The following is taken from an email from my mom...

 Quote:

I had an argument with the Vet who says dogs should not have ANY raw meat, (they get parasites, she said), or ANY bones, raw or cooked, (they've had animals come in with intestines all lacerated from bones, as if they'd eaten glass - have had them die from eating raw food and bones, she said), especially, they should have NO raw chicken, because, she said, organic or not, when they slaughter the chickens, feces gets into the meat. She also doesn't like canned foods and has never heard of Honest Kitchen. She said dogs were not like wolves or coyotes. They are domestic animals and should have their food cooked so they don't get parasites, salmonella, etc. That's why we cook OUR food, blah, blah, blah.

However, she said, Purina has been around for "200 years" and they know what they are doing. Their products, (she also mentioned IAMs, I don't know who makes that or what's in it), are good, according to her and can be trusted. I told her emphatically, that I was not feeding corn to my dog. She said there was nothing wrong with corn. I told her again, I was not going to feed corn to my dog.

It seems pretty clear to me that Vets learn all their nutrition from the salesmen of the pet food companies. Infuriates me to have them preach to me when I know they haven't done their research.

Is this the only vet in your area? Frankly her attitude and just plain ignorance (no dog food company has been around 200 years!) would have me looking for another vet if at all possible.

Are there risks to raw feeding and giving bones (raw ones)? Of course there is. But dogs have choked on kibble also. And I've never heard of a dog on an appropriate raw diet bloating although maybe some have. There is no such thing as a risk free anything and that includes feeding and eating.

It was a vet (originally from Australia) that recommended a raw diet for my friend's Pekingese. So not all vets are anti-raw diet. I can understand a vet being concerned because raw feeding is not just dumping some raw meat in a bowl and it does take some research and effort to do it correctly (at least at first). But,the close-minded ignorance shown by this vet is what really irks me.

A vet degree does not mean a person knows everything. This one is simply misinformed. I don't waste time trying to change people's minds; I have dogs to feed.

Such foolish ignorance, it is dumbfounding.

I wonder what her response to the whole melamine disaster would be?
Never mind, she would likely defend the companies etc.

Elaine is right, there are many vets now, the ones who have seen the proof, who believe in feeding raw, that if you can, I would switch as soon as I found one.
In case she can't find one, maybe just a vet who will agree to disagree or let her feed what she feels is right for her dog and let it rest.

I have a vet like that. He sells Science Diet in his lobby, but has a "Nature's Variety Raw" poster on the wall too.
He has never blinked an eye at me feeding raw, and says that my dogs look great and really healthy.
He also has not bothered to try to get me to do yearly vaccines either.

It is not surprising that your Mom's vet is like this, there are so many who choose to stay in the dark about canine nutrition.
The vet's choice, and if I were your mom, I would let it be known, it is my choice to find someone else.

 Quote: Elaine Haynes

And I've never heard of a dog on an appropriate raw diet bloating although maybe some have.

Not to get off topic, but my dog - fed a correct and balanced raw diet for 4 years - experienced pre-bloat symptoms just a week ago - he was in the hospital for 2.5 days... most likely a combination of factors, including a lot of stress. While bloat may be far less common in raw fed dogs, it does happen. Perhaps Oscar would have gone into full boat, with torsion, much faster if he were kibble fed instead... who knows. I'm looking forward to switching him back to his raw once his course of meds is through though.

 Quote: Elaine Haynes

There is no such thing as a risk free anything and that includes feeding and eating.

Ain't that the truth!

~Natalya

When I went to vet school (in dark ages of the 70s) Hills taught many of the nutrition classes-they were guest speakers. Some of their diets were based on science and they did seem genuine in their desire to help cure diseases like feline urinary tract disease, heart disease and kidney problems.

I think as with many things in our society we are quick to jump all over something without hearing the person out. If the person is a vet, a doctor, a farmer, a breeder, or a slack jawed teenager I still want to hear the explanation of why they believe the way they believe. After hearing them out you can either accept what they're telling you or not. Personally I do discuss these dietary things with my vet who is supportive of whatever works for me and mine, along with my vaccination ideas, but I never let things dissolve into a pointless argument of I'm right, you're wrong. Cooler heads have to prevail for the sake of our dogs and the dogs to come after our dogs. After all for all the stupidity concerning dietary needs in dogs at one point, someone, somewhere decided that kibble was a very good idea along with feeding misc by products to dogs as a staple of dog diet. It's only with the freedom of information available now that the ticker is swinging back the other direction.

So please I encourage you to speak to your vet and provide them feedback. Shoot, if there is an upcoming clinic about diet that is supportive of raw encourage them to go. A few years ago I paid for a spot for my vet in Colorado Springs to attend a health (cardiac, I think) discussion on toy breeds along with a gift card for his lunch (I hope he liked Olive garden). I would do the same in a heartbeat if I thought there was information to be presented that would help my vet gain understanding into better diagnosing.

The raw argument is so exhausting to explain, and explain, and explain.... So I don't even bring it up anymore. I completely avoid the topic. Even at the vet, don't ask don't tell. If I have a problem I will drive an hour and a half to the only vet that doesn't think I'm "one of those people". My local vets are farm vets that recommend "dog chows" that come in gi-normous bags that look more like horse feed.

We have a vet in this area that makes you at the worst person in the world if you don't feed Alpo or the dollar store's brand "dog chow".....of course this is the same guy who recommend you put your short haired breeds outside in the snow (no shelter) for 5 hours (one sitting) at least twice a week in the winter so they don't get soft inside....He's an older vet I'm pretty such got him license to practice out of a cereal box...

Not all old vets are crazy though. One of my professors, classicly trained in "KIBBLE ONLY" took them time to read about new diets out there and now TEACHES us animal science/pre-vet students about variation in dog diets, why he likes and dislikes each one (careful to note it's HIS opinion), and teaches the science behind each one, rest assured some of the next generation will be educated properly. My vet is pretty good about keeping up with dog diet options. While he doesn't recommend raw to the average person he includes that as an option, does NOT get paid to promote food, and does regularly attend seminars to keep learning new things.

Almost like when I took my dogs in recently for their rabies shots.... Vet tells me that dogs don't need so much protien (I had mentioned that they were eating HK's Pref. and chicken with some supplements-salmon oil is about it, only because 2 of them are 10lbs overweight right now). I didn't say a word, because I have told her I feed raw and that I've done research and she also tried to scare me by saying that my dogs could get salmonella and e.coli, I said I know that but the chances of it happening to them is less likely than it happening to me.

Other than the weight issue (which is due to lack of activity) my dogs are healthy.

And I agree, I'd advise your mom to find a different vet if the one she has has such a veiw on dog food and nutrition. THe thing is most vets don't get more than a few hours worth of time studying pet nutrition (I think around 8hrs, not for sure though so don't quote me on it). The younger vets seem to be more open about your pets diet, which is great, but there are the occasional older vets that keep up on nutrition and even feed their dogs a natural diet.

My husband was reading somthing somewhere and it said that a diabetic cat fed a raw diet (true raw diet) will be cured. No more diabetes. Go figure. Alot of the health problems that animals have nowadays, IMO, come from the kibble that's fed to them.