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Psychology Today published a couple of articles on raw feeding that were, in my opinion and based on my experience, ignorant, horrible researched, lazy, and published to stir up drama with raw feeders in order to increase clicks and shares. You'd think a publication like Psychology Today would be beyond this type of writing - I've read many informative articles on their website. But these two were a disappointment.

Here is my response.

What the f&$# did I read this week?

An article written by a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia has lit the raw community on fire, and we've all been participating in a collective eye roll all week. What does psychology have to do with raw feeding? I don't have a clue.

The professor submitted a freshman-level essay about raw feeding to the world. My professor would have given me an F grade and taken me aside to advise me to rethink my major. Why? Because the professor wrote a one-sided, poorly researched article on a subject that isn't his wheelhouse.

I will break down his article by the points he makes in his effort to prove that Dog Owners Are Wrong About the Health Benefits of Raw Diets.

Feeding raw is dangerous to the humans (especially children) in the home.
There is no scientific evidence proving that raw feeding is beneficial for dogs.
Veterinarians universally agree that raw feeding is unsafe.
Through testing by the FDA, 16% of raw dog food tested positive for bacteria.
Dog owners feed a raw diet due to a concern about the safety of commercial dog food (kibble/canned).
Dog owners take their pets to the veterinarian less often; this is due to distrust of their vet.
As a scientist, the professor is disturbed by what he learned about raw feeding.

So let's get real here, people.

1 – Feeding Raw is Dangerous to People

Feeding raw dog food is as dangerous as making a turkey or chicken dinner. I have been feeding raw for nearly four years, and today, I mix up raw meals twice a month (yep, I'm elbow deep in raw meat). No one in my house has gotten sick because we are obsessed with keeping our house clean. I don't handle 15 pounds of raw venison, then wipe my nose, suck my thumb, and rub my eyes. Instead, I wash my hands multiple times before touching other things – refrigerator door, pantry door, bathroom door (gotta take a break), etc. When finished, I clean all the equipment and supplies, wash our countertops, and mop the kitchen floor.

I wash our dogs' stainless steel (stays cleaner than plastic) dishes by hand daily and run them through the dishwasher once a week.

This is why we haven't gotten sick. Had the “scientist” who wrote the Psychology Today piece taken the time to interview a few raw feeders and ask them about their cleaning habits, he would have heard similar routines.

2 – Where's the Proof that Raw Feeding is Better?

One of the many lies the anti-raw populace spreads is that there isn't any proof that raw feeding is better. Anecdotal evidence, possibly the foundation of many scientific breakthroughs, isn't enough for the anti-raw crowd. They want a scientific study that proves the benefits of raw feeding for vets, but who will pay for this? Who will collect funding, select a group of raw fed dogs, and study them over ten years? Can you imagine Banfield Veterinarian Hospitals and Mars Petcare funding such a study? I can't either. Why? A study about the benefits of raw feeding wouldn't benefit the big pet food brands, which currently have all the money and influence.

But there have been studies that have explored feeding fresh food to dogs, and while these don't tell us definitively that raw food is best for dogs, it's a start. Had the professor taken the time to research this article beyond a few Google searches, he would have learned this, too.

Plus, what about the many veterinarians who support raw feeding?

And I wish veterinarians, scientists, and the rest would stop knocking anecdotal evidence. One of the most popular raw feeding groups on Facebook is RawFeeding Rebels, which has over 16,700 members. According to a 2012 AVMA survey, households had 1.6 dogs. Since it's now 2017, let's round up to 2 dogs per household.

16,700 members (let's pretend they all have dogs) x 2 dogs per home – 33,400 dogs being fed a raw diet. And that's just one group of people happy to share “anecdotal” evidence of what raw feeding has done for their dog.

Keep the Tail Wagging receives over 4,000 visits per day. PER DAY! That's 4,000 x 2 dogs = 8,000 dogs (down by 50% after a 2018 Google update that negatively impacted websites that discussed holistic health) that are either being raw fed or will soon be raw feed. These are people who are more than happy to talk about the benefits of raw feeding or why they want to feed a raw food diet.

We're not a bunch of nutty people who are hoarding dogs and feeding them rotting meat from a broken freezer. You will not find me dressed in camouflage and hunting wabbits in our home's woods. Raw feeding is organized in a huge community of passionate dog owners.

Did you get a call from the professor asking why you feed raw? Yeah, me neither.

3 – Veterinarians Say that Raw Feeding is Unsafe

This point brings to mind the Banfield veterinarian who, with a straight face, told me that my dogs' diet wasn't balanced because I wasn't adding cornmeal. Traditional veterinarians, educated in schools funded partially by Purina and Mars Petcare, do not support raw feeding because it's not part of their curriculum. I have spoken to many veterinarians, and while I may not have convinced them to jump ship and join the raw community, they do have a better understanding of raw dog food and more respect for those of us who spend hours researching dog nutrition and sourcing quality, human-grade ingredients to make dog food.

I'm not surprised when I hear that a traditional veterinarian doesn't support raw. It's because they follow the AVMA guidelines. But did the professor speak with any holistic vets in the AHVMA, or did their opinion not count because it wouldn't support the myths he's perpetuating?

