One of the common issues people have is “I don’t know how to handle my vet.”

Now firstly, I don’t believe there is any room for anything other than a respectful relationship and conversation between a service provider and a client. Vets invariably study very hard for a number of years (usually around 5 after finishing school) to become a vet. But they have to study a lot of different species during this time, and in all likelihood, the time given to learning about appropriate carnivore diets is minimal. That being said, the vast majority of vets wouldn’t even question feeding a pet snake a whole raw mouse for its dinner, but they seem to well, fall to pieces, when anything other than a highly processed, man made diet, is suggested for your cat, dog, or ferret.

When you stand your ground with your vet, I can guarantee you , you won’t be the first nor the last.  And this is what you can say, “I appreciate your commitment to my pet’s health, however, one thing I won’t waver on is diet.  I don’t eat crackers for my dinner, and I won’t be feeding my dog the equivalent of.    I have done a lot of research on this topic, and I am/will be feeding an appropriate raw diet for a carnivore.  You can assist me with this, or we can agree to disagree.  That being said, I do appreciate you caring about my pet, and I appreciate that you may not like what I do.  Thank you.”

Print that out, change it, whatever.  Keep it respectful and nice.

That being said, I’m sure in the comments section below, you’ll find the time to detail some of the good and bad experiences you’ve had with vets when it comes to a raw diet. (please keep it nice and remember, I am moderating all comments so anything stupid will be deleted.)

On the other side of the coin, vets are also shaking their head at what some people think a raw diet for their carnivore should consist of. So if you take your dog to the vet and you’ve been feeding milk, ground meat, and kale with sprinkles of coconut, expect to get a talking to.

I’ll start with my story:

Many years ago I had a dog who just didn’t look well. She wasn’t eating or drinking and was very lethargic. We ended up at the vet, as you’d expect. The vet was sure it was a blockage, and proceeded to give me the lecture on “dogs get blockages from bones and you shouldn’t be feeding them!” Suitably chastised and having me re-think everything, I waited back at home while the surgery took place. I received a phone call in the middle of the operation. It was my vet. “Jane I’d just like to apologise to you. It wasn’t a bone. We’ve just found a tennis ball inside of her.”

sigh. I’d aged 10 years through that process, and everything was going to be fine.

Now your turn: