Frequently Asked Questions

What do you recommend feeding a dog?

Advocates of a raw meat/bone diet make a giant leap from a low quality kibble to raw, skipping over a more common sense solution. A home-made diet with cooked meat. Any initial results they might see are a result of an "absence" of one or more ingredients of the kibble - NOT the "presence" of raw meat. I believe there is a balance between raw and kibble. I am very much in favor of home-made diets made with cooked meat and grains, raw veggies and fruits, as long as you have researched your dog's current health status and breeding history if possible. I feed a high quality kibble, heavily supplemented with fresh food and herbs. The kibble I use is Flint River Ranch, with all organic ingredients. It's oven baked, not processed, and shipped straight to your door, free UPS so that it's never handled by an outside warehouse or distribution center (this is where a lot of molds happen). A quality kibble such as FRR, which also has chelated vitamins, helps keep the diet balanced. My dogs enjoy fresh foods and I feel better knowing they're are getting the benefits of both options (kibble / fresh).

Do you sell Flint River Ranch or do you own interest in a commercial kibble company?

 No. I do not own stock or interest in any commercial kibble company. No one sells FRR except for the company itself. They have a program where you can sign up to be a "distributor", but you never handle the food. It's simply a referral system where the company gives you a small commission for sending them new customers. In my case, the commission goes directly to my non-profit animal rescue organization, Second Chance Ranch (less than $100/month).

Are there nutritious commercial kibbles?

As mentioned above, I have absolute faith in Flint River Ranch and also Wellness brand dog foods. I have used them with great success for 12 years. Many of the "popular" pet store brands contain dangerous preservatives and non-nutritious fillers. My primary concern about commercial kibble is the manufacturing and packaging process. Some have been known to have toxic molds in their grain. I'm not convinced the handling of dog food is done healthfully. There are two must read books on this issue - "Food Pets Die For" by Ann Martin, who pioneered the effort of exposing the commercial kibble industry. And, her second book, "Protect Your Pet...More Shocking Facts"! Ann is a highly acclaimed researcher who has done an impressive investigation with honest, clear and non-biased her writing!

I have heard of a few holistic brands that seem safe, but have not personally tried them on my dogs. Even brands that claim to have healthful ingredients such as apple, carrot, berries, and various herbs are not clear on what part of the fruit or vegetable they are using (apple or apple "core"?), or the freshness of it. There seem to be low quantities, which makes the overall benefit questionable...particularly after fresh food ingredients are processed into kibble. If you want your dog to have the benefit of an "apple" - give it an apple!

I am greatly encouraged by the trend of health awareness the commercial dog kibble industry is taking. However, along with that trend comes a onslaught of products that have not been safely researched. For every low quality commercial kibble product, there are about 5 holistic fad products that are far more expensive, and potentially dangerous.

Many of the "popular" pet store brands contain dangerous preservatives and non-nutritious fillers. My primary concern about commercial kibble is the manufacturing and packaging process. Even brands that claim to have healthful ingredients such as apple, berries, and various herbs have been also known to have toxic molds in their grain. If you want your dog to have the benefit of an "apple" - give it an apple!

Is it true that veterinarians know nothing about nutrition?

Think about it. Vets, like any other profession, are as trained as they want to be. It's ridiculous to judge every licensed vet in the world, and assume they know nothing about nutrition. Many of them take on a personal interest in that area. It's interesting that people who claim vets know nothing about nutrition are following *Dr.* Billinghurst's book like a bible - he's a VET (although going against the better judgment of 98% vets in America). I have yet to meet a BARF advocate that has any upstanding credential toward nutrition or valid argument to support this belief. Most of the have only read books or attended a seminar specific to nutrition (many of the facilitators of these seminars are uncredentialed) and all of a sudden they know more than a licensed vet? I don't agree with that.

There is a lot of information provided throughout their 8 years of schooling that is relevant to nutrition. UC Davis (University of California, Davis), the second largest veterinary university in the world has a Nutrition course for licensed vets.

Licensed vets know that raw meat has bacteria and parasites that can be harmful - and we've known it for hundreds of years. They know that raw meat is high in phosphorous and that the barf diet is extremely unbalanced with calcium/phosphorus. They know that dogs are lactose intolerant and shouldn't be given the huge amounts of dairy that Billinghurst and Pitcairn recommend. They know that the high fat causes many dogs to die of pancreatitis. And, they know from history and present records that raw bones DO kill dogs, and have caused great harm to their teeth, gums, jaws, throat and stomach. This is a simple fact of life. It also happens quite often to wild dogs. In other words - even a vet who hasn't taken a personal interest in nutrition, would at least know the simple biological fact that raw meat and bones are harmful.

