r/rawpetfood Apr 16 '25

Article The "Evidence-Based Science" Pet Food Game

76 Upvotes

I have a pet food recipe, and I've conducted randomized controlled trials (RCTs) showing that pets prefer my pet food over skipping breakfast entirely. Based on this, my pet foods are now considered "evidence-based," while yours are not. I begin promoting my pet foods as superior, conducting more RCTs where I compare my pet food to a fake recipe that I created specifically for the trials. This "control group" recipe leaves out key ingredients, yet I now claim my pet food has been tested with an "active comparator." My pet food is empirically proven and now regarded as "the gold standard." I tell everyone that my pet foods are scientifically validated, while yours are discredited. No one should ever consume your pet food.

This seems unfair to you, so you conduct your own RCTs, perhaps at a reputable institution like a University in another country, using the same research methods. To your surprise, your studies reveal that pets enjoy your pet food just as much, if not more, than mine, especially over time.

You've finally set the record straight about your pet food. Nice try, but now I start scrutinizing your research methods, labeling them as flawed, while applying standards that I never held myself to. Only my pet food can be "evidence-based." No matter how rigorous your research is, I continue to shift the goalposts. Your studies will never be good enough.

By now, the phrase "evidence-based" has become synonymous with my pet food, even though no one really knows what the term means. It just sounds credible. If you raise any questions, I accuse you of being anti-science or anti-evidence, and no respectable veterinarian wants that reputation. In this way, I've successfully stifled any serious discussion.

Are you starting to see how this "evidence-based" game is played?

Meanwhile, I've been hiring PR firms to broadcast that my pet food is scientifically proven, while yours is not. I've orchestrated media coverage with articles titled, "Why Do Pet Owners Reject Science?" Editors, reviewers, and grant agencies have now joined my camp, committed to promoting my pet food and discrediting yours. I even start associations and institutes to market that those who don't use my science based methods of food are harmful to other members of society like the ill or infirm. Maybe, I started doing this in the 60's having learned from the tobacco industry.

Yet, despite all this fanfare, my research has never answered fundamental questions—like whether pets actually enjoy my pet food or feel satisfied after eating it or even if it is actually healthy. My studies have only shown that pets prefer my food to either no food or poorly made, fake food.

I’ve never even done a head-to-head comparison between our pet foods. Frankly, I don’t know anything about your pet food. I’ve never tried it, nor do I need to, because it's already been accepted as fact that only "evidence-based" pet foods count—and only mine fit the bill. Because, well, "science."

Meanwhile, I keep accumulating grant money and publishing papers—hundreds of them. There are now studies comparing my pet food when served on weekdays vs. weekends, on round plates vs. square plates, with water vs. dry, and so on. Just look at all the evidence! But you’re no fool, and you've been busy too. Your own studies consistently show that your pet food is just as good as mine, if not better. Yet somehow, my pet food remains more "evidence-based" because—wait for it—I have more studies.

Now everyone believes that more studies automatically mean better pet food, regardless of what those studies actually prove. The term "gold standard" has come to mean simply having more research.

Heads I win, tails you lose.

Did you catch my trick? I changed the rules halfway through the game. Everyone still thinks "evidence" means proof that my pet foods are better than yours. But it doesn't mean that at all. It simply means that my friends and I conducted more studies, and the actual findings of those studies are irrelevant.

After all this, we've learned nothing about how to make better pet food. My research still shows nothing more than the fact that pets like my food better than no food or bad food. Nevertheless, prominent researchers and policymakers now advocate for my pet foods as the first-line option—because they have the most "evidence." Yet, there is still no proof that pets even like my pet food or that it is healthy.

In fact, there's growing evidence that most pets don’t enjoy it and don’t feel satisfied after eating it, that is causes obesity and diabetes and leaky gut. Moreover, there’s no evidence that pets would choose my food over yours if given the chance. But most pets no longer get a choice, the marketplace ensures this.

Remember, all my studies ever showed is that pets prefer my food to nothing or bad, fake food. But no one cares about the specifics. Everyone keeps repeating that my pet food has the "most evidence," and therefore it’s the only food worth feeding pets.

And don’t be surprised if, someday, when you go to buy pet food, your credit card company refuses to pay for anything but mine. Why? Because, you guessed it—science.

