Raw Feeding: What the Evidence Actually Says About Canine Health -Part 2 with Dr Anna Hielm-Björkman

About this episode

The episode discusses the evidence surrounding raw feeding in dogs, focusing on health outcomes and food safety.

When people talk about raw feeding, the conversation often begins - and ends - with pathogens. But what if that's causing us to overlook much bigger questions? In Part 2 of my conversation with veterinarian and canine nutrition researcher Dr. Anna Hielm-Björkman of the University of Helsinki's independent research group, DogRisk, we explore what researchers are beginning to discover now that raw-fed dogs are finally being studied more closely. We dive into one of the most controversial topics in canine nutrition: food safety and pathogen risk. But we also look beyond the headlines to examine how risk is assessed, what the evidence actually shows, and whether our focus on acute hazards sometimes prevents us from investigating potential long-term health outcomes. From there, we explore some of the most fascinating questions emerging from fresh feeding research: • What benefits are researchers seeing repeatedly in fresh-fed dogs? • Are the advantages of fresh feeding linked to rawness itself, or simply reduced processing? • How should we think about the relationship between dogs, wolves, and diet? • Do dogs actually need plants? • Why does nutrient form matter as much as nutrient…

People in this episode

Host: Dr Alexia Mellor

Guest: Dr Anna Hielm-Björkman

Topics covered

• raw feeding
• canine health
• food safety
• pathogen risk
• fresh feeding research
• nutrition

Keywords

• raw feeding
• canine nutrition
• pathogens
• fresh foods
• health outcomes
• diet
• bloodwork values

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Helsinki, DogRisk

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