4 – The FDA Found that 16% of Raw Food Contains Bacteria

Now, this isn't very respectful. I'm guessing that the professor is referring to the witch hunt the FDA launched last year when they sent agents into pet stores to tear open products to be tested. By the way, where are these pet stores reimbursed for the wasted inventory?

I'm disappointed that the “scientist” didn't expand his research to include a dog's digestive system. So, I'll drop some knowledge here…

Dogs are equipped with antibacterial soldiers in their saliva. For the bacteria that makes it to the gut, never fear, the dog has a secret weapon: A Short Digestive Tract! A dog's digestive tract is shorter than that of humans. So, while eating something high in bacteria will make humans sick, it's processed quickly in a dog's system, which doesn't allow time for bacteria to set up camp and do harm. On top of that, a dog's gut is highly acidic, making it an unpleasant place for bacteria to live. And, FYI, kibble contains salmonella – or did we forget about kibble recalls? Oh, Snap!

5 – Raw Feeders Are Apprehensive of Kibble

Ummm, duh huh.

Did this professor not read the pet food recalls due to a controlled drug used to kill pets? What about the “beef” recipe that was horse meat, not cows? Or the chicken jerky treats that killed thousands of pets back in 2007? Or the number of prescription diets that don't treat illness but cost dog owners twice as much money?

How many people are raising a dog with cancer, kidney issues, liver issues, diabetes, and other illnesses due to a commercial diet of kibble and canned? Why do people look down on us for seeking to feed something that won't make our dogs sick? Why do these people deny the evidence of improved health after a dog is switched to a raw food diet?

I will admit that I fear returning to a kibble or canned diet for my dogs. I want my dogs to thrive, not merely survive.

6 – Fewer Vet Visits Due to Distrust of Vets

To clarify the FACTS for the professor, dogs have fewer vet visits because they're healthier. My dogs still go to the vet for wellness checks and other appointments. I do have distrust of some veterinarians based on prior experiences; however, I'm always willing to give a veterinarian a chance. I don't judge an entire profession based on the actions of a few.

7 – He's Disturbed by What He Learned About Raw Feeding

The professor states that, as a scientist, he was disturbed by what he learned about raw feeding. If I had only considered one side of the issue, I would be disturbed, too. Let's consider all the things the big pet food companies want us to believe about feeding fresh food to our dogs:

If the bacteria in raw dog food doesn't kill us, it'll kill our dogs.
Raw dog food is unbalanced and will lead to malnourishment in our dogs.
Raw dog food will make our dogs aggressive.
Dogs live longer because of commercial diets.
Dogs have adapted to consume high-carb and low-protein diets.
There is no proof that raw feeding is beneficial for dogs.
Raw diets aren't digestible.
Raw dog food has parasites.

And on and on. If I only listened to people who told me the above “facts,” aka MYTHS, about raw feeding, I would think people who fed raw were nuts too!

F.E.A.R. = False Evidence Appearing Real

Some people in the pet food industry are spreading F.E.A.R. to keep dog parents dependent on their kibble. We see this in many industries and know it's all about money. The fashion industry has made women paranoid about our weight; the beauty industry encourages us to spend too much on moisturizers; the fitness industry takes full advantage of our need to set resolutions yearly. It's business, and that's what we, as dog parents, are learning.

The pet food industry is a business; A 60+ BILLION DOLLAR BUSINESS. We can no longer depend on others to put our pets' needs first; that's our job and that's why we're asking questions, doing our homework, and making our dog food.

And, by the way, Psychology Today ALSO believes that raw feeders have a form an eating disorder. Wow! Just Wow!

5 Comments

Anne Bachewich on May 1, 2017 at 9:33 am

Dr. Coren is also the author of the “Dog Intelligence List” which has some issues with the research ( in my personal opinion). I actually have been writing about and making videos about dog intelligence based on the list for several years personally trying to debunk the list. Not a fan either.
Jen Gabbard on March 24, 2017 at 7:17 pm

Thanks for this, I’m not a fan of his work and I always read it with a grain of salt. He writes controversial headlines like that all the time, and most of his stuff doesn’t actually prove the headline true or false, it’s often just his own anecdotal evidence. Like the ‘dogs don’t like hugs’ thing he did last year. Sure most dogs don’t like hugs, especially from strangers. But to claim that all dogs dislike them because you looked at hundreds of photos and saw that a lot of them looked uncomfortable is far from proof. I know plenty of dogs who hate when the camera comes out, so trying to scientifically prove anything by those means is just silly.
Barbara Rivers on March 23, 2017 at 5:31 pm

You hit the nail on the head with this fabulous post, Kimberly. I will share it far & wide. I can only attest to the wonderful benefits the balanced, raw diet has on both of my Boxer mixes. No skin issues, no ear infections, no stinky breath, no nasty dog smell, small poop, energectic pups, clean teeth.

If that’s not proof of what real food ACTUALLY does to a dog’s body, then I don’t know what is.
Kimberly on March 18, 2017 at 6:56 pm

Thanks, Ellen
Ellen Holekamp on March 18, 2017 at 10:10 am

Thank you for so eloquently putting into words what I have been thinking all week after reading this nonsense! You are awesome. Keep up your great work and writing. Because of you the animals win.

7 Reasons Psychology Today Knows Dick About Raw Feeding