Why (Some) Vets Hate Raw | (And How To Talk To Your Vet About Raw Diets)

[@shippersiscool99]

I'm a newly graduated veterinary nurse and I really like this video. My special interest is nutrition and I actually did my dissertation on BARF diets. My research basically found that BARF diets are more likely to expose your pets/you to things like campylobacter/listeria etc, but it's still not super common. In my opinion, there is no point in the veterinary industry demonizing raw food, because people are going to feed it either way and also it's MUCH more biologically appropriate than any kibble (big sigh that most of the veterinary field will push Hills/Royal canin etc). In my personal opinion, so long as owners are feeding complete diets (not poorly researched home made BARF diets that result in deficiencies) and they are aware about precautions to take with raw food (like storage, hand washing, worming protocols) then we would be much better to work with raw feeding owners rather than poo-pooing on them. I'd take a client feeding raw over feeding Pedigree Chum any day 🥩🍗

[@SnowshoeAviator]

I'm a vet tech and when I was in school we covered nutrition, but only very briefly. We learned AAFCO standards and how to calculate what is needed calorie wise. When I first started out I pretty much was a by the books 'here's our big kibble brands that have research done to make sure they are complete and balanced' but then I got my own dog, and he turned out to be very sensitive! I tried Royal Caninn, Purina, Hills, all of those vet approved allergy diets, but none of them helped and he was having chronic GI issues. So I went on to do a bunch of nutrition continuing education specifically so that I could try to help out my boy. He is doing a world better now thank goodness. I rambled a bit, but my point was supposed to be that I really wish that we were taught nutrition better in school! It could have saved me a bunch of heartache if we had been properly educated on nutrition.

[@TheTattooedDogTrainer]

I agree that nutrition should be more of a focus in education for veterinary professionals. I believe it is getting better, but there is still a way to go. Thank you for using your valuable continuing education opportunities to learn more about nutrition. Your pup and your patients thank you!

[@Jeffrey_DeBlaay...888]

do you know about & have you researched Rotational Mono Feeding (RMO) by Nora Lenz?? it might be the best information out there on the best diet to feed dogs, the way nature intended...a species specific diet 💚

[@StaticResurreXion]

Been feeding my dog raw for a year now. He is 60lbs and eats approximately 1lbs of meat per day. His coat is by far the shiniest in the neighborhood, and all vets say they “love his body” and his body is “perfect”. I recently got a blood test done and they confirmed his blood looked great with no deficiencies. Last point, feeding my dog real meat, fruit, and vegetables costs the same as premium canned dog food per day.

[@TheTattooedDogTrainer]

I love to hear that your pup is thriving!

[@keysmiless]

What do you feed your dog so he gets all his nutrients

[@bbycherub2420]

Wow what type of meats does he eat?

[@pwood6532]

By bloodwork I assume you mean a cbc chemistry and maybe a urinalysis.these do not test for nutritional deficiencies which take a long time to show up clinically.i went to a lecture at NYVet by a PhD nutritionist who reviewed a case study of a cat fed raw meat exclusively who actually had to be euthanized at 5 months due to skeletal abnormalities.the diet did not have the right calcium phosphorus ratio apparently.nutrition is about science..you should have any homemade diet analysed by a nutrition service.i believe the nutrition service at Tufts offers this service.in studies the vast majority of homemade diets are not complete and balanced even the ones from books written by vets.its about science not emotion.

[@briesullivan883]

@@TheTattooedDogTrainer question: what are your thoughts on feeding cooked meat from the grocery store? I would of course avoid seasonings and such.

[@gabe5476]

Would love to see a video reviewing Stella and Chewy’s raw coated kibble!

[@Sarah-bw8tm]

My Siamese has been eating raw for about 8 months. My vet doesn’t necessarily discourage raw diets but they definitely make it clear that they don’t recommend it. I’ve made it very clear with them that I feed a complete and balanced diet that I’m not making myself and I practice very religious food safety. Including disinfecting my counters before I cook since he might be climbing on them when I’m not home.

[@Sara-eb8pw]

Hey there! I am curious about your nutritionist certification. How does it work, what type of formation is it ? :)

[@LifefulLife]

Great video! tho sadly I realistically don't know any vet (or doctor for that matter) thats willing to listen or learn something new from their patient. But it's worth a shot.

