Dogs only need meat??

Please reread the last paragraph of my previous gazillion word post. (This may be another.) My science was correct, my reasoning was logical. My conclusions may or may not have been correct, as I freely admit, and point out the other side of the issue. This is a controversial topic, with good knowledgeable people on both sides. Though the 'radicals' are far more strident, this does not make them more correct.

Scientists and advocates are different people. The scientist looks at the facts and results and adjusts his conclusions accordingly. The advocate (like your Yahoo friend), chooses his conclusion and adjusts his facts accordingly. Advocacy (basing decisions more on 'my team wins , your team loses' rather than 'right or wrong'?) dominates in the realms of politics and the legal system, which is basically why they don't work and manage to get pretty much everything wrong. Remember the senator who recently said about pooh-poohing global warming ' It's over. We win, you lose. Get over it.' This man is not a scientist.

I could divide up my response to your query into 4 main lectures -
1.) Arguments against the 'obligate carnivore' contention.
2. ) Arguments against the 'grain free'- contention.
3.) The All- Meat syndrome. (Did you know that if you feed your cat nothing but meat, when you push his nose down his tail goes up, because his entire vertebral column has fused into single hunk of bone? And yes, i have seen several of these poor, crippled creatures.)
4.) Choosing a food- Turn off the computer, get some sleep so you will be rested and can play outside with your puppy as much as possible. A tired dog is a healthy dog.

If I seems a little strident myself here, it is stridency in defense of middle of the road reason. Note I said 'contentions' above, not 'myths'. They could turn out to be correct, however at present radical nutritional theories are still 'fringe'. Like every veterinarian I have met, I care very deeply about my clients and when people have a hobby of interfering, confusing, and often outright hurting people, however well intentioned they may be, I just wish they would choose a different hobby.

Specific example- I had mentioned the local tyrant on a group of breed message boards who lashes out with endless lectures in 4 colors, bold type, highlighting etc. So someone asked ' My dog has recently developed cataracts, and is going blind. What can I do?'
And the answer was, of course 'Your dog has cataracts because you fed her grains, which deposit inflammatory plaques on the lens fibers.'
Now think about that for a moment. This distraught owner , so upset about her best friend going blind,is being told ' YOU DID THIS. You are responsible because you fed the wrong food. You and your ignorant veterinarian.' Since it in all likelihood doesn't have a hint of truth to it, how horrible is that?'

Three threads later- ' My dog has been diagnosed with canine Cognitive Disorder- he paces, gets stuck behind the toilet, and sometimes can't recognize us. Do you have any advice?' And of course the answer to the poor owner, sick with worry about her poor old dog and possibly feeling guilty that she had done something wrong to cause this, was ' She has CCD because you fed her grains, which deposit inflammatory plaques on the nerve fibers....'

All I can say is - beware of fanatics with radical agendas on the net. - Dr. Mac

 

Well, I feed raw, and yes it is mostly 'meat' and bones and some veggies and fruits. But by 'meat' I do not just mean muscle, it includes all sorts of organs and especially the liver. When I do feed veggies, I puree them to break the cell walls down. The fruit they get as 'treats' as they love it so much. I have had no problems with them not digesting the veggies and fruit in this way at all. I try and stay away from feeding them wheat and corn, but will make them treats with rice flour. Everything that I have read, says that dogs are omnivores, not strict carnivores.

 

Honestly, I think you're over thinking it.

We all want to feed and do things that keep our pets happy and healthy for as long as possible. However, sometimes to achieve that - you need to take a breath and put it all in perspective.

Yes, I feed grain free. But I also feed veggies at least once a day and cooked meats occasionally. I think feeding a variety of good quality foods (as much is as reasonable) is probably the best thing you can do for your pup.

Going too far one way or the other is sure to bring some kind of problem in eventually.

 

I wonder what would happen if I applied 10% of his thought into my every day life? ROTFL!