Raw.. why make it more complicated than it is?

So one of my biggest gripes of working in a pet boutique is convincing people that raw is the way to go. Sometimes the only way if their dog (or cat) has chronic health issues. The biggest obstacle I face is convincing people that it's not difficult to feed raw once you get into a routine. We only sell pre-made raw such as primal, bravo, steve's, blue ridge beef, etc. Most of the raw comes in evenly formed nuggets or patties, all you have to do is thaw and serve. It's not like you have to spend hours chopping up or grinding cuts of meat or be elbow deep in smelly tripe or liver. Yet, people still sigh and groan and tell me that it's too hard and they don't have time for it. If my dog was suffering from diabetes, allergies, hot spots, whatever, I would go out of my way to make sure that he has the best quality of life and not having to rely on drugs to keep his symptoms under control. I had someone call me yesterday asking what I recommended for Colitis, I told her either raw or dehydrated like honest kitchen supplement with enzymes/probiotics and slippery elm. She said that she didn't want to deal with it and wanted to find a kibble because it was more convenient.

When did convenience become a way of life for us? I think this society has become so mechanical and fast paced, and we expect to have everything handed to us on a golden plate. It's probably more convenient to feed your child fortified cereal every day, but is it the best for them? common sense dictates not.

The longer I feed Uno raw, the more I become convinced that it's an ideal diet for a canine. The feedback that I've gotten from customers that switch their pets to a raw diet has been nothing but positive. Whatever little negative feedback we've gotten has been from people not transitioning properly or having their vet tell them that it's bad (putting them back on steroids and prescription garbage that caused issues to begin with).

The best way I try to break it down to people is to think in terms of cooking meals for themselves vs eating processed out of a box or bag concoction. When I make breakfast in the morning for myself, my dog get's his fresh food. I also tell them about the happy dance, the cleaner teeth, and much less elimination. A lot of times, that alone is convincing enough. Nobody likes picking up big mushy piles of kibble crap.

It's going to be an uphill battle, but the more people I can convince to feed raw, the better I feel about what I do for a living. It's satisfying knowing that you've made a difference in the health and life of a pet.

The Novelty of Change

Few things have been on my mind lately in regard to various aspects of dog ownership including nutrition, spay/neuter and training. Many of these have been prompted by reading a book by Ted Kerasote called Pukka's Promise. If you're not familiar with a book, it's about a man on a quest to find a new dog with the best genetic variation and background and incorporate newest research in regard to nutrition, vaccines, spay/neuter protocols, etc in order to keep his dog Pukka at his healthiest and extend his life. 

Overall, I liked the book. For me personally, it was a reassurance about a lot of things I already incorporate when it comes to pet ownership. There were few things that I didn't agree on was letting the dog roam unsupervised. The author felt that because he lived in a remote area and the dog was wearing a GPS collar, Pukka would be safe. Keeping him indoors would be depriving him of all life's pleasures. I'm glad he has such a sunny perception on the world, but the reality is far from idyllic. The dog could get poisoned, shot, become victim of a trap or another wild animal, or get hit by a car. He can still have his dog off leash when he goes out hunting/hiking, but I think it's very irresponsible to let the dog roam unattended. 

I did feel that in certain areas he was being a bit excessive, such as only buying natural toys and sending each one to the lab to have it tested for toxins/heavy metals. I suppose if my dog has a favorite toy that he was always chewing on, I would try to find out the exact methods and ingredients used in manufacturing it. Uno is not a mouthy dog and he does have several stuffed animals I call his "babies" that he sleeps with. It is possible that some of them contain trace levels of chemicals? possibly, but I'm not going to get worked up over it. I'm sure that the clothes I wear and bedding I sleep on contain the same chemicals. I can't afford to go organic in every area of my life, it's just not permissible. 

One chapter I found really fascinating was the research done on the spay/neuter. It's definitely one of those grey areas that require much consideration. The are pros and cons to this debate, although I felt that he hit the nail on the head. Just like with nutrition, we rarely question the motives of vets when it comes to our pets well being. We are programmed to think that having one approach is the only way to do it right, which isn't always the case. Here in U.S, a lot of emphasis is placed on aggressive spay/neuter campaign. It's almost never questioned whether it has any long term health affects on the animals because in most cases are are no obvious side-effects to these procedures. Vets fail to make a connection between the rise of disorders like cancer, allergies, joint problems and sterilization. He brought up an interesting observation in regard to dogs in Europe and the fact that most pets are not altered over there.When he interviewed the owners, it appears that the reason their euthanasia rates are so low along with the stray population is because people are far more responsible as a whole. They know that the female dogs go into heat twice a year, so they keep their dogs inside. I will say that I was born and raised in Eastern Europe until the age of 12 when I moved to U.S. This sense of community responsibility is not evenly distributed throughout Europe. A lot of countries still struggle with inequality, poverty and corrupt governments. When people are preoccupied with meeting basics needs such as proving food for their children or being able to afford proper medical care, they are not going to be as concerned about their animals. Countries with better economy and healthcare system such as Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands just to name a few have the resources and time to do so. 

I remember few years back I went to Netherlands (aka Holland) for couple weeks. Few things that I observed that absolutely floored me.

1) I did not see any stray dogs on the streets in that 2 week period, zero. 

2) There were a lot of dogs, but they all had owners. Since most people get around by biking, many dogs would run next to the owners bike, unleashed. When the bike stopped at the light, they stopped. They paid no attention to other dogs or animals and just stayed alongside their owners. 

3) I went to a local park and while there was no fenced in area for dogs, there was a large grassy knoll where all dogs played together, no bickering, no fights, no fences. 

4) It was really cool to see rotties, dobermans and weimaraners with full tails and ears. 

The average work day for a Dutch person is a mere 30.6 hours a week! It appeared to me that less stress and more free time led to happier and well-adjusted humans and dogs. Obviously, it's not as realistic to have same expectations due to difference in cost of living/salaries, etc. With that said, I think we can all incorporate some of the stress-reduction techniques to our lives, regardless where we live. 

I think U.S has a long way to go in regard to animal welfare laws and reducing euthanasia rates. One of the biggest challenges is the sheer number of people living in this country and discrepancy between various laws and regulations that vary state to state and city to city. It's very hard to have a united goal in mind with so much diversity in beliefs and values. To some people, dogs are family, to others they are nothing short of a lawn ornament. Until people get on the same page, things are unlikely to change. People here seem lack the sense of civic pride and responsibility that other countries embrace. I hate to say it, but I feel that it has a lot to do with too much cultural diversity. People tend to be set in their way based on how they were raised. If dogs are neglected and abused and it's considered a norm in certain countries, that same mentality will be passed on to future generation. Regardless, culture does not equal cruelty. I think to justify abuse based on these factors is just an excuse for being a shitty human being. 

Not to make this blog too lengthy, I will save the part two for another time. Until then.