[@kelceyirvine5868]

Would love a video on best to worst premade dog foods! I have a pup on Farmina but we’re trying to incorporate raw or switch if possible. I have no faith in my DIY abilities and there are sooo many premade raw! Any advice would help!

[@larrywhorley9440]

Instinct has a complete line of raw foods and you can get them at most super stores. Petsmart has the complete line. If you don't want to feed raw but want something as close to raw as possible, Wysong Epigen is the best choice

[@nessapie23]

I feed my dog Stella and Chewys raw coated kibble with freeze dried raw bits and occasionally I buy a small bag of their frozen raw Pattie’s and add half a patty with his kibble. He loves it and is super shiny and full of energy

[@lauragerber8488]

Please Review Steve's Raw beef nuggets!

[@OpinionatedMonk]

We raw feed our doberman. Being nearly 2 year old, he's on about 2% body weight diet per day (about 800 grams per day as he weighs 40kg, but we vary depending how lean or chubby he's looking) with a typical 80/10/5/5 split. It takes some planning and we freeze all his meat for a least a week (ideally 2 or 3) plus he gets a huge variety of different organs and meat. Plus a load of veggies and fruit. Great video and exactly right about doing your research before starting this. We taught our vet quite a bit about this diet.

[@kaehume4742]

Another thing to note too is that Veterinarians who specialize in nutrition are far more likely to be in favor of a fresh/raw food diet than your general practice vet who treats illnesses and injuries

[@chrisziegler2474]

This just isn’t true at all. The leading veterinary nutritionists (note…these are actual degrees not online certifications like this video’s author has…) recommend WSAVA foods. I’m not sure where you got this information but it’s false.

[@bbycherub2420]

@@chrisziegler2474 Are wsava foods good? I know royal canin is really bad but it's wsava accepted. Purina is even worse but is also accepted. Why do vet nutritionists recommend them most of the time? Is it for safety and to not get sued?

[@chrisziegler2474]

@@bbycherub2420 where do you get the notion that those foods are bad?

[@bbycherub2420]

@@chrisziegler2474 Well, Purina usually has grain fillers, gluten, BHT, BHA, food dyes, rendered fat, meat byproducts. "Purina Alpos" first ingredients are "ground yellow corn, beef and bone meal, soy bean meal, animal fat preserved with mixed trichophyols, and animal digest." "Purina pro plans" first ingredients are chicken, rice, whole grain wheat, poultry by-product meal, and soy bean meal. Purina isn't balanced, almost always contains corn, wheat, soy bean meal, etc. It's just objectively not a good balanced food compared to foods like Open Farm, Natures blend, Carna4, etc.

[@pwood6532]

@@bbycherub2420 gluten is a problem for the 1% of HUMANS who have celiac disease otherwise known as sprue.this has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do w dogs or cats who do not get celiac disease bc they are not humans!the grain free fad led to an epidemic of cardiomyopathy in dogs...which is what happens when people follow fads and faulty information.Purina make some decent diets...as do Hills Iams and Royal Canin.there is a lot of hysteria on channels like this.yes people have been feeding dogs table scraps and whatever for hundreds of years but that was before science and research.dogs and cats are living much longer today than ever before.the biggest nutrition problem in cats and dogs today is OBESITY not nutrition deficiencies.because people feed too much and the pet doesn't get enough exercise.where does all this nonsense about gluten and grains come from...its just not science based.

[@MIREYA3235]

CAN YOU DO A VIDEO REVIEWING RAW PET FOOD BRANDS?? I'M FEEDING PUREVITA KIBBLE MIXED WITH PRIMAL RAW NUGGETS AND PRIMAL GOAT MILK. BUT THEY ARE SO MANY BRANDS OUT THERE AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THEM.

[@Jeffrey_DeBlaay...888]

do you know about & have you researched Rotational Mono Feeding (RMO) by Nora Lenz?? it might be the best information out there on the best diet to feed dogs, the way nature intended...a species specific diet 💚

[@stephaniemontgomery7278]

What is your opinion of Dr Marty's raw food? Thank you!

[@woodchuck8017]

Can you rank canned cat food? I love to see that! I love your videos

[@rivertheservicedoodle1730]

I love living in a rural farm community our vet is like “okay most farm dogs will eat raw as well”

[@wookori]

My veterinarian believes that grain-free diets are bad for cats and dogs. She says that studies show that grain-free diets lead to heart disease. I want to put my pets on raw because they have so many digestive issues. I don't think my vet will approve. Do you have any advice?

