Raw Diet for Cats – Bad News

Dr. Amy Nesselrodt – veterinarian – first alerted me to this serious situation. She shared that at an upcoming meeting (August 2 or 3, 2012) the AVMA Council on Public Health and Regulatory Veterinary Medicine will vote to create a policy to “discourage the feeding to cats and dogs of any animal source protein that has not first been subjected to a process to eliminate pathogens because of the risk of illness to cats and dogs as well as humans.”

Why would the AVMA initiate an official policy discouraging the feeding of raw pet food? What is this action based on?

It took two phone calls, but I eventually spoke with AVMA media relations Assistant Director Sharon Curtis Granskog (early Friday July 13, 2012). She explained the policy would be voted on by the board during the early August meeting. I asked if any veterinarian that works for Big Pet Food is on that board; not to her knowledge. I asked for a list of name of those voting (to confirm no veterinarian of Big Pet Food was on this board). I asked for the contact information of someone for pet owners to write to in order to express their opinion on this proposed policy. She promised to provide that information to me by end of day (Friday July 13). No information. No information Monday July 17. I left another voice mail message with Ms. Granskog on Tuesday 7/18. No return call, no email.

It certainly appears that the AVMA does not want pet owners involved in this decision.

Since the AVMA didn’t bother to provide contact information for pet owners to reply to – as they promised – the following is contact information taken from the AVMA website. If you would like to contact the AVMA and express your opinion on the proposed policy against the feeding of raw meat pet foods –

Headquarters:
1931 North Meacham Road, Suite 100
Schaumburg, IL 60173-4360
Phone: 800.248.2862 Fax: 847.925.1329

Governmental Relations Division:
1910 Sunderland Place, NW
Washington, DC 20036-1642
Phone: 800.321.1473, Fax: 202.842.4360

General Email: avmainfo@avma.org (type in the subject line: AVMA Council on Public Health and Regulatory Veterinary Medicine)

My opinion…(and my message sent to AVMA)
AVMA, all meat is dangerous. We, pet owners – and you, the voting delegates of AVMA – take a risk each time you pick up a package of ground beef or chicken legs at the grocery. Raw pet food is NO more dangerous than any trip to the meat department of any grocery across the country.

However, there is one significant difference…most all pet owners that feed a raw meat pet food are fully aware of the risk. They are educated pet food consumers and they understand the need to handle the food properly. Perhaps this is reason why there has never been an incident of human illness linked to a raw meat pet food. But to the contrary of raw meat pet food, there HAS been numerous cases of human illness linked to a kibble pet food (in the U.S. and in Canada). If your true basis of this policy is concern of human or pet illness, the AVMA would not be taking a stance solely against raw meat pet foods. There is no medical evidence, and further, science proves raw meat in the grocery, rare meat on the grill, raw meat pet food, and kibble pet food ALL pose a similar risk to humans and pets.

Should you decide to pass the policy against raw meat pet foods, we (pet owners) will know why. It will be crystal clear. We’ll know that Big Pet Food has bought and paid for this policy and your vote. Won’t it be a sad day when a national veterinary organization proves they actually work for Big Pet Food instead of working to protect the health of animals.