I Was Wrong About Holistic Pet Health
I Was Wrong About Holistic Pet Health
Raw Milk Post & Comments: https://bit.ly/3Tcol6V
Learn How Any Dog Lover Can Cook Balanced, Homemade Dog Food in 1 Hour/Week
https://www.thebkpets.com/homemade-dog-food-guide
00:00 Intro
01:50 Who We Were Before
10:20 Intro to Holistic Pet Industry
15:25 Pet Nutrition
21:33 What it Feels Like to be Holistic
22:46 Our Book
28:57 Cracks in the Foundation
35:34 Holistic Beliefs We Still Have
46:43 Dr. Mike’s Podcast
01:09:45 A “Sellout” Story That Changed Me
01:12:48 Going Back to School
01:21:46 RFK Jr.
01:31:52 The Backlash
01:47:18 Bird Flu (More Backlash)
01:59:28 $40k Website
02:04:40 Logical Fallacies
02:19:47 A Note on Vaccines
02:22:34 Future Plans
02:24:42 Deleting Old Content?
02:26:24 Call to Action
Thank you!
Had to cut a clip around the 2:20:00 mark for copyright reasons. It’s the linked video here starting at 37 seconds and finishing at 3 minutes 32 seconds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o69BiOqY1Ec&t=1228s
as a former raw feeder, now kibble feeding- i think this is really great that you’ve flipped on this and are now looking to science and evidence when it comes to human and pet health. this podcast was extremely candid and really spoke to me as someone who fell down this pipeline when we could not get her to eat or she was having severe behavioral issues. however, i am still kinda skeeved out by continuing to sell your course in homemade dog food. if you were looking for vet recommended fresh food, why not recommend or feed foods that follow WSAVA guidelines? the only pet foods on the market that is developed with veterinary nutritionists?
it just feels like maybe there is some more work to do here.
I understand your point about ultra processed not being the main issue, but can you deny that the majority of mainstream brands of dog food people use have an excessive amount of carbs, which becomes glucose in the body? you’re arguing that kibble doesn’t have a lot of added sugar, but the sugar is still there because of the insane amount of carbs. some brands have nearly or some even over 50 percent between meals and things like potatoes, rice, oats, and others. You also cant compare this to cereal the way you are in this situation being that there are cereal companies that do not add unneeded things like excess sugar or ultra processed syrups or flavorings and actually produce a healthy product, not even just a product that provides the basic essential needs for a human. There may not be a lot of companies doing this for cereal, but there also aren’t many companies producing a perfect kibble mixture either.
Sounds to me like you guys are shuffling your other beliefs around so you can fit in the latest Democrat party programming about why the Trump administration’s holistic health shift is evil and distance yourself from anything similar. Maybe I’m wrong, but this video was 2.5 hours of wishy washy statements where nothing that meaningful was actually said. Unsubbed.
I challenge everyone to reflect on important decisions we make for our dogs! Marketing, peer pressure, and social media have all played huge roles in choices I’ve made.
I am 78 years old and have had 18 dogs in my lifetime. All of them (unless. they had an accident of some kind) lived well into their late teens. All were fed kibble. except for one dog that itched herself raw and I figured she was sensitive to something in her food. So I fed her a diet of brown rice and rabbit. The rabbit was frozen whole so I put the whole thing in the pressure cooker and cooked it until the bones were soft and fell apart. I crushed up the bones in the blender and fed her all the organs along with the meat. No vitamins, no extra food as if I gave her anything other than the rice and rabbit she would break out. She lived 5 years on that diet and had a nice shiney coat and tons of energy. I also want to add that I have not ever trusted Dr. Grundy. He has advertised to many things-olive oil, supplements, different kinds of pills for different ailments-he never sticks to the same story or product. Good for you on looking into things and finding out what is right or wrong for yourselves.
I rarely comment, but I had to comment on this one. I admire how you recognize your mistakes or review opinions. I do come from a holistic approach, and I have friends who eat more supplements than real food. They spend hundreds of dollars on supplements to escape big pharma, ignoring the amount of money spent on wellness.
Thank you for your honesty. I wish more people had this kind of courage. Please keep sticking to the truth!
As a raw food feeder I will say I never felt my raw food provider (small batch k9 nutritionist in business for 20+yrs), is ‘balanced’ its protein, damn good protein, (chicken beef organs, tripe, fish) but i believe dogs DO require vitamins found only in plant matter so my dogs get steamed and blended in season vegetables & fruits that we personally grow. I do add other things but thise are the staples-I dont buy any commercial products to add to their food. I think I believe more in ‘whole food feeding’ than raw food feeding. …if that makes sense.
I will add, in my raw food journey that began 3 yrs ago I initally followed BK pets, then you all seemed to become more, ummmm commercial and not cost effective, not geared to the average person wanting to do what’s best for their pets based on personal budget.