[@tonyrich4433]

I’m binging, this channel is great!

[@coy6976]

It’s not just deficiencies and diseases you have to worry about when feeding a raw diet (especially if it’s homemade). Microminerals are yet another! If you feed a bit more than absolutely needed it can be TOXIC. One wrong measurement could mean the death of your beloved family member. If you absolutely need/want to feed raw get this book: “Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats” though I do believe they’ll be coming out with a new addition (as this was published in 2006), this book should have everything you need to know about you cats/dogs nutritional needs (the nutrition bible for cats and dogs is what my nutrition professor called it)! Good luck, and be careful 👍

[@leggi_bois4eva]

How much overlap is there in cat and dog raw feeding? Can the same tips be applied to both? (I have 2 cats and am raw curious)

[@TheTattooedDogTrainer]

While the formulation involved in cat and dog food is different because they are different species, the raw information I share applies to both cats and dogs unless otherwise stated. In this video, the info applies to both cat and dog food!

[@debbieshomes6984]

@@TheTattooedDogTrainer Great to know. Thank u. I also have cats

[@barksnbrews]

My dog has been raw fed her entire life (now 4 years old) and has always been very healthy. The only vet I’ve ever taken her to that didn’t have a problem with the raw diet was a naturopathic vet. Well I’m sure Vet see the worst of the worst, it really irritates me that they just assume that that i am irresponsible and haven’t researched and am very selective and careful… because that’s how others have handled the situation. I don’t have a problem with their initial caution when they hear that I feed RAW but I do have a problem with the fact that they just assume that I’ve done it the wrong way rather than asking me or giving me the chance to explain that I have done a ton of research and been very careful and then I’m very selective about what my dog gets. Also from what I understand from friends who actually are vets, they get like one nutrition class in all of Vet school and sponsored by Purina. They’re going to have a vested interest in telling that students how dangerous raw is and how superior their product is. That doesn’t make it accurate information. If I had a dog that I was trying to feed RAW and it wasn’t going well and they were adjusting or adapting to it I would absolutely put them on another figure. But until that happens, I’m not taking my dog off of a raw diet. She’s incredibly healthy and every time she goes to the vet, they discussed that she’s the healthiest looking dog I’ve ever seen, that her teeth and eyes are in great shape and then her coat is the shiniest of any dog that comes in. So she can’t be that unhealthy.

[@mihaeladog7187]

Who certifies the pet nutritionists?🤔

[@austa_la_vista]

Great points about the food born illnesses much more a product of modernization and why hunter gather tribes can eat raw meat vs would not recommend eating raw meat from the store. However my main question against raw foods would be that we cook foods as it cuts down the digestive load we would have eating raw foods as we are denaturing and breaking down some of the foods ahead of time. From an energy efficiency standpoint wouldn’t cooked foods apply a similar benefit to our fur friends? Even if cooking isn’t needed

[@olivia-kb1sd]

I’ve been feeding my dogs orijins recently (we switched them about 3 months ago) and for the past month my two girls have been getting diarrhea randomly. I remember from your kibble rating video you said they were a company to keep an eye on. I’ve tried to research to see if they’ve changed their formula, but I’m coming up with nothing. Do you have any new info on the company? Are they still a top tier food? Thanks!

[@catheerinep.1027]

Hi, I fed my dog Orijen a few years back because they were a great kibble(as great as kibble can get). Their ingredients had no meat meals and practically no add synthetic vitamin and minerals. She’s talked about how they moved to the US, and by doing so they did in fact change there formula. It’s sad really bcs they really were doing it right.

[@catheerinep.1027]

*added, *their

[@barksnbrews]

I don’t have an issue with Orijen but I fed in my pre-raw days and had the same issue. This has been probably 8 years ago now so can’t say if a formula has changed. It just never worked for my dogs.

[@nouranibrahim10]

What if i live in a country where no raw cat food is available in stores? Can i just feed them raw chicken or raw beef?

[@sherickoos]

How do people feel about fresh diets? Like, Ollie, Spot & Tango and Farm Dog? I know these are subscriptions but I know there are fresh foods you can buy at a store as well.

[@Calimasu]

JustFoodForDogs is a great fresh food dog and cat food. All the ingredients in their food is USDA human grade food and made in kitchens open to the public. JFFD has many full time vets on staff with certifications in Nutrition, Dermatology, and Toxicology. JFFD has a subscription service, but can also be found in select Petco stores they also have Vet Pantries.

