Are you in trouble for feeding raw food to your pets?

My heart almost broke when I had animal control show up today to confiscate all my babies,” says Mrs. V from a small town on the west coast. On Friday Mrs. V took her goat into the veterinarian because he was ill. After several procedures and tests, the vet recommended a “prescription diet” for him.

Mrs. V is one of our favorite customers and has 20+ years of first-hand experience in animal nutrition. She took a look at the recommended bag of prescription food and noticed 5 ingredients that are not good for whethers (neutered male goats). She politely declined her vet’s recommendation.

The veterinarian became upset that Mrs. V wasn’t taking her advice. She began questioning her about the foods she feeds her animals (Mrs. V has several cats, dogs, goats, chickens and pea fowl). When Mrs. V told the vet that she feeds raw food to her cats and dogs (using her balanced homemade recipes), the vet looked agitated…

She almost became hostile while informing me that only an veterinarian nutritionist knows the nutrition that animals should have. She said I was jeopardizing the health and welfare of my animals by thinking I know what is better for my animals than the pet food industry,” says Mrs. V.

In the 20+ years Mrs. V has loved and cared for her animals, she’s worked with several nutritionists to find the right diet for all of her pets. None of this mattered to this vet. Declining to purchase a prescription diet with unhealthy ingredients had pushed this vet too far. So, upset but still collected, Mrs. V thanked the vet for the assistance with her goat, paid her bill and left.

But it didn’t stop there…

After a while of being home and getting her goat settled back in, Animal Control shows up at Mrs. V’s house with 3 vans and a trailer.

The vet called animal control and told them I was endangering the lives of my animals, that I was starving them through poor food choices, and that it is a case of severe neglect and abuse.

Animal Control did a thorough check on every animal and found them all in glowing health, asked for her cat food recipes and apologized to Mrs. V for having to endure this “indignity”.

The Bottom Line

Several states require a licensed veterinarian to report instances of animal abuse/cruelty if they suspect neglect or abuse. Mrs. V lives in one of these states.

But this was not such a case. This is an all too common case of a lack of nutritional education in the veterinarian field. Too many of our vets are starved of knowledge in nutrition and essentially brainwashed by the pet food industry. This has to stop. We need a voice.

Pet parents should ask their vet questions. We should be allowed to decline advice if we feel it’s in the best interest of our pet. And feeding a species specific, raw food diet to your pet should be endorsed by veterinarians across the globe.

And some do. We are so grateful to those integrative veterinarians and advocates of pet health who are working tireless hours to make a change in the world of animal health and veterinarian care.

 

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