[SuriLove]

I had to take Suri to the vet today, she has had an itchy red paw for a few days. So she is on meds, medicated wipes and some solution to clean her foot. Nothing to serious, thankfully.

Anyway, I thought it would best to tell the vet that we have went to raw and give him the positive report on her IBS spells. WELL.......I thought he would blow his top, once he heard raw he heard nothing else. After he calmed down...I went into detail about Suri only had one upset stomach in 3 months. Compared to one a week!!! HELLO!!! Once he heard that he calmed down some more, but then he went into why he does not like it - well I halfway tuned him out and DID NOT tell him the other 3 dogs were on the same diet lol!

What exactly is it with Vets that they are so against RAW?

Does anyone have a vet that is open minded? How do I find one??? As great as Suri is doing - it still for a breif second made me say OK I might need to keep educating myself and started to question what I was doing.

Total spoiler:redface:

PS - Whats funny is right before we left, Suri left some gas and it was smelly and I said sorry she is my gassy girl - and he had one last dig............."I guess that comes from that meat you feed her!"

 

[ziggy29]

What exactly is it with Vets that they are so against RAW?

A few ideas:

1. Many vets know very little about nutrition. They know all about how the animal body works, but their education never emphasized how to make it work at peak efficiency.

2. Some vets are "in the tank" for some of the large "prescription" type diet entries in Pet Food Inc., and they want to steer you toward the foods they sell in their shop (and get kickbacks in some cases).

3. Perhaps even among vets, "raw meat" consumption is linked to bacteria -- salmonella, E. coli and other stuff, even though that's a human thing and the canine stomach is MUCH more acidic (largely due to ancestral diet; if wolves routinely contracted bacterial diseases from prey they would have gone extinct).

 

[CorgiPaws]

I think most raw feeders have to go through this, it's so annoying. I don't even bring it up with my current vet, becaue other than the raw issue, I REALLY like him. He wasn't as awful about raw as some vets have been though.

But, not all vets are entirely blind to nutrition, just call around your area, and ask questions. I don't make supporting raw a requirement in the vets I pick, mostly because I rarely go to the vet, but it sure does help!!

 

[whiteleo]

If you can get hooked into a raw food co-op they have a wealth of info in their databases.

Mine has a whole list of vets that are raw advocates in the Seattle/Portland area as well as kennels.

 

[BabyHusky]

finding the perfect vet is like finding a unicorn. i'm glad that after all these years of taking my pup(s) to different vets, i finally found an awesome one. she 100% supports raw feeding, though she feeds her pets Orijen.

AND...(wait for the shocker) she gave me her cell phone number so that I could call her/text her if anything is wrong with any of the pups. she saves me a LOT of vet bills by telling me what to do over the phone! *sigh* i love her...

 

[SuriLove]

If you can get hooked into a raw food co-op they have a wealth of info in their databases.

I am still searching - I went to yahoo as well. Heres the bonus I have been thinking as of late. I travel on day trips through out the state about 2 - 3 hours west of the coast, so if I could get with one in Columbia, Charleston or even Wilmington NC I would consider it - so I need to go back to yahoo and see what I can find.

My vet is OK - his techs are great but the receptionist is a grumpy grumpy woman!

 

[redspoo]

I think we have to consider that most Vets really don't get any nutritional education beyond what the dog food companies are selling them via seminars etc. I am considered an "alternative provider" and I work hard to keep myself educated so that I can help my clients (people not dogs) I am blessed to have a Vet that supports my vaccination protocal as well as supporting my raw feeding.

I run into this same thing with Doctors of the clients that I treat. Most, not all have tunnel vision and unless you seek out alternative providers, you will run up against this over and over again.

Good luck in your search....maybe consider looking up a Naturopathic Physician to see if they can refer you to a Vet that is like minded!

 

[RawFedDogs]

I agree with what others say about vet's nutritional education. Also they get a lot of trade mags that will have articles against raw. They will believe a trade mag a lot quicker than a patient.