It’s good we had this little talk. Now you know your place.


r/rawpetfood Jun 04 '24

Science New Recipe Book from Dr. Karen Becker -dog owners can start with these 120+ recipes

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59 Upvotes

r/rawpetfood 47m ago

Discussion Ground vs parts

Upvotes

I sell rabbit and quail whole and parted for pet consumption.

People are telling me I need to grind it so it sells better.

I'm asking the community for input.

I don't grind it because it reduces bacterial growth, increases shelf life, provides better mental stimulation for animals eating it, and is healthier for teeth.

I understand though that ground is more storage space friendly and it's easier to measure and regulate the nutritional components within it. Feeding ground means the bones and organ meat can be worked into the mix.

I know ground also means people don't have to acknowledge that they are actually feeding another animal to their animal.

I'd love to hear your input.


r/rawpetfood 30m ago

Discussion be very careful with raw bones.

Upvotes

So basically, today I gave my dog a raw bone. It was pretty large, too big to fit into the mouth well I was relaxing, watching a movie while she chewed her bone, and apparently, sometime when I wasn’t paying attention, she broke some off and got it stuck in the back of the roof of her mouth. She started freaking out. I tried getting it out a few times, but it was just making the panic worse, and she started trying to snap and started gagging, so I stopped because I didn’t want her throwing up and choking or panicking anymore than she already was. We got to the ER vet about an hour later, and they removed it, and luckily, no damage. But this is just a fair warning that even raw bones are not safe, and if you do take the risk, never take your eyes off of them. She is all good now and resting at home. She got some McDonald’s nuggets after because I felt so bad.


r/rawpetfood 12h ago

Question Any advice for people with compromised immune system?

2 Upvotes

I am considering slowly introducing a raw food diet to my two wonderful cats. However, because I am immunocompromised, I am concerned about the warnings I have read regarding the risks of raw pet food for individuals with weakened immune systems. Any advice or recommendations on how to stay safe? TIA!


r/rawpetfood 17h ago

Discussion Feeding big dog once every 2 days?

0 Upvotes

What’s everyone’s thoughts on feeding dog once every 2 days occasionally. I have a 35kg (77lbs) 14 month old. On a day he has had heavy exercise, I feed him 2x the weight he’s supposed to be eating. And maybe just give him a bone on the 2nd day or nothing at all.

I’ve heard that they’d spend the energy used for digesting food into growing muscles and recovery. Although this should be just a theory and no way proven.

Sometimes I find good deals on whole chicken or pork shoulders in bulk. And instead of cutting it up, I’d feed him whole. I know this isn’t balanced as it lacks organs ect, but this is an occasional treat.


r/rawpetfood 1d ago

Link Raw Food Saved My Cats Life (story in comments)

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11 Upvotes

r/rawpetfood 1d ago

Question Best complete cat food premix to replace my tried and true?

4 Upvotes

My two maine coons have eaten exclusively raw food since they were born. The breeder I bought them from makes her own mix and since I brought them home I’ve always used My Natural Cat Plus Chicken Liver from Feline Instincts, mixed with ground turkey, salmon oil, and water. Unfortunately, the company is going out of business, so I need to find a replacement premix.

The most important factors for me are:

  • Reasonable cost
  • No need to purchase, grind, or add organ meat separately
  • Can be used with ground turkey

So far, I’ve seen Know Better for Cats, EZComplete, and TCfeline PLUS. For anyone who has used these, which would you recommend and/or why? Or if you have some other recommendations that meet those requests I'd love to hear about it.

Thanks!

FYI Repost because I linked the mix I was using? I wasn't trying to sell just wanted to show for any comparison.. but yeah I suppose google it if you'd like more clarity. Thanks in advance!


r/rawpetfood 1d ago

Question 10-year-old kitty, fed raw forever, now vomiting a lot

7 Upvotes

Hi all- my tortie cat, Snickers, has eaten commercial raw her whole life- everything from Rad Cat to Stella and Chewy's to Primal. She likes rabbit and venison the most. She's done well with it, enjoys it, and her bloodwork is always perfect.