I work with my vet for my pets best interest, I do vaccinate on a yearly basis and my dogs will go visit their Dr if an injury or illness occurs but other than that they’re young enough not to need many vet visits, I will say my dogs both ended up having Parvo at 5 and 8 days after getting them from the breeder, they both underwent extensive veterinary care and according to our vet, my own knowledge of nutrition and gut health combined with raw feeding saved my dogs (both were sent home from ER vet clinics with death sentances) and made them 2 of the healthiest Labrador our vet says he’s seen in 30 yrs…and he’s not a raw feed fan.
A wise man recently said “you know enough about a subject to believe you are right, but do you know enough to know when you are wrong”? You two are correct in your opinions here. Dr. J Chilton Kauffmann, DVM, DACVP, DABT.
The love for your pets and animals is sooo apparent and thats what keeps me coming back to you guys
extremes are never the answer
😂 🚬 Cigarettes are good
🍎 Apples are Bad— surely we are living in End Times where Influencers are calling Bad Good and Good Bad. Seek a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit to gain discernment & courage to stand against this evil 💩
What made you think you were qualified to create a brand based on your experience?
I will continue to follow you both because you are HONEST PEOPLE and are only looking for the ACTUAL TRUTH.
I understand how "bipolar" this world has become.
I am a health science professional (I have a Masters of Public Health – which to be honest means NOTHING just on its own) and used to teach at university college in Sydney Australia. I have come across a LOT of research and continue to research MANY health related topics for both humans and for my dogs. Yes, it is a MINEFIELD out there, and there are SOOOO many questions about research validity and conflicts of interest etc. All I want to say here is…I KNOW your heart is in the right place. That appears obvious to me. BUT…If the "professionals" can’t even agree, then maybe, JUST MAYBE, you are not in the greatest position to be recommending things to others. By your own admission, you got it wrong. Well, in the not-so-distant future, you might back-pedal again and say you were wrong again now. Please understand there are a LOT of people who are easily influenced by people like yourself. You got it wrong (we ALL get it wrong) but others are following your lead. I have been studying and researching health, wellness, and fitness for over 2 decades and the only thing I know for SURE, is that we know very little "for sure". The more I know, the more I realise I DON’T know.
How do you feel about titer testing?
Sounds like you went all in on the left and it started with George Floyd but then the left started going the opposite way and you are just going with everything they say. I was the opposite. I was left brained but then they started being up big pharmas butt and war machine and it opened my eyes that I am not an all in person and I’m not going to just follow whatever and i have a mind of my own.
This is probably the best video I’m going to watch all year. You two are amazing people. To be honest, this is only my second video of you guys’. I saw your more recent one first and you mentioned it so I decided to watch it with my new rescue (just got him yesterday!)
It was fantastic. My degree has science on the end so I took a fair amount of science classes 😂 and I do chemistry regularly as well which requires reading a lot of journalism.
A while back I was sent some fear mongering about no grains and it looked… So bad. Like just the way it was written was so obviously meant to cause fear that I didn’t take it seriously and moved on. When I adopted this dog, they specifically warned me about it because he’s a doberman so DCM is a huge risk. It reminded me of the guy who sent me that, and now I wonder if his dog is okay.
Not everyone knows what to look for though so I can’t blame every individual.
You two looking back on things, and making a changes and more informed opinion for the future is awesome. I have no intention of watching your old videos but I’ll watch your new ones.
I am so moved by this type of video, I so much appreciate everything you have said. It’s such a rare thing to see on social media/youtube where an influencer continues to grow and change their perspective in the way any evolved being that is not stagnant in their personal growth would do. I love the courage and openness you to have to share your growth along the way on such a controversial topic, which I personally feel builds more trust with people than others thats only communicate with such authority that everything stated by them is 100% fact. I have unfollowed many influencers for both pet and personal health that are rigid in their beliefs vs. those that communicate in a way of “this is what we know right now”.
I have no idea who y’all are I just saw this posted in a vet subreddit and decided to watch This video has helped me to understand why people make decisions that are counter to current knowledge. I appreciate your vulnerability. One thing we don’t learn in vet school was science communication. You all seem to be started down the right path
over 20 years ago my vet said to feed my dogs boiled chicken gizzards, rice or pasta (for roughage) and 3 things will result from that. (1) Seldom have vet visits (2) Less dog poop because their bodies will absorb rather than get rid of it because of the store bought junk (3) Their coats will always shine. I have been doing this for about 25 years and exactly what he said has been true. My dogs have NEVER had teeth problems either and I do not brush their teeth. In the old days we NEVER heard of brushing dog teeth and our pets never had issues. They have never had liver, kidney issues or cancer.
