I am bringing home my very first Spoo in a couple of weeks and have become pretty firm on the idea of feeding a DIY raw diet.
The long Version:
I would like to preface this post by saying that I am not looking to vet-bash, nor am I looking to discuss DIY vs. Commercial Raw vs. Kibble. There are excellent commercially available raw diets as well has very high quality kibbles, and there are valid reasons for choosing those options. However, after a few months of weighing the pros and cons for each for myself, my family, and our future dog, DIY is the best option for us.
However, I know that many veterinarians are not always on board with DIY Raw plans due to concerns regarding the dog not receiving all of the essential nutrients that they need (especially for puppies that have unique dietary needs to support their growth and development). There are also sometimes concerns regarding salmonella, though most raw feeders I've spoken to say that as long as you practice the general safety precautions that you would when handling any raw meat (washing hands after handling and disinfecting any surface that the raw meat was in contact with) that the risk of salmonella is pretty minimal.
Holistic vets tend to be supportive of Raw Diets, but there is not a holistic vet within an hour drive of where I live. In an ideal world, I would just pack up my pooch and drive her an hour to the vet for check-ups, but I wouldn't want to have to make that trip if there were ever an emergency that needed more immediate attention.
I am very new to raw and want to make sure that my puppy is getting everything that she needs, so I have decided to have a meal plan created for my new puppy by a certified canine nutritionist.
TLDR:
For those of you who feed a DIY Raw Diet, how did you approach this subject with your vet?
The long Version:
I would like to preface this post by saying that I am not looking to vet-bash, nor am I looking to discuss DIY vs. Commercial Raw vs. Kibble. There are excellent commercially available raw diets as well has very high quality kibbles, and there are valid reasons for choosing those options. However, after a few months of weighing the pros and cons for each for myself, my family, and our future dog, DIY is the best option for us.
However, I know that many veterinarians are not always on board with DIY Raw plans due to concerns regarding the dog not receiving all of the essential nutrients that they need (especially for puppies that have unique dietary needs to support their growth and development). There are also sometimes concerns regarding salmonella, though most raw feeders I've spoken to say that as long as you practice the general safety precautions that you would when handling any raw meat (washing hands after handling and disinfecting any surface that the raw meat was in contact with) that the risk of salmonella is pretty minimal.
Holistic vets tend to be supportive of Raw Diets, but there is not a holistic vet within an hour drive of where I live. In an ideal world, I would just pack up my pooch and drive her an hour to the vet for check-ups, but I wouldn't want to have to make that trip if there were ever an emergency that needed more immediate attention.
I am very new to raw and want to make sure that my puppy is getting everything that she needs, so I have decided to have a meal plan created for my new puppy by a certified canine nutritionist.
TLDR:
For those of you who feed a DIY Raw Diet, how did you approach this subject with your vet?