[@mandypdx]

When I discussed it with my vet, she didn’t want me to feed it to my young kitten. She said kittens have trouble digesting the ground bone.

[@macman_003]

Hello Skyler, I had a question I would love your help on. You have actually help me change my whole outlook for what I will feed my puppy. I am ended up going with The Farmers Dog subscription for raw food. Do you have any feedback or can you give me your opinion of pros & cons of the nutritional value it has and is missing?

[@davidvillalpando8030]

This is what I don’t understand why vets try to force you on to feeding kibble . most of the brands are bad for our pups.

[@Su-jk5ve]

I'm part of the cat community and when I read raw meat or whole prey that's a green flag going off for me because that’s what they’ve been eating for millions of years ago before domesticating cats and what Jackson Galaxy says is that their raw cat is speaking to them 24/7 and they know they should be eating raw meat

[@paigeautumn8179]

Can you review Acana wholesome grains? I don’t want to go grain free and one of my dogs are allergic to chicken. I’ve recently decided to move off of merrick to upgrade, and need to stay in the same price range (I’d love to fee orijin or farmers dog but I can’t afford it). We are trying the beef acana wholesome grains with primal bone broth, pumpkin purée, honest kitchen fish meal booster and a joint oil. Just wanted to get your thoughts on that mix, it’s hard to find things that don’t conflict online

[@TheTattooedDogTrainer]

That mix sounds fantastic!

[@laulalaur]

My vet put my 11yr old dog on Hills Prescription Diet urinary care permanently. What other food would you recommend? Please give me another alternative.

[@barksnbrews]

Start with why. Why does the dog need to be on a prescription diet? (Maybe they legit do, if they have a health issue.) also, why this over other brands? I think the answers will give you a good starting point as to why your dog is being asked to eat this & what the goal should be if you choose to go another direction.

[@kevywilliams3304]

How did get your nutrition license ?

[@meaganblack1529]

If you are feeding them an assortment of food, how do you figure out how much to give? I don't know how to figure out how many calories per day my dog needs. (My dog, who the vet has now told me is getting a bit fat. Oops!)

[@meaganblack1529]

Static Resurrection replied: "I am a trainer I can help. How big is your dog? What breed? How old?" @Static Resurrection, I don't know what KZbin is doing (or maybe you changed your mind?), but Demi is a Chihuahua / Italian Greyhound / ??? mix and almost 3 years old. I only adopted her in December, at which point she was 5.8 kg. She weighed in at 6.3 in April, and is currently 7.1 kg, which is apparently too fat. She is a little sausage on 4 sticks with a thick neck and triangular head, so reducing the weight on her tiny legs is probably reasonable. She is pretty low energy. (If you did delete your reply on purpose, please feel free to just ignore this reply to that reply.)

[@katk7505]

@@meaganblack1529 a dog that size should only need like 350 calories to maintain their weight, maybe less to lose weight... there are nutrition calculators online for dogs, find one that takes in their current body condition and ideal weight into mind. If she's actually built like an Italian greyhound you should be able to faintly SEE ribs, and easily feel ribs, spine, and hip bones without feeling like you have to push through any fat. Dogs that size need very few calories. My aussie is 45lbs and only needs 800 a day so a dog that size needs very little.

[@meaganblack1529]

@@katk7505, thanks so much! I appreciate the response. I was using a calculation I got off the internet, but I'll look again.

[@xxladysnipes316xx7]

OMG CAN YOU PLEASE PLEASE DO A VIDEO ABOUT SCOOTING!!!my 13week old Pomeranian girl keeps scooting and I’m getting worried about that I want to know what I can do to throughly diet?shes utd on shots so can’t be ring worms

[@user-md7mk7fb8g]

Have your vet check her anal glands. Constant scooting is often a sign of impacted anal glands. A groomer can not remedy this, so have your vet check it. Typically, a dog with impacted anal glands will scoot more than once or twice, and can also usually be seen licking their rear end.

[@dianaay6131]

I do a question, not necessarily about raw diet, can a dog eat wet kibble? Like with Bone Marrow? Because veterinarians are always saying we should not do that, EVER. So I was confused on what to do

[@barksnbrews]

Lol why??? Canines in the wild will eat meat, organ & bone off of what they catch, meaning they are getting bone marrow. I have to assume you mean feeding bone broth? In that instance maybe just don’t buy it at tel he grocery store? bc it’s usually seasoned with things like onion and garlic, which are not safe for dogs. Otherwise, I’d love to know the vets rationale here.

