AVMA Stay Out of My Kitchen

[Discussing Labradoodles & Goldendoodles]

Now this has to be the most preposterous idea yet. The American Veterinary Medical Association (“AVMA”) is proposing a resolution at its House of Delegates meeting to be held this August such that:

RESOLVED, that the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) adopt the policy on Raw or Undercooked Animal-Source Protein in Cat and Dog Diets as indicated below.

Raw or Undercooked Animal-Source Protein in Cat and Dog Diets

The AVMA discourages the feeding to cats and dogs of any animal-source protein that has not first been subjected to a process to eliminate pathogens because of the risk of illness to cats and dogs as well as humans. Cooking or pasteurization through the application of heat until the protein reaches an internal temperature adequate to destroy pathogenic organisms has been the traditional method used to eliminate pathogens in animal-source protein, although the AVMA recognizes that newer technologies and other methods such as irradiation are constantly being developed and implemented.

Now just what is this nonsense all about? What’s behind this? Dear gentle reader, I assure you it has nothing to do with canine nutrition or public health. It has everything to do with an agenda by the pet food industry to try to control what is considered proper animal feed. What galls me the most is that an association is trying to, well quite frankly I am not sure what it is trying to do with this policy, tell folks what they should and shouldn’t feed their dogs and cats. I think I am intelligent and informed enough to make that decision for myself.

First of all most vets still are under the mistaken belief that dogs are omnivores and should be fed as such. They believe this in large measure because it’s what pet food companies have taught them in vet school. Did you know that most small animal “nutritional” classes for vets in training are sponsored by yes you guessed it big pet food companies. Dogs are carnivores (see the Wikipedia article here, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog) and cats are obligate carnivores and both require a diet geared to their classification as such.

As for risk of illness to the animal because of eating raw, natural food, give me break. “Canine saliva contains lysozyme, an enzyme that lyses and destroys bacteria, but more importantly, the absence of plaque [in a raw fed dog, sic] means the dog's mouth is no longer a hospitable place for bacteria to inhabit. A kibble-fed dog's mouth, however, provides the perfect environment for bacteria growth: plaque-covered teeth with sugary and starchy complexes provide both food and shelter for bacteria. The bacteria thrive in the mouth of a kibble-fed dog because it provides both a perfect atmosphere and a good food source (Lonsdale, T. 2001. Raw Meaty Bones.). Why does a kibble-fed dog have stinky dog breath? Because of the bacteria in their gums and on their teeth (just like the bacteria in our mouths gives us halitosis). A raw-fed dog's mouth provides neither food nor a viable atmosphere for bacteria, which is why a raw-fed dog has odorless breath.” (http://rawfed.com/myths/zoonotic.html) Salvia in a dog is used for two things, killing the nasties and sliding food down into the stomachs. Dogs regularly slide rather large pieces of food into their stomachs because they don’t chew. They rip, tear, shred, crunch bone, and then swallow. They do not chew; their jaws are not capable of chewing as we know it.

I would just like to remind folks that all of the recalls of pet food have been done on kibble.

The governing body of the AVMA contradicts itself when it says there is scientific veterinary studies proving all of the evidence it cites against raw foods as these studies are slanted, small, no double-blind parameters, and done by veterinarians working for the pet food industry. Can anyone say conflict of interest?

The AVMA is also saying that this ban, policy, regulation, whatever, is for food-borne pathogens, but it is only targeting raw food.  That’s seems odd to me. Why does this policy or recommendation not include ALL pet food including kibble and ALL dog treats not just raw foods? Of course raw meat has pathogens on it. Yes, even the meat you buy for your own consumption and raw meat must be cooked for you to eat it. But dogs are carnivores that are designed to eat raw meat, bones, and organs. Dogs’ bodies can cope with the pathogens and have for generations of dogs. As I am sure you have witnessed, dogs lick their own behinds, the behinds of other dogs, they eat poop, and, mine at least, have eaten fresh road kill (their idea not mine) and have never had to worry about pathogens.

The pathogens making us sick are associated with kibble not from feeding a dog his natural, raw meaty bones diet.

At the very least, this policy vote is one more step in trying to control things that don’t need any control. I live in Canada and this may not affect me in the short term but where the AVMA goes so to may the CVMA. I’ve included some links for those interested including a petition against this nonsense.

http://atwork.avma.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Resolution_5_raw-...

http://atwork.avma.org/2012/07/18/the-facts-on-avmas-proposed-polic...

http://www.change.org/petitions/american-veterinary-medical-associa...

[F, Calla & Luca]

No need to apologize at all. My humor can be a bit warped anyhow : )

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

I would not use the treats if they were made in China, especially if it's chicken. I would take it back to the store and ask for a refund.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Adrianne, this has nothing to do with any kind of legislation or laws of any kind. This is simply a proposal by the American Veterinary Association that they adopt a formal policy of discouraging people from giving their pets raw food.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

How maddening.  It seems the pet food industry is big business. The US has no problem selling low quality dubious and sometimes darn right dangerous rubbish but wants to stop people feeding raw.  I admire people who feed a raw and natural diet to their dogs even though I feed kibble myself.   To tell people they can't do it is totally unacceptable.  I am pro choice on this issue.

[Gail and Bailey]

Good point, Nicky.  

[F, Calla & Luca]

I don't think raw is the only way to go but I certainly think it should be a matter of free choice.

[Ron Carnes]

Pet Partners ( therapy dog) has banned raw diets. They have no specifc reasoning that I am aware of.

[Gail and Bailey]

Do you suppose it is a fear of bacteria from the raw food remaining around the dogs mouth and possibly contaminating a person who is being visited by the therapy dog?. With people and companies being so afraid of being sued in this "day and age"......that is the only reason I can think of. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Patients who are undergoing certain types of chemotherapy cannot be exposed to any kind of raw food, and that's unrelated to dogs. I mean, not even a slice of fruit on the dinner tray. Maybe that's the reason for the therapy dog rule, although it would surprise me if dogs were allowed in their rooms at all.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I would question that more people have gotten ill from kibble than from raw food, lol.

[Pat and Traveler]

I don't feed raw, but I don't want the AVMA to make that decision for me.  There's already too much of a nanny state thing going on, calling for ever-more laws supposedly 'for my own good.'   

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I must be missing something. I don't see where the AMVA is banning, prohibiting, restricting, or limiting raw food, or otherwise infringing on anyone's right to feed whatever kind of food they like. All they are doing is adapting a policy that  states that they discourage the feeding of raw foods. Whether they adapt this as a formal policy or not, it must not come as a great surprise to anyone, raw feeder or not, that most traditional vets are not generally in favor of feeding any kind of fresh food, even when it's cooked. It's annoying, but so is the pushing of Hill's Science Diet by the veterinarians. If I fed raw, this would annoy me, but it certainly wouldn't make me feel that anyone was restricting my right to choose how to feed my dog.