Copenhagen Pet

19/10/2023

🫣 The Dirt on Peanut Butter 🥜

To be 100% honest with you, I don’t know where, when or how peanut butter became so popular for dogs as a snack and an ingredient in treats. Dogs “can” eat peanut butter but it is FAR from my first choice for a treat as there are so many considerations to be made. It seems like lip smacking goodness until you really look into it.

☠️ When Peanut Can be Lethal 🥜

Peanut butter can be lethal if it contains the sugar alcohol Xylitol which is used as an artificial sweetener in some brands. Xylitol poisoning causes vomiting, a sudden drop in blood sugar, weakness, incoordination, collapse, seizures, liver failure and even death. Urgent veterinary attention is required after accidental ingestion of even small quantities. Peanut butter doesn’t need sweetener, if you’re stocking peanut butter in your pantry select a natural variety with no additives.

🙅‍♀️ Other Undesirable Aspects of 100% Natural Peanut Butter 🥜

🦠 Aflatoxins 🦠

Aflatoxins are a potentially carcinogenic toxins produced by mould that is found in agriculture in corn and maize (check the ingredients in Science Diet dry food 🫣), cottonseed and peanuts.

These have been known to produce allergic responses, digestive inflammation, autoimmune or heart issues, problems with growth and development and contribute to parasite infestation.

The roasting process removes majority of the mould and therefore aflatoxin concentration of raw peanuts. However, peanuts that are already roasted and stored prior to processing may continue to grow mould. This means that the “grind your own” peanut butters in natural health food stores have a higher concentration of aflatoxins compared to other sources 🫢 Buying roasted peanuts in bulk and grinding them at home with no additional heating may also contain higher levels than expected.

Some brands claim to be aflatoxin free, do your research and buy from reputable brands or ones who have done appropriate scientific testing, such as ELISA, thin-layer chromatography (TLC), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and gas chromatography (GC) to check levels. Buying from local, organic providers who care about their produce and harvest efficiently and carefully are also worth looking into.

As a side note, aflatoxins are grouped into 4 categories - AFG1, AFG2, AFB1 and AFB2. The FDA considers peanuts and peanut products containing a total aflatoxin count from all categories no greater than 20 micrograms per kilogram (mcg/kg) or 20 parts per billion (ppb) as fit for human consumption. In Canada and Australia the highest acceptable level is 15ppb.

🌰 Omega-6 Fatty Acids 🥜

Peanut butter is high in omega-6s. These polyunsaturated fatty acids should be monitored within dog diets as they can cause inflammation. If your dog eats a lot of chicken, there is likely to already be a high ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 which could promote inflammation.

🙅‍♀️ Rancid Fats 🥜

Even with undetectable aflatoxins, store bought peanut butters may still be become rancid due to high fat content. Roasted and processed peanuts will go rancid faster than raw peanuts. Exposure to air causes oxidation therefore refrigeration and appropriate storage may control this.

🔥 Roasting Process 🥜

Peanuts are often roasted in hydrogenated vegetable oil which introduces trans fats into the product. Avoid peanut butters made from peanuts roasted in oil and instead opt for the dry-roasted varieties.

🫘 Phytates 🥜

Legumes and grains contain phytates, natural antioxidants that act as anti-nutrients within the body. Phytic acid chelates micronutrients causing decreased bioavailability. Some studies suggest that roasting may reduce phytic acid levels up to 26%. Soaking, sprouting, activating or fermenting peanuts prior to roasting will further reduce the content of phytates.

🌰 Oxalates 🥜

Peanuts are high in oxalates. Similar to phytates, these are anti-nutrients which bind to minerals impairing their bioavailability. Oxalates can also accumulate in the kidneys, leading to the formation of kidney stones. Roasting decreases oxylaye content, and soaking prior to roasting further reduces the oxalate content.