Donald Strombeck, DVM, PhD has a wonderful book out; "Home Prepared Cat & Dog Diets, The Healthful Alternative". He provides over 200 recipes for home-made diets and talks about how to formulate a home-made diet. He's also very much against the raw meat/bone diet.

There is not one veterinary university in America that agrees with the barf diet. Could they ALL be wrong? Remember, they are the institutions that have found all the cures for cancer, HIV, Thyroid disorders for animals. It's not a conspiracy funded by pet food companies. These veterinary universities are the only reason we can even diagnose disease - raw meat is a very simply proven, microbiology 101 issue. It has bacteria and parasites. It's makes both domestic and wild dogs sick. Even Billinghurst has occasionally admitted that raw meat does have bacteria and parasites and that it can make a wolf or domestic dog ill.

It's not that they have a "narrow point of view" - what they teach in vet school is how to diagnose and treat disease. I wouldn't want a nutritionist to treat my dog any more than I would want a manicurist doing surgery on me. Vets know what causes disease and illness which means they know about nutrition in a much deeper level than you or I, or a "nutritionist".

What about the thousands of dogs who live healthfully on barf?

This is clearly a myth. If you visit ANY barf or raw meat list on the internet, you will find more posts about the dogs on barf being ill, than not. They just choose to blame their dog's projectile, bloody diarrhea on anything but the raw meat they are eating. The results they initially see are almost always mixed with side effects *not* mentioned.

How do you transition a dog from barf to a home-made or kibble diet?

The advice I know veterinarians to give is to take the dog off the raw meat immediately. It's not an addictive substance that you will have withdrawal from.....it's like deciding you're not going to drink antifreeze any longer. The sooner you stop - immediately - the better. The less introduction of bacteria, the better! My personal experience of rehabbing many dogs off the barf diet is to 1) get a stool sample and see if medication is needed. I don't like antibiotics, but I like parasites and bacteria in my dogs intestines a lot less! 2) switch instantly to cooked beef or lamb (not chicken) and combine with white rice for the first 3 days - nothing else other than a lot of water. This is just to settle the stomach. Then substitute the beef with cooked eggs and add in a high quality kibble. Depending on the dog's age, breed, and health status I combine fresh vegetables and fruits.

How do I know if the symptoms my dog has are from raw meat or the kibble?

There is a ridiculous rumor spread throughout the Internet that when your dog gets sick from raw meat, it's because they are "purging" the toxins of commercial food. This is completely illogical and unfounded. What toxins? And, if there were toxins present they wouldn't manifest in projectile, bloody diarrhea, pancreatitis, kidney failure, intestinal parasitic infection or any of the other illnesses eating raw meat causes dogs.

According to the vets I surveyed, hundreds of people have had fecals done, only to find bacteria and parasites in their dog's stool. This is clearly not a case of purging toxins. And, what about the high percentage of dogs that die (or nearly die) from pancreatitis due to the high fat content in raw meat? That would indicate they were better off with kibble or a carefully formulated home-cooked meal. For the record - cancer and other terminal or chronic conditions are not cured by the presence of raw meat and bacteria found in raw meat. Clearly, no food kills a cancerous cell. Food can assist in our overall health and prevention of disease - that, we know for sure.

The most compelling evidence is not in a professional study, but history and present records of thousands of dogs dying or being injured from raw meat and bones. And, it's not only the "raw" factor, but the fact that it's completely imbalanced. This is also why no one is doing studies on why humans shouldn't eat raw meat - we're past the point of questioning it. When I interviewed vets and veterinary universities they said there was no need for a study because it is a basic biological fact that raw meat has parasites and bacteria. It is also a well known fact in the veterinary industry that before commercial kibble dogs were more often fed raw meaty bones or raw cutoffs of meat, and there were many deaths and a shortened lifespan because of it. There is a reason why everyone switched to kibble when it was available. I'm not advocating commercial kibble - I just don't believe that billions of people over the years ALL switched to kibble because they were lazy or had little regard for their dog's health. Wild dogs, including coyotes and wolves in rural areas are known to have severe dental problems, as well as kidney, liver and pancreatic problems from their diet. Wild dogs are typically malnutritioned.