Vet resistance to raw

[Sandy and Debbie]

"I say stick to your guns with the raw stuff ... it's soooo much better (done properly) than anything that Hill's makes.  Same holds true for most of the popular brands of dog food (Iams, Purina, etc etc).  It's like feeding yourself Pizza Pops and Kraft Dinner and other foods that are full of weird additives, preservatives and other chemicals that you can't pronounce ... or eating good, fresh food with good fresh ingredients."

I like this comparison very much - it puts things in perspective and is helpful.

[Kathy]

Look at all the health problems they saw over the corn gluten a couple of years - including the stuff in Hills prescription diets..

[Gerk]

That's a good point Blanche, that the vets probably do see the bad end of the raw feeding stuff.

My vet and I have agreed that when it comes to nutrition she will stay out of my way and let me do the research and just inform me of the details I need to know if/when it's time for a change in diet.  We agreed to disagree, but I have to say that she was very impressed on Cooper's turn around and told me that she would personally do some more research of her own in that area.  That's always a good sign, to admit you don't know everything and to be willing to learn new things that are around your areas of expertise.

[dvm2012]

Just found this post and while it's an old one, I thought I'd drop in a line or two as well about this issue.  While it's OK to assume that a lot of vets don't get a lot of nutrition training (because a lot of people in my class sadly didn't get the nutrition elective or had previous training in nutrition), I don't think it's right to generalize that all vets have a lack of nutritional education. 

Someone such as myself, has gone through a whole year of clinical pet nutrition prior to vet school - and it was essentially a course where we got the best and worst of all worlds (raw, kibble, grain-free, holistic, you name it).  We had occasional speakers from pet food companies but they weren't just from veterinary companies.  I also took a variety of other nutrition courses and had I finished up my 4th year before getting into vet school, I would have had a minor in nutrition.   

In terms of vet school being funded by huge companies like Hill's/Eukanuba/etc., I don't know if we necessarily get funded by them for research.  A lot of their research are held in their own facilities.  They do, however, come and give students a lot of lunch talks.  A lot of their talks, however, revolve around pathological processes that they tie in with their nutritional products.  The nutrition lectures we get taught in 3rd year (which I admit, are not enough), are taught by a guy who is NOT sponsored by any of these companies.  In final year, you have the option of choosing to take a clinical nutrition elective, which I was lucky enough to get this year.  This clinical nutrition elective is also taught by the same guy but will eventually be transitioned over to a newly hired clinical nutritionist (DVM, DECVN) from Europe.  While she is paid for by Royal Canin, I've heard some of her lectures and attended many of her nutrition consults with clients and she most definitely is NOT biased towards Royal Canin or any particular veterinary prescription diet.  She's suggested anything from veterinary diets to OTC diets to home-cooked/home prepared diets. 

While Iams is another company that gives us free food every month (which I end up donating to a local charity anyway), a lot of us aren't "brainwashed" by them and aren't zombies that just shove a bag of prescription diet to anyone and everyone.  While everyone may not agree with this, I feel that there are some prescription diets that are better than others and I would have no hesitations in recommending certain ones to clients should their animal really require it.  For some of the diets, there is a lot of research inside and outside of their own facilities that back up the good science behind it.  However, putting that aside, if a client presented a healthy animal to me who was on a non-prescription diet and was doing fine, I wouldn't never think of changing their diet at all. 

In terms of raw, I think where the controversy with raw comes in is, as you guys have all heard MANY times, the risk of Salmonella, zoonosis, choking on bones, etc.  I think as veterinarians, we are all obligated to warn the clients of the risks - like anything.  Personally, I would have no reservations in doing that to a client that I've met for the very first time.  It's pretty much informed consent - because there are genuinely clients out there who may not be preparing raw food diets correctly and cleanly.  Personally, I think that feeding raw is completely up to the client and if their animal looked healthy, I'd have no problem in letting them continue with it as long as they are aware of the pros and cons. 

I feel that every single diet has their pros as well as cons and I strongly do not feel that one particular diet fits all.  I think as clients, it's essentially a living nightmare of who to trust (ie: your vet, the person at the pet store, a clinical nutritionist, your breeder,...or your aunt...).  I think the problem lies in the fact that all pet food companies have their faults in not being able to be completely open and truthful about their products and only promoting the good with smart marketing strategies.  I think at the end of the day, it's important as clients to make informed decisions about your pet foods with the research that you guys are already doing, talking to companies via customer service (and making sure it's GOOD customer service), and trying to read up on scientific papers (for you academics out there - not all papers are funded by companies).  I think at the end of the day, it is essential that your animals are getting the right amount of nutrients instead of ingredients.  It's like a child - you can give them a variety of sweets and candies all day and they'd love it but at the end of the day, proper nutrients and nutrition are the vitalities that make them grow and become well-nourished.  Pet nutrition is still a pretty vague area of science - very much like human nutrition and needs continual develop, which IS happening.  Unfortunately, there are a lot of people out there, general public and veterinarians included, who are one-sided silly-nillies because they've seen things work with their own animals.  Amidst all that, the key to making informed decisions is to constantly keep an open mind about things like nutrition and to continually educate ourselves about new diets, fads, and good nutrition that allows our pets to live their life to the fullest.