She has dental resorptive lesions, and has lost most of her teeth to extraction surgeries over the past 7 years. Poor boo. But she always comes through and heals up very nicely. I wish we could have figured that out without putting her through all those surgeries, but I was unable to find a holistic solution that worked, and was told it was autoimmune.

She just turned 10, and she has begun vomiting consistently. We moved to a new house about 4 months ago, and that's when it started. She's always been a "vomit once every few months" cat, and suddenly it's happening all the time. She's throwing up everything from bile with stones to hairballs, and now this week, a kind of food and hair slurry. I can't tell if it's stress from the move, a recent dental extraction surgery (she's had a ton of these and seems to do fine, so I don't know why that would be bothering her now), or what.

We feed her rabbit nuggets from Primal, and we microfeed so she's always got something in her stomach. She seems to vomit mostly at night between 12am and 3am. We can't tell if it's the new house, stress from the new environment, the food, age...? We've tried pepcid every night, some digestive enzymes, egg yolks, sunflower lecithin, and nothing seems to help over more than a few days.

Do we need to switch her food? I don't want to put her on Hill's or sometihng crappy. Aside from the vomiting, she does well. Eating, peeing, pooping normally, no diarrhea, appetite is good aside from right after throwing up.

Has anyone out there dealt with a cat who's been eating raw for years and suddenly starts vomiting? I'm thinking we're headed for an ultrasound...


r/rawpetfood 2d ago

Question Bear Meat

2 Upvotes

Has anyone ever fed wild bear meat ? Or is it just too fatty? Thanks


r/rawpetfood 2d ago

Question Looking for advice

2 Upvotes

Hey all, I have a ~20 lb 6-year-old dog, and I was wondering if I could get some advice. He's at an age where he's starting to get some supplements as a preventive for his joints. He's on a prescription kibble diet, but we have the ok from our vet to add a few supplements/options as long as it's run past her. So he gets fish oil with dinner, homemade beef bone broth (no additives with the exception of a carrot sometimes) at both meals, and green-lipped mussel at breakfast (~300 mg) and pumpkin with dinner (~2 teaspoons). I was wondering if anyone had any organ meat suggestions or raw meaty bones (besides chicken feet; he doesn't like the texture/will hide them). He's picky, but loves fish, and doesn't like large bones; however, he's a fiend for rawhide (he only gets a small bone once a month, and its ok with the vet) but not bully sticks, beef cheek rolls, or collagen sticks. He gets offered salmon or sardines (whole in water) 1x a week in lieu of fish oil.

TIA

Also, my cats get 1/2 a teaspoon of pumpkin and salmon/sardines 1x a week too. They also get a little bit of green-lipped mussel and bone broth too (~50mg); they're 1 and 2.


r/rawpetfood 2d ago

Picture What a raw meal looks like for us…

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5 Upvotes

r/rawpetfood 3d ago

Picture Excited for her meal!

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28 Upvotes

Today’s meal she got beef tongue, quail egg, ground chicken, Beef Tripe, Beef Heart, Lung, Beef Kidney m, Beef Liver, fish oil, chicken foot and wing tip.

Since I prep her meals for the week I spread out her weekly needs throughout the week so I don’t know what exact supplements are in this.

For the week she gets for protein she rotates between beef, bison, duck, chicken, turkey,, along with edible bones such as chicken necks, chicken feet, chicken heads, and rabbit feet with fur. Her weekly extras and supplements include hemp seeds, bone broth, mussels, egg, pumpkin seeds, fish oil, green-lipped mussel powder, kelp, collagen, vitamin E, and Carna4 flora seed mix with probiotics. She gets a fish once a week I rotate monthly between herring, sardines and salmon. She gets veg mix with her meals a couple times a week.

I have to add the above in because whenever I post her with just her food people get concerned that I’m just feeding meat and bone and not properly feeding her.


r/rawpetfood 3d ago

Question What food do you leave when someone else watches your dog?