✅ Best Practice for Preparation 👩‍🍳

💧Soak, sprout or activate raw peanuts and dry roast or ferment them to make your own peanut butter. This reduces aflatoxins, phytates, oxylates and trans fats. You may also be able to find companies who follow these practices in their processing.

🙅‍♀️ Don’t make peanut butter from nuts that have been roasted and sorted in an uncontrolled environment as this promotes mould growth and aflatoxin content. This includes avoiding “grind your own” peanut butters from health food shops.

🌴 Nut butters made from Valencia or Jungle peanuts are more carefully grown and are less likely to have aflatoxins. Valencia peanuts also contain all 9 amino acids, resveratrol and monounsaturated fats that help to lower triglycerides.

🐟 Feed your dog plenty of omega-3 rich foods the same day you give peanut butter to help bring the Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio closer to 3:1.

🍶Consider making or buying fermented peanut butter over activated or soaked as this contains also probiotics as well as reducing anti-nutrients.

Overall, small doses of peanut butter can be considered okay for dogs provided specific guidelines are followed. Despite this, there are significantly more nutritious nuts and seeds to consider appropriately preparing feeding instead.

13/10/2022

👇THIS 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

Let's pretend!!!

01/10/2022

Can I get you another treat Sir? Oh the guilt 🥺

23/09/2022

Hey👋🏽just our favorite reminder to all newbies and OG’s to: rotate proteins!

Rotating the protein sources that you feed your furry companions can make a big impact on their health - for the better🤗

Every protein provides a different combination of nutrients, and no single protein source can provide every nutrient that your dog or cat needs to be at their optimal level of health.
Some of our batches (such as our duck or lamb) have higher fat contents, some are a bit higher in protein than others, and every protein source has its own unique amino acid profile.

Additionally based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) some proteins have cooling, neutral, warming or hot energies, feeding certain proteins can help alleviate certain issues in your pet’s overall wellness. For instance duck and rabbit are considered cooling proteins🧊these can help pets that are experiencing hot spots and any other skin irritations. Pork and beef are considered neutral proteins, while chicken and turkey are warming proteins and lamb is considered hot🔥Pets with arthritis or joint pain can often benefit from warming or hot proteins.

Keeping their diet varied with any and all proteins that they do well with is the best way to reap the benefits that each protein has to offer.
Which proteins are you feeding and rotating?!🤔🐶🐱

31/08/2022

Not all protein is equal; the protein source for your pup should be in the form of meat 🥩 not a corn 🌽 concoction!⠀
⠀
❌ Corn should not be the first ingredient in your dog's food.⠀
⠀
Aside from the fact that corn is NOT easily digestible, your dog needs the protein and fat found in meat. While corn does contain protein, it is a carbohydrate.⠀⠀⠀⠀

20/08/2022

PSA:

Please read labels before you offer treats.

Vegetable oils such as those listed below are high in omega 6, if the omega 6 isn’t properly balanced with omega 3 then this will become an inflammatory food.

Adding glucosamine for “joint health” to a treat that contains glycerol (glycerine) is counter productive. If the treat is chicken based, chicken is high in omega 6 then adding glycerol! Boom! Double inflammation.

*Click photo to expand the poster.

Be your dogs voice.

Emma Rutherford
Functional Companion Animal Dietary Industry Consultant thenaturalcaninekitchen.com Founder of Holistic Dog Care

14/08/2022

See this recent piece by Thixton?! It begins..."On Wednesday, a truck spilt its contents on the road in Queensbury, NY; the spill: rotting, decomposing future pet food ingredients..."
https://truthaboutpetfood.com/pet-food-ingredient-secrets-spills-on-new-york-highway/

Check out those ingredients guys - heads and guts, for the most part, transported in non-refrigerated open trucks.

This is probably up there with the most fetid, most toxic waste products you could ever handle.

Can you imagine if "they" discovered such ingredients were going into raw dog food?!!

Instead, on truly terrible matters like this, you will never hear a single word from any of the public whitecoat vets (whitecoats are doctors/vets privately paid by big pet food companies to relentlessly stir fear in the public about feeding pets fresh food).

