Just how did I get here from there? A bit about me...

I have received quite a few questions about how I got involved with Carolina Dogs and with Natural Rearing. I am going to attempt to explain without writing a complete book, which some people say that I should... maybe someday!
Growing up, we had pets my whole life, mixed breed dogs & cats we got from friends, or from the animal shelter.  When I was 18,  my parents bought me an AKC Rottweiler for Christmas.

Baby Bear Moore

Baby was a wonderful dog & my constant companion. She was my rock through lots of really hard times, she helped me raise both my kids & kept them safe through their young childhood years. She was from excellent show bloodlines, but she was always problematic health-wise. She had chronic yeasty ears & feet, bad smell, she shed awfully, had numerous skin problems, and in later years she had digestive issues & eventually seizures. She died of a seizure or a stroke at age 13.5 . Nothing the vet ever did or suggested helped her. I was heartbroken when she died, my whole family was. It was several years before I even thought of getting another dog. She was so in tune with me & I felt that no dog could ever compare to the bond I had with Baby. ( I realize now of course that all her problems went back to diet, chemicals & vaccines.)

Asheley, my 1st CD

Then, 3 years later  I watched a TV show one day, called "In Search of the First Dog". Danny, my husband (not a big dog person), said of the CDs that they sounded like great dogs and he might could handle having a dog like that... well it was on...lol I started searching. I was not on FaceBook back then, but I did have the internet!  CDs are not a common type around here in East Tennessee, we have mostly hounds & fiests. So I emailed every breeder & CD contact I could find(not many). I struck up a good conversation with Jane Gunnell and learned more about Carolina Dogs.

Cooter on the way home from Aiken, SC

Daisy & Cooter in Aiken SC

Finally, after much discussion, begging and even crying, I got a trip to Aiken, SC & my first CD Asheley (male) for my 10th wedding Anniversary. I was in love!!!! But, at about 4-5 months of age, Asheley was accidentally killed in our yard by my dad's truck. We were all devastated. I called to tell Jane and she was crying with me. I told her my Dad was going to buy me another CD puppy when she had another one available. 
She had a puppy she was holding from her other litter but she let me get him, so my dad drove me back to SC & we got Cooter, whom she encouraged me to show in the ARBA show in Atlanta that fall. My daughter was having major surgeries and medical problems at the time, so I wasn't able to commit to showing him. We discussed breeding him at a later date if everyrthing worked out.   
I was going to be the best dog owner ever and I did everything the vet said to do. But then he had a vaccine reaction, which the vet treated as a bee-sting & then as Demodex Mange for several months. When those treatments did not heal him,  the vet then said (same as he had with my Rottie) that he had "allergies" and would need to be on lifelong steroid treatments & allergy meds... I asked him about diet changes & vaccine reactions, and he treated me like an ignorant child.

my current pack, Cooter, Daisy & Bit

So I began researching, which led me to raw feeding, which led me to not using chemicals & learning about vaccinosis. I found an awesome Holistic vet who assisted me in detoxing Cooter & with proper appropriate diet he is fine now and has been for 5 years. We were very lucky that his reaction was not as bad as some I have since heard about!  
When Cooter was 2 we got Daisy, as a gift from Jane, as a mate for Cooter. Daisy was immediately switched to a raw diet, no more vaccines (except rabies) and no chemicals ever on her. 

'PR' Banbury's Tennessee Daisy Jane

Over the years I have fallen more and more in love with and in awe of these wonderful beings of nature's creation . They are so basic and primal in their actions and reactions yet so in tune with their human companions that it is uncanny. I could (and frequently do, to the frustration of my husband) spend hours just openly or covertly watching them interact, hunt, and do all the fascinating things that they do, even lounging on the couch! I can not imagine not having a Carolina Dog in my life now. 

