Breakfast for Maggie Lukiewicz's two Golden Retrievers is made up of raw chicken, cartilage and all. And for dinner, they will eat raw meat, ground beef, beef heart with vegetables mixed in.

Add a nutritional supplement, and the dogs love it, she said. Maggie has been feeding her dogs a raw diet for over five years. She swears by it and said it gives them more energy, a shinier coat and even better health.

"The skin issues went away, the itchiness went away, the smell of the dog went away. That's a big thing," she said.

Maggie's not alone. More and more people are feeding their pets a raw diet.

Meat processor David Bogner has seen the popularity of raw meat for pets grow. His meat company started producing a raw diet for animals about a year ago.

"A year and a one month later, we're up to 100,000 pounds a month," Bonger said. "Lamb breast, meat and bone. Bone is a very important part of it. We mix it with 10 percent organ meat and vegetables, fresh vegetables, pre-washed," said Bogner.

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All of the food is ground up together and packaged. Bogner's product is based on a diet called BARF -- Bones and Raw Food introduced by Australian veterinarian Dr. Ian Billinghurst.

The idea is that dogs and cats are by nature carnivores and it's healthier to feed them what their ancestors ate.

"No arthritis, no diabetes, no cancer, young dogs grew up beautifully without orthopedic damage, no hip dysplasia," said Billinghurst, author of the "BARF Diet," and "Give Your Dog A Bone."

If the thought of feeding your pet raw food is raising your eyebrows, you're not alone. Some vets say not only do they not recommend it, but it can be dangerous for your pet and you.

"There are concerns about infectious organisms, bacteria, parasites that can be present in these diets," said Dr. Gary Block of the Rhode Island Veterinary Medical Association.

And just as Billinghurst said he's seen ailments cured by the raw food diet, Block said he's seen illnesses that he thinks are caused by the raw diet.

"Broken teeth, gastrointestinal upsets and even something called small intestinal obstructions," he said.

Block says there are conventional foods that are nutritious if you check ingredients and talk to your veterinarian.

The American Veterinary Medical Association has done some studies and said there are both nutritional, but there are health risks associated with a raw diet.

Additional Resources:

• Give Your Dog A Bone, by Dr. Ian Billinghurst
• Paws 4 Bones -- Bravo Raw Meat Diet
• Switching to Raw, by Susan K. Johnson
• Raw Meaty Bones Promote Health by Tom Lonsdale