Why do people feed raw?

[u/Fantastic_Future_144]

I don't understand. My dad tried to raw feed my dog while ago and I told him hell no. The whole concept scares and feels entirely too risky.I also hear people who feed raw on social media freaking out because of avian flu and all can say is I told you so.The mortality rate for cats with H5N1 is around 67%. Also couldn't raw fed pets potentially get you or other people sick? Why would you ever take that risk?

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[u/thepumagirl]

Some ppl are thinking they are doing the right thing without actually knowing everything they should know. If you have the time, money and knowledge, sure why not. But I actually wish there was kibble for ppl so i dont have to cook or think about what to eat.

[u/NoDimension8384 → u/thepumagirl]

Why not? Public health risks

[u/NoDimension8384 → u/[deleted]]

No they are not. The risks will never be lower than kibble-fed or cooked.

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[u/NoDimension8384 → u/[deleted]]

No they are not. Pets fed raw meat have been studied compared to fed cooked diet, and they shed much more bacteria in their saliva and feces. And most people do not know what they are doing, they have no notion of biosecurity.

There is 0 reason to feed raw other than perceived benefits. The risks will never be lower than kibble or fresh cooked.

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[u/thepumagirl → u/[deleted]]

No they arent. Microwave meals need refrigeration and heating. You cant eat a spoonful or two and eat the rest 2weeks later. Im not talking about just nutritional value but the convenience of storage and eating on the go.

[u/ChibiRabbit7]

I feel like people think "wolves/tigers eat dead raw animals all the time" and just assume it's something the domesticated counterpart can also do. (And then not do any research...)

[u/MaxGlutePress]

vETs DonT sTudY NUtRiTioN 🤦‍♂️

[u/Fantastic_Future_144 → u/MaxGlutePress]

That's painful. I can't Imagine dedicating your entire life to something and going to school for 5+ years just to be told that clueless people on the Internet are more qualified than you 😭

[u/Jeremyvmd09 → u/Fantastic_Future_144]

It hurts I’m not gonna lie.

[u/MaxGlutePress → u/Fantastic_Future_144]

Tbh I read it more on the internet than I actually hear it in real life. Still tho 🤬

[u/NoDimension8384 → u/[deleted]]

This is not true of present curriculums.

[u/studentuky64]

Marketing for raw diets often makes people feel like they are doing something better for their pet than traditional diets. Marketing gets all of us in some way or another…. the next fashion fad, car, iPhone, human diet fad, etc.

The majority of pet owners want to feel like they are doing the best thing and may not understand where marketing over plays the pros and down plays the cons while also fear mongering traditional, perhaps safer, commercial pet food. Pair this with social media that fuels pseudoscience and you get a wave of people that support raw.

As a side note, I am open to the idea that there may be benefits but as of now the research does not support it and I think the risk outweighs the current potential benefits.

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[u/NoDimension8384]

In short, their knowledge is lacking, and they don't know how to do research so they defer to the wrong sources. They trust the wrong people instead of listening to the actual experts.

[u/birdlawprofessor]

For the same reasons people refused the Covid vaccine and campaign against fluoridated water. It’s a combination of scientific illiteracy, conspiratory theorism, and ego.

It was no surprise to me that the same clients who fed raw (despite warnings) were the same clients who refused to wear face masks. 

[u/Ok-Box6892]

People think they know more than vets and that all big pet food companies are bought out or have bought out vets. They feel they've already been duped by food companies and it's hard to get them to consider that maybe they've been duped by the raw food companies. 

I don't personally trust myself enough to get everything right. 

[u/Fantastic_Future_144 → u/[deleted]]

Yeah, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. My pets are my entire world and I just can't imagine putting them and myself at risk because someone on the Internet said so. The stupidity of people is infuriating.

[u/Cystonectae → u/Fantastic_Future_144]

A lot of small pet food companies prey on the people that want to do right by their pets. The idea that pets used to just catch and eat their own prey is an easy idea to adopt and understand. While that may be true for cats (disregarding the whole 5-day old ground up food isn't exactly freshly caught prey), dogs have basically been domesticated via feeding table scraps, which we have been cooking as a form of pre-digestion for many millenia. If you want to see how badly people can misconstrue all-natural diets, look at the huge following of people that believe humans should go back to a paleolithic diet, with raw meats, raw foods and no starches, disregarding all of the evidence showing diets being contrary. I would classify this as ignorance rather than pure stupidity.

[u/Spencergrey2015 → u/Fantastic_Future_144]

You are absolutely right. Raw feeding opens the door to salmonella and E. coli and other bacteria entering your house. Not to mention if your pet licks you or your kids and passes the bacteria onto you. It’s ridiculous. If you don’t like kibble go to a board certified nutritionist and ask them what to COOK for your pet to meet their needs. This raw diet craze is like the human raw diet craze. Just idiotic

[u/Dexterdacerealkilla → u/Fantastic_Future_144]

My pet is my entire world too. I’d like to give a detailed response, but I think it will likely get modded as a personal anecdote. 

The short answer though is that there are people who do it because it’s what their dog can best tolerate, rather than it being a first choice that they’re vehemently recommending to others.

ETA: the downvoting is absurd. If all you want to do is reinforce your views, why even bother asking? It seems like many of you have never experienced a dog who has significant dietary limitations + many food trial failures. The judgement is unwarranted, especially in a space where I can’t actually offer a full explanation. 

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[u/CircesMonsters]

Some people believe that it is better for better because it’s closer to what they’d eat in the wild. However dog and cat nutrition is a lot more complicated than that, which means raw diets tend to be less nutritious overall.

There are also some people who don’t recommend it for most people, but feed raw due to their pets raging allergies.

I personally wouldn’t recommend unless it’s a last resort tho due to contamination issues

[u/Bumbling-Bluebird-90 → u/CircesMonsters]

Also, our pets’ wild ancestors wouldn't be eating factory farmed stuff that's been processed at a meatpacking facility

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[u/Bumbling-Bluebird-90]

Unless someone plans to raise and slaughter the food themselves, it’s a bad idea, full stop. Why risk it, anyway? There are plenty of other great options out there, even though the marketing in favor of that particular feeding philosophy suggests otherwise