Comments on: The great raw diet non-debate

By: Lis

Lis — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 12:42:03 +0000

Meat intended for human consumption has, of course, never been recalled for safety reasons.

Sorry, Cindy, but you’re doing the same-old same-old.

By: Cindy

Cindy — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 05:37:31 +0000

As you point out, there is risk involved with feeding kibble. I’ve been feeding raw for about 10 years. In the “early years” I was feeding a combination diet of kibble and raw. Three times my dogs had some kind of intestinal upset. I worried that it was the meat. Three times I found out that the kibble, in fact, had been recalled for a fungus. So it’s not just melamine.

By: Joy

Joy — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:19:10 +0000

Christie, I really appreciate your balanced approach. Great post, thanks.

I’m sure you’ve read Mary Thurston’s book “The Lost History of the Canine Race”…it’s fascinating to me to read the chapter on the history of pet food.

…how in the 1960’s members of the Pet Food Institute (the members were, of course, commercial dog food makers) were responsible for putting a derogatory twist on the term “table scraps”.

Back then, many people still shared food from their table with their dogs so, to increase sales of bagged and canned food, PFI used the term “table scraps” with grim warnings of its dangers. This was played/printed over and over in a huge advertising blitz meant to discourage people from feeding anything but commercial foods.

Many of the ads were disguised as pet care articles written by “leading experts” (dog food companies) and the radio ads were disguised as new broadcasts with dramatic warnings about how your dog could suffer and die if fed anything other than the “complete and balanced, scientifically formulated” wares of the dog food company paying for the radio time.

Apparently it was a very effective tactic; using fear to increase sales. Nowadays its just par for the course. It’s weird how, in so few years, the plot of a clever advertising campaign seems to have become fact. Ya know?

By: Danielle

Danielle — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 04:21:08 +0000

I am very interested in your article and views. I worked full time for an integrative vet and still do 1x week. But now I work for a natural petfood store and will be going into veterinarians offices to discuss exactly what you wrote about. We often have people come in and say they can’t tell there vet about the diet they choose. Do you have more information like what you wrote that I could get some tips?
Thanks

By: suzanne

suzanne — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:39:45 +0000

My eyes get so sore from all the rolling they do when most people talk about this subject - too many ridiculous arguments from both sides. Closed-minded vets on the one hand, fanatical, conspiracy-theorizing raw-feeders on the other.

It’s so nice to see someone speak so reasonably about it. Thank you. Now, if you could just go on national tour…

By: Russ Mathena

Russ Mathena — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 03:36:05 +0000

We’ve been feeding our working GSDs raw and kibble for years and so far there’s not been a problem. When we had our first pet we tried feeding canned food and all we got was upset stomachs and diarrhea.

After all, dogs are carnivores and even domesticated, still rely on the nutrition of meat and bones. We feed a varied diet of beef heart and liver, chicken and kibble with an occasional can of salmon or mackerel or even raw eggs.

A varied diet is not boring and our working dogs look forward to their meals.

Russ

By: Margaret

Margaret — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 23:55:29 +0000

You wrote: Something that’s often said by anti-raw vets, and that I heard last night, is that there’s no “proven benefit” to raw diets. And that’s true, but so is the statement that there’s no proven benefit to processed foods over homemade diets, or cooked diets over raw.
I think the research could be fairly easily done, if some vet would resolve to DO IT. You wouldn’t have to compare brand or measure intake or weight change. Just look at the teeth. How many cleanings needed for the life of dogs and cats fed kibble/processed food vs. raw. dogs fed raw meat and bones will probably have more robust enzyme levels, bones grind off tooth plaque, provide calcium, etc. One could also look at the # of subjects developing diabetes and other organ failures.

By: Eucritta

Eucritta — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:40:04 +0000

Brava!

One of the things that’s bugged me about all of this is that our learned helplessness, our dependency upon the pet food industry, is a glaring weakness our ability to care for our pets. Not just because of situations like that which triggered the rolling recalls last year, but whenever dietary issues come up.

Think how much greater flexibility we’d have, how much easier it would be to cope with emergencies like the recalls, if the basics of pet nutrition were common knowledge. Imagine how much faster it would be to bring a client up to speed on, say, food trials for intolerances, if there were a library of good pet cookery books to draw upon and pet supply shops carried ingredients and tools.

By: Lori

Lori — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 13:26:53 +0000

Good for you for not being intimidated in what could have easily been an intimidating situation.

I don’t feed raw at the moment, but I applaude people who will take that time and effort. My vet has been very careful (almost to the point of being evasive) not to recommend any sort of diet plan or especially kibble brand. My gut feeling is that she’s been burned by that in the past.

By: Marie

Marie — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 10:06:31 +0000

(((Applause!!!!))) Beautifuly said. Thank you.