The growing popularity of raw and minimally processed dog diets has raised questions about their nutritional and health impacts compared with traditional extruded kibble. In this controlled trial, Algya and colleagues studied eight healthy adult dogs in a replicated Latin square design, exposing them to four diet types: extruded dry kibble (EXT), high-moisture roasted refrigerated (RR), grain-free roasted refrigerated (GFRR), and raw (RAW).
The findings showed that protein and fat digestibility were significantly higher in dogs fed RR and GFRR compared with those on extruded kibble. Dogs on the raw diet produced feces with lower pH and higher ammonia, alongside distinct microbiota changes such as reduced species richness, increased Bacteroidetes, and decreased Firmicutes compared to kibble-fed dogs.
Microbial shifts were also evident in cooked diets: RR-fed dogs had higher fecal indole and phenol concentrations, while both raw and grain-free roasted diets increased Proteobacteria. All alternative diets decreased Actinobacteria and increased Fusobacteria relative to kibble. Importantly, serum triglyceride levels were lower in dogs fed raw and GFRR diets, though all values remained within healthy ranges.
Overall, the study concluded that raw and lightly cooked diets are highly digestible, maintain fecal quality, and lead to measurable shifts in gut microbial communities. These findings highlight how diet processing methods can meaningfully influence canine metabolism, gut health, and blood chemistry.
Source: Algya, K. M., Cross, T.-W. L., Leuck, K. N., Kastner, M. E., Baba, T., Lye, L., Godoy, M. D., & Swanson, K. (2018). Apparent Total Tract Macronutrient Digestibility, Serum Chemistry, Urinalysis, and Fecal Characteristics, Metabolites and Microbiota of Adult Dogs Fed Extruded, Mildly Cooked, and Raw Diets. Journal of Animal Science. Publication Date: June 8, 2018. References: 46. Citations: 47.
