A clear, modern look at what you’re really feeding your dog or cat
Choosing what to feed your pet can feel overwhelming. Bags, cans, marketing claims, prescription diets, boutique brands—it’s hard to know what actually matters.
This article isn’t here to scare you or tell you there’s only one right answer.
It’s here to explain the real difference between fresh food and processed pet food, so you can decide from a place of understanding—not confusion.
Let’s Start With the Right Question
The most important comparison today isn’t:
Raw vs cooked
It’s:
Fresh vs ultra-processed
Once you understand that distinction, the rest of the conversation becomes much clearer.
What Do We Mean by “Fresh Food”?
A fresh food diet—whether raw or lightly cooked—is built around minimally processed, identifiable ingredients.
Typically, that means:
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Muscle meat
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Organs (like liver and kidney)
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Edible bone or a properly balanced calcium source
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Optional whole-food additions depending on the animal
Fresh food can be:
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Fully raw
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Lightly cooked (rare to medium)
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A combination of both
The goal isn’t perfection. It’s minimal processing and biological appropriateness.
Why Many Pet Owners Choose Fresh Food
One of the best parts of our work is watching dogs and cats who love their food—and visibly benefit from it over time.
Common improvements pet owners report include:
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Healthier skin and shinier coats
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Reduced “doggy” odour
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Better digestion and firmer stools
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Smaller, less smelly bowel movements
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Improved energy and vitality
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Reduced itching or irritation
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Better enthusiasm at mealtime
These changes don’t happen overnight—but they’re often consistent when digestion becomes easier and nutrition more bioavailable.
What Is Processed Pet Food?
Processed pet food includes kibble and many canned diets made using high heat, pressure, or rendering.
These foods are:
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Shelf-stable
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Convenient
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Consistent in appearance
They also rely on:
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Heavy processing
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Added synthetic vitamins and minerals
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Starches to bind and shape the food
Processing isn’t automatically evil—but the more a food is altered, the further it moves from its original nutritional state.
A Brief History (With Context)
Commercial pet food became widespread in the mid-20th century, largely for convenience and cost efficiency.
Since then, formulations and quality controls have improved—but the core manufacturing model remains the same: high-heat processing, long ingredient lists, and nutrients added back after cooking.
Marketing has become more sophisticated. Ingredient sourcing is often harder to interpret.
That’s why transparency matters.
Grains, Starches, and “Grain-Free” Confusion
Dogs and cats do not require carbohydrates to survive.
Dogs can digest some starch.
Cats are obligate carnivores and require animal-based nutrition.
Many processed foods—grain-free or not—still rely heavily on:
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Potatoes
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Peas
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Lentils
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Tapioca
These ingredients are often used because they’re economical and functional, not because they’re biologically ideal.
Fresh diets naturally reduce unnecessary starch without needing to demonize any single ingredient.
Fresh Food, Raw Food, and Lightly Cooked Food
Fresh feeding exists on a spectrum, not in rigid camps.
Raw Fresh Food
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Closely mirrors natural prey
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Highly digestible
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Works well for many healthy pets
Lightly Cooked Fresh Food
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Gently heated (rare to medium)
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Often easier for sensitive or transitioning pets
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Retains most nutritional value
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A practical and appropriate choice for many households
What matters most is how much processing the food undergoes, not whether it ever touched heat.
Bones: Raw, Cooked, and Ground (Important Distinctions)
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Whole cooked bones: unsafe. Never feed.
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Raw bones: safe when size-appropriate.
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Finely ground bone in fresh meals: appropriate when properly prepared and matched to the pet.
Bone safety isn’t about ideology—it’s about form, preparation, and the individual animal.
What About Enzymes and Nutrients?
Fresh foods—raw or lightly cooked—retain more naturally occurring nutrients than ultra-processed foods.
High-heat processing:
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Denatures proteins
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Oxidizes fats
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Requires synthetic nutrient replacement
Light cooking may reduce some heat-sensitive compounds, but it does not eliminate the value of fresh food.
Ultra-processing is where the most significant nutritional losses occur.
Canine and Feline Physiology (Why Species Matters)
Dogs:
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Facultative carnivores
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Strong stomach acid
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Teeth designed for tearing, not grinding
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Short digestive tracts
Cats:
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Obligate carnivores
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Require animal-based nutrients
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Poor tolerance for carbohydrates
Fresh feeding aligns more closely with this physiology than heavily processed diets.
What Veterinarians Are Saying Today
Veterinary perspectives on fresh feeding are evolving.
Some vets fully support it.
Others are cautious due to:
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Limited standardized studies
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Owner error concerns
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Traditional nutrition training models
The most productive approach is collaboration—monitoring the animal, adjusting as needed, and focusing on outcomes rather than ideology.
Control, Transparency, and Variety
When you feed fresh:
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You see the ingredients
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You control sourcing and quality
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You can rotate proteins naturally
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Variety becomes intentional, not accidental
Variety supports:
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Broader micronutrient intake
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Reduced allergy risk
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Long-term dietary resilience
Processed diets, by design, rarely offer true variety.
Additives and Preservatives: Less Is More
Fresh diets don’t require:
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Artificial preservatives
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Palatants
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“Flavour enhancers”
Processed foods often do—because processing removes natural taste and stability.
Less manipulation generally means less correction later.
The Bottom Line: You Decide—But Decide Informed
Processed pet food can keep pets alive.
Fresh food—raw or lightly cooked—aims to help them thrive.
You don’t need to be perfect.
You don’t need to be extreme.
You just need to move closer to food your pet’s body recognizes.
Fresh feeding isn’t about rules—it’s about respecting biology and choosing better when you can.
Want Help Choosing the Right Starting Point?
Every pet is different. Every household is different.
If you have questions about raw, lightly cooked, or transitioning from processed food, guidance makes all the difference.