[@pwood6532]

@@barksnbrews not sure which canines in the wild you are referring to...or maybe coyotes foxes wolves or just stray domesticated or feral dogs?however..in the wild they do NOT live the long lives most of our pet dogs do.they get injured.or die from viruses nor go septic. In nature animals live long enough to reproduce a few times if they are lucky.i have seen many dogs with slab fractures to their upper carnassials from chewing on bones.i have also seen gastrointestinal injury not to mention some really nasty foul diarrhea and gastroenteritis from bones and raw meat.if you look at the anthropological evidence out ancestors ate what they could get their hands on..including sucking the marrow out of the long bones of their dead relatives.yuck...no thanks..just bc a wild ancestor did it doesn't mean we should too.

[@barksnbrews]

@@pwood6532 A wild animal wouldn’t waste time with a large dense bone on an animal they killed; the would go for the easiest meal, which would likely consist of meat, organs, and smaller more manageable bones. Additionally, uncooked bones are much softer; the bones you’ve seen injuries on are most likely big chew bones that are cooked to some degree and therefore pose a heightened risk bc they become much harder. If you feed raw, I’m not discounting the fact that you have to be careful, both in what you allow then to have and how you source it. Just because a few people did it the wrong way doesn’t mean that you can’t feed raw in a safe way. Re: sucking the marrow out of human bones, I’d be interested in seeing the science on this and knowing your source. Please don’t say Wikipedia… At the end of the day, whether we deem it appetizing or not, gross doesn’t equal unhealthy or unsafe. There are a lot of things modern day humans do that I find disgusting; doesn’t mean it’s unsafe to do it.

[@amckimmey]

Just to be clear, AAFCO does not approve, certify or otherwise endorse pet food. You keep saying foods are in your videos. But they don't do that. They publicly state that on their own website.

[@bryantcofty2709]

Your AWESOME!!! Have you heard of a company called My Pet Carnivore? If so, what's your take on them. If not, I'd love for you to research them and report back. Thanks

[@barksnbrews]

I used them for a long time and my dog had no issues. I moved away from it bc while quality was good, supply (even well before the pandemic) was hit or miss and it was just too hard to plan. Also, I was sick of the mess and constant calculations to ensure I was making it balanced. Frankly my dog is a Corgi so I can feed her high quality pre-made for not much more $$ and then I don’t have the hassle or the worry. FYI - I used Darwin’s for a long time. The food was excellent quality. But their deliveries have gotten out of control. They ship to the South in the HOT summers without any dry ice or sufficient packaging. Many times in the last year or so, I had to call and either get a refund because the food was completely thawed and warm (meaning it shouldn’t be fed), or get it replaced and then figure out something to hold me over another week before getting the replacement. My dog got VERY sick twice. That’s when I stopped feeding Darwin’s and moved to Answers. It’s not cheap but the quality is great, and I can buy it locally so it cuts out the shipping concern.

[@fairymystonight1783]

Can you rank cat wet food?

[@joytang1112]

Is it fine if i cook the raw food (except bones) so pathogens are not a concern?

[@TheTattooedDogTrainer]

If you are feeding meat from the grocery store you can absolutely lightly cook the food. However, if you are wanting to feed an all raw diet, I always recommend starting with with a pre-made raw food while you learn more

[@TheStrawberry692]

Have you heard of maev? It’s a frozen raw food? :)

[@cudddlesXD]

Very well done 👍❤

[@diananemoy7409]

Yes I've always taken what vets recommend food wise with a grain of salt as much as I adore my vet and they do care but end of day they are paid and given kickbacks to promote all the brands they sell. Royal canine and Hills are just garbage regardless the preached vet approved and backed my endless "science". I tried goikf raw this last month with my mini schnauzer after years of a quality dry food which was up there in price as is but went higher for raw per all the amazing benefits so many swore by and my dumb luck it was horrible for my dog and she ended up at vets emergency where I pretty much got an I told u so look. They acknowledged many dogs do good on raw but just as many end up in emergency scenarios like I did with my dad when raw backfires and actually causes parasite/food poisoning type reactions. I know Small Batch Pets is an amazing brand and love that it os carried locally but sad it didn't work out for my dog among that I put her through this all when all I wanted was to better her health even more as she gets older. No one online talks remotely about how bad the side effects can be if raw diesnt work for their pets as it wasnt the simple shes not into it and go back to set food scenario.

