Are dog’s omnivores or carnivores? What is the difference? Why can my dog and cat eat a raw diet without getting sick?

Dog's and cats are carnivores meaning "Flesh eater's" and I will be explaining why that is!

Let's take a look at the anatomy of our dog's and cats to have a better understanding of what makes them a true carnivore.

Teeth

The teeth are a good indicator as to what our carnivore pets are designed to eat.

They possess sharp pointy teeth, with a jaw that moves in a scissor like action (up and down).

These sharp pointy teeth are designed to catch, tear, rip, crush prey bones and meat flesh. Carnivores do not possess flat molars like herbivores or omnivores do to grind up food.

Their teeth are designed to do the following tasks:

1.Using the incisors and canine teeth to catch prey animals and tear off chunks of meat from bones,

2.Using premolars and molar teeth to crush bones and shear small enough chunks of meat to be able to swallow

3.And using carnassial teeth to tear and shear meat in a scissor like action.

I will hear every so often the panic in my client’s voice of how their dog ate their chicken necks in two bites and swallow whole! Of course, I tell them, this is how nature designed for them to eat. They can’t move their jaws side to side to grind up their food and they don't have flat molars. It is completely normal.

Saliva

Our carnivores have twice the amount of saliva then we do as for it permits the chunks of food to go down the throat smoothly. This also allows the pieces that were to big to swallow to be easily hacked up to chew again and swallow whole once more.

Dogs and cats have an enzyme in their mouth call "Lysozyme", which kills most to all harmful bacteria from the entrance of their mouth. Its no wonder they can dig up and eat foul things they find in the dirt without getting sick. That's just one reason why, anyways.

This is something that once again separates them from a herbivore or an omnivore because herbivores and omnivores have the enzyme amylase in their saliva that allows them to start digestion at the mouth. Amylase is the enzyme that helps break down carbohydrates from the entrance of the mouth.

Digestion

Digestion is a large indicator that our carnivore pets are designed to eat raw meat and raw bones, not a plant based diet or processed diet.

Dogs and cats begin digestion in their stomach. Wolves and dogs have an elastic like stomach so that they can consume up to twenty percent of their body weight so the nutrient dense food could suffice them for days if it had to.

Dogs digestive system is five to six times the length of their body, whereas cats have a digestive system only four times the length of their body. This is designed for quick entry and quick exit so bacteria doesn’t culminate with a raw diet.

Their digestive system is short compared to a goat or a sheep who has a digestive system twenty five times the length of their body, and humans being ten to twelve times the length of their body. The significant difference in the length of the digestive systems makes it appropriate for omnivores and herbivores to consume plant based food. It goes through the fermentation process in the gut wall which is one of the ways the body assimilates nutrients. Dogs and cats, however, simply do not possess a long enough digestive system for a plant based diet to go through this same process. Instead, it goes right through hence when they eat grass or carrots, you see it come out almost the same way it came in.

The only place our carnivore pets possess the enzyme Amylase known to break down carbohydrates is in the pancreas. That means when we give them non-species appropriate diet we are actually taxing their pancreas since it has to secrete extra amounts of enzymes to break down processed foods or hearty veggies/carbohydrates they aren't designed to eat.

Dogs and cats possess ten times more the amount of hydrochloric acid in their stomach then we

do which is why they can eat raw meat and bones with no issues.

As you can see our carnivore pets are not designed the same way we are to accommodate a diet other then raw meat diet. A raw diet offers them live vitamins, minerals and enzymes for them to thrive.

What Should I Feed My Carnivore Pet?

Raw meat, bones, and organs. If you really want to feed fruits and veggies to your dogs please make sure you know what veggies are ok to give and when you do offer it you lightly steam the veggies and pulse it in your mixer. If you feed fruits, feel free to offer them whole when it is in season. Instead of veggies I personally will give nutritive herbs to my dogs in moderation.

If your pets suffer from yeast, allergies, sticking to a simple raw meat, bone and organ diet is the best thing you can do with the exception of recommended herbs and supplements. I strongly encourage you to speak with a health care professional on the subject.

Cats however are obligate carnivores therefore feeding anything but raw meat really isn’t optional.

If you wish to obtain a meal plan for your dogs and cats, whether your already on raw or looking to make the switch feel free to contact me on my page so we can get you started !

In Conclusion

Dog's and cats are classified as carnivores meaning "Flesh eaters".

When you look up the dog under Canis lupus familiaris it is similar to the classification of wolves and will show you that they are labeled as carnivores/carnivora. Yes, dogs are not wolves however they share 98.8% mitochondrial D.N.A as wolves. This is the same D.N.A passed down from their ancestors. Just because dog’s and cats are domesticated it does not mean their nutrient requirements has changed.