The Raw Truth About Dogs and Wolves

 If I ever saw Daisy carrying a rabbit in her mouth I would be completely horrified but I would have to remind myself that Daisy is a natural-born carnivore, after all. She needs meat and raw meaty bones just like her cousin's (the wolves) do. She needs to gain energy from fat rather than from carbohydrates like her humans do.

When I came to the startling realization that a dog’s digestive system is the same as a wolf’s I felt better about Daisy's affinity for raw meaty bones and raw food. 

Even though Daisy has been bred to look and behave differently from wolves, they still digest food the same way as their cousins. Wolves and dogs are natural hunters and they will not stop to boil or bake their prey; instead they rip and tear meat from fresh kill -- their teeth were created to work that way. Heart, lung, liver, and other internal organs are eaten. Bones are crushed to get at the marrow, and bone fragments are eaten as well. 

They use their neck and shoulder muscles as well as their teeth and jaws when they eat raw meaty bones. It’s a great workout, keeps them strong, and adds to their overall health.

Many dog owners fail to give their dog a raw bone because they fear their dog could choke on them and there certainly is a possibility if we fail to monitor them. However, it is next to impossible for a dog to choke on a bone because dog's have strong digestive enzymes made for the purpose of chewing on raw bones. Canines have teeth made for ripping raw meat and jaws made for crunching raw bones -- it’s natural for them.

One very important thing to note about raw bones is that they must be raw and definitely not cooked because a cooked bone will get soft and splintery and will be dangerous if swallowed. Remember, the dogs digestive system is the same as the wolves and they are made to eat in the raw!