Yes, bar the toxic ingredients and utterly dismal safety record of their product of choice all is peachy in their camp apparently!!!

They boil that crap (literally) up in a rendering vat, scoop the grey goo off the bottom and dry it into "meat and bone meal".

And of this revolting, dirt poor ingredient, cereal-based pet food manages to use around 4% (in products that say "WITH beef").

That should give you some idea of how cheap the rest of that kibble is to make.

Folk are paying $10/kg for that stuff from vets?! Twice the price of fresh meat off the supermarket shelf...for a meat eater!

Shame on them. Surely our dogs deserve better than this.

05/08/2022

Feed different raw Proteins + organs + bones/ cartlidge + liver all in moderation.

😻Balance over time

🐶1 freezer drawer to start 😁
🐶Find a good supplier

🐶Use a great app with great resources
Raw Pet iOS App is Awesome! Check it out!
https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1199888930

This goes for both dogs & cats !

THE SPIRALLING COST OF OWNING A PET...
I'm just off the phone to a lovely lady in the US. A paediatrician (working for one of the top colleges in the country) that needed help shifting her sick dog over to real food. During the call she revealed that out of pure love she has spent all of her money (no exaggeration, ALL of her financial reserves, over $100k...) on keeping this dog alive and she was successful, adding 3yrs to their time together.

Outwardly, she didn't seem too broken by this. What else can you do, is the usual response? We can all relate to that. It's only money. It will come back.

But in the face of a six figures, I was still pretty shocked. Still, it can happen. It's not unusual to hear $40k here. $50k there. A truly lovely couple had spent £65k on a pug in London a few months back (that dog is doing very markedly better now following her move to fresh and natural - ailments slowly evaporating one by one...and I'm not a vet, guys, I'm not using pharma or gadgets or diagnostic wizardry, I'm just looking at the basic stuff, the foundations, and getting that right).

What's even more remarkable is that $100k figure is WITH pet insurance...which less than 1% of Americans have / can afford for their pet.

One issue we are all having is the spiralling cost of owning a pet today - grossly overpriced kibble crap made by candy companies is sickening our pets, of that we can be sure. Despite all the amazing "science" injected into the pet market, they have never been sicker - never suffered more obesity and diabetes, never suffered more cancer, never suffered more pancreatitis and kidney disease, never suffered more dental disease. All trending worse. Can't hide from those figures.

Much of the disease above can be explained by feeding the wrong food to meat eaters. This makes the manufacturing of high carb kibble and owning the vet sector (and diagnostic centres) a very, very profitable endeavour. Hence, while Hills Pet Food was busy cash-sponsoring all the vet departments, Mars Inc was busy scooping them up once in practice - now owning more than 50'000 US vets (as well as owning the majority of US veterinary diagnostics with their purchase of ANTECH and via the purchase of Banfield the lions share of US vet hospitals).
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-01-05/when-big-business-happens-to-your-pet

Big business is more than aware of the move and small independent vets are being bought up by companies whose sole drive is to MAKE MONEY from your sick pet, driving costs up every year, both in the US and now UK and Ireland
https://dogsfirst.ie/who-are-medivet/

All this time they want you to ignore the statement made by Chris Laine, the incredible CEO of Brisbane Guide Dogs who shifed more than 200 working dogs from dry to raw dog food and enjoyed an 82% saving in their vet bills.
https://www.couriermail.com.au/ipad/charity-putting-animal-health-first/news-story/7a35ca26cabb7fe00ca07c5d9dfbe20f

Putting happier, healthier dogs aside (as we have been doing for the last few decades), imagine the implications of that saving for the charity? All the extra people that could be helped? Win win.

Chris soon engineered a contact with a local raw dog food manufacturer to lend their branding to a raw product (Leading Raw) which netted the organisation free food, in doing so eliminating the organisation's two biggest bills.

