# Raw feeding has made me mean...



## hcdoxies (Sep 22, 2010)

I was in Walmart the other day walking by the pet section and a lady was handing out little sample bags of Beneful. She asked me if I wanted one and without even thinking I said, "No, I don't feed that trash." while walking swiftly past her.

What kind of person am I??? I am NOT a mean person and it just slipped out of my mouth without even considering it.

Then when I was checking out the people in front of me had a sample. The wife said to her husband, "Well we can see if so and so likes it, and if she doesn't we can just throw it out... no loss." I had to hold back from saying, "Yes, no loss at all... Except your dogs health and well-being."


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## schtuffy (May 17, 2010)

Haha, I wish I were as brave as you!

It's not her fault though, she is merely the messenger. Let's just say you are passionate, honest, and not afraid to stand up for what you believe in :whoo:


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

At least you didn't smack her hand when she held it out to you!! 

It does get hard to bite your tongue....especially when you see these people loading the bag of Beneful into their Mercedes SUV in the parking lot. Apparently the pretty pictures of vegies on the front of the bag are all the matters.


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## BoxerPaws (Jul 19, 2011)

I had a very hard time not getting into a pet-food discussion with a guy in line next to me at PetSmart. He had a huge bag of Science Diet. 

I just wanted to turn around and ask him why he was paying so much for total crap food that has more unnecessary ingredients in it than the chip aisle of the grocery store. 

I probably would have at least pulled a face had I been offered something like that, lol.


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## PDXdogmom (Jun 30, 2010)

The lady was just probably trying to earn a little money and has no stake in Beneful. That said, I would have found myself making it a teaching moment - and maybe in not too gentle of a manner.

I would have taken the bag and turned it over to begin reading the ingredients (in a loud voice so all could hear): Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), rice flour, beef, soy flour, sugar, etc.

Followed by: "And why should dogs, descended from wolves, being eating corn, gluten, wheat, flour and sugar?"


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

chowder said:


> At least you didn't smack her hand when she held it out to you!!
> 
> It does get hard to bite your tongue....*especially when you see these people loading the bag of Beneful into their Mercedes SUV in the parking lot*. Apparently the pretty pictures of vegies on the front of the bag are all the matters.


Ohhhhh, yeah. I have a friend whom she and her husband each have a BMW, brand new super nice house, great jobs, etc... but it's 'too expensive' to feed good food to their dogs.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Way way back in a fuzzy memory, I was once the person at the grocery store handing out samples. If I remember correctly, it was some awful red cola drink. With no ice, just little cups. I can't even begin to say how many people tasted it and made an awful face.


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## Donna Little (May 31, 2011)

Feeding raw does make me feel a bit like a snob too. I had lunch with a friend at her work the other day (a doggie daycare) and the owner was talking about giving her "show dog" table scraps. I said, "My dogs don't get table scraps or any other kind of "scraps." They eat fresh raw meat. She didn't reply at all but my friend laughed and said, "So do my Pits." She probably thinks our dogs are all blood thirsty beasts now. Whateva.....


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## hmbutler (Aug 4, 2011)

Caty M said:


> Ohhhhh, yeah. I have a friend whom she and her husband each have a BMW, brand new super nice house, great jobs, etc... but it's 'too expensive' to feed good food to their dogs.


Haha whereas my husband and I have just got our first mortgage, and we arent poor by any means, but certainly not rolling in it... yet we feed our dog almost better food than we feed ourselves haha I bought $80 worth of pork and lamb that was on special at the supermarket yesterday to cut up for the dog. My sister-in-law was on the checkout and goes "mmm so whats for dinner?" and I said "unfortunately, not this... this is for Duke" haha


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

hmbutler said:


> Haha whereas my husband and I have just got our first mortgage, and we arent poor by any means, but certainly not rolling in it... yet we feed our dog almost better food than we feed ourselves haha I bought $80 worth of pork and lamb that was on special at the supermarket yesterday to cut up for the dog. My sister-in-law was on the checkout and goes "mmm so whats for dinner?" and I said "unfortunately, not this... this is for Duke" haha


It does seem a little odd that my dogs had beef ribs and chicken quarters for supper while the people in the family had Taco Bell.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

HAHA....I use to say stuff like that BEFORE my pet carnivores where on raw........now Im even worse!LOL


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

Our dogs eat WAY better than we do. We live on a military salary and live paycheck to paycheck. Honestly, we can't afford a lot for ourselves. Would we ever go back to feeding a $20 bag of Pedigree just because it is cheap? HECK NO!!!!

We care about their health way to much to do that to them.