BC Tennessee Whiskey CooterBug

Cooter is now retired from his career as a pet-assisted therapy dog and Daisy didn't get to participate in the program because of their ignorant ban on raw fed pets. But that is another story  These are the most loving, sensitive and healing dogs that I have ever had the blessing to live with.
 My carolina Dogs have totally won over my Husband, the non-dog-person, so that now he even lets them sleep in the bed with us. Cooter has laid by my side all day when I had a stroke, he has brought happiness and comfort to many Alzheimer's sufferers, and laid patiently beside a child as they struggled to learn to read to him. They have comforted a family member as she was battling and dying of cancer, tended a newborn baby, been a playmate for a toddler and a teenager, a hiking, farming and gardening companion and provided me a place to sob during the worst time of my life(when my baby grandson died) and dried my tears with their fur & kisses. Carolina Dogs are so much more than I can say, more intuitive, more fascinating, more fun, more versatile and more challenging than I ever imagined or can describe. I truly believe they are DOG, what God created when he made the first dog to be a companion for humans, before we humans started tinkering with them for our own purposes. Carolina Dogs are what a dog is supposed to be. 

'PR' Tennessee's Swamp Molly LilBit

I have been researching raw feeding, and Natural rearing for 5 years now and last year I began studying Small Animal Naturopathy with American Council of Animal Naturopathy (http://www.animalnaturopathy.org/)  and I hope to complete my course of study and begin consulting as a Animal Health Coach &/or a Carnivore/Pet Nutrition Consultant. 
I am a Responsible Natural Rearing Breeder of Carolina Dogs. Cooter and Daisy have had 2 litters,  one Fall 2011, one Spring 2013. All 12 puppies are in wonderful homes, that are continuing the Natural Rearing.  I mentor all of them as needed & stay in regular contact with them all on a regular basis.  Bit is from the 2013 litter, she was a runt & we spent so much time & love on her that we fell in love & so we decided to keep her.

When The Raw Diet Goes Bad

 

I wanted to take a moment to discuss something that is a pet peeve of mine. That is people that feed raw incorrectly and not in a balanced way that results in their dogs becoming ill and then blaming it on raw feeding. They say "Feeding raw is Bad" or "Raw food makes dogs Sick". I have read comments and stories from and about people that feed raw inappropriately in so many different ways. I will address some of the worst.

1. Feeding only one type meat.

I have heard about farmers that feed their dogs only chicken carcass scraps or beef scraps, or hunters that feed only deer meat. Also pet owners that feed a commercially bought product in only one "flavor" such as chicken. 

An example from a friend of mine: "I just currently had a friend that feeding raw long before me so we never really talked much about what she was feeding... a good friend but don't chat often, and she calls me one day, her dog is brutally sick. First thing I ask what exactly is she eating.. "mainly chicken backs".. !?what?? I asked if she was feeding organs.. "not really".. !!what?!! I know that this poor dogs body finally was so malnourished, nutritionally deficient that this was her entire problem! She was having multiple organ failure and even ended up having a stroke !! She's still here but barely.. I was so mad that I never discussed food with her and just assumed she knew what she was doing!!"- Kim 

When feeding a raw diet, you need to provide as much variety as possible. Feeding only one meat can lead to nutritional deficiencies in specific vitamins or minerals. One meat may be plentiful in certain nutrients and low in others. Here is a link to the different nutrients levels in different meats-  Nutrients in Meats . My following suggestions are not scientific, because there is no way to know for sure exactly what the level of nutrition a specific food is providing without doing analysis on it. Due to local differences in nutrition and different farming practices, and different levels of nutrition available in different meats. I recommend trying to feed at least 2-4 different meats per month and at minimum 5+ different meats per year. The more variety the better.  

2. Feeding only boneless meat. I have heard of those pet owners that also only feed boneless meat, this may be because they are afraid to feed bones. They do not do enough research, and do not understand that the phosphorus in raw meat must be balanced with the proper amount of Calcium. 

