The Raw Dog Food Truth

Why We're Seeing Sicker Pets Than Ever Before

The Raw Dog Food Truth

Send us a text

Something alarming is happening to our pets. Veterinarians across the country are reporting unprecedented levels of chronic illness, cancer, and behavioral issues—even in very young animals. What's behind this troubling trend?

DeDe Murcer-Moffett and Dr. Judy Jasek dive deep into Colorado's controversial new pet vaccine requirements and what they mean for health-conscious pet parents. Following an alleged rabies outbreak involving rescue puppies, Colorado now mandates rabies, distemper, and parvovirus vaccinations for pets visiting groomers, boarding facilities, and shelters. But our hosts raise serious questions about this "outbreak" and whether it's being used to justify pushing more vaccines on our companion animals.

"I see so many sick and unhealthy pets. I have never seen this many in my career," reports one chiropractor for pets quoted in the episode. Most disturbing is the rising incidence of cancer in extremely young dogs—as young as 18 months—something virtually unheard of in previous generations, regardless of diet quality. As Dr. Jasek points out, "An 18-month-old dog could eat Old Roy and not get cancer at that age." So what's changed?

The financial implications are equally concerning. With veterinary bills easily running into thousands of dollars, many families living paycheck to paycheck face impossible choices when their pets develop chronic conditions. This economic pressure often leads to heartbreaking decisions to euthanize or relinquish beloved pets.

For pet parents seeking alternatives, the episode explores options including medical exemptions (available with documented health concerns), finding vaccine-free service providers, and most importantly, building foundational health through proper nutrition. Both hosts passionately advocate for raw feeding as the cornerstone of pet wellness, noting the dramatic differences they've observed between pets on processed foods versus natural diets.

Ready to take control of your pet's health? Visit rawdogfoodandcompany.com for weekly discounts during "Yappy Hour" Wednesdays and free feeding consultations, or connect with Dr. Jasik at ahavet.com for telemedicine appointments. Because, as our hosts remind us, friends don't let friends feed kibble.

Support the show

Raw Dog Food and Company where Your Pet's Health is Our Business and Friends Don't Let Friends Feed Kibble

Contact Us Today We Can Help Your Pets Live Happier Healthier Lives

Speaker 1:

Oh snap. Well, hello Raw Feeders. I'm DeeDee Mercer-Moffitt, ceo of Raw Dog Food Company. We are PetSouth as our business, and we're my friend Dr Judy Jasik. Oh my God, she doesn't let friends feed kibble, do you?

Speaker 2:

Nope, nope, not in Tennessee, not even in our new house in Tennessee.

Speaker 1:

I know how are you loving it? And I want to hear about the transition of the kitties. How did they transition to this new place?

Speaker 2:

I'll tell you what one of my kitties just about gave me a heart attack, because after we were here for like two days and then he was gone for a day and and I went over to talk to the neighbors who feed Kmel, you know. But you know well, we'll work on that later, but right, not going to lecture them, you know the first time, but anyway, yeah, so I got up one morning this was a couple of mornings ago and Oscar was gone and I thought well, I wouldn't expect him to wander too far. They're getting used to new, they're outdoor kitties, new like hunting grounds and stuff and Chester was staying pretty close in and then he was gone. He was gone all day and I went over.

Speaker 2:

I hadn't met the neighbor yet. I went over to introduce myself and let her know that I had a kitty around. If she saw him he was mine and everything. And then she's telling me about the coyotes here. But like, well, we had coyotes at our old place and foxes. So I figured these cats are pretty savvy, right, they know what to look for and run up trees and all that stuff.

Speaker 2:

But then didn't show up for dinner and I'm just like I was upset because I'd moved the game, made the decision to move the kitties and I'm feeling like, oh, I'm responsible, and you know I mean we're. I made the decision to move the kitties. I'm feeling like I'm responsible, we're exhausted for moving and everything. I was upset about it. The next morning he showed up. He knows where the good food is, he knows where the food is. He's like I can eat good and I don't have to hunt for it. That's pretty cool. Why would I want to leave that? I don't know if he wasn't looking for something familiar or just went hunting and got to. Sorry, I mean, who knows? I wish they had a little camera on to get see where, see where they go. But you know they did. Well, I had a big, a big crate that I put them in out on the deck while we were actually unpacking and then I let them out and put their food down and they they just been, they just been hanging out. So I guess they're doing okay.

