Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Yikes, I Hit A Raw Nerve

As a veterinarian, we are required to have several hours of education throughout the year to maintain our license. There are many things I have sat through, some seminars quite dry and boring - leading one to want to pull a fire alarm to end things quickly, some which improve your understanding about subjects - go ahead, ask me about diarrhea, I bet I can pinpoint where it is coming from (besides the back end). I currently went to a seminar relating to nutrition, and happened to mention it on Facebook - wow, the sparks flew. It appears that if presented with scientific information regarding a balanced way to feed a dog, the raw food people are quick to defend their choice of how to get nutrients into their dogs. Some people buy whole ground up carcasses, add some egg shells and feed it - noting it is more healthy because is doesn't have things like bone meal (which is ground up bones - which are in carcasses) and additives like calcium carbonate (which is the scientific name for egg shells).
My dogs occasionally eat raw - easier than digging a hole for the dead cow that occasionally happens. I just find it hard to drag that carcass around to dog trials - and I get stared at. James Spratt (I think he was Jack's other brother, and he could eat fat) in 1860 created the first dog biscuit and Dr. Ballard (who had practiced in Grenfell, Saskatchewan-who knew) made canned dog food in the 1920's-wonder why they developed these foods -most likely they were sick of feeding raw.
I think I am going to go pop a multivitamin.

8 comments:

  1. Don't you know talking dog food is like talking politics or religion. It is all to be avoided.

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  2. We mightn't all agree but we still love ya. Wouldn't it be a good discussion over a bottle of Scotch... LOL

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  3. bless your pea pickin' heart ;-) you are too smart for your own good and there are some people you just can't help! Thank goodness the rest of us recognize you were in the front of the line when they handed out brains...and well, behind the door when it comes to conservative behavior..hahahahaha

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  4. Yes, Debbie, I think they actually locked that door on me!

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  5. There really is an anti-science attitude out there. Yet we are the ones that get called closed minded. I pointed out the other day that some bullshit piece of quackery had been thoroughly debunked. The reply I got was "Well I can believe in it because I have an open mind."
    Keep up the good work

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  6. lol - Wendy if it's any consolation when it came time to choose what I fed my dogs I asked my vet....

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  7. I think I love you....hahaha. I don't feed raw nor will I ever...like you said...to hard to drag to trials...for me it is conformation shows....and I would have to buy too many supplements....

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