Vet was not thrilled I feed Blue Buffalo...:(

[ally173]

Originally Posted by boopster

I'd like to see a study of dogs' lifespans and the diets they get. Years ago we used to think a dog living for 10 years was remarkable. My last dog made it nearly to age 17. I have a strong feeling that the food she ate was a large factor in that.

wow 17: which food did you feed. this is amazing.

[Sweet Apple]

Originally Posted by MyTrixie143

I wonder if this applies to pet stores as well? I worked at a pet store a few years back and we were always told to push Science Diet or Biljac despite the fact that they also carried much better food such as Blue Buffalo, Natural Balance, etc.

I wouldn't be able to believe any vet that says Science Diet or Iams is better than Blue Buffalo. I've seen the results first hand. Science Diet is a crappy food.
I've tried many foods out on my furry gang and can honestly say Blue Buffalo had the most positive outcome. Their coats are better, skin is healthier and I even see a lot less tear staining with my maltese since she has been switched over to it.
As for their teeth and tarter goes all of their teeth are in excellent shape. But I don't know whether that is because of the food or just good genetics, etc. The only difference I can say they have is the tarter on their teeth seems to be softer.
I scale their teeth myself every few months and the little tarter that is on them comes right off very easily leaving their teeth pearly white.

As a retail manager, for many many years, I can tell you, from experience, if management is pushing a product, it's because it has a higher price point (more profit for the Co.) It' a no brainer, that using less expensive ingredients yields a higher profit margin...Pet Stores do not go into business to feed your pup; they go into business to make a profit, and if your pup happens to eat their food, their mission is accomplished...Consumer goods are all about what people want, what they believe is right for them, and what they are willing to pay for it...As loving parents of our fur babies, I believe it's our responsibility to do as much research, for our babies nutrition, and go with your gut feeling, based on the information you find...There's always going to be a margin of error in any function performed by a human, so I'd go with the best margins...For me, at this point, it's primal raw...

[LuvTaycieGirl]

Originally Posted by Sweet Apple

As a retail manager, for many many years, I can tell you, from experience, if management is pushing a product, it's because it has a higher price point (more profit for the Co.) It' a no brainer, that using less expensive ingredients yields a higher profit margin...Pet Stores do not go into business to feed your pup; they go into business to make a profit, and if your pup happens to eat their food, their mission is accomplished...Consumer goods are all about what people want, what they believe is right for them, and what they are willing to pay for it...As loving parents of our fur babies, I believe it's our responsibility to do as much research, for our babies nutrition, and go with your gut feeling, based on the information you find...There's always going to be a margin of error in any function performed by a human, so I'd go with the best margins...For me, at this point, it's primal raw...

I couldn't agree with you more. What works for some doesn't work for others and that's ok. Go with YOUR best Judgement and what works the best for your furbabies. There are so many choices when it comes to dog food and so many opinions and many different beliefs. Some people like kibble, some like raw, some like higher protein.

What I found out for me, If it was cut and dryed black and white everyone would feed their pet the same thing.. bottom line what I had to do is go with my gut, (I still am trying to wrap my head around higher protein levels)... but for now I BELIVE and KNOW I won't be feeding her Science Diet, Regardless how my vet feels.

[yorkieusa]

When you bring in a new puppy, lots of vets will send you home with a free sack of Science Diet!

[LuvTaycieGirl]

Originally Posted by yorkieusa

When you bring in a new puppy, lots of vets will send you home with a free sack of Science Diet!

hahahaha so true! Mine is still in my trunk.. she is 6 months now...Wonder what I should do with it?

[yorkieusa]

Originally Posted by LuvTaycieGirl

hahahaha so true! Mine is still in my trunk.. she is 6 months now...Wonder what I should do with it?

I gave mine to someone with a big dog that wanted it.

[orlnurse]

Originally Posted by Sweet Apple

As a retail manager, for many many years, I can tell you, from experience, if management is pushing a product, it's because it has a higher price point (more profit for the Co.) It' a no brainer, that using less expensive ingredients yields a higher profit margin...Pet Stores do not go into business to feed your pup; they go into business to make a profit, and if your pup happens to eat their food, their mission is accomplished...Consumer goods are all about what people want, what they believe is right for them, and what they are willing to pay for it...As loving parents of our fur babies, I believe it's our responsibility to do as much research, for our babies nutrition, and go with your gut feeling, based on the information you find...There's always going to be a margin of error in any function performed by a human, so I'd go with the best margins...For me, at this point, it's primal raw...