Speaker 1:

I mean, that was that was about a three hour drive for for you guys to go from your place to this new place, right? So the cats, it wasn't a long, long drawn out thing for them.

Speaker 2:

It wasn't too bad. I stuck them in the carrier and I gave them just each, just like a few drops of CBD. I thought maybe that would take it, but they did fine. Halfway through the trip they were sound asleep.

Speaker 1:

So about that. Did you actually open up their mouth and put the CBD in, or would they actually lick it up?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, no, I well, I just kind of like part picked up the lip and just put it on the gums like on the outside, just gets the mucous membranes there, and just did like a couple drops because it was a pretty strong concentration. So I just did a couple drops and I I was amazed at how well they did because I did not want to listen to cats like yowling you know how cats yell when they're stressed I did not want to listen to that for three hours, but they did fine. I listened to. I like Westerns, I watch, like Western movies and stuff, and I listened to audiobooks from Louis L'Amour. He's, like you know, western author, you know, and and I really like it's just easy, know, like you know, it's like I don't want something I gotta like hyper focus on, but if you get involved in a story it passes the time, you know. So I thought, well, maybe they just liked listening to they liked it.

Speaker 1:

They liked it too, of course it was, must have been, a soothing voice yeah, just like like the voice and stuff like that.

Speaker 2:

So so, yeah. So I mean it's, it's all good. I mean I mean it's it's, you know, disorienting and getting you know used to everything, but honestly, the logistics of the move couldn't have gone any better. You know, I mean the truck. I'd never driven a 26 foot truck before, but that went okay. I was glad to be done with doing that driven a 26 foot truck before, but that went okay. I was glad to be done with doing that. But you know it, it went okay. Just all. It just all went okay. It all fell into place and we're happy to be here.

Speaker 1:

So awesome, and you're still here on the podcast, so there we go.

Speaker 2:

Isn't that the amazing thing about podcasts Like you can just wherever you are there's this little know. I just log into the same place and there's Deedee.

Speaker 1:

Right, because I'm back in Colorado for a while. So we'll be heading back out to the Arizona area, but we are back in Colorado and it's awesome. We've got lots of new things coming up for the business. We're going to have these subscription models that are going to take place. We're going to have these subscription models that are going to take place. We're going to have a new um, new theme coming up, and so, yeah, we got a lot of stuff going on.

Speaker 1:

But you know what I don't like, dr jacek, is this new pet vaccine requirement here in colorado shelters for the shelters, the groomers and the borders, and you know why that they're doing this, which it's crazy to me. So the changes are in response to that. 2024, and I'm putting my hands up and doing air quotes rabies exposure involving that litter of puppies brought in from Texas, moms and mutts, uh, a Colorado rescue called MAMCA. Now, this is what irritates the sphincter out of me is that there really wasn't this rabies outbreak, right, there wasn't. No, where was the? So here's what they say um, new vaccine requirements will take effect tuesday. Now, this was. This came out july 15th. Okay, but it it took effect in july for colorado shelters, groomers and borders nearly one year. And then they underlined it after a rabies outbreak involving a rescue and, to my knowledge, dr jayceek, they cut the heads off of every one of these little puppies and didn't find that any of them had rabies. So where is the rabies outbreak? Where is it?

Speaker 2:

yeah, yeah, it's it's, it's.

Speaker 2:

And those puppies came from Texas. They didn't even come from Colorado and they didn't go anywhere. So even say they had rabies, which we don't even believe exists at all, but say they did, they never left anywhere, they were in their foster home and one of them got sick and and it was an exposure to a skunk, I think, or something wasn't there in Texas or something that they could never even verify the story. But the puppies never went anywhere. But you know, I'm so cynical these days that I'm just convinced they wanted. They wanted to change these vaccine laws, which I'm not sure why. It's just to sell more vaccines, kill off more pets, create more chronic illness. I mean, there's no health benefit to these vaccines whatsoever, but it seems like they create a story like that. So then they have a have a reason to require vaccines. Where have we heard that before?

Speaker 1:

Did they do?

Speaker 2:

that to people here a few years back. You know, like you, know, why I don't. I don't know what the agenda is to vaccinate all these pets, but it is going to be devastating.

