So I take my German Shepherd puppy into the vet because he isnt feeling well. After a gamit of test I am talking to my vet and the topic of a raw diet comes up. My vet says to me "You couldnt pay me enough money to feed my dog a raw diet but I am not going to tell you not to" So I ask him to explain to me why he wouldnt do it. He tells me that they can get salmonella and it will make them sick. So I say, "what about all the wild dogs and cats and such that thrive on it? Isnt the digestive track the same and unchanged?" He tells me that they look the same but because our pets are domesticated that they can not handle a Raw Diet.

I was kinda shocked that he told me he wouldnt do it but wasnt going to tell me not to. I over heard him telling another client about some foods he suggested and the ones he didnt like. He named the big pet food brands and said they were trash and bad for our pets.

I found a place near me that sells, among other brands, "Primal Wholesome Raw Food for Dogs and Cats". My Shepherd loves it but my Pom looks at me like im crazy. We also feed "Fresh Pet Select"
What is the opinion of the Fresh Pet Select?

Bottom line is.... Does my vet have no clue? Seems like an opened minded person.

Feedback would be great. Thanks guys!

 Quote: Troy Baker

We also feed "Fresh Pet Select"
What is the opinion of the Fresh Pet Select?

We had a discussion a few months back about FreshPet Select. This may be helpful:

http://leerburg.com/webboard/thread.php?topic_id=31158&page=1

I can't help you with Fresh Pet Select.

What I can offer you is my purely anecdotal experience. I feed five dogs a homemade raw diet. 200 pounds of raw meat a month--more than a ton every year. None of these dogs has ever eaten a mouthful of kibble since the day they arrived in my home as puppies.

None of them have ever had a single issue with any kind of food-borne pathogen, ever. Or any other health issue that has to do with what they eat. They are all healthy and fit and get rave reviews from my vet who is a proponent of raw feeding.

Eating anything comes with some amount of risk. Sure, it's possible for a dog with a compromised system to get sick from a raw diet. Or they could choke on a bone. Or who knows what else. Many dogs also get sick from tainted kibble--and vastly more (IMO) are fat, itchy, smelly, and fail to thrive on processed grain-based diets. But they live.

And then there are dogs that thrive on one of the many choices of really good meat-based kibbles out there. I'm not one of those "raw is the only right way" people.

So...IMO, your vet could be a very open-minded, well-intentioned guy. I think he overstates the risks of raw feeding (which for most healthy dogs is negligible.) At least he knows enough to recommend not feeding the most popular grocery store kibbles.

If you want to feed a raw diet, there IS a right way to do it (and many wrong ways)--and there are many experienced people here than can guide you through it. It takes some know-how, quite a bit more effort than opening a bag or can, and thick enough skin to be able to smile pleasantly when people tell you that you're going to kill your dog by feeding him that.

But in the end, it's your choice what to feed your dog, not your vet's.

Sounds like your vet has an opinion. Most of us people do.

I have one, too. I will NEVER feed kibble to any of my pets ever again. You couldn't pay me enough.

I think that this come down to experience. I worked as a vet tech for years including working for my own vet. Most of them have very little experience with diet ( or behavior but that is for a different post ). Most of the experience they do have is with people that are doing it wrong or that have had a freak problem. No one makes a vet appointment to come in and talk about how great feeding a raw diet going. They only come in when something is wrong. For years I too though raw feeders were crazy because I did not know anyone doing it correctly. Same with people using prong and e-collars in horrible ways. I said I would never do that do my dog. Fast forward 15 years and I have seen the good side of using them and have a totally different out look and use both of them. I don't feed raw purely because I am lazy. I feed Orijen and my dog are thriving and I am happy with my decision. I keep saying I am going to look into honest kitchen. So if you like your vet for other reasons you may give him a break on this one. He has made a choice for his dogs but sounds like he is trying to be open minded.

I rarely talk about food with vets, which seems kind of sad when you're looking at things holistically, or entirely. I don't bring it up and unless specifically asked, we're good to go.

Vets have a lot to offer in the areas they've been trained.

If casually asked I simply say they're being fed a "natural" diet. There's something about the word "raw" that seems to fire up those that it will.

My primary vet office has six or seven different Dr's. Some are for it, some eek away from the subject.

I've had some really good discussions with a couple of them though and one even told me where to get the freshest yogurt around. Straight from a farm where you're going to get the livest cultures.

So it pays to feel them out, but like Tracey said, be prepared with that thick skirt.

"Most of the experience they do have is with people that are doing it wrong or that have had a freak problem. No one makes a vet appointment to come in and talk about how great feeding a raw diet going. "


Yup.

My vet does not recommend raw, but never criticizes me, saying only "I cannot argue with your results."

Remember the huge financial interest Hills has in the vet med schools curriculum (and no, this is not he-said-she-said; I have posted here more than once lists of "corporate sponsorships" and "partnerships" with vet schools and the AVMA and other vet orgs.) One side (the Hills side) is the one on top in that wildly skewed POV.

But I also have to add that a random raw diet is in no way better than a balanced kibble. Too many owners think that because it's raw, it must be better, and end up feeding growing puppies a boneless ground-beef diet: a nutritional disaster that the worst kibble beats by a long way.

Any diet has risks.

Anyone who doubts that has only to think back to the massive across-the-board 2006-2007 recalls (and dead dogs and cats) to remember.

" He named the big pet food brands and said they were trash and bad for our pets."


What's in his waiting room?

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

" He named the big pet food brands and said they were trash and bad for our pets."


What's in his waiting room?

He was in the exam room but its a small office and the exam room in connected to the waiting area.

No, she is asking what, if any, food the vet sells?