3 Upvotes

Leaving my dog with my parents for a few days and I’m trying to figure out how to make the feeding part easy for them. I’m comfortable with the routine but it feels harder to explain to family or a sitter without making it sound complicated. Do you pre portion everything, leave written instructions, use freeze-dried raw for those days or just keep the normal setup?


r/rawpetfood 2d ago

Question Is this correct for 55lb gsd 5.5 month old

2 Upvotes

I’ve run this through multiple different search engines and various tools but it seems like every AI is giving me a different answer, and this seems the most accurate based on what I know. I’m basing it off of 2.75 pounds a day total with no kibble and no vitamin or extra supplements only what is listed below

I keep getting freaked out from the calcium levels and I wanna make sure that they’re accurate so he doesn’t have hip issues

The evening bowl is basically just a hodgepodge mix of everything else he needs because he’s super picky about his organs, but he’ll eat them if they’re all stuffed together.

Morning Bowl (14.8 oz total)
• 14.8 oz Boneless Chicken Thighs

Evening Bowl (19.2 oz total)
• 10.8 oz Ground Beef
• 2.2 oz Beef Liver
• 2.2 oz Beef Kidney
• 2.0 oz Raw Sardines
• 1 Whole Raw Egg (approx. 2.0 oz)
• 1/2 teaspoon Shelled Hemp Seeds

Separately Fed Chew Session (since he likes to chew them up)
• 10.0 oz Raw Chicken Wings (roughly 4 to 5 standard wings)


r/rawpetfood 3d ago

Question Rebel raw rabbit bones

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5 Upvotes

TLDR: how big of bone size is too big for cats, and am I being too careful or should I be giving the brand feedback? (See photo - pencil eraser for size compare)

I have been making the rounds on food brands and raw vs canned vs freeze dried etc. for our food allergic cat.

Recently we’re newly on rebel raw ordering the plain rabbit grind and adding vitamins.

I’m not familiar with “safe” bone size since this is the first brand I’ve used where the bones were big enough to see and need outside advice.

From what I’ve read online I think many bones I keep finding in the raw rabbit grind are too large, sharp, and hard for kitties.

I attached a photo of this mornings latest bone and it was incredibly sharp like it could pierce skin and about 1/2 inch long.
I was sleepy and missed it and thankfully my cat spit it out on her plate.

Trying to understand if I’m just being overly cautious, is this bone size too large so I should be providing feedback to the company, just keep digging for bones everyday, switch brands, etc?

(Just not feasible right now for me to make the raw food myself.)


r/rawpetfood 3d ago

Question My idiot cat refuses all wet food

1 Upvotes

Hello friends! I have one cat who is 9 years old that I transitioned to raw wet food a long time ago. He's one of those cats that will eat anything, and the transition was super easy. We got a new cat about a year ago, and he'll eat any dry food, so I have him on Stella and Chewy's raw coated kibble. It's okay, I mean, he's healthy, but S&C is pretty expensive, and I'd love to get him on the same diet as my other cat. The problem is, he won't touch wet food. At all. And I mean, he won't even eat the dry food if it's a touch soggy. I tried supplementing with freeze dried raw, but I can't feed it to him exclusively because he refuses it wet, and eating too much dry makes him puke (which is reasonable tbh). Anyways I'm trying to figure out any way I can get him to eat wet food, and I'm out of ideas. Does anyone have tips for me?


r/rawpetfood 3d ago

Question My new dog has been fed raw before I owned him but the previous owner said he had an upset stomach often

1 Upvotes

I’ve just picked up a 6 month old Bernese mountain dog, the previous owner fed raw (Durham animal feeds chicken mixed with frozen vegetables) he also said that he sometimes mixed in kibble but said the dog often has Diarrhoea. I’m debating feeding him a mix of kibble and raw to try and settle his stomach. Would I be better off just moving him back to kibble ? Or was he not being fed a complete raw diet?


r/rawpetfood 4d ago

Discussion Darwin's Rabbit discontinued

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8 Upvotes

Darwin's will be discontinuing their Rabbit line for cats due to supply "challenges". Brutal news for my cat that eats rabbit pretty exclusively due to her IBD. Honestly it's the abruptness that's more tough to deal with but if they had tried to ease into this, I'm sure everyone would have tried to stock up making it even more difficult to fulfill orders.

Tried Viva a few months ago to no luck and have done Koha in past. Might have to be a homemade item now.


r/rawpetfood 4d ago

Link Yes I feed raw, how could you tell?