Surely such a momentous, daring and life-changing management would prick the ears of every sentient person listening?

I guess that depends on who is listening and who is pulling the strings.

They abruptly fired Chris in Jan 2015 who had just announced the month before that all was great, that they were getting into treats but then BANG, in January, it was over.

In her place was a new CEO that saw no value whatsoever in any of these moves. They stopped feeding real food to their dogs (which we have to assume INCREASED sickness in the population?) and moved back to feeding Mars kibble like the other 13 guide dog training schools contractually bound to the candy manufacturer in Australia (still today).

"...I believe my contract wasn’t renewed because I would not conform and sign the Mars contract with the other states... I was already getting free RAW food for the colony so I saw no benefit to the contract with Mars... only an unhealthy downside".
(Chris Laine, in email to me, 2020).

Guys, with the filthy, souless oil companies profiting from the war in Ukraine and jacking up oil prices, this winter is going to be harder from a cost of fuel and food perspective. If you want healthier pets AND to save considerable amounts of money longterm, stop feeding them kibble (and start researching natural parasite control etc) and move them to real food.
https://dogsfirst.ie/raw-faq/raw-diet-for-dogs/

And support independent vets.

03/08/2022

Some Ingredients The American Association of Feed Control Officials allows in pet feed:
❌ Diseased animals
❌ Retail Food Waste
❌ Dried (expired) Bakery Product
❌ Animal byproducts

The animal feed industry is one big recycling bin 🤢

I had already planned a “Kick Kibble to the Curb” series when Dr. Nick Thompson asked if I would be willing to do a live for the campaign. I thought combining forces was a great way to reach as many pet parents as possible.

I am excited to be collaborating with some great people to bring education and awareness to pet parents on nutrition the entire month of August:
Dr. Nick Thompson
The Natural Pet Doctor
Dogs First
ProDog Raw

Get The List of verified pet foods: https://truthaboutpetfood.com/the-list/

03/08/2022

Let this one soak in.

Yes, it will probably upset a few people, but we have to start questioning why is this our go-to for pet food.

Is it the convenience?

Is it truly the best food option for our pets?

Here's a news flash.

Processed food will never be able to beat real food in terms of nutrition and optimizing health.

However, just putting down meats and vegetables is not going to provide all the nutrients your pets need and overtime will lead to health issues.

But there are plenty of resources out there to help guide you in formulating a home-cooked or raw food diet.

You may feel confused and lost, because you're just not sure where to start.

A few sources I highly recommend include:





And if you're wanting more guidance and support, make sure to hit the like and follow button since this month is all about and we're going to be sharing lots of tools, resources and lives with other practitioners that want to help your pets get off kibble!

04/07/2022

We shared a post there two days ago about dogs nicking food. It was clearly very popular. Over 2600 of you liked it and 180 of you felt the need to comment with your own story. It's striking that virtually 100% of them are about the dog nicking meat - chickens, hams, sides of beef, sausages. They don't come back with brandishing carrots, or a bushel of wheat. They come back with meat.

If you opened the supermarket to them, that's where they'd go (and it's true they would go for the cooked stuff first, it's tastier to them too). Not to the veg or breakfast cereal and CERTAINLY not to the "pet food' section (you know, the one with the poisonous household chemicals on the other side of it).

Studies show truly feral dogs are highly carnivorous, with diets in excess of 90-95% "meat" (from insects to little mammals to birds to carcass etc).

However, when villages dogs, that is, dogs that tend to live with a family at nighttime but are permitted to roam during the day (usually poorer countries with lax roaming laws) are tracked we see that while they receive a very vegetarian breakfast from their family (poor folk don't waste animal protein on their pets) and then spend nearly 100% of their time searching out animal protein "to top up their failing protein reserves".