10 % of a raw fed dog's diet should be edible bone. Here is an article about balancing the calcium/phosphorus ratio. Bones help your pet clean their teeth as well as providing roughage & firmness that helps clean gunk from the intestines and express anal glands. However some dogs cannot eat bone or you may have a lot of boneless meat and not enough bone on hand to go with it. So here is another about substituting ground eggshells for bone How to make Ground EggShell Supplement.

3. Neglecting to feed organ meat. I think many people leave organs out of their dog's diet because they think the organs are not truly needed. This is not true. I think the other reason is that people cannot easily find a variety of organs locally so they do not pursue finding them elsewhere. Organ meat should be 10% of the dog's total diet. Half of that, 5%, should be liver (any meat source) and the other half, 5%, should be other organs like kidney, brain, or pancreas. If you can not readily find organs at your usual places, then try an ethnic market or a farmer's market. Another source would be ordering them online. I have several different reputable companies listed on my links page under FOOD. Organs are very important to your dog's health. Here is an article about Why Organ Meat Is Important For a Raw Fed Dog

4. Feeding Kibble and Raw together. I hear so many people saying they do this. Then I also hear of people saying "I tried to feed my dog raw and he kept getting sick" or "he kept having diarrhea" or "he got salmonella poisoning". Upon digging a little deeper I find that the pet owner was feeding raw along with a couple of cups of kibble, just in case.Or the owner was feeding half kibble and half raw or kibble with a little portion of raw. Whatever the proportion I believe this can cause BIG problems! It is a fact that kibble digests at about half the rate that raw food does in a dog's digestive system. One of the reasons that fully-raw fed dogs do not get bacteria infections is the raw is digested rather rapidly and it does not sit in the gut fermenting and being broken down, it is broken down by the strong acids and powerful enzymes specially made to break down raw meat and bone. If that slow moving kibble-goo (you have all seen how that stuff comes out...) gets in front of the raw food that needs to move on through quickly, then the meat will sit there behind the kibble and any bacteria that are present will have time to grow and multiply. This could become a big problem, more "bad" bacteria growing in the gut, as well as slower digestion, and eventually you are going to have a bacteria overgrowth that will result in a very sick pooch. There are a myriad of other problems that feeding kibble and raw together that I am not covering here, as this should be enough to explain why doing this in NOT a good idea for your pet.

These pitfalls are easily avoided and the raw diet can be safely fed to your pet dogs and cats. By feeding only a raw diet in a wide variety of meats and following the basic proportions of 80/10/10,  80% muscle meat, 10 % edible bone, and 10% organ meat - (5% liver and 5% other secreting organs)your dog can thrive and be healthy and happy too!  

Dr. Jean Dodds' Pet Health Resource Blog

Dr. Jean Dodds' Pet Health Resource Blog

10TH JAN 2013 | 2 NOTES

Question:  I have come to highly respect your opinion and protocol on vaccinations. My problem is I have a 16 month old standard poodle who is due for her one year rabies booster in a few weeks I have decided I don’t want to give it. My 9 year old standard came down with immune-mediated thrombocytopenia at age five. He’s a walking miracle He reacted from a rabies vaccine At that time I was ignorant and listened to the vets. Now I am knowledgeable and educated and can’t make any more mistakes. I am petrified of giving the booster. I can’t let anything happen to her. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. 

Dr Dodds Says:  I understand your concern about the rabies vaccination now due for your 16 month old standard poodle, but the law requires you to give it. There is currently no state that routinely accepts a titer in lieu of the rabies vaccine. The fact that your other standard poodle experienced an adverse reaction to a rabies vaccine (not that uncommon in the breed to have immune-mediated blood disorders that can be triggered by vaccinations) does not provide sufficient justification to obtain a waiver/exemption from your puppy’s second rabies vaccine. Sorry!  If she’s intact, please be sure to give the second rabies booster when she’s not due in estrus or is in estrus.  You could also pre-treat her with the oral homeopathics, Thuja and Lyssin, to help blunt any adverse effects of the rabies vaccine.  Telephone the folks at  www.naturalrearing.com to obtain these homeopathics. 

