Retailer's perspective...
My customers' reasons for NOT doing it:
1. Too time-consuming
2. Too expensive
3. Fear of missing something "important"
As for Steve's Real Food...
No. Not a good one, too veggie. If you want to go "convenient", then go Primal. Primal has great grinds as well as necks, backs, etc. There is also a ground whole sardine that makes my babies cry and dance!
My personal experience...
Four years ago, after college, I adopted my little pittie/grey mix and proudly bought her Hill's Large breed and some corn starch bones and greenies. ( I could seriously punch myself thinking about it now!)
I moved to Maine when she was about 7 months old and my first job was at a Veterinary Clinic, where Hill's ruled. I saw more disgusting skin, ear, and tummy issues from the clients who fed this crap. My husband was feeding his dog Solid Gold and I didn't really "get" it. So, I put two and two together and switched my girl to that. But it didn't help her "issues" (chronic ear tip necrosis and bleeding). I switched jobs to work at a dog supply store (I now own one of the locations) and they had a freezer with Bravo. So, I started her on that and she started to "clear UP" and her poops starting getting really hard! That was only the beginnging...
It then evolved to local meats combined with Primal. My dogs eat about 90% muscle, organ and bone ground up with twice/thrice weekly necks, etc. I also lightly steam and puree greens and roots. The roots act as a "carrier" for the greens which have some antioxidant properties.
I have a 11.5 year old lab who is living rather successfully with hemangiosarcoma (for 5 months so far and that we even know about). Look that up and you'll start to get interested in raw food. My dog should be dead.
I would like to add that I am a vegetarian. I firmly believe that humans consume far too much meat. Cholesterol does not exist in a plant based diet. We are, as a species, dropping like flies from heart disease, etc. I am also, emotionally sensitive to the plights of factory farmed animals.
However, my dogs are absolutely carnivores and not to be species-ist, but they are more important to me. I owe it to them to get past my emotions and feed them appropriately.
Back to the retailer's stand point...I sell Orijen, Natura Foods for dry, etc. and Honest Kitchen and Sojo's for dehydrated and Stella & Chewy's and Primal for raw with some local fish and lamb. I'm not madly in love with any of it besides Primal Grinds (veg free) and Primal Bones, but I can attest to the fact that having these other products has paved the way for many clients to make the "switch". Products like HK are like gateway drugs (har har) and once people see the benefits they aren't as scared to upgrade to raw.
So, there's a positive spin for some of the products that are out there. Hell, it's certainly better than Iams and it is a step in the right direction.
So, let these guys test the waters with Honest Kitchen, Evo and Orijen. They'll soon be on their way to raw....