What types of meat can dogs eat raw, and which are forbidden? What are the advantages and disadvantages of feeding meat? Is plain meat enough as a source of nutrition? We spoke with Béla Balogh, chief veterinarian at the Vác Kedvenc Animal Health Centre.

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On dog forums and social media, there is an almost constant debate about feeding dogs raw meat and giving them bones.

What Is Your Experience: How Are Dog Owners Divided Between Raw Feeding and Commercial Food?

B.B.: There are many misconceptions and misunderstandings among dog owners regarding this topic. Feeding with commercial dog food is indeed a modern phenomenon; if we want to return to a more natural approach in daily practice, feeding raw meat could be a solution. However, the issue is far from simple: like all positive things, feeding meat also has several pitfalls. The most important thing to understand is that in natural conditions, wolves most often feed on smaller animals, weakened individuals of larger herbivores, or their offspring (for example, roe deer or red deer calves), along with some plant matter, such as the stomach contents of herbivores.

Wolves consumed the entire prey animal, not just certain parts

This is very important to know because nowadays we almost always have access to processed food in shops. For example, we cannot usually buy a whole rabbit with organs and everything included, but rather meat products or minced meat, which do not contain the completeness that a whole prey animal represents for predators. Therefore, in most cases, these lean or bony meats must be supplemented if someone wants to feed their dog this way, and this is what many people forget or are unaware of. If we cannot replicate and implement the components of a natural diet, then in some cases a well-chosen, high-quality dry food may be more appropriate than feeding meat that contains only part of the necessary nutrients.

If Someone Chooses to Feed Meat with Supplements, Which Types of Meat Are Recommended and Which Should Be Avoided?

B.B.: Not all available types of meat can be given raw to dogs (or cats). Feeding raw pork should definitely be avoided because it may contain a virus that is harmless to humans, causes short-lived neurological symptoms in pigs, but leads to an incurable, fatal disease in dogs (and cats). This is the so-called Aujeszky’s disease, caused by the Aujeszky virus.

This virus can cause severe neurological symptoms in carnivores, similar to rabies, including seizures, tremors, and paralysis, and – again, I emphasise – it is not curable. The virus is destroyed by heat treatment and becomes harmless, therefore feeding pork to dogs is only recommended after cooking.

Raw pork should be avoided due to Aujeszky’s disease

It is often argued that the domestic pig population has been free of the Aujeszky virus for decades, so their meat can be given raw to dogs. What is your experience?

B.B.: It is true that efforts have long been made to maintain virus-free livestock, but at the end of last year and this year, cases were detected among wild boars, which can sometimes spread to domestic pigs. Some large-scale farms may be completely free of the virus, but this does not mean it cannot occur on smaller farms or in backyard keeping. It is not common, but every few years we encounter Aujeszky infections in our own practice, when we must euthanise infected pets suffering terribly. Therefore, I strongly recommend: no one should take the risk – it is not worth it; even minimal risk should be avoided.

Rabbit meat can be safely given

Which types of meat can be given raw to dogs without risk?

B.B.: Poultry and small ruminants, such as goat or lamb, generally do not pose the same danger as pork. Another matter is that nowadays our pets’ immune systems are weaker, so salmonella infections found in poultry can cause bloodstream infections if the dog’s digestive system is not sufficiently robust. What we particularly recommend is that if someone has access to domestic rabbit meat, especially if it can be given whole, without removing the organs.

Beef was not mentioned above, but many people swear by it. Are there risks associated with beef?

B.B.: Overall, it can be given, but it is important to know that beef is an excellent source of protein but contains a lot of phosphorus, and the bones are too large for most dogs, which they often cannot eat or digest. Therefore, raw beef should be supplemented with some form of ground bone and not given together with large “marrow bones”.

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