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In 2022, Rodrigo turned 12 years old, and his tastes changed along with his diet. Suddenly, my dog went from being food motivated to being a picky eater. Because I believe being “picky” is my dog's way of trying to tell me something, I began paying attention and seeking guidance. Dr. Judy Morgan recommended warming up his food, so I did, and now I warm up all my dogs' meals. Once I stopped feeding cold food, suddenly, my picky dog became food motivated again.
3 Reasons I Don't Feed Cold Raw Dog Food
Feeding food straight from the fridge is convenient. I've been told that feeding frozen food is great for gulpers because it slows them down, preventing them from swallowing large chunks of meat and bone. But neither of these reasons works for me because I believe feeding dogs cold or frozen food harms their system.
1 – A Fresh Kill Would Be Hot
I know my dogs aren't wild animals roaming the forest; they're domesticated pets that sleep on the sofa. When formulating their diet, I like to consider what and how they would eat were they wild. I can't possibly recreate that life, nor do I want to, but it gives me a few things to think about: wild dogs and wolves don't eat a steady diet of cold or frozen food.
2 – Warm Food is Easier to Digest
The digestive system works better with foods and liquids fed at warmer temperatures, allowing easier absorption of nutrients. The system doesn't have to work double time warming the food and breaking down nutrients. The digestive system requires heat to do its job properly.
Traditional Chinese Medicine goes one step further, explaining that cold foods cause stagnation in the system and slow down digestion, leading to several health issues, including bloating, constipation, diarrhea, weight gain, and poor absorption of nutrients.
3 – Warm Foods Smell Tastier
Warm foods appeal more to my dogs because of the yummy scents from their dishes. A dog's sense of smell is 10,000 to 100,000 times more acute than a human's. This is important since dogs have fewer taste buds than humans and count on their sense of smell when eating. Feeding room-temperature raw food on a plate or pasta bowl allows dogs to smell everything they're eating without being overwhelmed and choose what they'll eat first.
Myths About Warming Raw Dog Food
I used to think that if we warmed raw dog food, we should cook the food. I was wrong. I thought I would kill all the nutrients, make the ground bones a hazard, and waste money by warming their food. I was wrong.
First, I'm only warming their food – not roasting, baking, or boiling it. My goal is to take the chill off the food. The same goes for the bones. Whether whole or ground, I'm not heating/cooking the bones.
Warming raw dog food isn't dangerous or wrong, in my opinion. Heating to high temps will alter the food and may decrease some nutrients, which is why I don't cook my dogs' raw meals. And, when I feed cooked meals, I alternate primarily between a couple of brands that Rodrigo enjoys.
How I Warm Raw Dog Food Safely
There are many ways to warm raw dog food, and I alternate between a few methods because they work best for my dogs.
1 – I set an alarm for a few hours before I plan to rise and take their food out of the fridge to warm up on the kitchen counter slowly. I'm not concerned about bacteria growth because I'm raising healthy dogs, and the bacteria isn't an issue for them. Raw fed dogs have an acidic gut, making it difficult for bacteria to survive.
I'm not leaving the food in the baking sun for 10 hours.
2 – I pour warmed bone broth over my dogs' meals to take the chill off their food while adding a delicious treat to the dish that supports joint health, gut health, and more. Bone broth is easy to make, and I keep several jars in our freezer. I like to leave the meat in my bone broth (tossing only the bones) to create a heartier meal with less waste.
3 – When bone broth isn't available, I pour hot water over the meals to bring them to room temperature. I slowly raise the temperature of my tea kettle and pour less than 1/4 cup over each dog's meal. I sometimes hydrate Real Dog Box meatballs (purchased in the Secret Shop) in boiling water and let them sit for 20 minutes. Afterward, I pour the flavored water over the meals, providing a scent bonanza. The dogs love it!
Can You Microwave Raw Dog Food?
Microwaving raw dog food isn't recommended because the process can compromise the food. The point of the microwave is to heat food quickly. This harms the fat and bones in raw dog food, and I've been warned that microwaving dog food can lead to health issues.
I will admit that I have nuked my dogs' food for 40 seconds or less, but that's only when I'm in a pinch. Pouring warmed bone broth over their meals is much easier and healthier.
