Kibble, Just what is in it....

Rassy said:
this is directed to anyone who knows this !

Why ! why! why !

Why does my vet tell me science nutrition is the best for my dog,, and if you dont want to buy from him then buy Iam's (which apparently is the same thing), i have heard that over and over,, and yet iams is obviously a 1 star garbage food.. that may have delayed health effects when the dog turns older. .Id like to know why the vets of the world arnt pimping out a higher quality of food at least 3 star or better? or are some are?
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This has been one of my gripes for years, Rassy. I suspect that some vets, who also market Science Diet and others, get commission from the companies. I spent years with a vet like this who ultimately failed to diagnose cancer in my first Sheltie after blood testing and examining her two DAYS before she died. I shopped around until I found my current vet, who does recommend the good foods, does not sell the bad ones, and combines mainstream and holistic remedies in his practice so you have a choice.

I find this to be the most serious problem in pet care today. We rely on our vets because we have to--our dogs can't talk to us, after all--and we have to be able to trust what they tell us. It's dreadful, and sometimes fatal, when that is not the case.

The answer, I believe, is to interview your vet just as you would a doctor or any professional for yourself. Ask questions! If you don't get answers, complain, or go elsewhere. If you have problems with the food they recommend, tell them. I refuse to feed Hill's or any of those "prescription" diets. There are comparable good foods without the garbage in them.

Climbing down off my soap box now, but you really hit on one of my pet peeves! :mad: Thanks for letting me vent!
 
I think quite a few of the pet food companies are changing the recipes because of the rising costs of making the food, so they're looking to cheaper alternatives to put into their foods. I know Purina Pro Plan changed their recipe and most of the breeders who fed it were up in arms, and switched to other foods. Purina Pro Plan with the shredded pieces now contains soy, which breeders have had problems with when fed.
I also can't stand that the vets, who have to know that Iams and Hills are junk, push it so hard just to make that extra buck off of it. I had one of mine in overnight at the vet recently, and when I said I'd just bring my own food for him, they were all 'well, we have our own foods, and I'm sure we can match what he normally eats'. Yeah right. He gets Taste Of The Wild salmon variety. There is no corn or grain in that, and when he's having surgery, the last thing he needs is a stomache upset from switching his food up. I told them 'my dogs don't get corn and grain. I'll bring my own'. I'm sure they thought I was quite snobby, but my dogs can't speak for themselves, so I have to look out for them, and make sure they are getting the type of food that is best for them.
 
The problem doesn't lay with the vets themselves, rather the education they receive and our assumption that to be a vet you have to be an expert in all things dog-health-related.

I work across the street from one of the best vet colleges in North America and have many friends who have graduated as vets from there. Day 1, Hill's has their nose in on things. On the very first day of vet college, the students are given back packs, t-shirts, dog collars/leashes, bandannas, books, paper, pens, etc. with the Science Diet logo stamped on it. Hill's has a HUGE role to play in funding for education at vet colleges. So from day 1, new vets only ever hear about Hill's. Additionally, vets don't get a lot of training in nutrition. There is only one course designated to canine nutrition in their 4 years of vet college, and it is primarily directed at what prescription food is suitable for which health issue. It doesn't go into much depth at all about the nutritional needs of dogs, just says that Hill's forumla X is designed for dogs with kidney problems/liver problems/allergies/obesity/etc.

In order for a vet to have any knowledge about canine nutrition outside of prescription diets, they need to take that effort on themselves to learn about it. And really, vets are busy people ... not many have done that.

The big problem is our assumption that vets are experts. We take for granted that every person that has been given their veterinary accreditation is on the same level and meets the same standard. Not the case. Vets are people, and they have their own agendas, biases, and flaws, just like the rest of us. You think every vet passed their classes with flying colors? You think your vet that has been practicing for 35 years remembers the intricacies of the one class that taught them about nutrition? Not likely. Only those individuals that make it their personal goals to go beyond their class room teachings to learn more and stay current.

I don't take anything my vet says at face value. If they know their stuff, then they should be able to provide me with resources that prove it. I do my own research to make sure that I agree with what my vet is prescribing, and if I don't I am sure to ask for explanation and more information.
 
That may explain all the Ciallis :biggrin2: posters in my doctors office.
 
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One of the reasons that vets continue to recommend kibble and vaccines is that they don't bother to read some of the new research that has been done...of course as far as vaccines go, they see $$$ going out the window!

I am in a profession where I have to take so many hours of continuing education. I have a choice of what I want to learn about as do vets. If nutrition is not on the top of their list, they continue to recommend what they knew of as a quality kibble. And not to say that any of these that have been mentioned are not quality, but is there a better choice?