Speaker 1:

Well, here's the thing. I just took Lazi over to Dr Andy to have her adjusted, lazi over to Dr Andy to have her adjusted. And we were talking about the state of health of pets and she said DeeDee, I see so many sick and unhealthy pets. I have never seen this many in my career. And she said it's devastating. And she said I don't think it's going to stop, I think we're going to have sicker and sicker and sicker pets.

Speaker 1:

And you know they euthanized 11 of those puppies, 11. And do they come out and say here's how many of them have it? You know what they say in this whole thing and we were a little bit closer to this situation than this article but they said that you know the incubation period, you know it could be weeks for rabies and it wasn't until the puppies had already been adopted that they started showing symptoms. Okay, what symptoms? And what do those symptoms look like when something else is going on right? Had they had, you know, all these other type of toxic inputs into their bodies? What kind of foods were being fed to these dogs? And there was. You know who really had rabies? Who, yeah, which?

Speaker 2:

ones. I think one of the puppies, if I'm remembering correctly, showed like neurologic signs or some kind or had a seizure or something. Oh my God, well, you can bet your bottom dollar. They treated all these puppies with flea and tick preventatives. Coming from Texas, you know they were going to wallop them with all that. Well, those are no neurotoxins. You know, seizures are a side effect, especially in these young pups, because they probably hit him with that and heartworm and a whole boatload of vaccinations all at one time and the little body was just like holy crap, I'm overloaded and it, you know, inflamed its brain and it had a seizure. But they immediately go.

Speaker 2:

There was some story about a skunk exposure. It's like, oh, so must've been rabies, you know. And now I'm getting I mean, we're hearing from people left and right like people wanting exemptions. It's like, well, I can't just wave my magic wand and give an exemption. Colorado does allow medical exemptions. So if we have a a sound, documented medical reason, then you know we, we can do exemptions. So if we have a sound, documented medical reason, then you know we can do exemptions.

Speaker 2:

But you know I'm in Tennessee now. It's got to be, you know, well documented and I bet the medical exemptions are going to be going away, probably soon anyway. But you know that is still a thing. But it's, you know it's a real problem because a lot of people are contacting us and saying you know, I can't get into my groomer without the vaccine. So I don't think groomers were required. I think they're required to have like proof on the premises, like people have to come in with like paperwork before. I think groomers would say if your pet's current people say yes, and you know it was just a little bit looser, now they're being required to actually hold proof because people are contacting us Like I can't go to my groomer anymore, you know, and they're all freaking out. But you know people are just going to have to find other options learn to groom your dog yourself, or Well, how about this?

Speaker 1:

You just don't have a like you just said. Well, how about this? You just don't have a like you just said no groomer. And how about this? All groomers go out of business.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, but that isn't you know, the sad reality, deedee, it isn't going to happen. Most people are just going well, I have to, I had to go get the shots. The people that are pushing back and saying, no, I don't want to get the shots, are just the minute percentage. This way it's going to be so devastating for pets because they're just going to keep getting sicker and sicker. And there's no question in my mind that these vaccines are more toxic than ever. It's why, like Dr Andy was saying, more sick pets.

Speaker 2:

Well, people have been vaccinating pets all along. I think they're more toxic. I don't know what they're putting in them. You know, I'm seeing cancer in 18 months. Old dogs. Never used to see that and that can't. That can't even be diet. An 18 month old dog that, like a teenager, not the diet isn't important, but they could eat crap, they could eat old Roy. And they're not going to get cancer at 18 months. Right, it's got to be, they'll get. They'll get it at five, you know. Get it 18 months, that's the best. It's got to be the. They'll get it at five, you know, but they won't get it at 18 months. That's the. It's got to be the vaccines. So it's it's so sad. It's just it's just so sad for the pets.

Speaker 1:

So any out of state pet rescues okay, that means all dogs, cats, ferrets. They must have a rabies vaccination now before being imported into Colorado, and puppies older than six weeks must also have a parvovirus and distemper vaccination two weeks before being brought into the state. So you know what? I wouldn't adopt any of these dogs and this is the sad thing, right. So it is creating major stress on these folks who do want to rescue dogs and then pet parents that are going to take on these dogs. What are they like?