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## gorge77 (May 13, 2011)

We are mean because dogs cannot tell the humans "You are killing us by feeding us trash!" I get into arguments at most times & always try to put across the fact that if humans emphasize on fresh foods for themselves, why not on dogs? And why choose to listen to those who make money out of you (pet food manufacturers, pet shops, vets), than people like us who truly want to help? It's not like we earn anything by telling them that raw is the way to go.

*SIGH.*


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

gorge77 said:


> We are mean because dogs cannot tell the humans "You are killing us by feeding us trash!" I get into arguments at most times & always try to put across the fact that if humans emphasize on fresh foods for themselves, why not on dogs? And why choose to listen to those who make money out of you (pet food manufacturers, pet shops, vets), than people like us who truly want to help? It's not like we earn anything by telling them that raw is the way to go.
> 
> *SIGH.*


Those are EXCELLENT points that I will be sure to add into my reasoning.


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## hmbutler (Aug 4, 2011)

I had to buy some groceries for the old guy who lives on our work site today (he's a family friend of the boss, bit old and frail so he lives here and gets assistance from all the workers). Anyway he has a golden retriever, and he asked me to get him a "dog roll" with his shopping... I spent about 10 minutes at the supermarket reading the ingrediants on all the dog rolls trying to find the best one! haha. obviously a pointless task, I ended up just picking the one with the most protein, I didn't have much choice


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## cprcheetah (Jul 14, 2010)

Omg I know exactly what you mean, I just started working at another vet last week, and I've had to bite my tongue several times. One of the vets told a client that Natural Balance is WORSE than Royal Canin and it's just a 'marketing' hype food for their dogs allergies and proceeded to sell them a 30# bag of the Mature formula....for allergies????.....I wanted to rush out the door after them and correct them, but I didn't.

I almost got into it with a Tech today though...she was saying how her dad feeds her dogs meat and how she told him not to because it's different in the wild cause it's fresh and it doesn't have preservatives, I simply said, yes, isn't that how nature intended it? So why do so many people feed the stuff chock full of preservatives?", and left it at that.....dropping seeds here and there....lol.

Wanted to add....I have been pretty much unemployed for the last 3 months, working only 1 day a week grooming, and then doing the Jewelry Home shows on the side...so not making anywhere near what I did, things have been a very very tight struggle.....and not once did I even consider switching back to kibble....like this last week both my husband and I started new jobs, and Monday night I went grocery shopping with pennies (change machine at walmart) and spent $17 on basics for my hubby and I yet my dogs have a freezerful LOL....while waiting for our 1st paychecks with our new jobs....and rents due next week...so hubby and I are eating cheap cheap cheap lol.


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## DazzleKitty (Aug 23, 2011)

gorge77 said:


> I get into arguments at most times & always try to put across the fact that if humans emphasize on fresh foods for themselves, why not on dogs?


The sad truth is, most people think that we are a superior species that deserves more than other species. I can see where humans will want to put their own first and formost. A lot of critters in the animal kingdom do that. But see, we also have a conscience and a rational mind. Simply because a dog may not be as "smart" as us doesn't mean it deserves the crap food we won't eat. They are a living being with needs too. 

My dad gets very angry when I give my dog pieces of steak or any kind of really good meat. He says it's a waste on the dog. How is it any different from whether he and I enjoy it, or the dog enjoys it? I'd like to think he gets happy seeing her happy too, but that just doesn't fly with him. Some people just don't love animals like we do.


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## SerenityFL (Sep 28, 2010)

chowder said:


> At least you didn't smack her hand when she held it out to you!!
> 
> It does get hard to bite your tongue....especially when you see these people loading the bag of Beneful into their Mercedes SUV in the parking lot. Apparently the pretty pictures of vegies on the front of the bag are all the matters.


Yep, it definitely gets hard to bite your tongue when you see people treating their dogs poorly.


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

This thread is frustrating me... I wish people could just see the logic in feeding an animal the way it was meant to eat. Where do people come up with the idea is a natural food for dogs? Did dogs begin making kibble then one day become a lower species that left clues for humans so we would know that they need to be fed kibble? I don't think so. We made it up. The dog cake was the original dog food and it was made from animal blood and fillers. Once people figured out that they could feed dogs with the crap people won't eat, dogs were forced to eat kibble because preparing meat for the 4 legged members of the family was ridiculous. 

The next time someone scoops kibble out of a bag for their dog for dinner, I'm going to grab a cereal box and dump in a bowl for their kid. No milk, no spoon, just dry, processed cereal. When asked about it, I'll say, "Well, you do that for your dog, so I assumed that was how you feed the other members of your family too."


