Before I begin lets think about commercial pet food. How long has it been around? 60 years or so? How long have dogs lived with us? 15,000 or more years. What did they eat up until 60 years ago?
Dogs are classified as carnivores and in the last few years have been moved to the same classification as wolves. Dogs and wolves only differ in .2% of their DNA and they have the exact same digestive tract. So, to see what's the "Natural" diet for our dogs all we have to do is look at what wolves eat.
From birth dogs and wolves eat raw. Mothers milk is not pasteurized. It's raw. As they grow they eat meat, bones, organs, fallen fruit, berries, nuts, & some grasses.
RAW bones are generally safe to feed. Cooked bone on the other hand is a killer. Raw bone is fully digestible whereas cooked bone is brittle and splinters without breaking down.
In a healthy dog raw food in any form is the healthiest thing to feed. Pork itself does not cause pancreatitis. Fat causes it. Years ago pork was much fattier than it is today. I feed raw pork several times a month without problems. Dogs have a very short, straight, highly acidic digestive tract. The ph of a healthy dog's stomach is typically 1. As the tract is short and straight food is in and out of the system pretty quickly. Dogs are rarely prone to food borne illness. However, in dogs with low gastric motility or other heath issues, raw is not best.
That said, any form of feeding can have it's pitfalls and yes they can choke on bones just as they can choke on dry dog food or tennis balls. There is no absolute safe method of feeding.
If you are going to give your dog a raw diet always start with chicken for the first two weeks to give their system time to develop the enzymes to digest meat. Then gradually move into red meats.
As for that balanced diet thing. It's a myth.
Here's what Randy Wysong, DVM has to say about a "complete and balanced diet":
"A 100% complete processed diet requires:
1. 100% complete knowledge of food.
2. 100% complete knowledge of nutrition.
3. 100% complete knowledge of #1 & #2 requires 100% complete knowledge of every science.
4. Since #1,2 & 3 are not possible, the 100% complete processed diet is a myth." (7)
Balance in our pets diet is achieved the same as in ours. By feeding a variety of many foods over time. Not with each meal. Relax. It's just the pet food companies that want you to think you are not smart enough to feed your dog without them.
