits and feel happy to extend