The only other alternatives you have is to “fly under the radar”, but if you’re caught, she could be quarantined at your expense for up to 6 months, depending upon local ordinances.  

Follow Up:  Dear Dr. Dodds, I wanted you to know that after deep soul searching and reading more research on the subject I decided to titer my precious Snowy. My vet was very supportive and deeply respected my opinion. The results won’t be in for a few weeks but I am deeply confident of the fact that they will be fine. The decision is a weight lifted off me and one that I am happy with. Thank you for taking the time to discuss the issue with me. 

After the titer test:  Dear Dr.Dodds, I am sorry to bother you…I had inboxed you a while ago regarding rabies booster. I ended up titering my 17 month poodle. Her titer came back .7 anything above .5 is considered protected. My question is I have decided to fly under the radar regarding this but will this number dip below .5 in the future. I fear vaccinating her due to the adverse reactions rabies vaccine can cause and having a white poodle from the same kennel that came down with thrombocytopenia …Any advice would be greatly appreciated. 

Dr. Dodds Says:  Hello again! Actually, that interpretation is incorrect unless you live overseas or in Hawaii. The titer level considered adequate to protect a person from rabies is 0.1 IU/mL, for all locations except overseas and Hawaii, which require 0.5 IU/mL. 

So, your dog’s rabies titer at 0.7 IU/mL is very good. 

If you want to re-titer for rabies, I suggest every three years. 

W. Jean Dodds, DVM
Hemopet / NutriScan
11561 Salinaz Avenue
Garden Grove, CA 92843

Takoda's Parvo Survival Story

This is Takoda. He is one of Daisy & Cooter's Naturally Reared pups from 2011. He is a UKC registered Carolina Dog. He lives with Lauri in Georgia. Lauri and I decided to tell his story here in the hopes that it may help others. This post is our combined effort, but any errors in dates, etc are mine. Thanks for sharing Lauri!  

Takoda was born in my home on August 26, 2011. He was from my raw fed, Naturally Reared very healthy pair of Carolina Dogs. He was healthy and was the largest puppy in the litter. At about 3 weeks the litter was introduced to raw meat and weaning was began naturally according to their mother, Daisy. Everything about his upbringing was normal and healthy. He was not vaccinated and was checked by a holistic vet at 7.5 weeks and at 8 weeks went to live with his new family(Lauri). Where he was continued on the Natural rearing protocols of raw feeding, no vaccines, and no chemicals or drugs. He was healthy and accompanied Lauri on a few trips to the pet store to pick out new toys and stylish new collar & leash sets. Lauri provided him with the best of foods; grass fed beef, free range whole chicken and other meats from an Organic farm she found nearby to her, as well as other high quality sources of raw meat for dogs.


In order to comply with Georgia law at the urging of the vets in her area, Lauri took Takoda for his rabies vaccine on 3-12-12, when he was about 7 months old. A couple of weeks afterwards, Lauri had to go out of town on business. Takoda stayed at home with her husband Randy. 

In mid-April, Lauri had just flown back into town. She was still at the airport and so she called her husband to see how Takoda was and let him know she was to be home soon. 
Lauri said, "Randy told me he was going to take Takoda to ER and  I said: "no, why?" "  Randy said that Takoda was not feeling too good and threw up once and kind of mopey since Lauri had been gone. 

Lauri immediately called me (the breeder & her mentor). I asked Lauri to have Randy call me so I could hear directly what was going on.  Randy reported that Takoda had only thrown up once and he had not observed him having any diarrhea. But he had watched him chase the cats in the yard just that day.   Based on what Randy told me, we decided to wait until Lauri got home and could assess Takoda herself. We were thinking he was just missing his Special Person.