Dr Gundry is a charlatan! Can’t stand him! He makes these false blanket statements & people take it to heart!😡
I heard you say don’t listen to social media influencers in summary, while also saying that most of the reason you changed your mind is based on what you’ve heard from a few social media influencers. Not sure what else to take from this other than do your own research, which you also said, and I appreciate that.
Hey thanks for posting this video, it shows a ton of integrity!
Also just wanted to address the "vets don’t learn preventative medicine" idea a little… because we do and I don’t really think anyone could know what we learn without having gone through it themselves. General practice vet med tends to lean a lot more "holistic" than medicine for humans. And vets understand, and are reminded on a daily basis that not all people can afford all care – so we often recommend non medical interventions and care because people simply can’t afford drugs, diagnostics and treatments.
A major facet of disease control that we focus on WAY more in animals than people is that anything that causes an animal stress is going to impact its health and is immune system. So preventative care is what humans would call "self care." Some examples in addition to a balanced diet that support stress reduction in animals include general husbandry, limiting major changes, sooo much herd and farm biosecurity, weather & its impacts on housing and grazing, minimizing transportation, all sorts of other things that just generally support an animals immune system.
From a medical perspective, in addition to vaccination we learn maternal and neonatal care, vaccination protocols and tons of parasite control (it’s much more complex than monthly preventatives and can include some things like specific cleaning protocols, limiting contact with other species and different rotational grazing patterns)
We also learn how to do freaking surgery – spay and neuters have a major impact on reducing disease transmission from fighting and mating, pyometra and several cancers in small animals.
We learn medical and non medical behavior support (aka stress reduction.)
We learn dentistry and how to take care of teeth in ALL species, to support overall heath and feeding.
We can also take classes in integrative medicine and learn about acupuncture and physical rehab.
There’s so much more that I’m sure I’m missing but I think you get the point and hope this helps someone trust their vet a little more 🙂
I got my first dog in the midst of the pandemic and you all conveyed so very wel the responsibility I felt trying to give my do gthe best life he can have. I have battled his allergies while also trying to be as close to kibble free as possible, only to feel defeated having to have him on a perscription diet for quite some time. You’ve given me such relief hearing the story you all went through, the transparency you all gave – it all truly helped me. I am obsessed with you two – thank you.
There should be nothing but admiration for this video. Oh, I’ve certainly seen your videos for years and never felt inspired to subscribe. But today I saw a couple being earnest, authentic, and honest when it wasn’t easy. So, if you lost subscribers because of this video, you’ve at least gained one in me. Well done. I’m looking forward to following your journey!
This video and your most recent short has really changed my opinion on your channel in the best way possible.
I like to say I have a more balanced view with holistic vs science. I feed bone broth to help with itchy skin, but one of my dogs also gets Apoquel in conjunction with this. His skin is SO bad without it, before he was prescribed it he would make himself bleed daily. There was one time where we missed a few doses (we were told to reduce him down to the minimum working dose), he scratched himself SO bad that he pulled a muscle in his back and couldn’t walk more than a few steps. Not using the Apoquel is unethical for him, using the bone broth in conjunction with this has essentially helped to improve the effects of the Apoquel.
Raw & fresh food extremists ruined my mental health. I felt like the worst dog owner by only being able to feed kibble, I was told over and over again that I was killing my dogs. Unlearning this and developing a more balanced view saved my mental health. I’m so glad that you guys are starting to learn this too ❤. My dogs still get toppers, but they only get what they NEED on a daily basis and more fun things a couple of times a month. Bone broth + water for skin and coat (and I just personally don’t want them eating an entirely dehydrated diet), PlaqueOff for dental health, and dehydrated rabbit ears for fibre since they struggle with loose stools without it. Learning that I don’t have to feed them completely fresh foods and they don’t need to have 5 toppers each meal fed on a rotation seriously lifted a weight off of my shoulders.
Also, Kenzie, I *really* hope you’re doing okay. It was really hard seeing you so upset throughout the podcast 💔. I hope things have gotten better and less stressful for the both of you since making this podcast episode.
Learning is also unlearning
The Pet Parenting Reset just did a balanced video about this on Youtube. "Educator VS Influencer"
@thebkpets I would LOVE to know what medical doctor’s you Did actually find on YouTube that teaching helpful information for pet parents! I have only found one vet that has changed my understanding on dog food and she’s been so informative!!
Dr. Rea
She really breaks Down the science behind correct nutrition to look for in dog food! Love her. Highly recommend her,
But would really Love to know more vets out there you came across!!!
