Changing to RAW when no vets approve...

I've found there are three different types of vets out there. Vets who approve of raw-feeding, those that are tolerant of raw-feeding, and those who are against raw-feeding. If you can't find a pro-raw vet (they're few and far between--I consider myself very fortunate that I found one!), a tolerant vet is your next best bet. The type of vet you want to avoid is the 'tunnel vision' vet. The ones that will blame any and all problems/illnesses your dog gets on the diet you choose to feed. Risa's original vet was one of those. Ris got sick and the vet kept trying to pin it on raw-feeding despite the fact that Risa had been perfectly fine eating exactly the same food for 8 months. It is very unfortunate, but some vets just can't look past your dog's 'odd' diet to actually diagnose the problem.

The problem you're facing is pretty much the same one we face here in the States. Though there are more vets who are willing to overlook diet or are actually pro-raw now than there ever have been, it's still really hard to find a vet that will back your decision. It's unfortunate, but it's one of the things you have to deal with when you choose to feed your dog raw. You really have to stick to your guns and not be afraid to go to a different vet if it turns out yours is too blind to see past your dog's diet.

Good luck.

Yea, that's the understanding I got from reading around here.

The problem I have is slightly different though because nobody here even know what it is, never heard about it, and doesn't seem to have interest hearing about it (remember they are 10-20 years behind)

My vet goes; I have been breeding for 15 years and all my dogs have been on kibble their whole life and they are healthy/happy as any dog can be, why change?

So I guess my point is; I am not afraid of going to another vet, I just don't think it will make any difference.

I have one more vet I haven't spoken to yet though, he is a bit far away, but he breeds GSDs and might be more updated...

I guess I still need to educate myself more on the subject to be able to hold my stand, my vet goes why? I go, because!

It would be nice with some proper research to hold on to though, I guess that will come with time...

It does come with time. It took me a good year or more to feel comfortable talking about what I feed my dog. Before that, I pretty much skirted around the issue when asked. Now I'm confident in what I've chosen to do so it's less of a concern.

There is certainly nothing wrong with feeding kibble so I can understand your vet's point of view. But dogs have been eating raw meat for far longer than kibble. I feed raw because I believe it is what's best for my dog's overall health. I also enjoy the control I have over what goes into my dog because, for the most part, I know exactly what she is eating. Since she has some food sensitivities, this is even more beneficial! It's easy to avoid the things that bother her.

But dogs have been eating raw meat for far longer than kibble.

Exactly! I bet if you go out in the country, most people will still feed their dogs the leftovers of their daily meals and scraps, leftovers of the meat they slaughtered, including organs and bones. That's the way it has been for CENTURIES, long before kibble was invented.
Don't say to the vet you're doing a raw- or BARF diet,- since he obviously doesn't know what it is anyway,- just say it's "home made".

Hehe, lie to the vet

I think it's easy to play devils advocate and say; yes, in the 30's we all thought smoking was healthy as well.. Going to kibble was supposedly a step forward, while going back to "what they fed before" is a step back..

But I guess the overall point is; it's a fact that loads of dogs are/have always been fed food and are perfectly ok.

Just tell your vet you feed your dog a homemade diet.

That IS what you feed, yes? You bring home the food, prepare the food, and feed it. Home made.

Whether you toss it in the oven or on the grill is a small detail. Many vets are comfortable with homemade. You're a good dedicated owner. Be sure to feed lots of variety and make sure it's balanced, but otherwise, what a great idea.

Oh, you feed raw? Terrible idea.

We educate the ignorant in small steps.

My Spanish is a bit rusty but, from what I read, this link looks like a great place for you to start. Seems to be very knowledgeable about raw-feeding.

My thoughts as well. They say that supplements are a waste of money (except fish oil, or supplement prescribed by your vet), which some of us here would disagree with.

But this website has solid basic information. Not super thorough, but I'd send someone to this site to get started.

Nice find, Melissa!

That is a great site! Can't believe i missed that in my quuest to find spanish sites on the subject. I found a few other but they are just blatantly translated from original english articles and some of the stuff didn't make sense.

And I guess nobody can really complain on a "home made diet".

I am going to wait until the book arrives though I am tempted to just go for it (first couple of weeks are "simple" anyway as far as I understand)...

Thanks all

I'm glad it works and has some good info!

I think I'll add it to the BARF resources sticky up top!

Didn't think so

My understanding so far is that there's basically two camps though;

One that only feeds bones/meat/incestines and one that adds "all the other stuff" (and believes that it's needed to get a balanced diet).

It is interesting because I think that it's related to the whole carnivore/obligate carnivore/omnivorous discussion and how they digest the different things (anyone know of a good credible article about that btw?)

-thomas-