A preponderance of feed trials shows they choose animal protein over all else, they favour protein and fat over carbs, they will choose a small meat offering no matter how big the pile of dry is, they work harder and longer for meat rewards. On and on, with most of these studies conducted by the cereal-based pet food sector themselves. But still, beyond 4% bone meal or the likes, they refuse to give it to them as it costs more than weetabix.

Dogs are the perfect hunting machine. Classified as an opportunistic scavenging carnivore, they have big noses (olfaction is 25% of their brain!), eyes wired for movement, a hinged, muscled jaw that snaps closed, set with ferocious pierce-and-chop teeth, sleek, long-distance running bodies. Perfectly evolved to exploit a myriad of niches and anything with a face.

With all we know of them, isn't it ridiculous that we still have a pet food industry trying to convince us that this is not the case?!

Your dog (and cat) is surely healthiest fed meat.

Give them what they want. Give them what they NEED.

25/06/2022

Puppies - Raw food - holistic health

24/06/2022

21/06/2022

If you want an alternative go to Natural Dog Food
In Cph 🇩🇰

Cats are carnivores, and while they can survive on dry kibble, it is taxing to their bodies. Cats don’t process carbohydrates effectively and do not drink enough water to make up for the lack of moisture in dry food. As a veterinarian, I see a lot of
• Diabetes
• Kidney Disease
• Heart Disease
• Constipation
• Urinary Issues

Of course if kibble is the only option, it is better than nothing, but cats really need a high meat, high moisture diet.

“But my cat will only eat kibble!”

This is a common problem. I’ve had good luck using freeze dried raw during transitions. Vital Essentials is my favorite.

Two of my friends are hosting a FB Live about how to get your picky cat to transition to a raw diet this Thursday. Follow PAWDEGA and The Two Crazy Cat Ladies to join!

30/05/2022

NOW THAT IT’S FALL, IS YOUR PET: ITCHING, SCRATCHING, LOSING FUR OR WHEEZING? TIME TO SMASH SEASONAL ALLERGIES WITH THIS NATURAL REMEDY!

Oh look - it’s fall! Time to break out the new fall wardrobe, and don’t forget the added excitement of all the beautiful colored trees you can admire as well.

As most pet parents are excited for fall, there are still many who dread it.

With fall comes the shedding of leaves, spores and molds that end up all over our pets and their fur. Say hello to allergy season!

An allergy is an abnormal response of the immune system. The body reacts to a usually harmless substance in the environment called an “allergen”. Allergens can be problematic when inhaled, ingested, or when it comes into contact with a pet’s skin.

As your pet’s body tries to get rid of the allergen, a variety of skin, digestive, and respiratory issues may surface. These include (but aren’t limited to) paw licking/chewing, hair loss, ear infections, watery eyes, itchy skin, and a lot of scratching.

Histamine is one of the biggest players in an allergic response, causing much of the inflammation, redness and irritation we and our pets experience. Once the body goes through this process, being exposed to the same allergen again will result in this antibody response, hence the allergic reaction.

SO HOW DO YOU STOP HISTAMINE?

Flavonoids have generated significant interest from nutritional and scientific communities due to their potential beneficial effects on histamine and allergic responses. Of the more than 4,000 types of flavonoids that have been identified, the one receiving increased attention by researchers: is quercetin.

USE QUERCETIN!

Quercetin, pronounced KWAIR-suh-ten, is a flavonoid (also called a bioflavonoid) that has anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-histamine properties.

During an allergic reaction the body releases histamine, which contributes to inflammation, redness and irritation. Research has shown that Quercetin can “turn off” histamine production and suppress, or at least moderate, inflammation. Furthermore, Quercetin helps suppress cellular activity associated with inflammation. This means less itching! For this reason, it has been coined “Nature’s Benadryl”.

