Some dogs are gaining attention on TikTok thanks to their owners feeding them a raw-style diet.
Kayla Kowalski, a Certified Dog Nutritionist (CertCN) from Phoenix, Arizona, has made it big on social media with her unusual style of dog diets that consist of raw meat and other food additives.
Kowalski’s interest in pet health began after she and her boyfriend rescued their dog Rudy, who was struggling with several health and mental issues when he joined the family, she told Fox News Digital.
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“I didn’t know much about dog food, [but] kibble just wasn’t doing it for him,” she said. It made many of his problems worse.
“And then we came across the raw diet and that really transformed him.”
Kayla Kowalski became a certified dog nutritionist after rescuing her dog Rudy, the German Shepherd (left), and continued to use the raw dog food for all her pets, including Rylie, the husky mix pictured at right. (Kayla Kowalski nutrition)
After sharing her journey on social media, she received a lot of interest from other pet parents who also wanted to try the raw dog food diet with their pets.
It was then that Kowalski decided to become a CertCN and start her own company.
Today, she creates personalized diets for clients and shares exclusive recipes in her ebooks.
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What started with implementing both raw and cooked meat as a topper in her pets’ meals turned into something else. She slowly eliminated the use of a popular consumer brand and began adding more raw appetizers, including turkey and chicken necks, duck feet, goose heads, beef kidneys, livers and more.
All three of Kowalski’s dogs, Rudy, Buddy and Rylie, are on a complete raw food diet.
“Just like people, [dogs] need certain vitamins and minerals to be as healthy as possible,” says Kowalski.
“If you look back at how dogs ate hundreds of years ago, how wolves ate, that’s really how they are biologically meant to eat.”
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Kowalski views pet store food as something created out of “human convenience.”
But she said if that is the preferred food for other pets, based on vet advice, she, along with her brother Nick Kowalski, recommend hydrating the food with water or bone broth for better digestion.
Kowalski incorporates a major source of raw protein into her pets’ meals, adding additives such as livers or kidneys, chicken feet and even the occasional goose head. (Kayla Kowalski nutrition)
Additives don’t have to be complicated, she indicated. Steamed Brussels sprouts and most vegetables, a raw egg plus the membrane, ripe bananas or other fruits besides grapes can also be added to a dog’s food bowl, she said.
Now that the raw diet has more than 441.3 million hashtags on TikTok — and Kowalski has millions of views on her own videos — vets are chiming in.
“Feeding raw meat to dogs with so many different ingredients shown in these videos can be hard on their stomachs, causing severe diarrhea and pancreatitis and making dogs sick,” Lindsay Butzer, a veterinarian from Boca Raton, Florida, tells IPS. to Fox News Digital.
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Butzer said she has seen how some of these additives can cause more harm than good for a particular dog family.
“As appealing as it is to watch these videos of makers building bowls and explaining why each ingredient is healthy, with all these unique meats and ingredients to feed a dog, as a veterinarian I don’t recommend putting your dog on this way,” Butzer added. .
It’s not about following a trend; it’s about making an informed choice for the health and longevity of our pets.
She understands that adding one raw protein source or vegetable and grain may be better for a pet’s digestive system than a variety of “exotic ingredients” at once, she said.
“As a veterinarian, I am an advocate of kibble and freeze-dried raw pet food brands that have been studied, labeled and approved as a complete and balanced diet for our pets,” Butzer noted.
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However, Kowalski prefers the holistic approach when it comes to pet health and has spoken with several veterinarians who found her methods to be beneficial for dogs.
“As a holistic veterinarian, I would like to address the growing interest in raw food diets for pets, which, contrary to popular belief, is not just a trend, but a health-conscious choice for pet owners,” Dr. Katie Woodley, a holistic veterinarian and founder of The Natural Pet Doctor in Colorado, said in a statement with Fox News Digital.
“Recent studies, including those found on PubMed, have provided compelling evidence supporting the numerous health benefits of raw food diets compared to traditional kibble and processed foods.”
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Dr. Woodley looked at several recent studies to support this diet and her research has shown that the raw dog food lifestyle can positively change the overall health and well-being of pets, she said.
Kowalski adds a variety of foods to her dog meals, including fruits, pumpkin puree, vegetables and animal liver or kidneys. (Kayla Kowalski nutrition)
She is an advocate of raw dog food diets for their nutritional benefits; but this must be carefully thought through and well managed.
“When formulated and managed properly, raw diets provide a natural, nutritious, species-appropriate option that meets the nutritional needs of carnivorous pets,” she said.
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“It’s not about following a trend; it’s about making an informed choice for the health and longevity of our pets.”
The raw dog food diet has gone viral on TikTok, but it appears to have sparked debate among nutritionists and veterinarians. (Kayla Kowalski nutrition)
She encourages her clients to note that the raw dog food diet is just as balanced and full of vitamins and nutrients as the dried kibble.
Most importantly, Kowalski recommends that pet parents be educated when it comes to learning more about their pet’s health and raw diet.
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