[@jessicar2609]

I promise you that they don't get kickbacks. I work in the field and we don't get anything besides a small discount on the food we buy for our pets.

[@diananemoy7409]

@@jessicar2609 Thank you for confirming this. I an even more baffled then why so many well informed vets I trust never have any opinion on the more natural quality brands of food yet will always promote the super processed "vet approved" brands at their office that are no better than the cheapest iams at half the cost lol.

[@jessicar2609]

@@diananemoy7409 from my understanding, it's because there's the most research on the foods they recommend. With there being 50+ dog food brands at least, it's hard to know about all of them, so they recommend the ones that have the most scientific evidence backing the food. It's hard to promote or support a food that just came on the market with little to no long term evidence that it's good for a pet.

[@barksnbrews]

@@jessicar2609 since you’re in the industry, I do have a validity question here: as someone also in a research-based field, I know that many large studies are sponsored by those who have a vested interest in the results. Keeping this about dog food, if a bunch of large studies are done on these specific foods but they’re all sponsored (fully or in part) by these large brands, why is the potential conflict of interest not a) acknowledged and b) seemingly of concern for vets? Anyone who has worked with research knows that every study isn’t valid and often can be swayed by what the sponsors of said study need it to say/reveal. Not trying to be argumentative; this is a genuine question.

[@treasuretrovel3816]

I have found that it is a waste of time to talk to one's veterinarian about raw feeding (or about anything that is contrary to over-vaccination, over poisoning with various flea and tick meds or about laying off heartworm medication in the winter or if living in a non-dangerous area). I'm tired of being viewed with disdain because I don't want to give my pup another parvo-distemper booster even though his titers show that he is super immune. No, I refuse to buy the propaganda from big pharma/American Veterinary Medical Association that "Nobody knows what titer means" so just keep boosting. If you follow the propaganda instead of the science your dog will be at great risk for autoimmune disease, kidney disease, liver disease and cancer in his short life span. If you tell your veterinarian that your dog eats pure, fresh meals you balance they will roll their eyes and try to sell you a bag of Science Diet. Don't waste your time!!!!

[@shadokat]

You keep asking what we want you to talk about. Here are some issues I'm facing with my two 4 year old male neutered tabby cats. I saw your video where you rated a bunch of dry cat food. Great, most of the brands were in the bottom category. I priced some of the ones in the top two categories. Most of us can not afford premium cat food. We've been led to believe that brands like Iams and Science Diet are great for our cats, but you put them in the sh*t category. Some of those "premium" brands you rated so poorly are already out of our price range, and you showed us even more expensive brands and told us we should be buying them instead. Instead of telling us that all of the food we can afford is lousy, why don't you look at the inexpensive food available and tell us which of those are the "best of the worst?" Do any of those foods have any redeeming qualities? Why don't you find foods that are under, maybe, $2.00 a pound and tell us which of those might offer the best nutrition, even if it is lousy? Regardless of whether or not the foods in your top tier are better for our cats, many of us simply cannot afford to buy them. Yet we have to feed our cats something! I've been buying Blue Buffalo sensitive Stomach formula because one of my boys gets very gassy and will throw up anything containing too many vegetables. Or so the vet said. Here's another idea. Is there anything affordable that we can buy to enhance the nutrition of some of those bad brands? You also go on about how kibble isn't what we should be feeding our cats. My two boys only seem to want kibble. They flat out refuse to eat pate and most other wet cat food. No mousse. No shreds. No grilled. No chopped. No real meat or fish (or what resembles it). No flaked. It has to have the tiniest pieces of meat and be mostly gravy or sauce, or they refuse to touch it. That includes mixing wet with kibble. It's an automatic NO from my boys. There are a couple of wet foods that my cats will not stick their noses up at but will then only lick the "gravy" from the food and leave the meat. I've tried feeding over a dozen brands so far but they mostly only "eat" purina pro plan seafood stew. Even fancy feast, that is like "crack" to most cats, my two will not touch. I throw away so much wet food trying to get them to eat it, and I can't afford the wasted money! What do you do with cats like that? So, there are my requests for topics to discuss. Thank you for your channel; I've learned a lot even though I can't get my cats to cooperate. Have a wonderful day!