“Quercetin exerts strong anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-pathogenic, and immune regulatory effects in vitro and in animal-based studies. Epidemiological data indicates reduced rates of cardiovascular disease and various types of cancer in groups self-selecting diets high in Quercetin. In human studies, quercetin has shown to lower blood pressure, and in athletes it significantly reduces the incidence of the common cold, especially during periods of heavy training and race competition" -
Dr. David Nieman - North Carolina Research Center

Quercetin supplements are available in pill and capsule form. They are often packaged with “Bromelain” which increases the bioavailability of Quercetin, meaning you get more bang for your buck when combined.

“I call it 'nature's Benadryl' because it does a great job suppressing histamine release from mast cells and basophiles.” – Doctor Karen Becker

DOSAGES-

To work out the proper dosage in milligrams, just multiply the weight of your pet (in pounds) by 8. So a dog weighing 50lbs should get 400mg or a 125lbs dog would get 1,000mg.

For cats - most cats tolerate a dose of 50-75mg once or twice daily, check with your veterinarian for more detailed dosages.

1000mg of quercetin a day is roughly equal to consuming 124 red apples or 217 cups of blueberries. Researchers suggest that the average human who consumes an abundant amount of fruits and veggies is only getting about about 230mg of quercetin a day.

Remember: Whatever the amount you give your pet, always split the dosage into two separate portions throughout the day for best results.

(According to holistic veterinarians, if your pet is in really bad shape you can always double the dose.)

For more info on Quercetin, head on over to Dogs Naturally Magazine: http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/natures-benadryl-quercetin/

Rodney Habib - Pet Nutrition Blogger

"An educated, informed and well-researched community of pet owners can only put more pressure on the pet food industry to be better! When pet owners know better, they will only do better!"

25/05/2022

⚠️ Don’t Let Your Pet Go Near These Plants 🐕

Grass awns are dangerous to pets. Protect your pet by keeping them away from areas with natural grasses, and thoroughly inspect and brush their coat when you return from natural, grassy spaces outside.

Read today’s free blog post to learn more ways to protect your pet from this summer hazard: https://bit.ly/3yLMND3

05/05/2022

CLARIFYING THE CONFUSING WORLD OF CBD FOR PETS: WHAT TYPE, WHAT DOSE, & WHEN 🐶🐱

Despite a growing collection of studies demonstrating the benefits of CBD for anxiety, pain, autoimmune diseases and even cancer, there is still so many questions.

We do know that CBD is a viable treatment when it comes to epilepsy in human medicine, and a 2019 study with dogs found 90% receiving CBD had a reduction in seizure activity, as well. In addition, scientists studying the effects of cannabidiol combined with chemotherapy in dog bladder cancer cell lines concluded that CBD treatment shows promising results in killing cancer cells, particularly when combined with certain cancer drugs.

And while many of us have experienced some of the benefits of using this herb to manage specific challenges with our own dogs, it’s clear without a multimodal approach, CBD alone won’t change the medical or behavioral picture you’re experiencing.

So to help us understand the potential role CBD may play in the management of your pet’s health, today in the Inside Scoop live podcast we’re joined by veterinarian, medicinal mushroom and CBD expert Doc Rob Silver. I’m today’s episode we’ll help clear up the confusing world of CBD, as Dr. Silver explains the different cannabinoids, what type to give, when to give it, and at what dose.

We’ll also be discussing some of the most important mushrooms you should be considering for different purposes, plus in this week’s free e-book download he provides detailed information on:

🔥 How to pair the right mushrooms for different reasons

🔥 Dosing mushrooms for various needs (and is whole food enough?)

🔥 Mushroom meal-toppers and “healing” recipes

…and more guidance for cannabinoids!

Join us today at 12pm ET for this important Live discussion. Looking forward to seeing your questions in the comments! 🙌

👉If you aren’t a member of Inside Scoop yet (our troll-free subscription group of 2.0 pet parents) and want join, head over to the Planet Paws page and click the blue "Become a Subscriber” button to join this Livestream!

https://www.facebook.com/PlanetPawsMedia

21/04/2022

RANT TIME...FOR THE LOVE OF DOG, THIS IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH...
Isn't it funny (not ha-ha funny) that only dry pet food manufacturers (and those cash-funded by them) are invited to speak on the possible benefits and aaaAAAALLLLLL the downsides of fresh food for pets at the British Small Animal Veterinary Association annual conference?! Never a raw promoter or, dare to dream, a vet from the Raw Feeding Veterinary Society.

