# Vet said Raw Diet was unhealthy



## bwreynolds72 (Jul 15, 2008)

Sam will be 7 months old in about a week and a half and she looks about as healthy as a dog could be except for a bare spot on her back leg that she bites. 

So my wife took Sam to the vet today to get that checked out, well my vet wasn't there, a fill in showed up in her place. The first question she asked was what diet is she on. My wife said she is on the RMB diet and has been for some time. The vet said "Oh that is so unhealthy you need to get her off that immediately". My wife said, excuse me no it isn't unhealthy and we will not be changing her back to kibble. My wife told her that if I had heard her say that then I would have not been happy, haha she was right.

The vet returned with "he probably read that diet on the internet somewhere."

This vet has gotten alot of complaints and how many people can guess what establishment in which she may be employed?

Anyway, a couple of other things went on with that visit that I don't care to discuss and my wife ended up leaving without finding out the problem. Need to find another vet and see if she has any allergies. 

Thanks for letting me vent guys. The bare spot on the picture below was from her surgery, not the topic discussed above.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Sam is a good sized GSD from the pic. Most vets don't know much about nutrition and feel the general public know less than them. So to get a knowledgable pet owner feeding raw, they get defensive. My vet actually cringed when I told her what I feed, she caught herself in the act, though! If you let them know what you feed, supplements and amounts for body weight, they may be a bit more accepting that you know what you are doing. If you just say I feed RMB's that may get a poor opinion of the diet you are feeding.
Try to find a holistic vet if possible, they are more open and less intrusive. Good luck with the allergy issue, Onyx has chronic right ear issues, and to do the elimination diet is something I need to get going on. My Dh and son are deer hunting this weekend, if I can get some venison to feed for a month we'll be all set!!


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## bwreynolds72 (Jul 15, 2008)

Yeah too bad I wasn't there to explain to her exactly what we feed to her and how much research I did before switching to this diet. My wife, I think was a little too mad to respond this way. I forgot to explain that this veterinarian wheeled herself in the room in her office chair and did not bother to get up out of the chair to give Sam the proper attention. A lot stuff went down with this vet before she made that comment about Sam's diet so I think my wife was just fet up at that point.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

My dog would have gone off on someone who wheeled into the room, and then tried to examine her-she is fear aggressive. Wow, what a strange thing to do...


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## BJDimock (Sep 14, 2008)

Sadly I think that a lot of vets are still biased about the raw diet. When it first started coming into the Vet scene, we saw a whole lot of novices, not understanding nutrition, with very underweight, malnourshed dogs. Everyone wanted to jump on the "bandwagon" but didn't know how to steer.
We have seen nothing but really healthy happy dogs from raw diet, lately. (My Fidelco girls eat raw as well)
Unfortunately, it seems to be a problem with vets, who tend to form an opinion, and refuse to give it up. (I've worked for many different ones, and have seen it happen, again and again.)
Try seeing your reg. vet again, and voice your opinion. (Some times the fill in vets are the worst to be had)


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## bwreynolds72 (Jul 15, 2008)

Thanks for the advice. Yeah my normal vet is very nice, so nice perhaps that I am a little afraid to ask her opinion because I would lose some respect for her if she dismisses it. But on the other hand it might be the kick in the butt I need to find a hollistic vet in Houston. Probably are a few around. 

Is this just a rumor or are these vets paid to promote Iams or other types of dog food to their clients?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I think the vets are science diet sellers, make a nice profit from the perscription diets. They probably had the Iams reps come into the clinics or vet schools to promote products. And 20 years ago Iams and SD were the best ones available. I worked in a pet shop around then and NutroMax had just been widely distributed, everyone jumped on it-after years of Purina.
There is soo much competition, fortunately, and many vets just do not keep up with it. Remember vets have to learn about many different species, not just one type of body, so the time spent in nutrition is limited. Human docs have it so easy, and their patients can tell them where it hurts.LOLL(JK)
I know of a vet who has graduated only a year ago and swears by purina one, thinks it is all that.