Lauri got home very late at night and Takoda greeted her, but she could tell he was not quite up to par, so the next morning she called the holistic vet, J. Partin DVM that had given him the Rabies vaccine. Dr Partin was an hour away and told Lauri she needed to bring him in for testing. They did the Parvo test first and it was an immediate high level Parvovirus result. They retested again and quickly got the same result. The vet did state that Takoda was having diarrhea although nobody had seen him have any at home.  
Dr Partin started him on an IV with fluids. He also received the following meds: 
B-12 injection
Cephalothin injection (antibiotic)
Cerenia Injection( anti-vomiting med)
Vitamin B-complex injection
electrolytes Lactated Ringer's Solution
That vet had a very small practice and wasn't set up as a hospital, so Lauri loaded Takoda up and too him to Dr Carpenter at the local allopathic Veterinary Hospital that was near her home. They decided to continue on with the course of treatment started by Dr Partin, although Dr Carpenter(Lauri's previous vet for past dogs) wasn't very happy about treating him with a more Holistic approach, limited medicines and simply keeping him on IV fluids overnight. He did not give Lauri much hope of Takoda surviving the night let alone making a quick recovery.
The next day Lauri called first thing in the morning to see how Takoda was doing and the Vet Tech said he did good all night and if he will eat he can go home! Lauri took him some lightly boiled chicken because the hospital staff was trying to give him kibble(against Lauri's wishes). We were uncertain if they would actually give him the chicken , but they later reported to Lauri that he turned his nose up at the kibble but happily ate the chicken! 

That afternoon, after a grand total of only 1 day and a half at the vet, Takoda was eating and was allowed to go home! Lauri says "We came home, he ate his raw chicken with bone and went outside and chased squirrels and cats as if nothing ever happened and he has been well every since!"
The Holistic Vet Dr Partin said: "I'm just going to tell you the reason Takoda pulled out like he did is because he is fed raw and no vaccines, he has built his immune system." 

Lauri and I are very proud of how quickly Takoda recovered and how much he amazed all the "professionals".

We are not ever going to be sure of exactly where Takoda got infected with the Parvovirus, but we suspect that he picked it up at the Vet's office in March, when he went for his Rabies shot. Veterinarian's offices are typically one of the easiest places for any dog to 'catch something". In my opinion another factor was the Rabies vaccination and it's suppressive effect on his immune system. Many dogs are not so fortunate to be Naturally Reared, or survive parvo, many die or are sick for many weeks. We believe that kibble, chemicals and most of all vaccines contribute to the high death rate in otherwise healthy puppies that contract this man-made virus. Lauri and I have learned a lot along our respective Natural Rearing journeys, most of all we learned that Natural Rearing IS the way to go and we both now feel stronger and better prepared to face health challenges in the future.  

We would like to encourage everyone to learn more about natural rearing and to not be scared by all the fear mongering that is thrown at you by the Veterinary community, drug companies, and kibble companies. Raising your dog as nature intended is healthy and safe when done responsibly and in accordance with nature's laws. .

Easy Directions to Make your Own Ground Eggshell Powder

Ground Egg Shells — How To Make Your Own Ground Egg Shell Supplement and How Much To Give

