Thanks for the links, Dee! And good point about the grains and GMOs.
As much as I know raw is the way to go, whenever I hear about people with pets that have health issues, I try to keep in mind that they don't have the information/experience that we do. This may just be the beginning of the journey for them. These are people that have probaly never questioned the PFI or what their vets told them, and believed that the food(s) they were feeding were "complete and balanced for all life-stages."
So IMO, just getting them to consider anything other than commercial food is a huge step for them.
I also think many people will be more comfortable with home-cooked. Yes, raw is healthier and more species-appropriate (and to FMM's point, less work), but they may have concerns about raw-feeding. (As silly as it is, I still haven't worked up the nerve to give Pookie bones (other than the feeder mice) and I've read like crazy and had you guys as a resource
.) Or there may be other reasons why they can't/won't feed raw (sourcing, finances, someone in the household has a compromised immune system so they're worried about bacteria, etc.) Also, these people very likely have vets that have either never heard of raw-feeding or don't support it, and these people need to maintain that relationship with their vet, at least for a while. I could be wrong, but I imagine most vets are a little more open to home-cooked diets than they are to raw.
IMO home-cooked, if done in a balanced way, is probably healthier than the commercial food, and I would think it would be easier for an animal having health issues to adjust to home-cooked. Then, as their health improves, and the owner sees the improvement, my hope is that the owner will be motivated to learn more about species-appropriate nutrition and educate themselves about raw. Baby steps. Just my
.