Vet advising against raw meat diet supplement, fears E. Coli

[cat_crazy]

Originally Posted by sharky

How many cats and how old are they? How old at death ?Are they up to date on vax? spayed or neutered ? Do they take them into the vet once to twice a year for just a check over?

I have finally figured out that you are most likely in your mid teens .... Your doing very well for a young lady/ man ...

I can go put up a website about spiders and claim to be an expert even take excerpts from other sites .... Reality -Yes, I can identify 95% of the spiders in my local area , but I am IMHO NOT qualified to tell others about it ... or I could write up a paper on space craft that sound s good and claim myself an expert ...lol.. I know very very little in that area ..

Basically , Remember your teachers and the old burden of proof and quality sources.. Just cause you read it online does not make it so

...

5 cats (only two have died of old age). The only vaccinations they had were rabies. All were/are spayed or neutered. Once a year to the vet. One lived about 20 years, and the other 23 years.

I don't take everything I read on the internet and take it as the truth. I'm sorry if I came across that way to you. I take everything I read with a grain of salt unless I see it said over and over again and I think for myself using logic.

sharky, you are very lucky to have three vets that advocate it. Because in reality it is hard to find vets that advocate it. I had to search for a while before finally finding her.

 

[otto]

Originally Posted by sharky

I live in a town of 23000 ... I have three vets who feed and know raw well within 5 miles .... One of them has a master s in animal nutrition.... I also have two who are willing to help if someone has questions ( Ie they will research along with you)..Basically the folks saying they cant find one who will at least listen and then help or refer them to someone who will are not really the majority anymore.

You found one

It was not likely that difficult ... I found mine via word of mouth

My vet would work with me, should I want to feed raw. I don't, but we have discussed it so I know she would help me.

Originally Posted by Cat_crazy

5 cats (only two have died of old age). The only vaccinations they had were rabies. All were/are spayed or neutered. Once a year to the vet. One lived about 20 years, and the other 23 years.

Cats don't die of "old age". They die of diseases that come with age.

 

[auntie crazy]

Originally Posted by Carolina

I am sure it is not rocket science

. I asked how to do it properly balanced, to post an example of her menu, since she makes it appear so easy. Cats at different age groups have different nutritional needs. To not run into trouble in the long run, it is not so simple to achieve a well balance raw diet. It is not for everybody. It takes studying, it takes a good vet supporting it IMHO. Certainly not as easy as throwing some raw pieces of chicken one day, beef on the other, as some beginners reading some of these posts might get the impression. Since you feed raw, you gotta know it gets way deeper than that. Are you going to feed the same calcium amounts for a kitten than you are going to a senior cat for example? These things are relevant. Maybe not in the short run, but in long terms you might end up with a sick cat. Calcium is just one example.

Actually, after the initial calculations and adjustments, feeding raw to one's cats is incredibly easy. I've been doing it for over a year with five, now six, cats, and I don't even think about it anymore. I check the schedule each morning, pull out the proper foods for the following day to thaw in the fridge, open and dump out the foods I pulled from the freezer yesterday to thaw for today. One, two, three, done.

Cutting and packing the meals takes longer, but I only do it once or twice a month, and I spend less time at it than a co-worker spent stuffing sausages with her family this past weekend. *smile*

There's a raw menu thread here: What does your menu look like?

Also, although it flies in the face of every marketing ad ever created, cats, like snakes and birds of prey, don't actually require different diets at different ages. The young require a greater quantity, but that's pretty much it.

To your "It's not for everyone" point, however, I completely agree. If a cat owner isn't able or willing to do the proper calculations and provide the necessary ingredients consistently, then that person should not be feeding raw.

Regards!

AC

 

[jharm]

I would feed my cats raw food if they were so inclined to go near it. Those concerned with "easiness" could also take a look at pre-made raw diets, specifically Feline's Pride (best option: grain-free and vegetable-free) and Nature's Variety (95% meat/bones/organs and 5% fruit/vegetable matter).