Speaker 2:

what you were saying, Dr Jasek, you better stop putting some money back or get yourself pet insurance, because I think you're going to need it and not even just the like, the physical ones, the behavioral problems, all these phobias like why should dogs be afraid of thunderstorms? Thunderstorms are natural things, so many dogs are afraid of thunderstorms. The vaccines, and especially the rabies vaccines I think it makes these phobias worse and I've seen it make dogs more aggressive and more anxious. You know, like I was talking to a client today where she told me that she got a lab right and it's labs are really easygoing right and they I can't remember what state they were in. So we know we got a pool and there's kids in the pool splashing. The dog just like paces back and forth to the point that it will rub its paws bloody on the cement. She's. I have to put the dog inside when the kids are in the pool, like it doesn't make any sense.

Speaker 2:

I think these vaccines just mess with their brain. Like, like it's like they're trying to wipe out the pet population Because people will end up getting more dogs euthanized. I mean, behavioral problems are already one of the biggest reasons pets get relinquished. So there's going to be more behavioral problems, more chronic illness that people can't afford. And look at the prices you experience what prices are like oh my gosh people get a health problem.

Speaker 2:

They can't drop 10 grand. I mean I hear statistics say two thirds of the population is living paycheck to paycheck. They can't afford 10 grand medical bill. They'll be euthanizing the pets.

Speaker 1:

Well, and and you know at least what I saw in my situation, dr Jasek, is she didn't need all those tests, she didn't need all that crap. We just recently did blood work again. She's perfectly normal, everything is normal, and you know what they were saying oh my gosh, her liver, her kidneys, her pancreas, I mean, come on, you know it wasn't any of that crap. And so I feel for our pet parents and, um, you know, know, I again I don't think anything is going to be done unless it affects somebody's pocketbook. Right, you get so mad and you're like I spent $10,000 and it did nothing. Right, right now, I think, where you and I have seen and are have, this greatest concern is, you know, if you walk out of that vet's office and they're like your dog's liver enzymes are off the charts, and you're looking at them and you're saying, yeah, these aren't really off the charts, but according to them, it is now they're on this medication that they don't need, that they didn't need, and they make some worse. So this is a real conundrum and it's just. I don't know what's going to happen. I don't know if this new administration is going to help us or not. These organizations are ginormous. These pharmaceutical companies are ginormous.

Speaker 1:

So these new vaccination changes are impacting and I don't know if it's happening in other states, but certainly here in Colorado they're going to impact the doggy daycares, boarding facilities and groomers. So now they all need to have a record of current vaccinations for rabies for any dog or cat that is over 16 weeks old. Distemper it's got to be for dogs over eight weeks old, the parvovirus dogs over eight weeks old, and then the cat FVRCP over eight weeks old, the parvovirus dogs over eight weeks old and then the cat uh, fvrcp over eight weeks old. Now here's where you come into play, dr jaycey, if you were still here, but you're not still here. But it says dogs and cats can be exempted from the rule if owners have a statement this is interesting a statement from a licensed veterinarian that explains that the vaccine would endanger the pet's life and even then the exempted dog. Where have we heard this before?

Speaker 2:

cannot commingle with other dogs yep, well, I, and I do it because I'm still licensed in Colorado, so I will write medical exemptions. But because I'm not there, looking at the pets, I mean it has to be like well documented, you know. Or there's still some people that I used, you know, worked on their pets when I was there that had chronic health conditions. Um, but you still, you need help. But what about the pets that aren't sick, you know, like so, because the exemptions are for a medical reason. So if you've got a pet that's outwardly healthy, so the poor pet parents that have done all these great things to keep their pets really healthy, now they're like being penal, penalized and they've got to get these shots because they can't get them exempt, because the because they don't have a medical reason, because they've done all this work to keep their pets healthy.

Speaker 2:

It's it's really sad. It's it's really really sad. And they don't say anything about titer tests. I mean I don't know if, if that would help, but they don't mention anything about that and they didn't use to require. I mean I don't know if, if that would help, but they don't mention anything about that and they didn't use to require. I mean I think rabies has kind of been a standing requirement, but they didn't use to require all the other shots too. So I wonder if, like the, you know, when things don't make sense it's always follow the money. So I bet, like these big pharma companies are somehow finding funding these, these rescue organizations you know there's some some tie there that so they're just going to make a whole bunch more money.

