The Nitty Gritty: Research Part 1, Working with your vet

Robin waits for dinner back in the early days of home-cooked
food for her and her crystals. 

When you first start reading about raw (or home-cooked) feeding, it sounds either impossibly complicated, or suspiciously simple. Be wary of both tracks. And know that once you get going, once you settle into a system, it becomes so much easier. 

If you have a vet who isn't overly familiar with raw feeding, or who is opposed to it, be courteous and respectful. Vets went to school to care for animals. It's easy for us to just chalk up the food that they recommend to kick-backs or a lack of education. But I firmly believe that the overwhelming majority of vets only want what's best for our animals, and in the grand scheme of animal health, THEY KNOW MORE THAN WE DO. No, they do not get a large amount of diet or behavior training in school-- but that's largely a reflection, I think, of our current society that doesn't yet place a premium on the importance of diet and behavior. I do think that's changing. Whole Dog Journal wrote an article a while back about the research put into prescription foods-- it gave me a much rounder view of the big picture. And including our vets in this process makes it a learning experience for all of us-- which, regardless of outcome, can only be a good thing.

My point is, try to work with your vet and be honest about what you're doing-- whether it's raw or home-cooked feeding. My approach was to stress that this was something I wanted to try and that if I couldn't make it work, I would move to the Rx foods. I also promised to monitor the situation closely. In Robin's case, it was due to her urinary crystals. So I promised to monitor her urine pH and to have her urine tested regularly. One of the women who works in the vet's office has dubbed me The Best Urine Collecter in Town. I wear that badge proudly. 

We've also started monitoring River's blood work, and I will plan to check it annually. This is a good idea for senior dogs, anyway, but it also eases my mind that she's getting what she needs. 

The thing is, no one is really able to tell you how to do it "right," and so it comes down to learning as much as you can and then finding a method that works for you and your dogs-- or buying premade. This is probably a vet's number one complaint with raw; many people don't do the research or put in the effort, and so they wind up providing incomplete diets or risking their and their family's health by eschewing proper food hygiene practices. 

There's a misconception that dogs can't get salmonella or e. coli. It's true that their digestive tract was designed to be highly acidic and short-- to kill bacteria and move it through the body quickly. But too much bacteria, or a dog with a compromised immune system can be problematic. This is one of the things that we think may have been Andre's problem. He was sick when he came to us, had several surgeries over the course of 3 months, multiple rounds of antibiotics, antifungals and lots of stress-- all of which have an impact on the immune system of a dog. We'll know more through our food trials as to whether he's just finally over the hump and can tolerate raw bacterial loads now, or whether it was food specific.

But humans CAN obviously get salmonella easier than dogs. And the fact that we are all susceptible means that good hygiene practices are just as critical as they are when we cook for ourselves. Use a light bleach or vinegar solution on surfaces. I also use Method AntiBac sprays, which are a citric acid solution. I also have a sponge that is for the dogs' bowls only. And I wash their stainless steel bowls after every meal.

Assuring your vet that you understand these things and following through goes a long way, too.

So it's definitely more work than dumping kibble into a plastic tub just in a logistical sense. But we've found the payoff to be worth it. 

...unless you have a kitchen helper. And then it's, well...
even more complicated. :)