K9sOverCoffee | How to talk to your anti raw vet about feeding raw dog food

How To Talk To Your Anti Raw Vet About Raw Dog Food

Anti raw vet visits with your dog(s) can be anything but fun!

From annoying to provoking, embarrassing and downright frustrating, I’ve personally experienced all of those feelings.

However, I’m happy to report that it doesn’t have to be that way!

Over the years, I found that anti raw vets are either:

  • Concerned that raw-fed dogs aren’t fed a balanced diet or
  • Don’t have the nutritional education that’s necessary to understand the concepts of raw feeding

Keep that background information in mind next time your vet tries to talk you out of raw feeding.

Now is the perfect time to reason with them from a position of knowledge.

Make them understand that you’re not just throwing your dog a raw steak and expect them to thrive.

Instead, tell them that you’ve invested a lot of time and energy into learning about raw dog food. Share your (re)sources with them! For instance:

  • Blogs about raw dog food hosted by experienced raw feeders – like mine!
  • YouTube channels and websites about dog health hosted by integrative and holistic veterinarians such as Dr. Karen Becker and Dr. Dee Blanco.

Also, let them know that you’re interested in a combination of conventional medicine and healthy raw dog food.

Because let’s face it, while raw dog food drastically improves your dog’s overall health, it won’t mend a broken bone caused by an accident. It also won’t treat a poisonous snake bite or a bite wound caused by a dog fight.

So with that in mind, read on for more detailed points to convince your anti raw vet that you’ve done your homework and have your dog’s best interest at heart!

How To Talk To Your Anti Raw Vet About Feeding Raw Dog Food

K9sOverCoffee.com | How to talk to your anti raw vet about feeding raw dog food

Disclaimer: This blog post contains affiliate links. I may earn compensation when you click on the links at no additional cost to you.

Point out the positive side effects that raw dog food has on your dog:

  • Cleaner teeth & ears
  • Shinier coat
  • Less/no more itching
  • Control over ingredients
  • Smaller poop
  • Less dog smell

If your dog used to be bothered by itchy skin, a dull and greasy coat, yeasty ears and dirty teeth, explain that you found a solution in raw dog food.

It’s hard for vets to deny that what you’re feeding works once they see the great condition your dog is in. That’s particularly true if they saw your dog’s condition pre-raw feeding!

I remember hearing my anti raw vets say “oh wow, Wally’s coat looks and feels great and his ears are so clean – so what do you feed him?”

K9sOverCoffee | Wally has clean teeth thanks to eating
Wally’s raw dog food diet includes raw meaty bones which keep his teeth clean! No brushing required!

Emphasize to your anti raw vet what you don’t like about dry (kibble) and wet (canned) dog food

Let your anti raw vet know the specific reasons you’re not a fan of kibble and/or wet dog food. For example, you could point out the following:

  • Highly processed dog food is cooked at very high temperatures that cause nutrient loss. These lost nutrients are added back into the food as synthetic nutrients. However, they can’t be absorbed as well as intact nutrients from real foods.
  • There aren’t enough proteins and too many carbohydrates/empty fillers from plant sources without nutritional value (namely peas, potatoes and corn).
  • There are too many grains (namely wheat, rice, corn, rye, oats and barley). Those have little nutritional value and are high in Omega-6 fatty acids that cause inflammation within the body.
K9sOverCoffee | Kibble vs Raw - An Experiment
Kibble vs raw dog food

Mention to your anti raw vet that you feed pre-made raw dog food from a reputable brand such as:

If you feed pre-made raw dog food from a reputable brand, encourage your vet to check out the brand’s website!

They’ll find a lot of information on the benefits of a species-appropriate, raw diet along with info on where the ingredients are sourced.

The four brands listed above are my personal favorites and I’ve fed them to my own dogs for many years.

What's the cost of raw dog food? Darwin's raw lamb

Explain to your anti raw vet that you’re feeding homemade, balanced raw dog food that consists of:

  • Macronutrients: Protein, fat, carbs
  • Micronutrients: Vitamins, minerals, traceminerals

If you know how to make homemade raw dog food, explain that you understand what a balanced raw diet consists of.