A lack of calcium, or the inability to properly assimilate calcium has been known to cause dental facial problems as an example. Reports, photographs and x-rays made during Dr. Pottenger's 10 year cat study clearly illustrates this fact.
Many of the cats eating a deficient diet as deemed by Dr. Pottenger had dental facial problems such as an underbite, cramping of the teeth, and in general, under-developed faces.
Although, these problems are irreversible once they have occurred, with puppies and kittens it is important to try and prevent these problems with good wholesome foods and a quality calcium supplement. With mature dogs and cats, good food and a good quality calcium supplement simply help to provide the calcium needed for living.
There are many other functions and benefits beyond the obvious of minerals like calcium. Calcium not only is important for strong bones, but it also is said to help with blood clotting, activating enzyme action, and helps normalize the contraction and relaxation of the heart muscles.
Don't underestimate minerals. They are the spark plugs of life.
As mentioned earlier, calcium is the single most important supplement
you can provide your pets with. An excellent source of calcium for your pets is finely ground egg shells.
The goal that we want to achieve when providing a calcium supplement is to help provide our pets with twice as much calcium as phosphorus. Our pets require a 2:1 ratio between calcium and phosphorus. This is the ratio I personally follow but others suggest lower ratios, anywhere from 1:1 and everything in between up to 2:1. One reason why I provide or follow the 2:1 ratio is because ultimately it is better to have more calcium than less calcium. If you follow the 1:1 ratio, then your room for error is non-existent. At the same time, the nutritional content of foods naturally fluctuates. So sometimes the food we feed will be naturally lower in calcium and on other days, higher. I also follow the 2:1 ratio as this is what veterinarians such as Dr. Pitcairn and others have suggested.
While it's impossible to purrrfectly obtain this ratio (or any ratio) we can, at the very least, get close to creating this ideal ratio for our pets by using finely ground egg shells as a calcium supplement.
When the body is getting the proper ratio of calcium to phosphorus, then this will help prevent a calcium deficiency, will further help prevent calcium related health problems and will also help prevent problems that are indirectly caused by an imbalance in the calcium to phosphorus ratio.

Suggested Doses of Ground Egg Shells

Ground egg shells are extremely high in calcium and contain virtually no phosphorus.
1 teaspoon of ground egg shells contains approximately 1900 mg of calcium. This is a whopping amount of calcium!
Different meats contain different amounts of calcium and phosphorus. Therefore, ideally I would like to provide a specific amount of calcium based on the meat being fed to help create the 2:1 ratio. However, since ground egg shells are so concentrated and the difference in the amount of phosphorus in meats is relatively speaking minute, it would be difficult to successfully make serving amounts for ground egg shells that could easily be given for each meat. So for simplicity's sake, I have created 1 chart for all meats.
Based on my evaluation of the nutritional analysis of various meats, the amount suggested is quite close to creating the ideal 2:1 ratio.
Now wait, I know what some of you are thinking! You are thinking... how do I know how much meat I am going to be feeding anyway?
Well, not to worry — Part 3 of my book explains how to make and feed. You can also read the page earlier about feeding.
So add the following amount of ground egg shells using the table below:

Weight of Meat 	                Ground Egg Shells



100 grams                       1/4 tsp
200 grams                       1/2 tsp
300 grams                       2/3 tsp
400 grams                       3/4 tsp




1/4 pound                       1/4 tsp
1/2 pound                       1/2 tsp
3/4 pound                       3/4 tsp
1 pound                         1 tsp



1 Jumbo Egg or 1 Large Egg      1/8 tsp
2 Jumbo Eggs or 2 Large Eggs    1/4 tsp
4 Jumbo Eggs of 4 Large Eggs    1/2 tsp
6 Jumbo Eggs of 6 Large Eggs    3/4 tsp
8 Jumbo Eggs of 8 Large Eggs    1 tsp

How To Make Ground Egg Shell Powder

If you have access to enough egg shells and if you have the inclination, you can make your own finely ground egg shell powder.
Remember, even if you don't have enough egg shells, you can always ask friends, neighbors, relatives and others to save their egg shells for you.
Choose the direction based on the type of eggs you are using...
Free Range Eggs:

1. Simply collect egg shells.
2. Wash egg shells (optional). If you do wash the egg shells, it's easier to wash the egg shells before you crack them than after.
3. Let the egg shells dry on the stove top, in a gas oven (the pilot light will dry the egg shells) or in the sun.
4. Once the egg shells are dry, bake them at 300° F. This helps to make the egg shells even more dry and brittle for easier grinding.
5. Add egg shells to a blender, grinder, etc and grind. Keep grinding until there are no sharp pieces. The egg shells should become a powder although most likely it will not be a fine powder. Use a sifter or strainer to remove large and sharp pieces of egg shells.