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## scannergirl (Feb 17, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: B Dubb 72
> Is this just a rumor or are these vets paid to promote Iams or other types of dog food to their clients?


Do they sell it?









I think there are folks who just KNOW, and you can show them that maybe they don't but they won't see.
I asked a woman to keep my horses over a weekend while we went out of town. I said I'd bring the hay- no grain. No alfalfa, just good quality grass hay. "Oh, you have to feed grain or alfalfa" she said. No, really I don't. So anyway when I finally arrived with them and offloaded them off the trailer she said she could not believe how good they looked for the diet they got.








Well, DUH! If they were unhealthy, skinny, and lethargic would I keep doing what I had been doing? I keep doing it because it works. And I am fortunate enough to have the vet's blessing. I think I would have a hard time if my vet was like the one you saw. Lucy's vet gets on the floor with her


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## JulesMichy (Feb 15, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: onyx'girlI think the vets are science diet sellers, make a nice profit from the perscription diets. They probably had the Iams reps come into the clinics or vet schools to promote products.


The Hills diet company, who makes Science Diet, gives a lot of handouts to vet clinics that distribute their prescription diets. Office supplies like post its, mouse pads, and the like are given as gifts.



> Originally Posted By: BJDimockUnfortunately, it seems to be a problem with vets, who tend to form an opinion, and refuse to give it up. (I've worked for many different ones, and have seen it happen, again and again.)


THIS. Absolutely. I also have worked under numerous vets and have seen the same reaction to new ideas. Even my vet, who is mainly an exotics vet but also sees dogs and cats, who I greatly admire and respect, lost a sliver of my confidence when she reacted in a violently opposed way to raw diet.

Unfortunately, I used to be among the same mentality. I was a vet tech, I knew what I was talking about, and dry food as the only way to go. I knew for absolute certain that wet food made pets gain weight and have bad teeth. Luckily a friend was able to gently and steadily expose me to nutrition info that I could study in my spare time and come to a different conclusion on my own.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Do you have a picture of the little bare spot? I'm wondering if it's demodectic mange.


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## bwreynolds72 (Jul 15, 2008)

Here ya go BowWowMeow.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Doesn't look like mange. Maybe a staph infection? 

Give it it's own thread and ask what people think.


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## bwreynolds72 (Jul 15, 2008)

Thanks so much for all the comments everybody. Well we are going to try my normal vet and get her examined and hopefully something will come out of that.

It was Petsmart. haha


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

That looks like grass mites.. if you don't get a hard frost in TX, you might want to ask about if it could be grass mites. It looks like it has been nibbled a bit. Grass mites can itch for weeks after they bite. Another name is "chiggers.! They do NOT live in the skin, burrow into the skin, etc-- those are old wives tales. But, they do cause irritation. Frontline Spray, given under guidance by your vet, and not in combo with other topicals.. can safely be re.applied every 4 weeks to keep the chiggers away. Just a thought!

GOOD for you, and for your dog, that you feed a raw diet!!







It has made a world of difference for my dog!







Find a vet who understands or at least is sympathetic, if you can. According to my own vet, vets get 11 hours of nutritional education-- provided by Hills or Purina. She advocates for raw!


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I just had my vet tell me the same thing~"that raw is unhealthy and will kill my dogs eventually. After I spend over $500 in vet bills"!~Her words~ And she was very condenscending in her rant about it. I just told her I had my dogs on raw for 1 1/2 yrs and had researched it, did she? Then she kind of went off about it. I said nothing thanked her when she left the exam room and unfortunately, I probably will switch vets after this(I have been going there for over 20 yrs), daughter took over the practice. If only they were more open to new research in diet...She didn't comment on my dogs glossy coat, shiny white teeth and good weight, no odor, ect. Just that salmonella, e-coli and protozoa will kill my dogs...


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