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## Angelwing (Feb 20, 2011)

I can be pretty mean about nutrition, I'm always having to hold my tongue. Same goes for dog breeding (byb, puppy mills, people who don't breed to standard etc). Sometimes being passionate can get you into trouble!


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## lily (May 16, 2011)

whilst talking to a lady who has a pug she commented on how well my dog looked then went on to talk about her pug,she said that she only fed her pug cooked chicken and added that she gives her dog bread and butter,rice pudding,ice cream and so on,she couldnt understand why her dog smelt and had constant full annal glands and a massive yeast infection!!,she asked me what i fed my dog when i told her raw the colour drained from her face lol,she said her baby couldnt chew through a bone as her mouth was so small and that her baby would get hurt eating raw!!!lol,i almost peed myself laughing i told her to get a grip on reality and that her dog was in fact a dog and not a baby lol,even though she couldnt get over how healthy my dog looked eating nothing but raw meat and bone it still didnt budge her to rethink her dogs feeding and health ,there is no educating some people lol,karen


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

lily said:


> whilst talking to a lady who has a pug she commented on how well my dog looked then went on to talk about her pug,she said that she only fed her pug cooked chicken and added that she gives her dog bread and butter,rice pudding,ice cream and so on,she couldnt understand why her dog smelt and had constant full annal glands and a massive yeast infection!!,she asked me what i fed my dog when i told her raw the colour drained from her face lol,she said her baby couldnt chew through a bone as her mouth was so small and that her baby would get hurt eating raw!!!lol,i almost peed myself laughing i told her to get a grip on reality and that her dog was in fact a dog and not a baby lol,even though she couldnt get over how healthy my dog looked eating nothing but raw meat and bone it still didnt budge her to rethink her dogs feeding and health ,there is no educating some people lol,karen




Your right, there are some people that will never be educated! So, it is not even worth my effort anymore to try...


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

whiteleo said:


> Your right, there are some people that will never be educated! So, it is not even worth my effort anymore to try...


I still try because there are some people out there who just don't know any better. Our friends have 2 bull terriers. A 7 month old brindle girl named Mila and a 5 month old white boy named Patton. They feed a very high quality food (I can't remember what it is though) and they were both very interested in raw. I don't know that they will ever switch, but they were very interested and had never heard of someone feeding raw before. They both had a ton of questions and I feel better knowing that I at least answered all of their questions and it is now in their heads.

Another friend of ours (we were all at a party when the above happened) who doesn't currently have a dog because he lives in the barracks actually sought me out at this party after my husband mentioned that we feed raw and proceeded to drill me for everything I knew. He is considering applying for BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing) so he can get out of the barracks and once he does, he would love to get a dog. I can seriously see him feeding a dog raw. He was super interested. He wanted to know EVERYTHING.


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

Dude and Bucks Mamma said:


> Our dogs eat WAY better than we do. We live on a military salary and live paycheck to paycheck. Honestly, we can't afford a lot for ourselves. Would we ever go back to feeding a $20 bag of Pedigree just because it is cheap? HECK NO!!!!
> 
> We care about their health way to much to do that to them.


I know the feeling. Wayne is in home construction/remodeling and as you can guess with the economy right now, things have been financialy really bad for us over the last few years. We actualy lost everything three years ago. Both trucks, and all of the farm equipment we used for baling hay. But, even though we still arn't anywhere near great, raw will not be compramised. They may eat better than we do most of the time, but at least we are all eating! Thats the way I see it.


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

naturalfeddogs said:


> I know the feeling. Wayne is in home construction/remodeling and as you can guess with the economy right now, things have been financialy really bad for us over the last few years. We actualy lost everything three years ago. Both trucks, and all of the farm equipment we used for baling hay. But, even though we still arn't anywhere near great, raw will not be compramised. They may eat better than we do most of the time, but at least we are all eating! Thats the way I see it.


Exactly. We may be eating crap so that the dogs can eat the best they possibly can, but we are all eating. Life could be much worse than it is right now. We are luckier than a lot of people, if not just for the fact that we know how our dogs are SUPPOSED to eat! Haha.


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

Dude and Bucks Mamma said:


> Exactly. We may be eating crap so that the dogs can eat the best they possibly can, but we are all eating. Life could be much worse than it is right now. We are luckier than a lot of people, if not just for the fact that we know how our dogs are SUPPOSED to eat! Haha.


