Requiring fosters and adopters to feed a certain way

[RachelsaurusRexU]

Sighhhh.... I'm having a tough time with this. I'm a raw feeder through and through. I'll always encourage my fosters and potential adopters to feed raw and support them if they choose to do so, but I'm not going to require it. However, I don't want my rescue animals being fed like crap. I asked a friend and fellow raw feeder who runs a very successful rescue how he manages to require feeding a certain way without being so pushy that his adoptions suffer. He suggested that I put a list of foods to feed and a list of foods stay away from in the adoption contract. I know that A TON of his fosters and adopters now feed raw (and if not raw, a very high quality kibble) but his rescue has it's own forum that he really encourages everyone to join, and they place huge bulk orders together, so I think that's a huge help. I will most definitely be encouraging people to come here, but I'm hoping for some suggestions on how to require at least feeding premium pet food without being a total food nazi or putting such strict stipulations on feeding that I scare potential adopters away. I mean, I want to find great homes for these animals, but I obviously want them to be happy and healthy.

Also, I'm hoping to pull a dog from Manhattan this weekend (just waiting for a confirmation from my foster!) and I'm not sure what to drop off with him food-wise. I haven't started taking donations or anything yet, so the food and supplies for this fella will be coming out of my pocket. I have a bunch of my own animals to provide for and honestly can't swing something like Orijen for another dog. I need a good bang for my buck type kibble. Any suggestions are much appreciated!

[hmbutler]

hmm it's a tricky one! I would think that maybe giving them an info sheet about what you should and shouldn't feed dogs would be a good start, and just talk to them thoroughly about what they plan to feed the dog. Even say "I don't want to be pushy, but this is something I feel VERY strongly about" - if they are going to the trouble of adopting a dog from a rescue, it is fair to say they really care for dogs and I would think they would take your advice seriously. And tell them you are always there to call on for advice or help with nutrition etc if they feel a bit overwhelmed by it all.

I know if I was adopting a dog (even if I wasnt feeding raw already) I would take the concerns of the shelter to heart. I remember my brother adopted a dog and was told the dog had been eating raw meat, but they weren't given any information in any way, shape or form about WHY the dog was eating raw meat as opposed to commercial foods and kibble. I remember him saying it was so hard to get the dog to eat canned food because it had been raised on meat - he was under the impression the meat was a luxury thing, not a health thing. And now, about 2-3 years on, he is switching his dogs to raw after hearing about it from me. I always heard about people who fed their dogs raw or home cooked, but my vet had said purina supercoat was a good food for dogs, so that was what I was feeding! It wasnt until someone told me how BAD those ingredients can be that I actually researched all my options. I think making them aware of the damage that certain ingredients can do will do a lot to helping your cause - these people are adopting a dog to give it the love and care they think it deserves, they wont want to think they are harming it.

[RachelsaurusRexU]

Wow, I guess I hadn't thought about it that way! Great answer, very encouraging :) Thanks a lot for your input!

[Tobi]

Great post HMbutler!

I'm going to require that this little guy that i'm fostering go to a home that will look into proper nutrition for him, he's gained nearly 5lbs in 2 weeks going to raw, and he's thriving... I don't want to take that away from him. I would very much hope that people would want ot take the animals best interest to heart and at least take the advice of the shelter they are adopting from. I think a great piece of literature, that i personally refer back to time and time again is Orijens White paper... it's 30 pages yes... but it's full of information put together in an easy to understand manner that hopefully even potential adopters can understand, if they don't at least look into your methods or think about getting a better dog food etc it's probably not a good home anyways.

[CorgiPaws]

I don't blame you for not requiring raw- it would limit many good homes, and it's tough enough to place rescues!

I think your best tool is going to be educating. MOST people that feed junky food feed it because they simply do not know any better or have not previously had an issue with it requiring them to give a second thought to what they feed. I know it wasn't really until my dogs had issues that I looked at what I was feeding. I would, in the contract include something like "I have read and understand the [rescue name's] Canine/feline.etc. nutrition guide and recommendations," then include an informative page on PMR, homecooked, and commercial foods. That way, you're not telling them they have to feed raw, but providing information for them to make a decision. I DON'T think it's unreasonable to require they stay clear of certain ingredients like corn, soy, and wheat.

