Pet Fooled

This is a nutty comment. So what are you saying. And what does Craigslist have to do with the point (or the post). For one thing, people “don’t care” because they don’t know any better. Even when informed, they can’t believe the worst of it. So most (unfortunately) learn from hard experience. It can take an abundance of exposure to the facts to be educated on the subject. I would’ve liked to have read a little more about the specifics of the film. What was the point THEY were making and what could be learned from it, particularly from the perspective of an uninformed viewer?

Dogs and wolves are related, but their survival dependency is different. Wolves MUST scavenge constantly. The energy expended on the hunt, is barely offset by what is acquired. So nature has made sure they access the purest form and the most instantaneously bioavailable source of nutrition possible. Dogs “can” survive scavenging (though it better be balanced). But through the domestication process, they have continued to be bred based on formulated diets. The quality of which is a different focus, than the idea of it being a ready-made meal. Meaning the PROBLEM with commercial PF diets is the inferior ingredients and other risk factors involved. Also compromising the nutrient value are degrading processing methods. There are advantages to consuming completely bioavailable nutrients. But carefully balanced and prepared home cooking is also valuable. Formulated diets “could” be, it they were indeed rich and reliable. So a 75 year “transition” period isn’t the issue at all. The fact of incorrectly manufactured and damaged food sources … are.

Table scraps are vilified because most people eat highly processed, sugar infused diets of fast food and other inappropriate pet food ingredients (toxic, excessively fatty, incorrectly seasoned, etc.). While wholesome treats are fine, jerky “can” be excessively salted and highly and artificially preserved. Personally, am not sure I’d trust McDonalds’ meat sources (targeted for economy burgers) any more than I would mega-chicken producers. But sin rests in quantity, not tidbits.

Serving raw is admirable, keeping in mind the sourcing (and processing) of it is just as important. Perhaps you have direct access to meat that is indeed USDA Approved for human consumption! But it would be rather unnerving to work anywhere near a rendering facility, given what we already know about some horrifying mistakes suppliers have been making lately. I do hope your plant is the exception. Not sure about what other “better” way there is of using organ meats and non-prime cuts. But we can only HOPE they’re being targeted for ethical and appropriate use in the marketplace! Unfortunately, the reports on processed meats lately, aren’t exactly stunning either. Back in the day, our local butcher sold every part of a carcass or would supply any on demand. The problem is, people don’t do enough scratch cooking anymore, to make volume sales work, so those ingredients have disappeared from retail, or can only be obtained through special order.

The most disconcerting part of the post was reading about dogs (on a raw diet!) licking plates before going into the dishwasher. Unless that water is running at a sterile temperature, with a good disinfecting agent, the results could be kind of dicey. I would guess an accumulation of bacteria over time. But to each his own! And I happen to be a germaphobe anyway. ?