Veterinary Treatment

[harpsi_fizz]

Posting this for a non-journaling friend with money issues

Comments

[cohkka]

I really can't help with what to do now, but as a cheap preventative, give your dogs and cats raw bones. Yes, RAW BONES. Chicken, turkey, beef, pork, deer... it doesn't matter but always, always, ALWAYS RAW. The number one reason behind bad teeth is commercial food. Dry food is no better than canned.

Since I switched to raw, my dogs teeth are *sparkling* white and have not needed a dental cleaning at all. My vet is very pleased with how they look.

[_decrescendo_]

Does your vet support the raw diet? I haven't taken my dog to the vet since I've switched him over, but I've been reading about a lot of vets disapproving of it.

[cohkka]

Not in so many words. He just asked why I switched and when I stated my reasons, he agreed that they certainly looked healthier and didn't have any reason for me not to feed them raw.

Now, I took one trip to the "Holistic" vet in our area and she told me that dogs are HERBIVORES and need vegetables and proceeded to try to sell me her high dollar "natural" kibble. I never went back.

Veterinarians spend about 5% of their education on diet and nutrition. Most of it supplied by Hills Science Diet reps.

[_decrescendo_]

Good to know. I'll be happy with a vet that can make sure my dog is healthy and can accept that I'm not going to feed kibble.

[sinandsilence]

Dogs are herbivores? Hahaha that's news eh? My dog does enjoy the occasional carrot though.

[shakingthetree]

I used to steam broccoli for my dog, Jack, about once a month - my vet recommended that I do it every time I noticed him eating grass. He said that my dog was basically responding to a nutitional need by doing it.

I didn't think he'd go for it, but he inhaled it! Made him a bit farty for a day or so, but he'd stop eating grass and had very healthy digestion, indeed.

[eleganceroses]

Cats will consume grass too, usually because their stomachs are upset - fibre requirement, I think.

[mshrmit]

I've had dogs that pick beans and peas from our garden before, along with blackberries.

[neumeindil]

My dogs growing up were fond of pears and apples from the trees in our yard. Blackberries too come to think.

[payoffpitch]

Dogs are not herbivores. Deer are herbivores.

[lucyd2]

Dogs aren't herbivores, they are omnivores. I think what that vet meant was that dogs don't NEED meat in their diet to be healthy ( unlike cats, who can't produce a certain protein (Taurine, i believe) so they must have meat in their diet. its probably the only thing i remember from the nutrition class i took in college. regardless, the vet wasnt wrong, she just didnt know how to speak.( and she was probably using that fact to market her high dollar kibble, like you mentioned)

i've never heard either of the vets say anything bad about a raw diet (to the few clients that we had that had their dogs on them), especially if they were healthy, and they talked about nutrition a fair amount.

[maika_75]

I think it depends on the vet you see, and what the raw diet consists of.

In my case, I'm lucky enough to be able to take my animals to Ian Billinghurst, and he's just about the raw guru.

[audacian]

Many vets don't support it because people often do it wrong and/or don't practice safe handling techniques or proper addition of vitamins. I feed pre-prepared raw and my vet approves.

[shakingthetree]

I thought chicken and turkey bones were bad news because they splinter and can perforate esophagus/stomach/intestines?

OP - please see if your friend's vet will work with them on costs. Most will.

[_decrescendo_]

Cooked bones are bad news. Raw bones won't splinter.

[schwarzkatze]

Only cooked ones. That's why he specified raw. I will give my dog frozen chicken legs with bones, and I watch him like a hawk until he's done with it, and he has had no problem with crunching them down and eating them up. The chicken bones and the larger knuckle bones clean the teeth and help stimulate the gums naturally.