When I was looking for a vet a few years ago, I interviewed about half a dozen. I called each one and got an appointment. I asked if I would be charged. ONE wouldn't talk to me without charging and she was immediately eliminated as my potential vet. I talked to the others for about 10 minutes asking a lot of questions about their experience with Great Danes and bloat. I also just happened to mention that I fed raw. I would get some snide little remarks and those were marked off the list. Finally one said, "I don't care what you feed your dogs as long as they're healthy." He is now my vet.

A new vet moved into town and I stopped by to visit him the other day. I told him I feed raw and his response was, "Best thing you can feed them. I bet you have healthy dogs." I'm not unhappy with my present vet, but I'm seriously considering changing to this new guy.

Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is to interview vets before you "hire" them. Always remember that the vet works for you. Not the other way around. He does what you say. It doesn't really matter what he likes or doesn't like about the way you keep your dog or cat.

 

[Doc]

I am still searching - I went to yahoo as well. Heres the bonus I have been thinking as of late. I travel on day trips through out the state about 2 - 3 hours west of the coast, so if I could get with one in Columbia, Charleston or even Wilmington NC I would consider it - so I need to go back to yahoo and see what I can find.

My vet is OK - his techs are great but the receptionist is a grumpy grumpy woman!

I know of a holistic vet in Pittsboro NC. PM if interested.

 

[Brattina88]

I agree with the others... It wouldn't hurt to call around at least. My vet, back when I fed kibble, had never heard of Innova EVO and asked could I being some info in next time. Even if they are not super nutrition savvy, i personally think they should be open enough to their clients to hear them out! The next time I brought a print out about the EVO, he was impressed with the ingredients and my findings.
When I switched to raw, I dont think he was surprised. He asked me a couple questions about vits and minerals, and variety. He liked my answers; he said his biggest problem with raw or cooked diets is people think they can feed the same exact meal every single day, no supplements or anything. The outcome of that it's worse than kibble, and I have to agree. He doesn't say much about it, negative or positive. They always comment on how clean Maddie's teeth are, especially for her age. The techs ask if I brush, and I always smile and say no, it's the RMBs.... I've never had any problems in that dept. Friends, and family, though - whole 'nother story :/

 

[malluver1005]

Does anyone have a vet that is open minded?

Mine is pro-raw!!!

 

[malluver1005]

AND...(wait for the shocker) she gave me her cell phone number so that I could call her/text her if anything is wrong with any of the pups. she saves me a LOT of vet bills by telling me what to do over the phone! *sigh* i love her...

My vet is the same way...!! I've saved a lot of money...

 

[spookychick13]

My boss/vet is a lot more open minded about it than most.

 

[magicre]

we have two vets whom we like and have used the past several years. i like them both for different reasons.

as one who went to medical school, we received a three credit course in nutrition, followed by promises of swimming pools from the pharmaceutical companies...but i digress.

vets are no different. they take a three credit course in nutrition and then follow the party line.

ALTHOUGH.

i don't know about the rest of the country, but here in washington state, there are more and more holistic vets...maybe because we, up here in the rainy grey northwest, have more dogs per capita, i believe, than anywhere else....big booming business.

since i believe that my vets should know what i feed as it is integral for them to know, just as it would be integral for me to know as a medico....their reaction has pretty much been curiousity...not judgment....when asked, though, neither one would feed raw but comments on our dogs when they go in cannot be dismissed....

i have one vet who is a very good diagnostician and we have had some pretty healthy debates about raw....

bottom line?

i don't depend on my doctors to know anything about nutrition because they don't. i don't expect my vets to know because they don't. the days of following doctors and vets are OVER.
we HAVE to educate ourselves and each other.

part of being my own advocate and my dogs' advocate is knowing what the docs don't know...and, for that.....i am learning raw as quickly as i can....

as an aside, i do believe and my vet confirmed this....they have operated on so many dogs with intestinal torsion and bone impactions and other issues related to rawhide and improper use of 'bones' and i say that with quotes...they lose a lot of dogs to human stupidity....so there is a feeling that avoidance of ALL bones is best for the dogs.

many vets, including mine, are not in the pocket of the kibble folks, but they get a break on the pricing, so why not? many don't own their own practise either so they are kind of between a rock and a hard place.

this in no way defends vets. they are wrong just as doctors are wrong...food is our energy and our dogs' energy....we are what we eat and food has properties that affect us on a molecular level....

i had to have seven surgeries in the space of three years. needless to say, my blood levels were so abnormal and off and i felt like kaka.....my doc wanted to do a liver biopsy and i said give me three months and i will manipulate the blood levels to acceptable ranges...and i did.

the power of food for humans and animals? priceless...it would behoove vets to get with the program...fortunately, mine don't judge and right now, that's what i need from them.

