How to tackle a skeptical vet?

Raw feeders, experienced or beginners, know it or will soon find out: One of the biggest challenges for raw feeders is dealing with vets who are skeptical about the raw diet. If your vet immediately blames raw feeding for any health issue, it can be frustrating and discouraging – as feeding raw is usually a conscious decision to enhance health and get out of the comfort zone in order to do better than opening a bag of highly processed food.

So how can you tackle challenging conversations with a vet?

Stay confident

If your vet dismisses raw feeding outright, don’t take it personally. Many vets are trained in conventional pet nutrition and have little exposure to raw diets. Instead of arguing, present your case with respect and facts – if you can.

Be prepared for common concerns

Vets often worry about:

• Nutritional balance – Show that you follow a balanced meal plan with proper ratios of meat (that contains enough fat), innards, bones, veggies/fruits etc. If you have: Refer to your raw food nutritionist who created your plan. It often calms the vets mind knowing that you got professional help and that you are not just “trying something out”.

  
  

• Bacterial risks – Explain how you handle raw meat safely and highlight that dogs have strong stomach acid designed to handle bacteria.

  
  

• Bone safety – Emphasize that you feed only raw bones fitting your dog´s age, size and experience. Tell them that you never feed heated bones. The heating of bones changes their chemical structure which can cause splintering - this is where danger lies and you know it.

  
  

Maybe just find a supportive vet

If your current vet refuses to listen or is simply negative all the way through, maybe consider seeking out a more open-minded vet. Look for:

• Vets with additional education on dog feeding that has not been sponsored by a pet food company. They have more experience with raw feeding.

  
  

• Vets open to discussion: Most vets do not specialize in raw diets (or even dog feeding), but are willing to respect your choices if you demonstrate knowledge or refer to a professional that helps you on your raw food journey.

  
  

Be open to adjustments

While some vets are anti-raw-food, others may offer valuable insights. If your vet suggests adjustments based on blood work or health issues, consider their advice and discuss modifications with your raw food specialist or modify your rations with the help of your vet.

Remember

Vets see the worst cases of literally everything - also of raw fed dogs. They see the bad cases, that is their job description. Most often though, the bad cases of "raw fed" dogs have actually not been fed correctly and not according to the basic rules of raw feeding. So it is understandable that vets might be worried.

If you can show that you are doing it right or seek help to do so, they should be proud of you!

Conclusion

At the end of the day (or at least I assume so) you and your vet want to keep your dog happy and healthy. An informed, open-minded debate is a good sign on both ends and working with the right (and friendly) professionals, can help you instead of making you feel bad about your choices.