Again, I chose to feed my dogs raw only a few months ago after Purina once again changed their formula, lowered the size of the bag, and raised the price. After doing a great deal of research, this is what "I" decided to do for my dogs...and it is working for "me". My dogs did well and looked good on both Nutro and Purina but after some of the recalls, I really worried about what I was putting into my dogs!

Also, I hear that pet food companies have 6 months after they change their formula before they have to change their labes...therefore you could have 6 months of something in your dog before you know it!

One of the best things that I have heard since feeding raw....you never see a wild dog, coyote, etc. in a corn or wheat field, or garden, munching but it wouldn't be odd to see it dining on a deer or a rabbit or other prey animal :wink2:
 
Yep I have to agree with everyone. I always say I feed my shelties Wellness, and I just sound like a parrot typing. I love this discussion, and its a good one. Its called awareness of what we are feeding our furkids.

I love it also because its not just what we feed our kids, its a good question to ask the breeders also. I think if we all got together we could write a book on the subject, and would turn out to be an excellent one for a good read.

My vets did push purina, and my set of brothers I had that was their food brand That is what my father fed his dogs through the years. There wasn't that great of a selection years ago, like there is now. My one boy died at 7 from cancer, and the other lived until he was 15 and 1/2.

My boy who died at 7 left a legacy to be more aware of so many things. Protein for one, skin another, and the immune system. My wonderful and beautiful dog had his hair actually rot off of his body. The base was like cotton candy. I get too anal and picky, I check skin and hair folicles periodically. Yes I feed them Wellness because I am so anal about their skin, protein, coat. The person who fed her dog Wellness told me about the food because her dog had an immune deficiency, and Wellnes worked for that dog. Its just when you go through experiences with one, he made me become more aware.

I laugh because I could not tell you what is in Iams, Evo, and some of the other ones, nor have I seen some of the brands around here. I have to search to find Wellness. One more store now carries it, but you can bet I will watch their recipes. Whoopie I found some Wellness on sale.

Glad we all like what we are feeding our kids, and they are doing well. If they are doing well, eating and healthy, why change it?

Good Eating!

sable
 
BarbV said:
I personally think that we are getting far too anal in what we feed our dogs.

I personally never feed my dog table scraps and don't necessarily scrimp on the dog food that I feed. I feed him on what he does well on.

My breeder recommended Purina Pro Plan and that is what I feed. Bacca is extremely healthy, high energy, a beautiful silky coat and healthy stools. I think we get far to caught up in reading the labels in our dog food! Do you read the labels so much on the food that YOU eat?

Enough, already. Find a decent food, transition your pup to it gradually. If he does well with it, then stick with it. If not, then try another. But this debate as to holistic or natural feed is wearing me down.

My parents fed their dogs on the cheapest dog food going for years and still do. And they did just fine. They have a 14 year old lab mix that still thrives and he is eating your basic Dog Chow!
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I also agree and disagree.

I learned about the benefits of organic, non processed foods through a naturopathic doctor, due to my own health problems. If I could I would eat nothing but these types of foods but I just cannot afford to. The same goes for Sadie, I would love nothing more than to feed her the healthiest food I could get her, but I just can't afford it. Even if I could afford feeding her raw food, due to her digestive problems I couldn't switch her over without making her terribly ill.

She is doing very well on a vet food now, one that I criticized a lot in the beginning, however she is thriving on it. I do worry about its ingredients some times but I also have to accept that don't understand how this food is 'engineered' and that it must not be that bad since she's doing so well on it. At the same time, I hate feeding her a food that I believe has been 'engineered.'

I think we all need to follow our instincts, live within our means and try not to feel guilty about it. While I think the dog food analysis site is very informative and a useful tool, I've realized that I have to take what it says with a grain of salt and try to form my own opinions, instead of just letting it work me up.
 
Narmowen said:
I feed mine Diamond Naturals. Lamb and rice. And I have some of the healthiest coats that I've seen. Almost a mirror gloss...

My Diamond has NO corn in it at all. Actually, NONE of the Diamond Naturals have corn, which is the big thing I look for.
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What's weird is I just looked up Diamond Natural for Puppies (my breeder recommended it), however, the second ingredient in that IS corn! What are they putting in the puppy food?

Chicken by-product meal, whole grain ground corn, wheat flour, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), beet pulp, egg product, flaxseed, natural chicken flavor, salmon oil (source of DHA), fish meal, potassium chloride, salt, choline chloride, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.
 
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