Cats and dogs play an increasingly important role in people's lives. In many people's minds, they are family members, life companions, and owners who need to serve them with care. Biophilia Guardian might be your best helper…

However, deciding what to feed your pet is a real headache. Many pet owners choose regular pet food and treats, and occasionally cooked meat. But some believe that raw meat is the most natural and healthiest food for cats and dogs.

However, many research institutions and veterinarians do not recommend feeding raw meat.

Organizations such as the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA), and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) all remind pet lovers not to feed cats and dogs uncooked raw meat. Raw meat not only affects the health of cats and dogs but also poses a threat to people around them.

Some veterinary associations recommend against feeding raw meat.

Only feed dogs raw meat because wolves only eat meat?

Some people who insist on feeding dogs only dog ​​meat believe that since dogs are domesticated wolves, the best food for dogs is what wolves ate in the wild. But is this really the case?

As carnivores, wolves in the wild eat a variety of animals, primarily ungulates (such as elk and bison), as well as small mammals (such as hares and voles), fish, birds, and insects. Perhaps because they referenced the diet of their wolf ancestors in the wild, many pet owners believe that dogs should also eat more meat, and it must be raw.

So, do wolves really only eat meat in the wild?

Unfortunately, this is not the case.

Wolves are also herbivores. By analyzing the feces and stomach/intestinal contents of wild wolves, many research teams have been able to determine what gray wolves eat. Studies have found that, although in small amounts, the wolf's diet also includes plants such as grass, leaves, or wild berries.

While dogs and wolves share some physical similarities, they also have many differences.

From an evolutionary perspective, dogs evolved from wolves approximately 15,000 to 33,000 years ago and were domesticated by humans. Under the dual pressures of natural and artificial selection, dogs developed many genes and physiological structures different from wolves.

First, although dogs are similar to wolves, their saliva lacks amylase, an enzyme that breaks down starch. However, dogs are more capable of digesting and absorbing starch than wolves. This is due to three specific genes in dogs: AMY2B, which synthesizes amylase in the intestines; MGAM, which increases maltase activity; and SGLT1, which increases glucose absorption. These three genes allow dogs to better adapt to human starchy diets.

Second, dogs and wolves actually prefer different foods. For example, if dogs and wolves could choose, the energy ratio of protein:fat:carbohydrate in a wolf's diet would be 54%:45%:1%, while the energy ratio of the three nutrients chosen by dogs would be 54%:45%:1% and 30%:63%:7%.

In other words, long-term evolution and domestication have endowed dogs with a stronger ability to digest and absorb starch, while also forming their own unique dietary preferences and habits.

Like humans, cats and dogs have a very low normal stomach pH, ​​around 2. This low pH is sufficient to kill Salmonella and many other pathogens. However, when we (including cats and dogs) eat (especially protein-rich foods), the stomach pH rises (becoming less acidic). If the food happens to be contaminated with Salmonella, the increased pH helps these pathogenic bacteria survive in the stomach. The pH in the intestines is even higher than in the stomach, making it more suitable for bacterial growth. Therefore, if bacteria are not killed in the stomach, they have a high chance of multiplying in the intestines.

Pathogenic bacteria remaining in the mouth can be spread everywhere when cats and dogs groom themselves or lick people. Pathogenic bacteria in the intestines can also be excreted into the environment, potentially harming pet owners, children and the elderly in the household, as well as neighbors, visitors, and other people with weakened immune systems. This is a significant potential hazard. Biophilia Guardian can test all of this for you, including your cat's and dog's physical indicators and bacterial data, ensuring the health of your pet and your family.