corn, and generally grain in dog food

[Rhetts_mama]

Originally Posted by IDPiper

Yes, but that is not because someone told them that the vets were out to get them, maybe they had a bad experience and hence the reason for their rant. Anyone that uses that as an excuse is using it as a cop out and shouldn't have pets.

I doubt most people just suddenly get the idea that vets are out to get them. Some where along the idea gets planted in their heads. Might be threads like this where someone says that vets are shoving particular diets at patients or it might be someplace else.

Conspiracy theories always start somewhere.

[Teegy]

How to take something out of context I have expressed my opinions on food and vets. Never did I say don't go to vets and never did I say people shouldn't feed their dogs whatever they like. But some of you sure feel that you can slam raw feeding without having any dealings with it. Wow really conspiracy theories that's funny.
Why does raw feeding get your backs up so much. It's like having a discussion on religion or politics. We all practice and believe in what works for us and I thought it was about sharing your experience for others to make an educated decision based on that information.

[Britster]

I have been to 4 or 5 different vets with Jackson. One of them WAS fairly bad IMO. I got a bad vibe, I did not like how they handled a situation looking back in hindsight, and I will NEVER go back to them again. Our first vet was not the greatest either, but weren't terrible. Our current vet is great. It's expensive, but worth it IMO.

I can honestly say that I've never had any of these vets though push food on me. And the few ppl I know who feed RX diets get them with a prescription at Petsmart anyway.

I honestly cannot see how they make much profit on food anyway. Let's say they sell... 1-3 bags a day? It's probably not going to be more than $50-$100. I just can't imagine food being a big money maker. If anything I've heard it's more of a pain to even keep it in stock.

Vaccines is another story. Any vet doing yearly vaccines (for DHLPP + rabies) IS in it for profit (or they are ignorant to modern research). Now vaccines are a money maker.

[107barney]

Originally Posted by Teegy

These are my experiences and yes he did try to shove it down my throat, but I'm not the type of person to take things on face value and certainly not easy to bully. Thanks for that mum and dad. Would have to be pretty bad for me to decide its time to change. It's also the difference between a 6 minute walk and my now one hour commute. Have you experienced raw feeding have you seen a raw fed dog, looked in its mouth, examined its teeth and gums. Have you seen the difference between a sick and rescued dog fed on a raw versus an alternate means. I have and I see my dog that suffered pancreatitis become healthy and my vet did recommend a raw diet. Like I said before I do agree with those who have something that works for them and yes not all vets are poosers.

Yes, a good friend of mine feeds raw. There is no difference that I can see. And her dogs need their teeth cleaned. So, no, I don't see a difference - her dogs are beautiful and happy just as mine.

[Rhetts_mama]

Originally Posted by Teegy

How to take something out of context I have expressed my opinions on food and vets. Never did I say don't go to vets and never did I say people shouldn't feed their dogs whatever they like. But some of you sure feel that you can slam raw feeding without having any dealings with it. Wow really conspiracy theories that's funny.
Why does raw feeding get your backs up so much. It's like having a discussion on religion or politics. We all practice and believe in what works for us and I thought it was about sharing your experience for others to make an educated decision based on that information.

Did anyone say that you didn't take your dog to the vet? I'm pretty sure no one did. The conversation changed and morphed, as they tend to do. It ran off the tracks a bit when you stated your opinion that vets are pushing kibble to pay back their veterinary school debts. Obviously others have different experiences.

And no one slammed raw diets. What some of us did was give links that ran contrary to your assertions that raw is always best and safest. Links that other people can use as part their search to determine what is the best for their dog.

We get it. You think raw is the best. Others here think the same about kibble or homecooked or a mixture of feeding techniques. What matters in the end is that everyone do their research for themselves and not be swayed just because they read someone's opinion on the net and took it as gospel.