Speaker 1:

So they, they, you know, if you, if you dig deeper into this article, it said that one one of the puppies at the adoption event tested positive for rabies. Okay, tested positive for rabies. The other line says that one of the dogs tested positive for the virus. Okay, you know what does that really mean, dr Jasek? I mean tested positive. There are so many things that that dogs test positive for. Was he ever going to exhibit symptoms? Was he ever really going to? Why? It's sort of like the culling of the chickens. Why did we kill all these chickens? Why did we kill the healthy ones? How come you couldn't take this puppy? And it's not as if the virus is going to float through the damn air, right. So why didn't they take the puppy and quarantine it and then see why they have to kill it?

Speaker 2:

and why they have to kill all 11? I remember they said something like that. They didn't have the facilities to do that. That's BS. Oh, totally. They couldn't have found somebody that would quarantine that puppy. Because, you're exactly right, Rabies symptoms. Rabies is this serious disease. They, if they had quarantined the puppy, say they haven't quarantined it for a month, which is probably a long, long time, longer than necessary, but say they did it for a month. The puppy had rabies. It would be showing any symptoms by then. But no, they couldn't. They just couldn't find a way to do that. But what did they do? They had to do this dramatic thing and I remember all the stories taking these puppies away from the families and the kids crying and all that they had to do, all the heartbreak, to make sure that then, when they made these new rules about the vaccines, oh, remember that rabies case. This is what's going to happen if you don't get your you know your pet rabies vaccinated.

Speaker 1:

So all these puppies lost their lives and because of this and and the story you know, they're, they, the, the, some of the, the pet parents really contacted attorneys. Um, they wanted to quarantine the dog themselves. They, they were trying to do anything they could and it was just not allowed. And what did colorado say? Oh, we're just being extra cautious, are you now, because you know there's been some crazy stuff going on here in colorado, like trying to take everything out of the city, everything in denver. You, they were really trying to to take anything that had any fur out of the city couldn't sell anymore. That means all cowboy hats, you know any, really, oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that was a thing too. That was a thing too that didn't pass. But you're just like, what is happening? What is happening? And, um, I forgot the name of that one before. It was the one where they wanted to change, I mean, basically destroy the entire beef industry here, and so, yeah, crazy.

Speaker 2:

Because you got to eat fake meat, because the cow farts are causing climate change.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah. Are we ever going to get to the bottom of that? It just is insane. But here's the thing guys, Don't take your dogs to a place where you have to subject them to this type of stuff. Do you really need to go to a doggy daycare? Do you need to go to a groomer? What do you need to do to protect your animals?

Speaker 2:

Right, and I think there's got to be a way that, like one of these groomers, now they have to keep it quiet. They can't be out advertising on Facebook. Hey, I don't require vaccines, but you know there's ways of building networks. I mean, what did we used to do before the internet? You know like there are ways of contacting people and just through word of mouth, hey, I'll groom your dog, put a little grooming shop in their house or something, and just say, hey, I'll groom dogs here without requiring vaccines, and just kind of do it on the QT.

Speaker 1:

There's always workarounds on the QT there's always workarounds. You can actually make a whole new designer dog by the way you grew right. Maybe you grew a little different right. So you're like this is a designer dog, right, and nobody else has a dog that looks like mine because I groom him right.

Speaker 1:

He's not a show dog. Yeah, and can you know? Can you imagine, dr jacek? I know that some people really like to have their show dogs, but you, can you imagine how sick the show dogs are? Oh my gosh, what we're doing, show dogs, and now we're piling on all this stuff and there's probably some people that just went click, I'm not listening to this anymore. Um, you don't have to listen to it, it's a fact. I mean, you're gonna put all to put all this stuff in in a pro plan Purina pro plan first and then we're going to jack them all up and then, and then we're going to show them, and then what I mean? Just cause they're, you know, show dogs. I don't, I, I Well.

Speaker 2:

I bet these vaccines are going to affect fertility too and these show dogs and those people are going to. You know they show those dogs and then they make a lot of money breeding them. And I bet these vaccines, I bet there's similar components in these animal vaccines that were in the COVID shot and you're going to start to see fertility problems and we're already seeing the cancers and other health problems but I bet there'll be fertility problems too.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah. So are you saying, dr Jasek, that you might be able to help some of these folks now or not?

