# Great Dane Lady's got Beef with Homemade Raw Diets



## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

I don't even know what I was searching for on the internet when I happened upon this article. It kind of gets under my skin. Why does this lady have such a problem with homemade raw diets? Why does she claim that only a nutritionist can properly balance a raw diet? She claims that unless you have a background in nutrition, your diet will FAIL and your dog will develop arthritis. This sounds awfully drastic...

I know I am doing the right thing...but reading stuff like this sure makes me have doubts sometimes...I just can't help it...

Thoughts?

Raw Diets for Dogs | BARF feed programs | GREATDANELADY.COM

http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/feeding_a_raw_diet_pros_cons.htm


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

Meh. The "proof" they show in the second link is BS.. And is written by a vet working for a pet food company. A lot of the statements she makes are completely false. I don't know who this lady is but she has no idea what she is talking about. 

"Billinghurst's Philosophy was good on paper and very problematic in reality, so much so that he now has made a commercial product so he can control what consumers do so they do not damage their dogs with unbalanced diets." ... no, pretty sure he made a commercial product so he can make more money. As far as I know he still supports homemade raw diets.

"To feed a totally homemade raw diet you need to have a very good background in nutrition to calculate appropriate amounts of calories and particularly of calcium/phosphorus intake or there will be DOD (developmental orthopedic diseases) or arthritis in the elderly animal. The attempt to feed totally raw without a solid "understanding" of the principles of nutrition can be disastrous in the long haul. Just because it is raw, does not mean it is balanced, and "balanced" is the key, particularly with the large/giant breeds prone to orthopedic problems."

Well using her logic, I hope (unless of course she has a very good background in nutrition!) that she does not make her own food, or her children's food. Omnivorous diets are probably harder to formulate so unless she has that all important degree she is likely to get arthritis :thumb:

She obviously works for or is sponsored by companies and is spreading half truths, lies and generally just using scare tactics to frighten people into not making their own food.


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## Jynical (Jun 22, 2011)

Hmm... when was the last time she saw a pack of wolves with their resident nutritionist standing by...


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## JayJayisme (Aug 2, 2009)

Ah, yes, the good old Great Dane Lady. She has come up in discussion here before. Nothing but a talking head for the pet food industry.


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## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

JayJayisme said:


> Ah, yes, the good old Great Dane Lady. She has come up in discussion here before. Nothing but a talking head for the pet food industry.


Thank you! THIS is what I was hoping to hear. :smile:


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

i couldn't stop laughing when i read those articles....read it again, brownie, you'll get a giggle from them too....because your perspective is the right one...don't let people like these push you off your belief stance....otherwise, you're paying for drinks....i like my bellinis and cosmos...

oh. and a dirty vodka martini occasionally 

ps ...even her picture looks wrong to me.....phony....not believable....feh.


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## lily (May 16, 2011)

60 years ago allergy/yeast in dogs was unheard of what did the dogs of that time eat?raw meat and bones and table scraps,now so many dogs are full of illnesses through eating kibble,which diet is best?,karen


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

Ahhh the good ole Great Dane Lady.... self-proclaimed expert on the breed and their nutritional needs. I've read her website all the way through probably three times. 
In short: she's a quack. 
The only logical reason I can find that she's so against raw, is the money she makes endorsing dog foods and welling magic supplements. I'm not sue why she became so popular, nor why so many dane owners take what she says as doctrine.... it's a shame, really.

besides, don't you have someone with a degree in nutrition planning everything you put in your mouth?!


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

I just think any statements, research etc done by someone with a financial interest should be taken with a grain of salt. Most of the time they are worded, set up so that the outcome is what is desired by the company.. think the Purina studies. 

TBH anecdotal evidence in matters like nutrition is often the best. That's really all there is on this website; yet I would take that over any pet food study any day. None of us stand to gain financially by telling people how much better our pets are healthwise since switching to homemade diets.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

I wonder why both my dogs have arthritis, and neither of them were fed raw food their whole lives. Dang, it must be the raw!!


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## Porphyria (Jul 13, 2011)

I haven't heard much about her, what company is she working for?


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

She promotes Precise pet foods, food for great danes dogs| GREATDANELADY.COM, as well as NutriSource. She also sells various supplements through her website.. enzymes, etc. I've been reading through her website and don't like what I see. I just can't see how processed diets with added vitamins is better than natural diets. Who even knows what the digestibility of added vitamins are, as well as no one knows the exact nutrients needed by dogs. There are many nutrients likely scientists don't even know about that are present in food.. and no one really knows the interaction of vitamins and minerals and the effect that has on the body.. so for sure I believe the 'natural' way is best. 

Just because dogs have been domesticated doesn't mean their system has changed. They haven't been selected specifically for digestive traits like they have physical and behavioral. I notice no where on her website does it state HOW the systems of a dog and wolf differ, yet there are many websites and studies done which proves they are the same.


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## PDXdogmom (Jun 30, 2010)

Porphyria said:


> I haven't heard much about her, what company is she working for?


She has worked for a variety of dog food (smaller ones) and supplements companies over time. Although she has been a serious dog breeder for 30 some years and obviously has a passion for nutrition, her degree is in art. She is on the art faculty at a university in Indiana.

I might have interest in reading some of her articles since she has had a lot of experience with dogs; but I would take her comments simply as one more perspective. When you have something to sell I always question of objectivity of the information. That's the same reason I only use a "fee only" financial planner with no products to sell. I figure the information is more unbiased than the rep working for a firm that sells stocks, annuities, insurance, etc. and/or wants to handle your money for you.


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## Porphyria (Jul 13, 2011)

Thanks for the info guys, this is the first I've really heard of her! I agree, I would definitely take her info with (at least!) a grain of salt since she promotes and sells specific products.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

i have to say, after reading her articles, i wanted my time back...i agree that everyone can and does offer a perspective, even one that i will say no to...but hers, in my opinion, is condescending.....and she comes off as a person who think of anyone not like her as 'small' and 'little'.....

her whole style of writing was off putting to me; therefore, i could not give merit to what she said.


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