Thursday, July 31, 2014

Is raw feeding THE cure-all?

Spoiler alert. Sorry to pee on your party; it's not.

If you've been doing any research into raw, you'll likely have read a number of miraculous accounts of dogs cured of disease, acting like puppies, cats who live forever, etc, ALL DUE TO A RAW DIET. Hell, I have my own seemingly miraculous tales of improved life through diet change.

Before...

AFTER!!
Here's the thing. Raw diet wasn't exactly the cure. It's more complicated than that...

In some cases, a raw diet means eliminating things that cause problems-- whether it's a grain or a protein or a preservative or a coloring agent. Raw isn't solving the problem so much as getting rid of the shit that's causing it.

In other cases, the raw diet, because it's healthier overall, is strengthening the body, supporting it and making it better able to cope with disease or illness. In some cases, parasites like fleas prefer broken skin. It's easier to penetrate. By making the skin healthier, we make it less desirable for fleas. But if you live somewhere that is flea infested, no amount of raw diet cures your problem. It may mean your dog is better able to recover from the flea bites or get fewer, but it's not solving the problem. It's HELPING, for sure, but it's not the only solution.

-----

Modern medicine, at some point, made a turn away from treating the whole being. Diet became a management tool to keep existing issues from getting worse-- issues that were sometimes caused or exacerbated by poor diet to begin with-- rather than a way to create a strong foundation for the body to avoid these issues in the first place.

In response to this, many people have gone entirely the other direction: complete mistrust of the modern medical machine and insistence that good diet cures all.

It seems to me that the smart thing to do is allow these things to work in tandem. Good diet can prevent disease, can help the body fight disease, and can provide support to perhaps minimize the need for medical intervention. No, our ancestors didn't have these things, wolves didn't take heartworm prevention-- they also died. They died sooner and sometimes more tragically.

Modern medicine has its place.

Yes, if the root cause of a dog's allergy is grain-- removing that grain from the picture is going to fix things. A raw diet will do that. Or maybe your dog is far too hyperactive. Removing carbs might fix that. Raw diet is great.

But what if your dog's allergy is hayfever? Yes, a raw diet may help reduce symptoms, make the body better able to cope with those symptoms. But it might not be enough. Maybe local honey will help. But again-- that's not always the right answer.

Sometimes supplementation is the key, sometimes medicine is the right answer. And a good diet will form the healthy foundation for those things to work better.

But please don't discount the right treatment at the right time for the sake of an ideology.

And don't believe everything you read on the internet.

1 comment:

  1. Modern medicine, at some point, made a turn away from treating the whole being. Diet became a management tool to keep existing issues, right i am totally agree with you SG300-10PP-K9-NA

    ReplyDelete