Speaker 2:

in regards to yeah, if, they have, they there have, the exemption has to be for medical reason. So you know I need to be able to document, or I have to have documentation, like they have to have been seen. And like I I have met, like some people I've worked with already, like I have you know from when I was in Colorado that you know we did an exemption because of a particular health concern, like, say, the pet was had seizures. Well, those dogs, you know, should never have vaccines, even if they're not having seizures anymore, things like that. But there needs to be a documented medical reason. So if it's something I've never seen, then they would probably need to go in, have some record documenting the medical concern. And then you know I can review it. And they have to come in and get established as a client via telemedicine and you know I'll do it. I mean, eventually I could probably lose my life doing that, but you know I'll help them while I can.

Speaker 1:

Well, it said right there you can if it feels like it endangers their life and if a dog is itchy and the dog is losing, you know, weight and the dog is unwell, as it states right there. On the rabies, you know vaccine, I think you have a case. I think you have a case, but you know who knows? I didn't think that they would kill 11 puppies and find out that, you know, none of them really had it and they wouldn't even give them a chance to be quarantined. So, yeah, I don't know, I don't know, but I do think that you can get over to ahavetcom.

Speaker 1:

Ahavetcom, you can work with Dr Jasek's team telemedicine. Sign up over there, you can. You can, you know, run this by Dr Jasek. Let her look at some of the records that you have. What's going on. But I think that, as you always say, dr Jasek, you have to be a champion for your dog. You have to, you have to fight for their rights. You know, again we were treated so poorly by the VRCC group because we're raw feeders and again, I have never seen better dogs, healthier dogs, than the dogs that don't eat processed cooked food. I'm sorry, I just compare the two guys, compare the two and there's no reason.

Speaker 2:

It's the same for people too, people that eat processed food, that are type two, diabetes and overweight and all kinds of health issues, high blood pressure, and all that is compared to people that eat, you know, whole food, healthy, whole food diets. You know it's a world of difference.

Speaker 1:

Well, I'm just going to say this there are many different types of non-processed foods that are popping up on the market. So if they're so bad, why are they creating them? Right? Why are we seeing all these companies? You're going to see the big companies. You're going to try to compete. They already are. You look at the farmer's dog. If you guys think that the farmer's dog is not a giant conglomerate, you are mistaken. And they use a lot of the same words that we use it's still cooked, still cooked food. Still got a lot of stuff in it. We use it's still cooked, still cooked food still got a lot of stuff in it. Look at the ingredient list. Uh, but they know. They know that kibble is crap. All kibble is crap, right, all processed foods is crap for dogs and cats and ferrets.

Speaker 2:

So there you go yeah, and and kibble is so bad that pets actually you know they do get better on farmer's dog compared to the kibble, sure, but not as good on the farmer's dog is feeding a true raw diet thank you guys.

Speaker 1:

And and the whole thing about the, the raw diet. You know they. They created that whole bacteria scare, just like you know, pac-fa created the whole rabies scare so that you can move the masses. And so once you kind of get onto the game right, maybe you want to do a different game and you can do it. We know you can do it. We have so many people that are doing it and are keeping their pets healthier, happier, longer in life.

Speaker 1:

So get over to ahabetcom, work with Dr Jacek and also get over to rawdogfoodandcompanycom. Every Wednesday we have your Yappy Hour. We're going to have things on sale. We have so much on sale. Like, we have the frozen food, we have the treats food, we have the treats, we have the supplements and we have the bones. Okay, so there isn't a reason that you can't go on the site every wednesday and get a discount, uh, for fido um. Also, brian is there. He's there to help you do uh, pick your food, whatever you need. We'll do a free consultation right there for you. Just get over to rawdogfoodandcompanycom, dr jesic, where your pet's health is our business. And what are you saying right there from another part of tennessee?

Speaker 2:

friends, don't let friends feed kibble y'all.

Speaker 1:

That's right, nowhere in tennessee nowhere, nowhere in the us of All. Right, everybody, we'll see you soon. Bye-bye, oh snap. Find out how you can start your dog on the road to health and longevity. Go to raw dog food and companycom where friends don't let friends feed kibble and where your pet's health is our business.

People on this episode