Raw Deal: Why Cold, Hard Data Could Save Your Dog

From predicting the weather and discovering genes to developing groundbreaking medical breakthroughs, scientific data helps us to understand the world around us and to help people – and animals – in need. As World Statistics Day approaches next month, veterinary surgeon Dr Tom Lonsdale calls on experts to complete his life’s work by obtaining new, quantitative data into the alleged harmful effects of processed pet food

It has been 30 years since I published two studies into dog and cat diets. Specifically, I set out to test the theory that treating gum disease and swapping kibble and processed foods for raw, meaty bones, would successfully treat a variety of common ailments. From relatively minor complaints like skin conditions, bad breath, and diarrhoea to more serious issues affecting the liver, pancreas, heart, kidneys and immune system, the dual aim of my research was to save animals from needlessly falling ill and to slash owners’ veterinary bills.

The results of those studies were clear and unambiguous: processed foods are, as suspected, bad for dog and cat health. The eight animals I tested showed marked improvements after being treated for diet-related gum disease and ‘prescribed’ a raw, meaty bones diet. Just as processed foods are bad for human health, they are responsible for much suffering in the animal kingdom.

It was and remains my view that a natural diet is more powerful than penicillin. It transforms pets’ vitality and zest for life. And it extends their lifespan, too: start puppies and kittens on a raw meaty bones diet at six weeks of age, and they’ll seldom if ever need to see a vet until their final years.

The term “miracle cure” is banded around quite frequently by experts and the media, most usually without justification. But in this case, that terminology is accurate. Raw, meaty bones, works miracles on almost every common ailment in dogs and cats.

Those studies, published in Control & Therapy and Journal of Small Animal Practice, were to the best of my knowledge the first and only ones of their kind anywhere in the world. It was a small part of my life’s work to educate the public and to hold manufacturers of processed animal food to account. At the time the studies were published, I naively believed they would bring about major consumer change and lead to a much-needed overhaul of pet food standards and regulations.

Instead, I was ostracised by a substantial portion of the veterinary industry. By highlighting the problems and offering a simple, relatively cost-free solution, I inadvertently put my head above the parapet. It has remained there – as a target for vilification – for three decades.

I am the first to admit that my research could have been more expansive. With adequate funds and resources, neither of which I possessed, it would have focused on thousands of animals and covered a decade of treatment at least. Had it been so, the paradigm shift would have been immediate, widespread, and lasting.

Statistics are important for understanding the world around us. They give us the information we need to make informed decisions and to help people – and animals – in need. As we approach World Statistics Day on 20th October, it is my hope that the veterinary industry takes my research onto the next level to develop objective and reliable guidance. At that point, and only at that point, will I drop my head below the parapet.

Dr. Tom Lonsdale BVetMed MRCVS is a veterinary clinician and author with over 50 years of experience. Known internationally as a pioneer and authority on the nutritional and medicinal features of a natural diet for pets, he is a vocal advocate against what he perceives as collusion between the veterinary establishment and the pet food industry. He has earned the moniker, ‘The Whistleblower Vet’, for debunking misinformation about pet health. His latest book, Multi-Billion-Dollar Pet Food Fraud, won The Dog Writers Association of America’s ‘Best of the Best’ Book Award.

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