Imagine at the annual meet up of all the doctors in your country and the CEO of Wonder Burgers steps up to tell you why fresh food is too dangerous to eat. There'd be uproar!

This year the vet owner of a dry, rice-based-and-bone-meal food company (who just moments previously was the voice for Pedigree Chum and Dental sticks, honestly) was up slamming fresh food in all the usual ways - too dangerous to eat (colossal published surveys reveal it seems a very safe thing to do), possible nutritional imbalance (imagine the mental dissonance it takes to say such a thing when 62% of "complete" dry and 94% of "complete" canned foods in the UK fail to meet AAFCO's minimum pet food standards https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5719410/), etc etc, all the subjects that, had they been given the chance to, even the least prepared from the fresh side would not only counter using ACTUAL studies that these terrible issues not only go on in his product of choice but significantly more so, but that the weight of evidence is actually piled very high (in an excellent book called Feeding Dogs, have you read it?! You really must...ahem) AGAINST the feeding of high carb, low protein, stale fat, George Jetson nutrient, chemically-preserved kibble to the cutest meat-eaters on the planet.

Somewhat ironically, the "weight and quality of evidence" was something this TV vet actually focused upon in his BSAVA lecture but in the age-old tactic of industry white coats (salespeople that dress up as scientists to tell you fast food is all about proportion or fizzy drinks are actually energy drinks...) it was ONLY applied to the competitor, and in the flimsiest of manner. Yes, the problem with real food, this slave to evidenced-based medicine extols (being careful to leave out the most insightful works), is that the studies used to support it are not of the “highest quality”.

And that's true, to be fair. While many smaller (but still very telling) comparative works are now thankfully coming out, ALL appearing to show raw fed dogs seemingly do better than their dry fed counterparts, there isn't a large-scale, case-controlled study over years showing the same effect.

But then, dry food has never, ever, ever produced a SINGLE STUDY of any value whatsoever to prove their “complete” kibble is better than a more biologically appropriate “complete” raw either. They have never needed it.

Read that line again because it's completely true (feel free to post below contrary evidence to indicate otherwise, there must be hundreds of works out there for an entire vet industry to get behind this, right?!).

The truth is, their evidence of choice is feed trials conducted by candy companies on 8 caged dogs over 6mths (that we can't see), and the vast majority of products don't even do them as they can say that their product LOOKS like one that did / might have. The only science they practice is in marketing, not nutrition.

What saddens me most about the whole debacle however, is that in vet land, heavily-loaded, unsupported industry info is not only acceptable but is actually the ONLY information all the vets in the audience want to hear. They never question the fact this guy has a dry food company, that this guy has never conducted a single bit of research of his own, let alone into fresh food, that this guy's mortgage depends on fresh food remaining only 20% of the UK pet food market (good luck with that one!).

Had they done so, had they stopped accepting everything they hear as "fact" and simply Googled with a half-open mind, they would have found some worrying studies that contradict their ingrained beliefs.

What of the peer-reviewed and most definitely published dry v raw comparison that found 10 times the level of homocysteine (an inflammatory marker) in dry fed dogs, a figure that drops by a factor of 5 when moved to raw? That was interesting. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311321747_Investigation_of_Homocysteine_Levels_in_Healthy_Dogs

And when this inflammation was investigated, they found that dry fed dogs have significantly higher levels of gene expression for histamine (the itchy stuff) in the skin.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29680397/

In fact, the results of a large survey of pet owners by Helsinki University revealed pups born to dry-fed mothers suffer more canine atopic dermatitis.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0225675

Bloody hell!!! This was the chance - a room stuffed full of vets, think of the number of dogs that could of being helped across the country! Here is something you guys can at least TRY to alleviate their suffering!!

