I hear some raw feeders say dogs only need meat protein, organ and bone and no veggie or fruit in their diets. I used to be one of those thinkers….now after taking the course in raw nutrition I understand it further. Dogs DO need the fruits and vegetables. They use them not as a ‘food’ per se but think of it like this – the fruits aren’t in the diet to feed your dog. They’re there to feed his commensal bacteria. Those commensal bacteria eat the polyphenols in the berries then poop out short chain fatty acids that talk to your dog’s brain which will control a large part of his immune system, fight free radicals and cancer and strengthen his intestinal lining. So – when the dogs are free feeding on our blueberry bushes each August I let them.
Thank you to Dana Scott for this information.