Vet Just Told Me What I Am Feeding Is All Wrong

[border collie employee]

Does this"vet" have any financial reasons as to why he is pushing for you to use commercial dog food. We gave our border collie raw chicken necks and wings and she has been given a perfect bill of health from our vet.I would be questioning this mans motives.

[poodlemum]

Does this"vet" have any financial reasons as to why he is pushing for you to use commercial dog food. We gave our border collie raw chicken necks and wings and she has been given a perfect bill of health from our vet.I would be questioning this mans motives.

That's what I thought - I used to work for a Veterinary Supply co. & I can assure you that the Vets make an enormous mark-up on the dry food they sell! That job really opened my eyes to vets - before I worked there I thought all vets became vets because they loved animals!. My boss had a theory that many of them were would-be doctors who did not want to deal with people!

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

Sadly for 'consumers' many vets haven't a clue about many aspects of caring for our dogs and cats. Nutrition is one of those areas where uni doesn't provide any assistance for the learning vet, so the food companies step in. HSD, Iams/Euk and similar foods are sold to vets as being "complete and balanced" but more importantly, sold as being able to produce a 100% + profit-margin. That is, if the bag sells to you for $100, the vet bought that bag for $50 or less.

Read widely from vets such as Tom Lonsdale or Ian Billinghurst. These vets know that nutrition is not about making money primarily - and they also know that feeding processed foods will generate MORE business for the vet due to the numerous problems these foods create. I've never seen a dry-food fed dog with excellent teeth but many fed on raw do have great teeth. And poor teeth lead to other health-related problems including heart disease (it has never been scientifically-proven in either dogs or humans as far as I know but there is a link b/c of the fatty deposits in the foods and bacteria that grow in a dirty mouth), gastric upset, and smelly/greasy skin and coat and dirty/smelly mouth.

Veanna keep feeding a BARF style diet. Loki will thank you for it. And you'll end up needing the vet less often if you ask me! :D

Oh, find another vet - NOW!

[centitout]

i had the same thing with my dogs-all puppies should be on a premium dry food only until 2 years,according to the vet.i explained the diet my dogs were getting(raw with handful of biscuits) that was terrible apparently and my dogs were going to suffer dire consequences! i had to take them in one day for some basic problem,and they did nothing but marvel over coats,teeth and the condition which was described as exceptional! asked what i fed-RAW.they have been converted.

[rose of tralee]

Once upon a time, if an animal needed dietary modification for a specific condition, the vet had to work from lists of basic foods that were found in the butcher, pet meatshop and supermarket. No reaching for prescription tucker.

I reckon even the senior vets from that vintage wouldn't want to spend the time thinking about that now, with this kind of result. WRT a cat, but you get the drift. Male cat stone formed, escaped surgery, put on anti-crystal dry food. Probably due in part to sole intake of dry food but with other contributing factors, pussy became chronically constipated. Vet surgery response was to up the grease long-term if necessary, in the form of fur ball goo. Owner (my cuz) decided to introduce cat to some real food, fresh protein with 70% water built in. He is doing well, like the carnivore he is.