'Trust Me, I'm a Vet'....

[piph]

Just wondering whether anyone saw this weeks 'Trust Me, I'm a Vet on telly, and the very biased report on the so called 'dangers' of feeding your dog raw meat!  Steve Leonard, who fronts the programme, is Ozzy's vet, (and a very good vet he is too) and I have to say that I'm very disappointed that he has allowed himself to be party to such a biased report, by one of the other vets who take part in the programme - and I shall be telling him so next time we see him with Ozzy!

[Andrea Ellie]

I saw it too. I don't feed raw but I do sometimes give Ellie a raw bone. I was very surprised at how against raw feeding they were.

[piph]

Have a look at this -  https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1709499702413121&id=156400551056385  and, if you have time, read some of the many, many comments - it's certainly got a lot of people's backs up, including mine, although I hasten to add that I didn't comment as I thought everything had already been said.  We started feeding Ozzy a commercially produced frozen raw diet late last year - it has helped him lose his excess weight and he's never looked better and more healthy, and he is no longer scrounging for food.  We've also started our new golden retriever pup Jess on the puppy version of the food and she's doing very well on it too.

[Murphys Law]

I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that vets don't sell raw food?

From previous experiences, I wouldn't trust a vet as far as I could throw them, especially when it comes to dog food.

[bizzylizzy]

Makes me wonder how any of us oldies managed to live so long in the company of dogs without  catching bubonic plague. Maybe its because we've got what all these so called "experts" haven't got - its called Common Sense and despite their common belief, the vast majority of  us "normal" people do actually clean the kitchen!! 
They're only against raw because the pet food industry is mega mega business and without them, the "poor" vets wouldn't a) have a little earner on the side and b) would lose business of pets with health problems caused by (some) poor quality manufactured  food.
Rant over! 😉

[Mari]

I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that vets don't sell raw food?

From previous experiences, I wouldn't trust a vet as far as I could throw them, especially when it comes to dog food.

If that was the only issue, then they could just start selling raw food. It would be very easy to profit from this now that it is so popular But a vet has to be sure that what he/she recommends is safe for both animal and owner, they have a responsibillity to both animal and human health. I'm not taking any sides here because I have not researched too much and I have not seen the program. But there are some valid points to consider before choosing raw food. One being the potentiel health risks of uncooked meat to both the pet eating it and the humans sharing the house with said pet. Ignoring these risks would be short sighted. Again, not against raw feeding as a principle, but there are concerns that need to be taken seriously.

[Theo961]

I didn't watch it but saw the clip, i left a comment! Lol
Looking forward to the more balanced investigation they will surely need to carry out now.

[bizzylizzy]

I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that vets don't sell raw food?

From previous experiences, I wouldn't trust a vet as far as I could throw them, especially when it comes to dog food.

If that was the only issue, then they could just start selling raw food. It would be very easy to profit from this now that it is so popular But a vet has to be sure that what he/she recommends is safe for both animal and owner, they have a responsibillity to both animal and human health. I'm not taking any sides here because I have not researched too much and I have not seen the program. But there are some valid points to consider before choosing raw food. One being the potentiel health risks of uncooked meat to both the pet eating it and the humans sharing the house with said pet. Ignoring these risks would be short sighted. Again, not against raw feeding as a principle, but there are concerns that need to be taken seriously.

The thing that annoys me though, is that it is automatically assumed that none of us have the common sense to realize that there are potential risks and I get really really cross with these "experts" assuming we're all stupid! There are risks with preparing ANY raw food, whether its for pets or for humans, if normal hygiene procedures aren't followed, they might aswell say we should only feed our families pre cooked convenience foods incase we catch salmonella from the chicken etc.
There's a lot of rubbish talked about raw feeding, we get it here aswell but as I said before, pets are BIG business both for the pharmecutical and pet food industries and as pet owners we're constant targets. We just need to ask questions and not believe everything these sharks try to tell us.

[Mudmagnets]

I saw it too and thought what a load of patronising  cobblers these 'experts' come up with.

Don't think the programme has done vets  image any good at all tbh.

[Mari]

The thing that annoys me though, is that it is automatically assumed that none of us have the common sense to realize that there are potential risks and I get really really cross with these "experts" assuming we're all stupid! There are risks with preparing ANY raw food, whether its for pets or for humans, if normal hygiene procedures aren't followed, they might aswell say we should only feed our families pre cooked convenience foods incase we catch salmonella from the chicken etc.
There's a lot of rubbish talked about raw feeding, we get it here aswell but as I said before, pets are BIG business both for the pharmecutical and pet food industries and as pet owners we're constant targets. We just need to ask questions and not believe everything these sharks try to tell us.