 

[Chocx2]

My friend is a vet and she says that what concerns her most is the possiblity of bacteria salmonela. And she won't talk about anything else. She says that a year ago she had to treat a dog for that and they die. I told her that maybe they didn't keep the meat properly. She just woundn't go there? So maybe its pumped into there head at school? Another vet I know is dabling in it and has gone back to school for holistic stuff?

 

[RawFedDogs]

My friend is a vet and she says that what concerns her most is the possiblity of bacteria salmonela. And she won't talk about anything else.

I'm sure you have seen written here that salmonella is not a problem for dogs. I have fed my dogs some very rotten smelly meat on more than one occasion with no adverse effects. Dog's very acidic stomach juices handle most of the salmonella and the speed which the food passes throught the dog's digestive system before the remaining can grow to any harmful amount is the reason it isn't harmful.

She says that a year ago she had to treat a dog for that and they die.

I'm not sure about that. I think many times when a vet can find any other reason for a digestive problem, they automatically fall back on salmonella without actually testing for it.

I told her that maybe they didn't keep the meat properly.

As I said above, I have fed my dogs rotten meat with no effect. No vomiting, no diarrhea. Dogs/wolves in the wild eat carrion(rotting carcasses) quite regularly. They are equipped to handle A LOT of bacteria.

So maybe its pumped into there head at school?

Yes, absolutely.

 

[magicre]

My friend is a vet and she says that what concerns her most is the possiblity of bacteria salmonela. And she won't talk about anything else. She says that a year ago she had to treat a dog for that and they die. I told her that maybe they didn't keep the meat properly. She just woundn't go there? So maybe its pumped into there head at school? Another vet I know is dabling in it and has gone back to school for holistic stuff?

one day, when you've got some free time LOL...check out a physician's desk reference....that's the great big book that contains all the drugs approved by the FDA, etc...that are non prescription and prescription.

there are many instances where it says 'mechanism of action', meaning how does it work to do what it does (the medication) and the answer, very often, says 'unknown'.

there is also something called idiopathic....meaning we don't know why something is or isn't....ideopathic disease just means no one knows what it is or how it happened.

this happens unfortunately more often than not because they call it the practise of medicine, since it has not been perfected yet. it is no different with veterinary practise and they are pretty much operating deaf...dogs can't talk and commonality of language between vet, animal, owner can be confusing.....docs understand a set of words...and humans describe things that can and are often misconstrued.

no one's fault but there it is...

there are plenty of cases of salmonella amongst humans....but the quantity is unknown because more often than not, it's not a death sentence, just feels like one..and is often attributed to a viral or bacterial flu....

drugs are given. patient has the runs and vomits a lot for a few days. patient recovers.

same as dogs.

sometimes...the ideal does not happen. patient or dog does not recover. there could have been a blip in the immune system and we all know an immune system cannot fight a battle on two fronts...effectively..

we handle raw meat daily. for ourselves.

to date, i've never gotten sick from carpaccio, sashimi, tartare. that is raw.

dogs are different. the acid content in their bodies is way more concentrated than anything we produce. my G'd...they eat stool sometimes. they lick butts. stranger butts. they eat things that would kill us.

any self respecting vet would say, i don't know what your dog had. only a necropsy would tell the story....

or

i don't know what your dog had...but look at him/her now. all better.

i had a professor once who said there were three ways to get rid of disease.
1. cut it out
2. leave it alone and it will go away on its own. offer palliative care.
3. die

over the years, i have found him to be right in many cases.