A major new book by Dr Tom Lonsdale

 

We first met Tom Lonsdale in 1996, when he came home to England from Australia to meet up with family and friends. John and I were fortunate that Tom stayed with us for a few days, taking us on a trip to the local butcher to identify the different bones that would be good for our dogs to eat.

 

At the same time, coincidentally, Pedigree Petfoods was launching the 'Rask', a biscuit containing rice and milk shaped like a bone that was purported to 'act like a toothbrush'. The basis of the claim rested upon research conducted by a paid yet 'independent' consultant, which itself formed the basis of a promotional campaign amongst veterinary surgeons seeking to increase their dentistry business. Unfortunately, nowhere on the Rask packaging is it said that the 'acts like a toothbrush' claim also entailed the paid consultant brushing the dogs' teeth during the trial!

 

So Tom, John and I got the bones between our own teeth and mounted a media campaign, with a jolly nice feature article in The Sunday Telegraph resulting. However, the Rask is still on sale, and dog owners still believe that the biscuit will keep their dogs' teeth clean.

 

Tom has been spearheading the Raw Meaty Bone Lobby from Australia for the past ten years. As an Englishman who qualified in the UK, he is also a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, and he has campaigned politically through this body for many years.

 

The fundamental premise of Tom Lonsdale's work is that processed pet food is not good for our dogs (or cats or ferrets). Tom's first article on the subject, back in 1991, advised veterinarians: "The stench of stale blood, dung and pus emanating from the mouths of so many of my patients has finally provoked this eruption of dissent. The sheer numbers passing through the practice, when extrapolated to the world situation, tells me that oral disease is the source of the greatest intractable pain and discomfort experienced by our companion animals. This is a great and mindless cruelty we visit upon our animals from the whelping box to the grave. Just imagine having a toothache for a lifetime.

"What's to be done? Simple, give our cats and dogs their basic rights of a healthy functioning mouth. Supply raw chicken wings, chicken necks or ox tail to young/small kittens and puppies when they most want to chew and explore. Help them to control physio- logical gingivitis before it becomes pathological.."

 

Meanwhile Tom and a colleague, Dr Alan Bennet, were gathering information which confirmed their growing fears - that artificial pet foods underpin most pet diseases. Dr Breck Muir joined the men in their campaign - even back in the early 80s, Breck used to complain of the stench associated with canned- food-fed dogs. Articles written by the campaigners soon appeared in Australian Veterinary Association News. More correspondents joined in. John Sandford spoke out against the artificial pet food culture and concluded: 'The challenge, then, is up to the veterinary profession to be more honest, realistic, and to actively promote preventive dental care and a balanced diet - in a practical way, bones, bones and more bones.'

 

As you might expect, the pet food industry wasted no time in defending its products! Pretty soon, AVA News imposed a ban on the subject of pet dental health and the use of raw meaty bones. In response, Tom prepared a motion for the Australian Veterinary Association general meeting, asking that a committee, without present or past affiliations to the processed pet food industry, be formed to report on all aspects of diet and disease in companion animals. Cutting a long story short, the motion was eventually accepted and a committee was set up. The committee found, 'there is sufficient evidence to incriminate an association between diets of predominantly soft consistency and periodontal disease' and that veterinarians 'need to be concerned about the relationship between diet and health'.

Quoting the Australian Veterinary Association Code of Conduct... 'The primary concern of the profession is for the welfare of animals...', Tom believed that the report would ensure that veterinarians should neither recommend nor sell artificial pet foods. Furthermore, he felt that the AVA ought to terminate sponsorship arrangements with the companies, correct past mistakes, and seek to promote healthy diets.

 

Yet this didn't happen. Rather, Tom found himself an outcast who would be ushered into cupboards lest the person he was with might be associated with him! He has been subjected to aggressive yet unsuccessful legal battles; he has received threatening letters from his own professional bodies based upon anonymous complaints. He has had to stop practising as a veterinarian - he in fact jumped before he was pushed.

 

In his book, 'Raw Meaty Bones Promote Health' Tom Lonsdale blows the whistle upon the cosy relationships between the veterinary profession and commerce; the media and commerce; school authorities and commerce; and animal welfare charities and commerce. He explains clearly how money talks, how industry has everyone sewn up, and how your dogs and cats suffer as a result. In fact, Tom uncovers nothing short of a scandal.

 

'Raw Meaty Bones Promote Health' makes gripping reading, and it's very enlightening. As well as exposing the brainwashing tactics of the pet food industry, the commercial censorship that is taking place, and the political shennanigans he has had to endure, Tom also describes the appropriate biological diet for our cats and dogs. It's simple to understand and follow, and can - he says - provide owners with huge cost savings on pet food and vet bills. Oh - and your pets will live longer, too. A small detail that has a big impact.

 

If you are on the internet, you can get the book by going to www.rawmeatybones.com. Otherwise contact Rivetco P/L, PO Box 6096, Windsor DC, NSW 2756, Australia.

Fax: +61 2 4574 0538