Brilliant blog post. I live at "ground zero" of factory farming which means not only crops, but animals as well. This is information I desperately needed and I do appreciate it.

I belong to a local Traditional Foods list that constantly has sources of humanely raised, correctly fed animals. I would suggest looking for a Weston A Price chapter or going to their website and asking them. You may not agree with their diet recommendations, but they do value the kinds of things Dr. Khuly mentions in her post.

I don't believe that animals should be hurt and killed unnecessarily. We certainly don't need them for their skins or flesh when there's an embarrassment of non-animal options. And no matter how many hugs they get beforehand, hurting and killing them is still hurting and killing them.

Your comment about avoiding veal jumped out at me. Drinking milk is a direct cause of the veal industry. To get females to produce milk, you have to keep them in a constant state of pregnancy. The problem is that half of the babies resulting from these forced pregnancies are male so they can't be used to make a profit from their milk; instead, they are shoved in crates to make veal. Drinking milk -- which is unnecessary and often unhealthy -- makes the veal industry possible.

And as a vet, you should know that when the farmed animals are injured or get older, they do not receive necessary veterinary care nor are they retired to a life of leisure as thanks for their service. They are killed when no longer profitable -- and that's the case with so-called humane methods as well as with standard industry practices.

If you don't think animals should be hurt and killed unnecessarily, consistency requires that you go vegan. (And if you're fine with animals being hurt and killed unnecessarily, why are you reading Patty's posts?) I've been vegan for 10 years, and I live on a farm with rescued chickens, donkeys, goats, rabbits, cats, dogs, fish and a turkey. And I could never live off their pain and deaths again.

Local CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) are another approach, especially for the serious locovores among us. Most will organize shares of local vegetables, meats, cheeses, honey, eggs and other products for weekly disbursement. In my area (Miami, FL), it's run by Bee Haven Farms. Just Google CSA and your city/area and you'll likely find one.

Mark: I believe it's important to maintain an open mind and a tolerant attitude when it comes to observing others' choices as long as those choices are fact-based. For instance: You do not know how I source my milk and therefore have no idea whether my stance here is "consistent" or not. Nor do you have any understanding of my requirements for animal slaughter and humane living conditions.

Why is it that I can't write a post like this without being attacked by vegans for the settings on my moral compass? I would think vegans would prefer to spend their time worrying about how 99% of the world treats its animals and less on how people like me are trying to change it.

I came to believe my health had been ruined by my reliance on prescription drugs. I took a cholesterol lowering drug and then got depression and peripheral neuropathy and hair loss. So I took an antidepressant for the depression. Then got heartburn from the drugs and another drug was needed. And my asthma medication caused bone loss... so Fosamax. You get the picture. And trying to get my doctor's help to get off these drugs was difficult when I found that chronic maladies are not on the warnings in consumer information sheets, only acute warnings. I just wanted to be able to think and feel my hands and feet despite my doctor's dire warnings I would die of a heart attack. My health improved tremendously just getting off the drugs.

A second component of regaining my health was eating real food and getting into nature everyday with my dogs. After drinking raw milk for two months my arthritis went away and my lungs are clear with no asthma medication. Upper back pain went away after a year so my osteoporosis is better. Raw milk, grass fed animals. pastured eggs, and farmers' market in season produce are necessary components in my personal health revolution.

I live in a suburban area and depend on farmers who bring their products to my local farmers' market. And I depend on a cow share program to help me get raw milk, pastured eggs, grass fed meats etc. Now the department of ag in Wisconsin is shutting down the cow share programs their farmers use to sell their products. In the name of food safety, they want to deprive me of my food source even though there have been no complaints among the customers. It is really more about making these farmers slaves to the food processing industry. The only victims here are the farmers and those of us who want to deal with them directly to get our food. It is really a relationship of trust. I trust the farmer to produce a product that is living milk, from well cared for animals, to meet my needs for real food. I want to research and decide for myself that this food is good for me. And I am willing to take the chance I might get sick from this product. Actually what has happened is the products have restored my health and I need them and I don't want sheriffs, attorneys general, or inspectors to get in the way. It is a private club, my co-op and I don't want them in the way. My grandfather and those before him ate unprocessed real foods and I want to do the same.

Well said, Dr. Khuly, especially your response to Mark. I am always wary of extremist, my way or the highway types who spend all of their time on their moral high horse, judging others. He doesn't need facts to judge you, or any of us, he just needs a soap box.

Here's my take. Humans are omnivores. Cats and dogs are carnivores. Denying either of those facts is not only foolish, it goes against nature. The unpleasant truth is that all life on this planet depends upon the consumption of other life, from the smallest single celled organism, all the way up to humans. Why should animals have more rights than plants? Because we identify with them better? You see where this is going ... if you don't want anything else to die so that you may live, there's only one option, but it goes against the survival instinct of every living creature. If turned loose to live "free", my cats and dogs would not hesitate to hunt and kill other animals and I daresay, they would not be very humane about it. Those mice, birds, rabbits and squirrels would undoubtedly suffer. Prey animals generally eat plants, then are eaten themselves by predators. That's life and make no mistake about it, humans are predators. As humans, by definition, we have the ability to be humane in our treatment of animals, and we should endeavor to do so in all aspects of their care and eventual slaughter, but we have no moral obligation to deny the natural order of things by not eating meat. If you chose to go vegetarian or vegan, it is just that, a choice, but you are no more right or wrong than the person who chooses to adhere to, dare I say it, a more species appropriate diet :)

Humans, we're the only animals on this planet who worry about such things ...

Lindsey, that was extremely well said! I have struggled for years with my love of animals vs. love of meat! I feel you put it in the right perspective for me. And your right about prey animals, even with bells on my cats regularly bring home dead animals. It's just what they do. Jokingly I've always referred to rabbits as "nature,s snack food". It sounds harsh, but that's why they're here, even if they are cute and fuzzy. So thanks Lindsey.

I didnt know where to ask this question at on this site, i looked all over. but i wanted to ask you why does my dog eat so much grass? the thing is that she doesnt throw up after she eats it. is there something in the grass that has nurtitions in it to help her? i read a little about why dogs do but they all explain that the dogs throw up after. Well my pup does not. Hope this is alright that i posted this. Thank you.

Patty,

I am vegan and I love reading your blog! I of course could agree with Mark on a few points, only personally, but I respect others decisions. He must not follow your blog regularly if he thinks you get your meat and dairy from the same places the masses do (which is the exact opposite of what you talked about in this very post... some people just don't pay attention!).

I do think that at the current stage of human development, gladly we don't NEED to rely on animal-based diets and can easily do so in a local way, as I do. To me it's evolution. The more progress we make, the less need there is for that. But that's my take. Hunting and raising your own livestock, that's one thing; factory farming, that is the most unnatural thing I can think of.

I would hope most vets don't buy into the antibiotic and cruelty-laden meats and dairy readily available, but fact is, many probably do. Just as many good chefs still don't cook with these sustainable ingredients. I'm a jeweler, and from the beginning of a project, my materials and where they come from are extremely important. Mining of stones and metals is just as horrific and cruel as the meat and dairy industry.

Forgot to add that I applaud your integrity.

I went Vegan over a year ago when I discovered the horrific practices of large factory dairy farms. I don't expect the world to go vegan or even vegetarian, but I do wish people would be mindful and conscious of what they eat, to support local, humane farmers and steer clear of factory farms, which not only cause animals great harm, but are unhealthy for the humans who eat them. I think your blog is a great example of how people can be humane while still eating meat.