Raw Food

[Lana, Lola and Luna]

Hello -

My 15 month old GD Lola has been on a raw diet for almost an year. She is doing absolutely great on it!

Here is what I want to ask:

I took her to vet dermatologist for her allergies (we are doing skin test next Friday). He checked her skin/fir and told me that he sees discoloration of fur closer to her skin. He attributes it to bacteria from raw food she has been eating. He did tell me that he is not a big fan of raw feeding and there is apparently a lot of solid research done proving that it's not good at all....

Thoughts?

Thank you very much.

[Trudy Harlow]

No there's not. The nutritional training the vets get is all provided by pet food companies. I can't imagine what he could produce to convince me that raw food is bad for my dog. What does he think? That she's transferring the bacteria from the food to her skin by licking? She could do that by eating kibble too.

Licking causes discoloration. It's the saliva, not the food. My pup has had discolored fur from licking since he was a baby. It didn't change when we switched to raw from kibble. However, the itching did subside a lot. We still have really itchy times of the year (like right now) but the allergies are about a tenth of what they were on kibble.

If she has "bad" bacteria on her skin, then I'd look for another cause. And maybe another vet....unless he'll allow you to feed your dog what you think is best without carping at you. ;o)

[Lana, Lola and Luna]

Hi Trudy, I was kind of surprised myself. His theory that because raw meat contains bacteria, etc. it goes through her body, into the skin and discolors her fur. Which to me makes no sense. Yes, Lola has few spots on her body, mostly on her back where fur is pinkish color (right next to the skin), but not the whole body. You would think if it's true what he's saying, it should be everywhere on her.....

I told him, that I am a true believer in raw feeding, he said he just wanted to share with me what research has been shown....

Lola will continue on a raw diet:) I can see myself how much she benefits from it.

Thank you so much for your response and confirming my believes!!!

[Trudy Harlow]

Is he still going to do the skin test? I'll be interested to hear what it gives you.

[Lana, Lola and Luna]

Yep, we are going.... She has allergies, that was the reason for the visit.... Not because of discoloration. We are going next Friday. I'll share results once I'll get them.

[Trudy Harlow]

Great! Hope it goes well.

[Lana, Lola and Luna]

Thank you:)

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I agree with Trudy. No connection and your vet is just,sadly, showing his nutritional ignorance.  Have you considered working with a different vet who has a more holistic approach? My vet encourages me and supports my raw feeding approach. It sucks to have to argue with your vet or be made to feel like you are harming your doodle in some way. 

Hope the testing goes well and  you're able to get some relief for her itchiness soon. 

[Lana, Lola and Luna]

That exactly what I thought. Very strange, but again as everybody saying not many vets have knowledge about nutrition. We worked with holistic vets, but they don't do skin test (shaving, etc.) only blood test and I've heard it not very accurate.

We'll go through this test and Lola will continue to eat her grass fed steaks and other yummy meats she likes - raw:)

Thank you very much Ricki!

[melissa ann stokes kuri]

I totally agree with all of you ladies. I have been a RN in a NICU for 30 years and in nursing school and medical school they do not really get into nutrition per se, my cousin is a Vet and likewise.  He too is fearful regarding the RAW diet.  I agree I would go with a holistic vet if you were able to find one near you.  The reason why the bacteria i.e salmonella etc does not bother the dog is because their system is acidic, unlike humans.  The only one that can get ill from the bacteria would be us humans in not cleaning up well after food preparation. 

My 3 legged 13 year old maltese started eating RAW and instantly her hair regrew as she had hypothyroidism which often times is related to kibble, she had more energy she no longer had extreme dry skin and she had the energy to get up and hop around again.  I was already in the process of ordered her a wheelchair when we started noticing the difference. 

My 13 year old golden retriever lost 25 pounds, was up and jumping around with the siberian huskies who were puppies as opposed to laying around and having difficulty getting up to walk.... All because of the RAW diet.

After seeing this in my own pack, when I got my tea cup golden doodle Kona from tropico kennels I began feeding raw and he is doing wonderful.

Unfortunately just as in medicine, there is a tremendous lack of education in regards to the holistic preventative approach to health and well being especially when it comes to nutrition. 

[Lana, Lola and Luna]

I am not changing her diet, no matter what he says. He's been a derm vet for 25 years and I guess, it's hard for him to change/see things differently. I can see a difference between Lola and other dogs same age who are on a different diet than her.

Thank you for proving me right:)