[Craig Caughlin]

Hi folks,
The more I read, the more I understand why most vets poo-poo BARF diets:

1.) They have, very likely, little formal training in nutrition.
2.) They're being wined and dined by the multi-billion dollar pet food industry to pimp their

dog food products. I know this firsthand; I lost my dog last year (cancer) after faithfully feeding her a "Science Diet" food prescribed by my vet for many years (what a stooge I was)!

Anyway, I'm very interested in feeding my girl ("Lex") a BARF diet like many of you. My Wife trusts my judgement, but is still very nevous about giving ANY kind of bones to Lex. Coincidentally, I have a general, check-up appointment this month with my vet. My Wife said, "Well, let's talk to Chuck (our vet), and see what he has to say about BARF diets."

My knee-jerk reaction is that he's going to slam the idea of the raw diet concept.

Can anyone give me some "ammunition" that I might be able to use for the showdown with my vet that's, very likely, inevitable???

Thank you,
Craig

 

[Lauri & The Gang]

Ask your vet "What would you think about us starting Lex on a well balanced, researched all natural diet?"

Then, if he objects, ask him how much training did he have in nutrition. Ask him how much experience he's had with natural diets. Point out all the pet food recalls.

My vet doesn't believe in a raw diet for dogs (but he does for cats - go figure) but he is willing to see that my dogs are very healthy and NOT just right to blaming the diet when the dogs get sick. In fact, one of the other vets at the office helped me do research on kidney disease and raw diets when my cat got sick from CANNED cat food.

 

[Brightelf]

My vet shocked me. She said: "You... you would DO that? REALLY?? You would feed him just meat and bones and innards with some veggies pureed? I mean.. if you really DID that, then, well, he might never have allergies again! And he wouldn't be getting any preservatives! And it would just be all the vitamins he needs.. and they would all be available to him. Would you REALLY do that??"

She can't get anyone to consider a raw diet.. except one client with a terribly allergic terrier. Your vet may surprise you!

If your vet does not, come prepared:
None of the vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids, or enzymes are cooked away nor made unavailable through processing. All of them are in a usable state.

Use the words "fresh foods" instead of "raw diet." (no idea why this makes it seem better, but..)

Explain the concept of balance over time this way: the vet doesn't eat a complete and balanced meal with each meal he eats... he has eggs this morning, a salad at noon, a steak at dinner.. Tuesday he will have yogurt, brown rice, fish, and pumpkin soup. In essense, during a week.. a month.. two months.. your vet becomes balanced. Like a wolf hunting and foraging... or like your dog noshin' that "fresh, all-natural foods" raw diet.

Personally, I would NOT tell your vet beforehand. I would feed the dog raw for a few months, THEN tell your vet how wonderful Lex is doing on her new healthier diet. THEN you get bragging rights about whiter teeth, nicer coat, smaller, firmer stools, better energy, more ability to settle calmly in the house, brighter eyes, etc etc etc. See? NOW you have ammo!

 

[kallie]

I have 3 vets, 2 of which I know would not like the idea, however I rarely use those two vets..My main vet is VERY open to the way I feed. MAF I have given him books on it, plus he was actually interested in speaking with Lauri about it.

I trusted this vet enough to just come out and tell him, my other vets (which are more for emergency than anything) I would not waste my time telling them

I personally don't really care what vets think about the way I feed...If you feel you need to tell your vet, and he/she responds poorly about it, just lend them a few books that you have on it for them to read..

 

[onyx'girl]

My vet actually cringed when I told ther that I raw feed. She really didn't say anything, though. We were there for a recurring right ear infection, talking about an elimination allergy test when it came up. She talked me out of the blood test for food allergies, saying that they aren't very accurate.

 

[3K9Mom]

My vet owns a clinic staffed by three vets. They are ALL fine with a raw diet. (I see them from time to time, if my vet is not available). Before I even started, my vet and I discussed how I intended to do raw -- where I would be buying my meat and how I handle it, that I feed vegetables, eggs, dairy, etc, that I understand minerals, vitamins, etc. At the time, he said that he had one other owner that he knew who fed raw. He offered some suggestions, and we were good.

The only caveat? My vet is a board-certified dentist. He told me that he does NOT want to have to do any dental work on my dogs because I gave them inappropriate bones. and he was quite serious about this. He's done quite a lot of dental work on my senior, and knows that *I* know what's involved in root canal therapy, extractions, etc.

We discussed which bones are inappropriate. I agreed to avoid most of them. And life is happy.

(Since then, the techs have mentioned that they have other owners coming in to discuss raw diets and while they don't all do it like I do, it's been pretty positive. Some owners just come in with the idea that they're going to toss some hamburger into a bowl every night, and they're told that they need to put in a lot more research & effort to do it right. Pretty much what we here do...

)

So, I think that some vets will always be resistant. Some are already there; some are open-minded and will have intelligent discussions with owners, and their opinions may evolve.

That said, when I had to one of my dogs in to the Emergency Clinic (a vet I didn't know), they got so hung up on what she was eating, I basically had to demand that certain tests be run because the vet kept saying that her problem was due to "dietary indiscretion." In that case, I learned not to tell an unknown vet anything. As Lauri told me at the time, when they ask what your dog eats: She eats Dog Food.

 

[onyx'girl]

Originally Posted By: 3K9MomMy vet owns a clinic staffed by three vets. They are ALL fine with a raw diet. (I see them from time to time, if my vet is not available).
The only caveat? My vet is a board-certified dentist. He told me that he does NOT want to have to do any dental work on my dogs because I gave them inappropriate bones. and he was quite serious about this. He's done quite a lot of dental work on my senior, and knows that *I* know what's involved in root canal therapy, extractions, etc.

We discussed which bones are inappropriate. I agreed to avoid most of them. And life is happy.

So are the inappropriate bones only the weight bearing ones? I am wondering what else is inappropriate?