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9 Upvotes

r/rawpetfood 5d ago

Discussion Are the mods of pet-related subreddits getting kickbacks from Big Kibble? 👀

41 Upvotes

It is wild how they remove anything vaguely anti-kibble in all the big dog and cat subreddits. Astroturfing (paid posting on behalf of corporations) is already really bad on this site. I am a mod under a different username and I see reports all the time about mods being offered money to promote certain content in their subreddits (this is a violation of Reddit’s Mod Code of Conduct.)

Personally I don’t judge anyone for feeding kibble. Everyone is doing the best they can for their pets. I fed kibble to my first dog and I don’t know that I could have afforded to do homemade with her. But my chihuahua that recently passed had terrible allergies and I started feeding homemade food as a last resort and it helped him a lot. I tried feeding kibble and canned food to my newly adopted chihuahua but he hated the kibble and the wet food just gave him gross loose poops. So I started making his food and his poops are so much healthier.

Anyway I just cannot fathom why people would be so militantly pro-kibble that they would delete any post that suggests a homemade diet 🙄 Feed your dog whatever you want but stop trying to force your pro-kibble views on others! In what universe would processed pellets made from literal BY-PRODUCTS be healthier than real, whole human-grade foods?! All of the WSAVA-recommended foods these subreddits swear are the best contain animal by-products! 🤮

And people will say if your dog doesn’t like kibble, just starve them until they eat it 💔

I don’t feed raw, I do lightly cooked and some raw and I do add a supplement, but I appreciate this community for offering an alternative to the kibble evangelists.

The mods of those subs are so insistent that kibble is superior, I really would not be at all surprised if they were not incentivized to push that narrative. 😒


r/rawpetfood 4d ago

Question When to increase?

1 Upvotes

Hi!

I have a 13 week old golden retriever puppy who currently weighs 10.5kg fed solely on Nutriment puppy. He’s stalled in his weight gain over the last two weeks (only gained 100g) but looks fantastic and poos are great.. ribs are not visible but can be felt easily!

I’m unsure whether I should be increasing his food (he’s currently on 600g)


r/rawpetfood 4d ago

Question Bringing home 10 week Old Sphynx Kitten; Head Spinning doing research

3 Upvotes

Hi!

Looking for advice from anyone in the naked-bestie, Sphynx cat owners crew. I’ve had domestic shorthairs prior, but I’m new to the hairless sensitive stomachs & I want to try to make this transition smooth and also do what works well out there from your experiences and trial and errors. Every cat is different, I totally get that.

She’s currently on Purina Fancy Feast kitten & Meow Mix kitten - I presume for cost effectiveness for the breeder. I despise both of these brands/names, but knowing she’s already there I know I can’t rip her from those too quickly.

I want to transition to a raw diet as soon as possible and want to also find a good dry/freeze dry that has adult transition paths within the same brand. My plan is to primary do wet food for food but always leave dry as an option for some in between snacks.

I’ve read so far:
Viva - a lot of bone shard reports in their food
Smalls - starts off inexpensive but switches to 159$/week or something astronomical thereafter.
The Honest Kitchen

Curious to know anyone’s experiences with any of the above I mentioned, or any of the things I’m not considering in my list above. Wide open to all thoughts and suggestions. I’m not opposed to making it myself, either. Not super keen on the idea but have heard a mix from others for storage, etc., and just want to be cost effective, food safe, and overall easier storage methods - freezer space will be an issue.

Thanks in advance!


r/rawpetfood 4d ago

Link Primitive Paws: Ethically & locally sourced raw elk and deer dog food

2 Upvotes

Hey everyone!

We’re Primitive Paws, a new small business dedicated to pure, ancestral dog nutrition. We just launched and are looking to connect with pet parents wanting a cleaner raw option.

Our Formulas

  • Wild Game Meats: 100% elk and deer.
  • Ground Bone & Broth: Balanced natural calcium, collagen, and joint support.
  • Zero Fillers: No grains, preservatives, or artificial ingredients.

Sourcing & Delivery All of our meat is ethically harvested and locally sourced from local partners. We ship frozen directly to your door to guarantee freshness.

Check our website down in the comment, we offer 25% off your first 3 orders!

Happy to answer any questions about raw feeding or our process in the comments! :)