We have tried the “truly” raw options (which looks like ground meat essentially) and that is not something I would recommend lightly to anyone but to say that ALL options are bad is just disingenuous IMHO.

I’m not your typical wellness looney and I’m certainly not in that wellness pipeline you spend many hours commenting on in your podcast. I understand there is a place for non-raw diets. Maybe the product I use can not be considered raw since it has been processed and freeze dried.

This article makes no mention of the different methods by which raw meats are processed and the differences between them. There’s a big difference in HPP vs lactic acid etc. Also, I have a hard time with any article that has section like…”you shouldn’t do this…full stop”.

Without introducing the same risk involved in “non-processed” raw offerings. It’s not as easy as saying “raw = bad” in all situations.

Btw, I truly enjoy and love the pod and find you to be a voice of reason in this crazy age we have to exist in. I hope I didn’t come across as combative. 🙂

Raw diets just make sense and every animals I’ve had has faired better in many ways. Again, totally anecdotal I know, but I do think there are smarter ways to go about it. Grinding your own chickens at home may seem “closer to nature” but some freeze dried products are totally sufficient…

We all have our own stories and experiences and I’m not here to say that what you do doesn’t work. What I am advocating for is educating folks on the realities of the situation. Pet food is a majorly corrupt industry and the raw diet approach is much more in line with a proper diet for our pets.

That’s fine anecdotal evidence that dry food is sufficient but I’ve had the opposite experience with our animals. We fed dry food to a cat that lived 16+ years and her best years were her last two when we switched her to a raw diet (again, freeze dried, not like Viva etc).

It’s tough since the majority of mass produce pet foods are akin to McDonalds for humans. In my experience, kibble is the worst food you can feed your pets but it’s often touted as the best option by the folks who fund those studies.

One main factor seems to be how the food is processed. Some use organic acids while others employ high pressure pasteurization (HPP). Companies who use HPP seem to be faring much better than those who utilize lactic acid or probiotics to remove the nasties.

What if it’s all your pet will consume? After feeding raw to all of our furry pets for a decade now, freeze dried raw appears to still ok and not have as much risk as the frozen raw (like Viva etc) offerings.

I can dig it

Good ole Epik. Didn’t they register a ton of white supremacist domains back during the height of the pandemic, when anonymous had more public attention?

Sometimes companies buy negative leaning domain names to prevent others from buying them. A company worked for used to buy up companyname.sucks etc just to prevent bad actors from buying them first.