The Raw Explorer asked… 

“Why are vets mostly skeptical of raw diets, even supplemented ones?” 

Answer: 

The argument that supplemented raw foods are inadequate is an old one. At the heart of it is the notion that ordinary people are incapable of providing a diet that is good enough for their pets. You don’t have to have a veterinary degree to be able to provide a good diet for your pet. Starting with fresh unprocessed foods and adding supplements to cover anything that might be missed is not rocket science, anyone can do it. By this logic, anyone with a baby or toddler shouldn’t be allowed to choose what to feed their child as they obviously aren’t qualified! All it takes is some knowledge and a bit of common sense.

The producers of the highly processed foods are the ones that need a degree to get the food right. Their foods need to have much of the vitamins and nutrients added back in after processing has stripped the food of the natural nutrients or the vitamins and nutrients were never there to begin with. Now figuring all that out would take a degree. Processed pet foods have been recalled because they lacked nutrients that would occur naturally in a raw food (the thiamine recalls here in the US).

Hope this helps!

Margaret Gates,

Director,

The Feline Nutrition Education Society

Categories: Interviews, FAQs & more