I’m sure you’ve had the experience of telling someone you feed your dog a raw diet, only to receive a opinion on raw feeding such as “Oh, he’ll choke on a bone for sure!” or simply, “Why?”
Mostly, the reactions will be negative simply because it’s not “normal” and people typically react defensively to the unfamiliar.
Try to realize that most people are generally just curious about raw food diets for dogs. They don’t mean to come off so negatively.
Here are the top negative reactions I’ve received from people about feeding my dogs raw, followed by some potential responses:
How to respond to negative opinions on raw feeding
1. “Your dog will get sick from the bacteria in the raw meat.”
While there is a slight risk a dog could get sick from the bacteria in raw meat, a dog could also get sick from bacteria in dry dog food.
Bacteria is everywhere, but let’s remember dogs are designed to eat meat. They have highly acidic stomachs made to handle a larger amount of bacteria than we can.
Dogs have teeth and jaws designed for ripping and tearing and swallowing large chunks. eating raw meat is natural to a dog.
Quick response: Dogs are not furry humans. Their digestive systems are set up for consuming raw meat and bones. They can handle the bacteria found on fresh raw meat.
2. “Your dog will choke on a bone or it will get lodged in his intestines.”
This is just fear mongering from dry dog food companies and people who don’t understand raw dog food diets.
Edible raw bones like chicken and turkey bones are generally soft and safe for dogs to chew and eat.
Cooked bones can be dangerous because they are harder and potentially sharp.
Larger raw bones like beef and pork bones are risky for some dogs because some of these bones are harder and could crack a dog’s tooth. Larger, harder bones can also be risky for dogs to swallow.
Quick response: Raw turkey and chicken bones are soft and safe for dogs. It’s cooked bones that can be dangerous. To be safe, I supervise my dog whenever I give him bones.
3. “Homemade raw dog food is not balanced and your dog will not get the nutrients he needs.”
Miraculously, we humans seem to get by just fine by eating a variety of foods in any given day.
We even feed our children a variety of foods without measuring and balancing every single meal! Yikes! how could we be so careless? Oh, wait … it’s because we strive for balance over time. Why would it be any different for our dogs?
Quick response: My dog gets a variety of meats, fruits and veggies in his diet. Every meal is not perfectly balanced, but he eats a balanced diet over time just like you and I do.
4. “How nice that you can afford raw dog food. That’s too expensive for most people.”
Ja, dette er sant. Feeding raw dog food is generally more expensive than feeding dry dog food. I spend about $125 per month on homemade raw dog food without paying much attention to sales or going out of my way to find cheaper meat sources. and it costs much more than that to feed a commercial raw brand.
I shop at the grocery store and Costco for most of my dog’s homemade food. If cost were an issue, I could save money on raw dog food by getting in bulk, shopping when the meat is on sale or obtaining meat directly from hunters, farmers and ranchers.
Quick response: Feeding raw dog food doesn’t have to be expensive. The commercial brands are expensive, but I save a ton of money by getting the meat at Costco. It’s not much more than feeding a high-end dry food.
5. “It sounds way too complicated. who has the time for that?”
It seems complicated at first, but once you get used to feeding raw it doesn’t take any extra thought. You will get used to picking up some extra meat for your dog when you visit the grocery store. You’ll find a system for storing and de-thawing the meat. You’ll have a few “recipes” you rotate.
Quick response: It’s not complicated. Today I took a chicken quarter out of the kitchen and handed it to my dog along with some veggies. Wow, that was hard.
6. “My vet says raw food diets are dangerous.”
Unfortunately, most traditional veterinarians still go around promoting the corn-based Hill’s science diet dry dog food as an acceptable brand due to its influence on the veterinary profession, according to Ted Kerasote in the book “Pukka’s Promise: The Quest for Longer-Lived Dogs.” The textbook “Small animal clinical Nutrition” is written by people who work with science Diet, and this book is given to vet students for free.
The textbook says that dry dog food typically consists of up to 60 percent carbs and has no negative effects on dogs, according to Kerasote.
Really, most veterinarians do not learn about raw diets unless they do the research themselves.
Quick response: My dog’s vet was not thrilled at first about a raw diet for my dog, but she came around once she realized it was important to me. If your dog’s vet does not support a raw dog food diet, seEk ut en veterinær som gjør det.
Se artikkelen vår: veterinærer som støtter rå dietter
7. “Rå mat er altfor rotete.”
OK, det er litt rotete enn å mate tørr hundemat, men det er ikke så ille. Jeg holder all hundens mat i bunnkassen på kjøleskapet eller i fryseren.
Jeg tørker opp tellerne etter behov, og jeg mater ham fra en bolle over et håndkle. Når han er ferdig med å spise, skyller jeg raskt bollen med varmt vann og en liten oppvasksåpe. Det er egentlig ikke så ille.
Rask respons: Jeg la bare et håndkle under hundens bolle hvis jeg til og med bruker en bolle. Annet enn at jeg bare bruker sunn fornuft og vasker hendene og benkeplatene etter behov. Ingen stor sak.
8. “Jeg har ikke fryserplassen til å mate rå.”
Noen hundeeiere foretrekker å investere i en stor fryser for ekstra kjøttlagring. Dette er flott, men det er definitivt ikke et krav. Det er hyggelig å fylle på kjøtt mens det er i salg, men det er ikke nødvendig å kjøpe en måneds verdi på en gang. Gjør det som fungerer for deg.
Rask respons: Jeg har heller ikke en større fryser. Jeg kjøper omtrent en ukes mat til hunden min om gangen, og det er god plass til det i kjøleskapet mitt og den lille fryseren.
Hva er noen reaksjoner du har fått om å mate hunden din et rått kosthold?
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