[@psychosquirrel7918]

I second your "best of the worst" suggestion. Have you tried offering raw goat's milk to your boys? If they like it, maybe you could mix some with their food or vice versa? Nutritional Yeast can be used as well to entice them to eat. When we switched our cats to raw, our boy was all for it but our girl was not having it. It took 3 months of consistently putting itty bits of raw next to her kibble and increasing the raw amount [in turn, reducing the kibble amount] whenever she ate it until she was full raw. Best of luck!

[@shadokat]

@@psychosquirrel7918 thank you for the suggestion! I've never considered raw goat's milk but I'm concerned about the cost. I know we can't base all of our animals' nutrition needs on cost, but some of us are incredibly cash poor. I will look into your idea.

[@psychosquirrel7918]

@@shadokat Youre welcome 🙂 If you can find someone with a milking goat I do believe that would be cheaper? Where I live, Primal is $12.99 a pint and I think it called for 2 Tbsp per cat and 1/4 c for our 100lb pup a day.

[@barksnbrews]

I don’t know your situation, so take this with a grain of salt bc I know you can only work with the funds you have, and not everyone can do the same thing. Some years ago, I started thinking about my own health initially and how expensive it is to eat healthy. But there is a saying I have found to be largely true for myself and my pets: “you can pay the farmer now or the doctor later”. Again, there’s a sliding scale as to how much each individual can apply that. But it did change my perspective and I go the vet once a year most times for a check up and rabies vaccine (required in most of the US). So while I admittedly spend a fortune on pet food, I save a lot by nit having many vet visits, which helps to offset some of the cost difference. On texture, I get it. My cat will only eat pate; nothing else, including raw (I tried and he got to the point he would but he never adjusted). He has to be on an all-wet diet but it was HARD to get him off of kibble. It took probably 6 months to fully transition him over. Here’s why; cats imprint food, meaning that if it’s different than what they are used to seeing or texture is different, they don’t interpret it as food. Apparently it’s an evolutionary thing that would protect them from poisoning in the wild. Toppers: My cat LOVES salmon oil (just a small squirt on his food, mix it up); it’s not cheap. Goats milk is a great option (my picky eater also likes that btw). You can try sardines but the need to be packed in water with no seasoning. My cat won’t do it but some will.

[@maksimklimuk]

Go and ask an actual veterinarian (that specifically specializes in pet nutrition) if he/she recommends it. I bet the answer will be no. People who give raw diet are more prone to giving table food/human food as well. You do not see those cases that come with pancreatitis, gastrointeritis, colitis bloody diarrhea, vomiting, and skin allergies coming from food allergies. Vets do. Why would you have to experiment and potentially put your pet's health at risk? That's just stupid.

[@barksnbrews]

I never understand why people say “human food”. Things like berries or carrots are very healthy for dogs in small amounts. Human food is just food. Just like people can’t eat anything they want without getting sick, neither can dogs. Pumpkin is highly recommended by many vets in a variety of situations. There is chicken in most pet food; people eat that all the time. Food is food, it doesn’t all belong to one species or another. Now should you be feeding your dog potato chips? No, by frankly we shouldn’t be eating them either. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@theseasons1172]

Also have to think about not all dogs were created back then . Dogs back then probably hunted down they animals the dogs now is not the same . Dogs are not wolfs

[@krestoltingler5517]

They are from the same family. Dogs are very capable of hunting down food if necessary, but they do rely on us more. As the video stated kibble didn't exist until at the earliest 1940s until then dogs ate scraps or whatever the family gave them. My grandparents didn't have kibble for their dogs growing up, it wasn't even heard of. My grandfather always made his dog's food even after kibble came into stores as it was all he knew.

[@skyexraine]

Dogs have really short intestines' which shows that biologically, they are still carnivores and need to eat the food they are biologically meant to. Which is raw. We have a long intestines, because our digestive tract is more for cooked food, veggies, and fruits. Carnivores have a short intestine, because it lessens their chance of picking up bacteria from the raw meat.

[@joytang1112]

Is it fine if i cook the raw food (except bones) so pathogens are not a concern?

[@hebiitam4290]

I used to cook for our dog, you can definitely kill the pathogen in the raw food while you cooked it, however, you will also strip some of the nutrition away, it is pros and cons.