Non Free Range Eggs:

1. Simply collect egg shells.
2. Wash the egg shells. It's easier to wash the egg shells before you crack them than after.
3. Let the egg shells dry on the stove top, in a gas oven (the pilot light will dry the egg shells) or in the sun.
4. Once the egg shells are dry, bake them at 300° F. This helps to make the egg shells even more dry and brittle for easier grinding. In addition, this helps to get rid of the mineral oils that have been applied to the egg shells to keep them from drying out in the store.
5. Add egg shells to a blender, grinder, etc and grind. Keep grinding until there are no sharp pieces. The egg shells should become a powder although most it likely will not be a fine powder. Use a sifter or strainer to remove large and sharp pieces of egg shells.

Editor's Paw Note

If you are unable or don't have the time to make your own ground egg shell supplement, then you can order a ground egg shell supplement which is found in my online store.

Well, That Was Eggshellent Information

I know that was eggshellent information but there is more to come. Keep reading:

• Why Feed Natural Homemade Pet Food?
• Let's Take A Closer Look A Natural Homemade Pet Food
• An Early Conclusion About Natural Homemade Pet Food
• Feeding — How Much To Feed Dogs and Cats
• Water — Pets Drink Water While Eating
• The Importance of Calcium
• How To Make Your Own Calcium Supplement
• Pet Supplements — A Quick Introduction
• The Benefits of Enzymes
• Nutritive Herbs

Source: Pets Need Wholesome Food Also @ pet-grub.com
Copyright 2012 by pet-grub.com. Used with permission.

Time to Interview Your Vets!

***Puppy Families****
We are a few weeks prior to breeding and there are some things you can be doing now to get ready for your new best friend!  this is one suggestion. Watch for more as the weeks go by! 

Now is a great time to be getting your Vet picked, whether it is a traditional vet that respects your choices in how you will care for your puppy, an Integrative-Holistic vet, a vet practicing classical homeopathy or a Small Animal Naturopath. Interview a few and then make your decision. Right now there is no rush and no pressure to make a choice. You have time to research, v

isit the practice and talk one on one with the vet.
Some tips on things to look for and to consider.
1. Do not compromise. If you dont feel like you click with one vet, there are 20 more waiting to get your business! Walk away now!
2. You should be the one making decisions about your pet, not the vet telling you what you will & wont do. Refer to #1
3. You should feel your questions and beliefs about your pet's care are valued and respected. If you are not feeling that refer back to #1.
4. You should not be constantly bombarded by sales pressure and advertisement. Whether the decor is solely furnished by pet food and drug companies or the vet seems more like a high pressure car salesman, that is not a good place to be, refer to #1
5. If the vet does not support a 100% raw diet, refer to #1

6. If the vet tries to scare you into buying products you didnt come there for or vaccines you already said you dont want, refer to #1. 

7. Your vet should not be-little, poo-poo, or automatically disregard information and opinion you bring. If this happens... you got it! see #1!
A good vet will admit they may not know as much as they could about some subjects. A good vet will get down on the floor with your pup(barring physical limitations) and will gently coax your puppy to come to them, not force the pup or grab them and hold them roughly. A good vet will be a gentle teacher and will offer you alternatives and flexibility and a chance to learn about something before insisting you go along with their way. You should always feel comfortable taking to your vet just like your own physician. You should be able to have open and honest discussions about how you want your pet cared for, bring in literature for discussion, and expect your stance to be given consideration and respect. Ultimately the decision is yours, it is YOUR dog.
I have not always completely agreed with everything my vet suggests, but I do feel she respects my opinion and I listen to her and she listens to me and she ultimately accepts my carefully considered decision.

Dont put it off until it is time to pick up your puppy or time for his/her checkup. Get this out of the way so you can concentrate on that bundle of cuteness coming your way in a few months!
If you need help finding someone or some preliminary literature regarding Natural Rearing, please message, email, or call me!

 — at East Tennessee Dingos.