So you want to feed a RAW DIET or a HOME MADE diet to your dog or cat?
Before you assume we are immediately going to try to talk you out of it, we are not. We realize you want what is the very best for your furry kids and we want to help you do that.
One of the most difficult decisions, besides choosing your pet’s doctor, is choosing what to feed your pet. If you choose to feed a commercially prepared kibble (dry food) or canned food, our veterinary nutritionists can help you make an educated decision for the food that best works for all of your family. If you decided that a RAW diet, BARF diet or home diet is correct for your pet, the really hard part begins in making sure it is nutritionally balanced to avoid nutrition problems both now and when your pet is older.
Feeding RAW, BARF or Homemade
We have to cover the few alternate sides of 'why not to' just to be complete:
1. Dogs ARE domesticated animals. We have selectively bred them to be what we want them to be. They are no wolves. We have bred dogs to need us to make their food with certain nutrients.
2. Dogs are not carnivores. They are omnivores like us. Their ancestors ate meat, grains, fruits and veggies.
3. Cats are carnivores but need more than meat muscle. They need an amino acid in their diet that they will die without.
4. Feeding raw food puts the pet and the entire family at risk for food borne illness such as E Coli and Salmonella
How we can help you with feeding RAW or homemade diets
Once you have made the commitment of both the time and the culinary expertise (remember Food Channel must always be on in back ground while you are preparing your pets food), now you have to figure out which recipe to follow. There are 100's you can find online, all making certain claims - but - do any of them have TRUE research to back them up? Remember - we all have the interesting family member who swears the sky is green - what if that is the person that is the website maker?
What happens at your first diet consult?
- Physical exam and discussion with Dr Kempf. Do not worry, it will not be a judgment, but we will ask why you picked the certain plan you did. It helps us, in case there is a hidden medical problem.
- We work board certified veterinary nutritionists that formulate a homemade diet specific for YOUR pet. https://www.petdiets.com/ (there is a seperate charge paid to the nutrionist for the diet formulation)
- The nutritionist will send your diet to us (it is illegal for a veterinarian to treat- yes the diet formulation is treatment! - without a doctor patient relationship) and we will help you with it.
- We will need to see your pet twice yearly while being followed by the veterinary nutritionists and on a homemade diet. Twice yearly exams are recommended for all pets, not matter what diet they are being fed
- Any problems such as vomiting or diarrhea need to been seen ASAP
Why do this when I can get something for free off the internet?
- This diet will be formulated just for your pet by the doctor the knows your pet who is working with another veterinarian who is an EXPERT in veterinary nutrition
- What is a board certified veterinary nutritionist? 4 years of undergraduate school, 4 years medical school, 3-4 years of residency in nutrition plus passing the board certification. There are less than 100 in the world that makes it!
- It is difficult to tell how the online diets were put together. Who decided what went into it, is it complete, and is it safe? You worked so hard to decide what is right for your furry family member – let us help you complete the final step to do it right!
