Raw is what dogs and cats evolved on! However, pet owners must be very careful to avoid the pitfalls of parasites and bad bacteria in raw meat.  The Paleopet guide describes how exactly to purchase and prepare meat for raw feeding.

Please do not cook meat while feeding Paleopet.  Dogs and cats are evolved to eat raw, not cooked.  Though some may be able to digest cooked, the vast majority can not and it will result in digestive problems.

Likewise, cooked meat is devoid of the very important vitamins present in raw fats and oils.  I often ask clients how it was that the Inuit (Eskimo) natives were never effected by vitamin deficiencies while never consuming fruits nor vegetables.  How is it that an Eskimo living on ice and consuming solely a raw 80% fat, 20% protein diet never gets scurvy or pellagra vitamin deficiencies?  Raw fat is where precious vitamins and essential fatty acids are stored in all animals.  If it is cooked, it is destroyed.

The Harvard anthropologist and Arctic explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson discovered this fact very early on.  I encourage all interested to read his published articles here http://www.biblelife.org/stefansson1.htm

However – one must be aware how to feed raw safely to a dog or a cat!  Paleopet is all about how to do it right and do it safely!