Explain that raw feeders like yourself replicate what a prey animal in the wild would look like, and that’s why you feed (your adult dog) the following components:

  • Muscle meat, 70% (including 10% fish)
  • Secreting organs, 10%
  • Veggies/fruit, 10%
  • Raw meaty bones, 10%
K9sOverCoffee.com | Convince your anti raw vet with a balanced Raw dog food recipe
Convince your anti raw vet with a specific raw dog food recipe you feed

Resources:

Tip: Use my Raw Feeding Miami referral link to get 10% off.

K9sOverCoffee.com | Raw dog food recipe to convince an anti raw vet featuring Dr. Harvey's Paradigm dog food, venison, lamb, beef, duck, and thread herring
Another raw dog food recipe example

Resources:

Tip: Use my Raw Feeding Miami referral link to get 10% off.

Let’s take a look at the topic of raw meaty bones!

That’s a topic that many anti raw vets like to use to scare raw feeders out of raw feeding. One of my vets has definitely used that card before, and from her perspective, she had a point.

She explained that she saw many doggie patients who got into the trash and ate chicken carcasses and other bones. Those ended up doing damage on the inside of the dog.

If you’re an experienced raw feeder, you know what the problem was. Of course there’s a huge difference between raw and cooked bones!!

Raw bones are soft and pliable. When bones are cooked, their density changes and they become brittle, can splinter and turn into very sharp objects.

So back then, I made sure to explain that difference to my vet. Along with the fact that a dog’s stomach environment is much more acidic than ours and can handle raw meat, including bones, no problem.

I also showed her a video of my dog eating a raw meaty bone. It features Wally eating a raw turkey neck, and it also shows me holding the turkey neck on one end while he’s eating the other end.

In the 8+ years that I’ve been feeding my pups a raw diet including raw meaty bones, they never choked on one or otherwise hurt themselves with it.

I’m not saying that technically, it couldn’t happen. A dog who gulps down a raw meaty bone can certainly choke on it.

But I attribute our great success with raw meaty bones to the fact that I always supervise(d) my guys at mealtime (RIP Missy girl).

I do that although I know their chewing style, which is really great/non-gulping!

That’s why I always recommend that people hold the raw meaty bones for dogs who are new to raw feeding.

It teaches them to eat without gulping along with polite manners towards humans who touch their (high value) food.

Video of my dog eating a raw turkey neck

How To Talk To Your Anti-Raw Vet About Feeding Raw Dog Food: Bottom Line

At the end of the day, it’s your decision what you feed your dog(s).

The two vets I had raw dog food discussions with ended up accepting that they couldn’t change my decision. I guess it was more of an agree to disagree consensus, but they respected my choices and didn’t try to argue every time I came/come into their office.

However, if your anti raw vet keeps giving you a hard time even after you’ve:

  • Laid out the reasons why raw dog food is important to your dog’s health
  • Shared that you’ve done your research
  • Explained that you’re ordering from a reputable raw dog food brand
  • Are aware of what balanced, homemade raw dog food consists of

…then I suggest you find a new vet! You can find holistic, integrative vets here:

American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association

Content Related to Anti Raw Vet:

Raw Dog Food Game Changers

BEST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK RAW DOG FOOD

Save 15% on anything at Raw Paws Pet Food with code K9Savings. They’re located in Indiana and ship nationwide within the US.

BEST VARIETY FOR INDIVIDUAL CUTS OF RAW MEAT

Save 10% on your first order of anything at Raw Feeding Miami with this referral link.

BEST SLOW FEEDER FOR RAW FED DOGS

Mighty Paw’s Slow Feed Insert combined with Yeti’s Boomer 4 Dog Bowl. Both are top rack dishwasher safe.

BEST FOUNDATION FOR BALANCED DIY RAW MEALS

Dr. Harvey’s Paradigm Base Mix. It’s low-carb which is particularly great for dogs on a keto diet and those with health issues like diabetes and cancer.

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Barbara launched her blog K9sOverCoffee in 2014 and has been feeding her dogs raw dog food since 2015. As a former professional dog walker, she’s passionate about balancing species-appropriate exercise with healthy dog nutrition. Barbara is raw dog food nutrition certified from “Dogs Naturally Magazine” and the author of several e-books about minimally processed, balanced raw dog food.


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