(I don't mean those exclamation marks in a happy sense - I'm mad as hell here...)

But no. Instead, any dry-fed pet that attends the clinic of any vet that sat listening to this guys vacuous misdirection is destined for the good ship anti-inflammatory, a colossal market for Big Pharma and one that continues its strong growth, year on year, in tandem with our vet bills and pets suffering.

This is a crime, going on right in front of us.

And we're not quite finished. Just a week after this BSAVA performance (which we now at least have time-stamped - this is what this guy is willing to say in 2022 despite all the evidence to the contrary), the same vet was called upon by Irish media to give his opinion on the new vegan pet food trend infecting the nation. Already a known supporter (after all, a token pinch of bone meal in your product is hardly the meat feast the front of the packet portrays...), this vet was ALL IN FAVOUR of vegan pet food, and he then commenced his usual, tried and tested smoke and mirror routine.

Do you know what this vet is basing his opinion on vegan dry food on? A recent published survey (sponsored by proveg.com...) of some 330 vegans that feed vegan pet food to their pets. They asked them do they THINK their pet is healthy and what do they THINK their vet would say. And do you know what these vegans said? Incredibly, they thought their pets were GREAT on the food!!! Isn't that something?!! No vet assessment needed. No bloodwork. No measurements at all taken. Science at its finest folks (the survey also revealed the raw-fed dogs appeared even a touch healthier than the vegan dogs and VERY MUCH healthier than those on cereal-based pet food....you know, sort of like this vets product.......but shhhh, that doesn't fit with his very wobbly narrative at all...).

There is one other survey out there worth mentioning albeit sponsored by a vegan pet food company. It compared dogs fed their vegan kibble to dogs fed a “meat-based” kibble (that is a cereal-based kibble with potentially 4% bone meal addition as the "meat"). You might say these two products are virtually identical, that bone meal is so antigenic and nutrient bereft you may be better off without it (and if the cereal-based stuff was wheat I would choose the vegan one!!). And what did they apparently find? INCREDIBLY, the dogs fed vegan kibble did as well (or as badly?!) as those fed, what most us outside the industry consider to be the lowest food on the pet food ladder - cereal-based kibble.

That is called an unfalsifiable comparison and it is on these sorts of studies that the ENTIRE house of pet food cards is built. Is my product better than Weetabix? Yes?! There you go, scientifically proven. If we add fish oil to our standard inflammatory crap will it reduce itch in dogs a tiny, tiny bit? Yes?! There you go, magic dermal care dry food (sold to you at three times the price under "prescription"...by newsagents...). Etc.

So this guy is more than happy to get behind vegan pet food on the back of two small, veg-corporation-funded surveys but fresh food for healthier pets with a far greater body of evidence behind it?!! No way! Simply couldn't do that. There's not enough science!!!!

Sadly, there will be never enough science to get someone like this off the pulpit because their position is taken in dogma. No amount of reason or published evidence will make them budge, particularly when both their mortgage AND reputation depend on them holding the ever-shortening line.

The only good news I can give you here is that soon, inevitably, the money won't be worth it and the message will inevitably shift slowly towards some "natural" crap shat out by their favourite candy company. Until then, if you were looking for a little more evidence in support of real food for cats and dogs please check out what impartial vets have to say on the matter... https://rfvs.info/rfvs-position-statement-2021/.

In the meantime, I don't know how this fast food fanatic sleeps at night, I really don't, but I hope it's badly. Most of all though, I hope that in five years, as cereal-based pet food continues its sharp decline and real food its ascent in pet land, much to the benefit of the animals in our charge, please never forget two things - the malignant industry presence is not just in their food (nor is it just in our pets) and just because guys like this wear white coats and serious faces it doesn't mean they're not industry clowns.

Their health is in your hands. Nobody else's. Never stop asking questions.