Hannah Zulueta Does Canine Nutrition Advancement Mean Separation?
On fear, call-out culture, and choosing a different way to talk about dog food
I’ve used fear to make a point before. Here’s what I noticed when I actually tried it, and why that language ends here.
Naming an enemy was never the only way to get someone to care.
I tried the fear-based approach myself, to see what it actually felt like. This is what I noticed, and what changed after.
What does the fear-based approach actually look like?
Discussions around nutrition start to sound a lot like discussions about climate change.
- Name the enemy.
- Call out their immoral behavior.
- Rally others to join the fight.
Right now, plenty of nutrition crusaders and activists are doing exactly that, labeling kibble companies as the bad guys and finger-pointing at bad ingredients.
I’ve been guilty of this myself. To understand why people reach for it, I had to try it myself, then sit with the consequences and reactions from the community once I did.
Why do people reach for this approach anyway?
I’m not the first to talk this way, and I won’t be the last. This approach is a breeding ground for scare campaigns, and it goes viral, which is exactly why people keep doing it.
The premise underneath it is simple: bad things will happen if we don’t change how we feed our dogs and hold the big corporations accountable. It’s a war-based approach to change. But should change really run on fear?
There are casualties either way. The people who don’t jump on the bandwagon end up feeling shame, and excluded. I don’t think that’s the energy any community actually needs.
What if we tried the opposite?
What if, instead of stories that separate us, we told stories that unify us instead?
I’ve grown fight-weary. Between Covid and the people we’ve lost, I don’t have energy left for call-out culture. By the time the anger runs its course, I’m empty before we even get to the part that’s actually about the dog in front of us.
Dehumanizing a corporation, or anyone who doesn’t share our beliefs, still separates us from each other. I think that’s dishonorable, however justified it feels in the moment.
The way you see people is the way you treat them, and the way you treat them is what they become.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
What does a different way of talking actually sound like?
I believe in humanity. When you act out of love and compassion, that creates the same field of energy around you, both inside and out.
Nutrition is grounded in healing, in the end. Don’t we all want to be healers? We all want what’s best for ourselves and our dogs.
When you’re standing in that energy, the way you talk starts to shift. It becomes less about winning an argument and more about handing someone a different way to see things, then trusting them to decide for themselves.
Every person gets to live their own reality and make their own decisions about how they want to live. I think that deserves respect, not a fight.
So here’s what I want to say plainly
To anyone in this community who has felt excluded by anything I’ve said, I’m sorry. That approach, and that language, ends here.
I’m here to help your dog heal through nutrition, from a positive and loving place, not a fearful one. What you decide to feed your dog is still your choice, and I respect whatever you land on.
Let’s be humble in our beliefs. Let’s be gentle in our approach. Eat well. Feed well.
The choice is still yours
I’m not here to scare you out of kibble or shame you into raw. If you want food actually matched to your dog’s own pattern, at whatever pace works for the two of you, that’s what I do.
Hannah Zulueta obtained her Certificate in Canine Nutrition from CASI Institute. She is also studying for her Doctorate in Acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Herbalism from the esteemed Pacific College of Health and Medicine. If you’re as keenly interested in health for yourself, visit her website for human health: Satori Acupuncture and Herbs.
She resides in San Diego with her three dogs, Maggie, Orbit, and Mr. Higgins.
She is available for one on one consultations. She develops evidence-based recipes that meet both NRC and AAFCO nutritional standards while integrating the therapeutic food principles of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine into her formulations.
Additionally, you can find her sharing free content on Instagram.
This is Susan Barnett from Franklin Tx. I reached out to you a month or so ago regarding Annie, my 12 mos old Boston baby with narrow nostrils and sent you some pics of her. Anyway, I love reading your newsletter and after reading yesterday and with Annie and Chloe (my 12 mos old chihuahua) reaching the age of advancing from puppy food soon, I really want to feed them a higher quality diet. I am convinced dry kibble was partly responsible for the deaths of my two adult Bostons, Lucy and Abby earlier this year. Abby was 9 and Lucy was 11. However, that being said, I admire the choices you have made with Maggie and Orbit’s diet but it isn’t realistic or affordable for me. I have fed Annie and Chloe Blue Buffalo Puppy, chicken and brown rice up to this point and I’m ready to wean them off of puppy food. I go out of town a couple times a month for 2 days leaving my girls home with my husband so I don’t want feeding them be difficult for him. I would appreciate any advice on transitioning them from puppy food.
Thank you for all the newsletters!!❤️
Hello Susan. I do remember when you reached out. You’re not alone, I speak to countless other dog parents with similar stories and similar requests. I will create an article to give you some advice on different ways to approach the transition while keeping it easy on the wallet. =) Thank you so much for reaching out.