I can’t get rid of thousands of how wolves and wild dogs live without vaccinated and d wormed they eat raw meat sometimes spoilt meat they even eat sick animals out there but they are living long !
it could be good to archive content or make a grouping of videos like how you have "reviews tab" make a tab that has videos that align with you old views so when we are watching we know its old so we can take it with a grain of salt and look to your new content as comparison.
I just found you page yesterday and so glad i found this video. LOL I’ve been suicidal, the plan in place and everything, so I understand where you where at girl. Whole milk is good for you, anything from 2% or less contributes to obesity. The only vaccines I get are rabies and parvo.
I dont understand why you think going back to holistic is not valid?
The biggest thing I disagree with in this podcast is the segment on RFK Jr. He is not anti vaccine. He is pro transparency. His position has evolved as his knowledge has grown, just like yours has. Also, using a video from Dr. Mike who benefits from pharmaceutical incentives doesn’t feel like the most unbiased source. The truth in public health debates is rarely black and white. I applaud Kenzie for being able to reel the conversation back in when it starts to get off course.
You guys are very informative but could you please control the use of "like" in almost everything single sentence. It is distracting and an incorrect use of grammer and makes you sound less professional. It is also extremely annoying and irritating!!! Focus on each sentence and STOP this terrible verbal habit.
So I’m confused. What do are you feeding your pets then ?
I just discovered your page as I’ve recently been on a deep dive to give my dog the best quality nutrition and stumbled across this video. I have huge respect for people who share their experiences and their advice. But I have even MORE respect for people who are willing to admit they have changed their minds.
You’re absolutely right. There is SO much information to know and learn and we are all just trying to do our best out of love for our pets and for our family and friends.
Can’t tell you how much I appreciate this transparency. Thank you!
Wow. I am only 18 minutes in and feeling so deeply. I actually founded two holistic pet food stores in Maine. Both were sold and there are now 6 locations, so my experience in this industry runs DEEP. I went on to work for in pet food distribution and am happily (!) no longer in the industry in any way. I was VERY aligned with the alternative health space for pets (and people). I too became very vaccine hesitant and was a raw feeder. I drove ridiculous miles to find veterinarians that aligned with my philosophy. Fast forward to many years later and our unvaccinated, raw fed, perfectly-timed-neutered, dog developed a rare type of cancer that resulted in a hemipelvectomy (don’t google if you are easily triggered by medical stuff). Due to his treatment, we ended up putting him on none other than Hill’s Science Diet for sensitive tummies. It was a God Send. He lived quite well for almost 3 years – well beyond prognosis. Our biggest lesson from him was a compilation of many "mini" lessons. Medicine is amazing. Vaccines are not all bad, nor all good. Vets are largely fabulous. Universities are not all bad nor all good (WAR EAGLE!). Nutrition is important but it is not everything. Life is short, don’t be neurotic. Unsurprisingly, I have dabbled in veganism, carnivorism and everything in between. I finally caved a couple of years ago after exposure to Layne Norton and started eating a diverse diet that includes whole AND processed foods. My health improved! Anyways, bit of a disorganized rant, but please know you are not alone in your journey. This is what ascension looks like. Consider that. You are walking up a path that winds around a mountain. It won’t feel like progress most of the time, but every now and then there is a break in the trees and you realize how far you have come. Cheers!
Remember, some businesses survive solely because they sue other people. 👀
I’m so proud of you!
I have to say "well done" for this video. You are wiser than your years. I believe in Divine Creation and God knew what He was doing when He created the earth and all that live on and in it. We are not as fragile as the new age agenda makes us out to be. The lies and deception have been like the frog in the water. We have been so ripped off with global agenda in health, atmosphere, food. The world is not in as bad condition as people say it is. All I say is use common sense but unfortunately there is very little of that these days thanks to technology and people handing their brains to it.
When we know better — we do better. It’s the Balanced Approach that I find is most beneficial in all aspects of my life, my parenting, dog training & raising. Common Sense & Critical Thinking plus Discernment has worked for me.
I fucked up my dogs digestive system by literally taking what was trending and popular on holistic pet Tok, I’d buy small bags of expensive dog food, that I court sustain to buy. She gained weight by being over fed toppers. I thought I was doing good. I’d feel shame for feeding my pet a regular grocery store food knowing that’s what could afford and my dog did better on. I appreciate and have been looking up to you guys and love how you guys are growing as pet parents. ❤ I wish prosperity and happiness to you all
As a Canadian I will say the last thing I’d put in my body is US milk, especially raw milk. It’s not regulated to the same degree as Cdn Milk/products.
Talk about comparing apples to apples 😂🙃
There’s also toxins in raw food and veggies and herbs that didn’t exist 100 years ago. We can’t just go out and hunt and get good food. We have to be more careful.
Thank you so much. I went through a tough period trying so hard to holistically heal my dog, and then finding the healing power in the meds and diet recommended by our vet.