Is raw dog food safe for my German Shepherd puppy, or wet food?

No, I strongly urge you not to do it and you'd be hard pressed to find any vet who would recommend it. It's a fad and it's dangerous for both Kingston and you. Raw food diets contain bacteria like E coli and Salmonella, which poses a risk of poisoning him and you. You can get sick from handling it, and even sick from him licking you because the bacteria lives on his tongue for hours afterwards. In addition, these diets are often imbalanced nutritionally, and it's so vital to have a balanced diet for a growing puppy. I have a vet colleague that just saw an 8 month old puppy who was fed a rad diet and due to the nutritional deficiencies had broken his hip and had severe bone deformities. There is no scientific evidence it's beneficial at all, and all there are is bad things with it. You should feed him a dry puppy food such as Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina Pro Plan, and Iams. I hope this helps.

While a raw diet does have increased risk of exposure to bacteria and parasites, if you prepare it properly (or purchase from reputable sources) and practice basic hygiene then you and your pup should be fine. If Blue is doing well on it (eating well, gaining weight, no GI issues, etc), then there is no reason to transition him to a more traditional diet. Discuss any additional concerns with your veterinarian at Blue's next vaccine appointment.

I actually prefer commercial dog food as it includes the proper balance of nutrition that they need. A lot of raw food diets don’t have the proper studies to back it up and they don’t have the proper nutrients in them. Also, dogs who eat raw food diet are st higher risk for bacterial infections like salmonella. I think as long a syou are giving a high quality large breed or giant breed puppy food like science diet, Iams, or royal canin then he should grown normally. I hope this helps!

Unfortunately there are no proven, scientific benefits to feed a raw diet to dogs. Many times they are unbalanced nutritionally, and they pose quite a risk to getting both the dog and owner sick. They can cause E coli and salmonella poisoning in the dog, and the owner can get that from handling the food or even being licked by the dog. This bacteria can be on the tongue and in the mouth for a while after eating. There have been many cases of severe GI illness in dogs who have been fed raw diets. I never recommend it. Dog kibble is balanced nutritionally, and there is no risk of you or Charlie getting things like E coli and Salmonella from it. I'd feed him a kibble diet. Best of luck.

Hello, Veterinarians generally do not recommend feeding raw diets. Raw diets are associated with serious food borne illness (food poisoning) and the nutritional imbalances are associated with heart and bone disease. I would not recommend feeding any raw meat or bones to any pet, at any time, due to risk of illness. If you would like to feed a home cooked diet, I would recommend using the website balance.it which is formulated by veterinary nutritionists at the University of California-Davis. This website can direct you on making a homemade diet that is safe and nutritionally complete for Molly. If you're looking to purchase any complete diet, I recommend feeding one that is formulated to AAFCO requirements for canine nutrition. These requirements are based off of evidence based canine nutritional studies and the diets are regularly tested to ensure they are meeting every essential dietary need. Most popular brands are formulated like this- Purina, Iams, Royal Canin, Hill's, for example. I hope this is helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Raw diets are really not recommended. There is an extremely high chance he could get salmonella or E. coli poisoning just like if we ate raw meat. Despite what TV commercials would lead you to believe, your dog is not a wolf. Dogs have been domesticated a very long time now and their GI tracts have evolved to reflect that. If you want to feed a homemade diet you can do that but the food must be cooked an you need to have a veterinary nutritionist formulate the diet so that is properly balanced with all the vitamins and minerals a dog needs - especially a large breed puppy. I just recommend you feed him a large breed puppy food that is already formulated with everything he needs. A premium brand (not boutique) that is within your budget. Stay away from grain free diets unless he has a DOCUMENTED grain allergy that is proven with testing later on down the line. https://www.chewy.com/royal-canin-large-puppy-dry-dog-food/dp/115775

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Raw food has a huge number of risks associated with it, including auto-immune induced paralysis, severe gut infections, increased vomiting and therefore increased chances of pneumonia, etc. Also, if you feed your animal BARF, then there will be E.Coli and Salmonella all over your house. I never recommend a BARF diet, as there are no benefits and lots of side effects, for both your pet as well as the people living in your house. It especially should be avoided if any immuno-compromised people (old, young, pregnant, cancer patients, people on certain drugs, etc.) are present in the house or around your animal. Bones should also be avoided as they have no benefit (they often cause more damage then good to teeth), and cause many problems as well. Unfortuantely, working in emergency, I see dogs die daily as a direct side-effect of being fed raw food and bones. Many animals have it and do OK, but these are ticking time-bombs waiting to go off and cause severe issues that sometimes, despite all medical care, cannot be saved. Human grade meat can be fed if desired, and if you wish to home cook that is great, I would just cook all meat the way you would for yourself (you wouldn't eat raw food or bones, don't feed it to your pet.). Best of luck with Ralphie!