Here's an example. Last weekend, my sister went to Pet Supermarket to return a bag of Nutro that an employee pushed on her last visit. She sought their advice because her poodle recently had some sensitivity to her previous diet which included chicken. Anyhow, she came home with Nutro fish and potato or something like that. Once I told her about Nutro, she went back to get something else. Another employee tried to talk her into Nutro again, she second guesses herself and prepares to leave the store with the Nutro. She runs into another employee at the front and asks her opinion. The girl proceeds to tell her that they are told to push Nutro but she would never feed it to her own dogs. Good grief!

[hugz4all4]

My vet has said the same thing.. and I love her and wouldnt change vets for anything..in one converstation we have had she said that she doesnt trust the new brands of foods out there because of the lack of years of research and the unknown.. she doesnt NOT push science diet, never has.. at one point she say that she would like me to take tucker off from the totw he was on (as a puppy) and put him on a puppy food like pedigree, but didnt say I NEEDED to do it. Whenever I take my dogs in she asks what food, I tell her and she always say..oooh the good stuff and ends the conversation.
I do not beleive that every vet out there only sells sd for the kick back, I truly believe that there are some out there that are FOR the better foods, now that they have become more popular.

[hugz4all4]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

Well, Ellie's vet feeds and recommends Blue Buffalo. So which vet is right? The thing is, the field of canine nutrition is way more complex than most sites on Google want to make people believe. It's not all about avoiding ingredient A and adding some extra ingredient B. That completely lacks the science behind it which, IMO, is a bad thing. I don't care what X individual who felt like putting up a site has to say about dog food because most of them simply don't have the credentials to teach everyone on the internet about the subject. I used to go by ingredients too, and to an extent I still do. Ethoxyquin and by-products aren't top on my list of things to feed. At the same time, do by-products actually harm dogs? Probably not. So it becomes subjective. I don't like Purina because I've seen what it does to quite a few dogs and there are much better quality foods out there. But then, I don't like very small companies either because they have less money to spend on quality control. Holistic brands are recalled just like non-holistic brands. Like now, BB Wilderness seems to be causing a problem in some dogs. Merricks has been recalled so many times, etc.

And I agree with your vet about raw. The more I learn about it, the more I am very concerned with the feeding method.

Also, not all vets want you to feed what they sell. Some carry it only because they have to. And btw, I know a vet who can get SD cheaper from PetSmart than she can through the office she works at. No great deals for vets who feed these foods here...

I agree with you 100 percent!!

[bellasmomok]

Originally Posted by LuvTaycieGirl

hahahaha so true! Mine is still in my trunk.. she is 6 months now...Wonder what I should do with it?

If it isn't expired you could always donate it to a shelter in your area!!

[RachelandSadie]

my vets have never been up for home made or raw diets, but i just recently switched to a hollistic kibble and to to knock it because it's a great balance of wild and natural foods, but i think it's the cause of their loose stools. we went back to primal raw and if the stools improve we'll know why.

edited to add: we may still consider acana or another variety of kibble, but i miss how healthy the raw diet is for their bodies and their teeth. the only neg. about raw is that it doesn't travel well. if you try to travel with it, it will thaw out too fast and become spoiled and make them sick. so there's always a need for freeze dried or kibbles.

[deonk1]

I've not had great experiences with vets and food. In the horse world they are the same. The vets are "sponsored" or get commission on the food they sell. They support major brands like purina, science diet, etc. It's awful, but also remember at the end of the day they are not nutritionalists. I would recommend getting a nutrition book, or even if there is one available by a non-sponsored nutrition course.

I've also heard of vets, who have been accused of (can't verify if this is true) that at the end of the day they are making money off the sick dogs, so why would you promote foods that prevent that (I know some people are really sick...).

[rachelanne820]

I take mine to the vet inside PetSmart - its called Banfield. I only choose them because they have wellness plans and it is SO much cheaper for their spay/neuter and puppy shots. I plan on finding another vet when their plans come up for renewal and I can cancel them.

They are VERY mainstream, though and have always recommended Science Diet or Royal Canin. I just don't listen. I made my decisions from a ton of advise on YT and trial and error.