Anyone who is willing to educate themselves on canine nutrition will quickly see why most commercial foods are awful. In my opinion, if you're presented with the information, and refuse to even give it any thought, you probably shouldn't have a dog! (I'm not saying people who simply haven't thought about it- but people who really just don't care to learn) You're a genuinely good person, so I'm sure you will require an interview and whatnot, and that's a good opportunity to discuss diet as well and you can get a feel for how invested they might be to the overall health of the dog.

As for bang for your buck type foods:

Taste of the Wild
Canidae Grain Free
Nature's Domain (CostCo)

going down one more notch
Kirkland Signature (this is what I used when we fostered)
Canidae ALS
Chicken Soup

None are perfect of course, they're kibble! I can understand not wanting to feed junk food which would be totally counter productive, but at the same time you can't go entirely broke feeding the rescues or you won't be able to help very many.

I think what you're doing is incredibly admirable, and I think you will help a lot of animals in need. What a big heart you have.

[RachelsaurusRexU]

if they don't at least look into your methods or think about getting a better dog food etc it's probably not a good home anyways.

True dat! I definitely agree. I mean, I know there are great homes who loves their animals and *think* they're doing the best for them by feeding whatever the vet says is best, but I think if I could sort of prove to those people that there is a much better way and point them in the right direction... THOSE are the people I want to be careful not to scare off. All of us on this forum...whether we feed raw or homecooked or the best kibble we can find, we all started somewhere. And I'm sure none of us thought we were hurting our dogs back when we fed *insert crappy brand here*, so I'll just try to be friendly, informative and supportive. You're absolutely right. If they don't even entertain the idea, I don't want them adopting my animals.

[RachelsaurusRexU]

I don't blame you for not requiring raw- it would limit many good homes, and it's tough enough to place rescues!

I think you best took is going to be educating. MOST people that feed junky food feed it because they simply do not know any better or have not previously had an issue with it requiring them to give a second thought to what they feed. I know it wasn't really until my dogs had issues that I looked at what I was feeding. I would, in the contract include something like "I have read and understand the [rescue name's] Canine/feline.etc. nutrition guide and recommendations," then include an informative page on PMR, homecooked, and commercial foods. That way, you're not telling them they have to feed raw, but providing information for them to make a decision. I DON'T think it's unreasonable to require they stay clear of certain ingredients like corn, soy, and wheat.

Anyone who is willing to educate themselves on canine nutrition will quickly see why most commercial foods are awful. In my opinion, if you're presented with the information, and refuse to even give it any thought, you probably shouldn't have a dog! (I'm not saying people who simply haven't thought about it- but people who really just don't care to learn) You're a genuinely good person, so I'm sure you will require an interview and whatnot, and that's a good opportunity to discuss diet as well and you can get a feel for how invested they might be to the overall health of the dog.

As for bang for your buck type foods:

Taste of the Wild
Canidae Grain Free
Nature's Domain (CostCo)

going down one more notch
Kirkland Signature (this is what I used when we fostered)
Canidae ALS
Chicken Soup

None are perfect of course, they're kibble! I can understand not wanting to feed junk food which would be totally counter productive, but at the same time you can't go entirely broke feeding the rescues or you won't be able to help very many.

I think what you're doing is incredibly admirable, and I think you will help a lot of animals in need. What a big heart you have.

Thank you so much, for both the nice compliments and the suggestions! That's exactly the type of info I was looking for!

[Cliffdog]

I would just go into dog food ingredients a bit with them. That way they don't have a list of brand names to look for/avoid, but the ingredients themselves. Encourage them to do their own research to follow this basic info and of course mention raw as well. My 2c.

[hmbutler]

In my opinion, if you're presented with the information, and refuse to even give it any thought, you probably shouldn't have a dog! (I'm not saying people who simply haven't thought about it- but people who really just don't care to learn)

that's exactly who I was about 6 weeks ago - I simply hadn't thought about it, I just trusted what a vet had once mentioned so long ago. I was presented with information that told me how bad commercial food could be, and thats when I realised what I was doing! Had I not been presented with that info, I'd still be feeding Purina

[xellil]

Yep, I wish someone had sat me down years ago and explained the issues - or at least when I adopted my first dog from a rescue group 2 years ago. I could have saved a ton of vet bills, and my dog alot of discomfort from the food allergies.

On another note, do you have help with this rescue and people to foster for you? Or are you doing it all by yourself right now?