AMEN!! eace:


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## runwiththewind (Aug 19, 2011)

I usually hand out my business card. I suggest they get in touch with me and I'll be more than happy to send them links if they want to take the time to educate themselves in how to read labels and what's really in pet food. My neighbor just got a Havanese puppy who was on Science Diet because her Vet recommended it. She was open to learning about holistic kibbles.

In speaking with a friend of mine in L.A., (4 dogs on Beneful) I told him his dog's wouldn't have ear/skin problems if he switched brand. His wife went to Costco and bought Nature's Domain I think from Costco. It was better than Beneful so he & his wife were open to change.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

runwiththewind said:


> I usually hand out my business card. I suggest they get in touch with me and I'll be more than happy to send them links if they want to take the time to educate themselves in how to read labels and what's really in pet food. My neighbor just got a Havanese puppy who was on Science Diet because her Vet recommended it. She was open to learning about holistic kibbles.
> *
> Feeding raw meat with antibiotics & hormones, IMO, isn't really healthy - it's better to go organic if you can afford it.*


Im pretty sure ALL of us raw feeders TOTALLY agree with that, HOWEVER then it comes down to feeding raw that at least you know what you are feeding...or feeding processed that you REALLY have NO clue of what you are feeding and are feeding the leftovers of what we are feeding!:wink:


ANYWAYS....Jess and Jenny...I TOTALLY agree with both of you!! I would, and we HAVE, rather Jesse and I eat top ramen and hotdogs then my boys and girls be without their food! I mean...**I am** the one who has decided to have have pet carnivores...they dont decide what they are eating...so I NEED to feed them what they SHOULD be eating, what nature has intended them to eat!:wink: GRANTED...we shouldnt be eating top ramen....but that is MY choice...and I try my darnedest to eat right......but my babies dont have a choice one way or the other...so I do what is best for **them**!!:wink:


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## lily (May 16, 2011)

the price of a high quality kibble plus vet fees when they get sick eating the said kibble can be huge ,im sure that if someone can shop thrifty when it comes to buying raw then they may find they either feed cheaper or at least break even,my dog eats better than us but at least shes healthy unlike us lol,karen


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## Chocx2 (Nov 16, 2009)

This is funny, I was in Subway getting lunch and the girl was trying to sell me on Tuna and I told her that the Tuna has Soy in it so its not really fish. She said so whats the difference and then I got into it by saying well its the same as feeding your dog corn instead of meat and we went back and forth, she wanted to know what was wrong with corn in dog food the poor guy infront of me was getting his sandwich made.... I knew what I was referring to but I don't think she got the big picture...lol


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## runwiththewind (Aug 19, 2011)

Tuna has soy in it???? I thought Tuna only had mercury  - where is the soy coming from or were you pulling her chain?


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## Northwoods10 (Nov 22, 2010)

Oh trust me....

I get nasty looks all the time for some of the things I've said about the garbage kibble. 

I mean really? What is it about the little pieces of CRAP that are full of food coloring & smell like a greasy death nugget is appealing to you? 

My best friend had her dog on Beneful for a while ( I did too at one point...before I knew better!) and then decided to try something better. During the transition...her dog would pick out the beneful first then eat the new stuff. I think the new stuff was Science Diet...not awesome, but probably better. So she ended up staying with Beneful b/c "her dog liked it better". 

My nephews would like to eat frozen pizza every day for dinner too if I let them!


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

Nick and I were at Target last night and we couldn't help but stop in the dog food aisle to read the ingredients on the bags. I was quietly reading the back of a bag of Beneful, minding my own business, when a man walked up, grabbed a bag of Beneful without even consulting the back and walked off. Before he was out of earshot, I said, "Ugh, Beneful is such garbage." The guy looked back but kept walking. So another couple came down the aisle and at least the woman looked at the ingredients on the back. As she was looking I said, "I don't know why anyone would feed this crap. It is SO bad for dogs. Dogs are meant to eat meat but people insist on feeding them grains, wheats, and corns. Where did people get the idea that dogs are supposed to eat any of this. It's disgusting that people would condemn a dog to eat something like this." I wasn't quite as obnoxious as it sounds typed out.

Then, when we were at Home Depot looking at chest freezers, we asked about the brand of freezer and the woman helping us said, "I bought this brand for my *blah blah blah* but I wouldn't get a chest freezer because of having to rotate the food in it." We said, "Oh, this is for our dogs. We feed raw so we aren't worried about rotating everything perfectly." She asked about it and we told her. She seemed very interested in it as she had never heard of raw feeding before. She thought it was really neat and said she had never thought about how strange feeding kibble was. 

So one "raw feeding has made me mean" story and one "educated someone on raw" story.


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