[107barney]

Also regarding the vet debate....I have walked out of exam rooms and changed hospitals a bunch of times. Sometimes you have to weed through a few before you find "the one" that you click with. I've left vets over real disagreements as to medical care, but not one of them ever had a problem with my home cooking. They don't know what I do initially but once they see my paperwork and realize where I get my advice from, there's not much to say. They usually ask if I'll cook for them too. Again, my money, I decide what my dog eats and what treatments my dog does or does not receive. It's their job to diagnose a problem, offer treatment options, and give the pros/cons of said courses of action. My job to decide and to say yes or no. If you don't want to discuss food with your vet, simply say you do not wish to discuss it and shut down the convo. Easy.

[Ellie May]

I don't see it as a slam. I also don't see posting of anti corn or kibble links as a slam in general. It is just a difference of opinion.

Saying that vets get kickbacks on food is way different than saying they purposely recommend inferior products to keep the number of sick visits up. I can understand where the first idea comes from, although it isn't that easy. The profit margin on food isn't great, esp. considering the vast shelf space it takes up. Some vet offices don't want to deal with it at all. Any company can go to vet schools, give away products, try to influence vets, etc. In fact, the drug companies with their reps come in just like in human med. But that's just it...any company can. I believe Nature's Variety had a program in the past (or maybe it was just Natura before the Iams takeover). So if a raw food comany wants to do some solid research and go influence vets with their findings they can do so. Vets could then stock the product and would get 'kickbacks' (i.e. profit) for selling it.

BTW, I was open to raw in the past. Avoiding a particular diet does not make someone unqualified to give an opinion. Plenty of raw feeders give their opinion on 'death nuggets'/'krapple'.

Raw fed dogs coming into a veterinary hospital (at least here) are not common. There are a few though and I simply don't it as superior. It is far from problem free.

As for dogs getting sick less on raw, I don't buy it. As Brit mentioned, so many illnesses are labelled 'user error' and diagnoses are never made. These dogs still get horrible diseases including pancreatitis.

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by Rhetts_mama

Did anyone say that you didn't take your dog to the vet? I'm pretty sure no one did. The conversation changed and morphed, as they tend to do. It ran off the tracks a bit when you stated your opinion that vets are pushing kibble to pay back their veterinary school debts. Obviously others have different experiences.

And no one slammed raw diets. What some of us did was give links that ran contrary to your assertions that raw is always best and safest. Links that other people can use as part their search to determine what is the best for their dog.

We get it. You think raw is the best. Others here think the same about kibble or homecooked or a mixture of feeding techniques. What matters in the end is that everyone do their research for themselves and not be swayed just because they read someone's opinion on the net and took it as gospel.

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by Teegy

How to take something out of context I have expressed my opinions on food and vets. Never did I say don't go to vets and never did I say people shouldn't feed their dogs whatever they like. But some of you sure feel that you can slam raw feeding without having any dealings with it. Wow really conspiracy theories that's funny.
Why does raw feeding get your backs up so much. It's like having a discussion on religion or politics. We all practice and believe in what works for us and I thought it was about sharing your experience for others to make an educated decision based on that information.

I don't really think anyone slammed raw. And if they did *slam* raw, isn't it more likely their opinion was uninformed if they had to resort to actual slamming, rather than just giving just a calm factual informed opinion?

Inevitably, the following statements will get people's backs up:

"I disagree with feeding raw, I don't think it's a good idea"

"I disagree with feeding kibble, I don't think it's a good idea"

It goes both ways. Both sentiments have (sometimes or ostensibly) been expressed in this thread and it's not likely to change significantly. However, I think what can change is the way in which people express their opinion. For me personally, I happen to most respect those opinions that are respectful. If you feel an opinion is attacking (which, btw, I don't see in this thread), confrontational, one-sided, closed minded or whatnot....just chuck it and focus on those opinions that are well rounded. I know it's not always easy bc food IS a sensitive issue, it always has been here...and probably always will be.

Plenty of people support what you're feeding, just as they support kibble, homecooking, 'scrip diets, wet food or what have you.