Dog Community

Wow!!

Posted : 4/14/2006 10:36:03 AM

I will be attending Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in the Fall, and although I plan to focus on exotics and this isn't all that applicable to me, I thought I would share !

I met a current third year student who feeds raw and I asked her about the nutritional courses (four of them) that we have to take, what they thought about raw, etc and I was very surprised. She said that we are actually educated about raw feeding, and how to educate clients, if they choose to do a raw diet, how to do it safely and how to get the correct balance of nutrients, etc. She also said that they really approve of and know about the high quality kibbles ie Innova, California Natural, Solid Gold, etc.

Even though I choose not to feed raw myself I am excited. I think the "new generation" of vets coming out are going to be much more open minded and educated on nutrition. Yay!

papillon806

Posted : 4/14/2006 10:39:17 AM

Wow, that's totally different from the vet school at NCSU. They don't teach anything like that there, and the one nutrition class is optional.

dyan

Posted : 4/14/2006 10:48:03 AM

Maybe its a sign, and things will change all over!

whtsthfrequency

Posted : 4/14/2006 10:57:33 AM

Optional nutrition?? That's terrible....I must admit I was surprised when I saw we take at least one course every semester in nutrition for the first two/three years (depending on you'r "track" ie small animal, large animal, government/corporate, etc). But optional. jeez.

papillon806

Posted : 4/14/2006 11:07:14 AM

I know they are required an animal nutrition class as an undergrad, but that's it [&:] (plus, that class is just general nutrition and digestion, nothing regarding the pet-food industry)

toby dude

Posted : 4/15/2006 7:08:22 AM

I have very little understanding of feeding raw. I currently feed Toby Innova Evo and NRG (a dehydrated raw stile diet). I've heard many different things about feeding raw. One thing that I often here is that raw diets are simply a faze and will eventually faze out. Is there any truth in this?

ron2

Posted : 4/15/2006 10:20:50 AM

First, congratulations and I think you'll be an outstanding vet. I sometimes think, if I had my life to do over and had better financing, I would have gone into the animal care profession, either as a vet, vet tech, ACVN. I've even entertained thoughts of being an ACO but I'm not sure I could keep myself from exacting on humans what they've done to dogs. Then, I'm better off donating to the shelter and let those people handle it.

Secondly, I guess the next time someone says that all vets receive is three weeks of propoganda from Iams or Hills, we can not only refute that, but show that some schools cover more than one feeding method or style.

Lauri S.

Posted : 4/15/2006 1:15:51 PM

ORIGINAL: tobylittledude

One thing that I often here is that raw diets are simply a faze and will eventually faze out. Is there any truth in this?

I've been feeding it for over seven years now. My 14 year old German Shepherd can still run and chase her tennis ball.

barking_mad

Posted : 4/15/2006 3:11:19 PM

I too have been feeding my dogs a raw natural diet for 7+ years. I don't know how anyone defines a "phase" but Billinghurst's book came out in 1993 and the raw diet movement in the United States and Canada pretty much took off from there. Tens of thousands of dogs over 13 years fed a raw diet -- sure, it might be a passing phase. So might the internet. [

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fuzzy_dogs_mom

Posted : 4/15/2006 9:26:05 PM

It's possible that anything could turn out to be *just a phase*and die out in popularity over time, but if it works for you, whatever it is, there's no reason why you couldn't keep it up.