Some people do lack common sense and it's the vets job to make sure that everyone is aware of the risks. It's not just while you prepare the food the risks are present. What about the dog licking a childs face after having eaten raw food? What if the dog gets a zoonotic infection from the raw meat and passes it on to humans in the household? There are many ways for bacteria and virus to spread.

And yes there are a lot of bias against raw feeding, but there is also alot of blind faith when it comes to "all that is natural is good".

I don't know how this program was presented, and if they were underestimating peoples intelligence then they made a mistake. But for every one of us dog owners that do our research and aquire knowledge there are probably 10 that don't educate themselves and believe everything they are told. So it is important to make people aware that the professional community is worried about potential dangers connected to raw feeding.

It is sad that so many assume a vets motive is all about money. If it was all about money they would make alot more money selling whatever the costumers want than to argue potential problems. They cannot recommend something until there are enough scientific facts for them to trust the product, whatever it is, that would be irresponsible for someone in their position.

As I didn't see the program it could very well be that I too would have found it ubalanced and patronising. But please don't throw away information because it was presented in a bad way. Both sides of the raw feeding "war" has valid points!

[bizzylizzy]

You do have a good point Mari, I accept your argument. I just find it irritating that we're increasingly being bullied in all aspects of our lives by self proclaimed "experts". 

[Theo961]

I accept there are very different opinions on feeding pets and it's something I have been in turmoil with myself over the years. I just feel this program sent out a very damming message with no real investigation.
The only real argument to tell people on main stream TV that raw food is bad and don't feed it,  was really down to poor hygiene practice. Dogs do not have impeccable hygiene! Reese being fed a complete raw food is probably the least of my worries with my little walking health hazard! 
This program failed as there was no balanced review from the growing number of vets that do support raw feeding, they didnt explain what raw food was fed, they didnt even give an explanation if the same test was carried out on dogs fed other type of food and the results (however, they have online and mentioned the percentage of levels found were higher in raw fed dogs not that the other ways of feeding results were clear)
I feel so sorry for the very good complete raw food companies we have in this country, who work to the strictest guidelines to produce probably some of the safest products in the raw food industry. They made no mention of the amount of kibble etc that have been recalled over the years due to bacteria contamination as well as other things!    It was just very bad,  biased reporting.
Last week the same program tested kibble and wet food and stated that most of them have a deficit in the nutrients content, they recommend to feed a wide range of this food in the hope everything needed would be covered. This is something I understand the manufacturers are in uproar over and questioning their testing results.

The pet food industry is a minefield of conflicting information, I saw a report on a kibble I have fed my dogs on in the past that has a 5 star rating on one site due to ingredients,  but It gets a 1 star rating from the non profit clean lable project  because of the very high amount of heavy metals found tested in the product!!!
I just hope all this will set off real non profit and no manufacturers funded investigations as to how best feed our beloved pets....which is all we really want to do.

[Murphys Law]

I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that vets don't sell raw food?

From previous experiences, I wouldn't trust a vet as far as I could throw them, especially when it comes to dog food.

If that was the only issue, then they could just start selling raw food. It would be very easy to profit from this now that it is so popular But a vet has to be sure that what he/she recommends is safe for both animal and owner, they have a responsibillity to both animal and human health. I'm not taking any sides here because I have not researched too much and I have not seen the program. But there are some valid points to consider before choosing raw food. One being the potentiel health risks of uncooked meat to both the pet eating it and the humans sharing the house with said pet. Ignoring these risks would be short sighted. Again, not against raw feeding as a principle, but there are concerns that need to be taken seriously.

My vets recommended the dog food they sold and told me it was very high quality, and being naive, I believed that they must have my dogs interest at heart. I fed it to my cavalier for 10 years.
Then, when Murphy arrived, they did exactly the same thing with the new 'wonder food' that they were, and still are, selling.
I became suspicious and did my research. And it turned out that I had been feeding crap to my little cav for his whole life and the new stuff they were selling was equally as bad.
I don't trust vets any more, profit is more important than dogs health. I do my own research and make up my own mind what is best to feed my dogs. Which in my opinion is raw.

[Blueberry]

I watched the programme last night, on player.  The vet that presented this particular item could usefully take a look at her own nutritional input.

[Mudmagnets]

I watched the programme last night, on player.  The vet that presented this particular item could usefully take a look at her own nutritional input.

you noticed that too,