Morning all

No, the lady didn't specifically mention parvo, I haven't personally spoken to her since the outbreak, only to her landlady, it was just the way she had been so forceful with her opinion with regards to the raw diet that got me wondering.

When one of my bitches had to have a c-section and then one of the pups had to be pts at 10 days due to having a hole in its bladder, she told me that by feeding raw none of that would have happened and that they are never ill because of natural immunities etc., due to not putting anything artificial into their bodies.

As she really seemed to know what she was talking about, and she doesn't have her dogs vaccinated, even baby puppies, the question just popped into my head as to whether that meant they were protected. I feel a bit daft now even thinking that they may have been, but if you heard her talking then you would know why I asked the question.

I have tried mine with raw but they turn their noses up, they aren't in the least bit interested, which is one reason I haven't changed to it. I suppose they would eat it if they were hungry enough

Morning Lynn, I wonder if she feels the same way about BARF as you do and that was what she meant. Its just that I know she doesn't have them vaccinated at all, although they have been done now, but she was upset that the vet gave them the jabs for several diseases, not just the parvo.

As you say, its very sad for her, and I am not judging her at all, we all make decisions that we think are for the best, that may come back and kick us in the teeth when we least expect it.

Sheree xx

You weren't daft at all if someone had come on that strong to me I would of felt the same as you.
It is sad she felt that way. As in my previous post it can help but certainly is no miracle cure and at the end of the day is down to personal choice, I believe it is the best thing for Ollie but would never say to anyone else it is the way they should feed, if they wanted to know more I would tell them but if not that is their choice.

poor lady, perhaps she was against vaccinces as well as processed food. im sure she was doing what she thought best for her dog

I'm totally convinced she was doing what she thought was best. I have my fingers crossed for the others and the poor little one that was off to the vets last night. xx

Parvo is so nasty, I wouldn't trust anything except a vaccine to keep it at bay.....

Poor dogs....

diet is one of the things that get people

so forceful opinion goes with the subject matter.

there was some anecdotal evidence in the 1930s and 40s that feeding what was known as a Natural Rearing diet (Raw) gave some protection against distemper. Juliette de Bairacli Levy wrote and lectured on this subject. The first few photos of this website give a general idea of the appeal of the 'natural' way of life she promoted.

http://www.ashtreepublishing.com/Aut...racli_Levy.htm

There are people who do genuinely believe that a natural diet protects against many diseases.

Personally I wouldn't go that far. However when I changed from processed food to BARF several years ago I saw an improvement in external condition (coat, eyes, behaviour) and see no reason why this would not be mirrored by internal condition such as a stronger immune system. I saw a further improvement changing from BARF to prey model about 6 months ago.

there is a growing groundswell of resistance to vaccinations, sometimes the beliefs are linked to raw feeding and sometimes not.

my personal opinion is that dogs are not protected against disease by raw feeding. However, if you consider two humans, one on a junk food diet and one on an optimum diet for humans it is not unreasonable to think that the one on a good diet would be able to recover more easily from minor infections if not actually fight them off. My own belief is that a natural 'dog' diet will do the same for the dog.

if you ever wanted to give it another try there is plenty of advice about on different websites.

Poor lady with the parvo dog. She must be devastated, especially since beliefs on raw feeding and anti-vaccination can sometimes be held with near religious fervour. It must be like having your entire belief system crashing down around you When you see her out and about again you may find that she needs someone sympathetic to talk to.

This is very sad both for the owner and the poor dogs, unfortunately some people do promote BARF or raw feeding with a missionary zeal. It is a way of feeding and if understood by those feeding it a perfectly good way of feeding but it will not protect the dog from any infection nor make any difference to congenital or hereditary conditions, always assuming, of course, that the dog effected was being fed in an actable way and not just on scraps or bread, even feeding raw being given a lump of the best stake will not protect the dog from illness and may well help towards one as muscle meat alone is not a satisfactory diet.

Edit to say sorry Red Collar I was typing and making toast when you posted, did not intend to write much the same as you did

multi tasking? I can't do that until at least the 3rd cup of coffee

Mmmmmh Coffee; I must stick the kettle on after writing this post.

It seems a more common practice among raw feeding circles than commercial feeding circles to choose not to vaccinate dogs. Personally I choose to vaccinate, though I do contest the need for it to be done on a yearly basis.

IMO a good raw diet is the best you can feed. A dog that is in top condition is more likely to be able to fight off illness and avoid health problems than a dog that is in poor condition. But this doesn't mean that if you raw feed you have a super canine dog that will never get ill, esp on coming into contact with contagious diseases; that's just being unrealistic, imo.

Poor woman, poor dogs. I wonder how her opinion will change after this.