Interesting food question
 

So I took my Dexter to the vet yesterday. He weighed in at 7.5lbs. He is supposed to be 5.5lbs. So vet wants to see both my boys lose some weight. I told him they are on Taste of the Wild dog food. He said that he can't really comment or stand behind that food. He said there are 2 types of food manufacturers, one that formulates the food, produces the food, packages it and sells it, and the other formulates the food, makes the food, tests the food with a panel of animals for at least a year, and then sells it. He said that the Large companies like Purina and Hills Science Diet make the food that he'll recommend for sick animals, so they make the food he'd recommend and stand behind for healthy animals.

What are others thoughts on this? Both my boys are overweight and need to lose weight. I am cutting them back to a 1/4 each 2x a day, but should I switch from Taste of the Wild to Purina One (slowly of course)?

I look at the ingredients on the foods and compared Purina One to Taste of the Wild and I find no comparison, Taste of the wild is hands down the better food. I'm definitely hesitant in changing their diets, and the vet says that he's impressed with Dexter's overall health, his coat, even his teeth for being almost 7 and not having had a dental yet.

He actually recommended you change to Purina One? I say maybe cut back on the their treats or maybe add some veggies and stuff into their bowl.

I agree with your vet, anyone with a strong science background, understands the need for testing.

I also agree with your vet. I personally have decided for Taycie that if I decide to feed anything different then I currently am now it will be done with a consult with a Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionist.

No way would I feed Purina One. Not only does it contain brewers rice, corn, wheat, garlic oil and poultry by-products - it contains menadione.

Hey girlfriend!!!!!! Are you back?? :)

So he didn't actually say to switch, nothing like that. He said that he couldn't stand behind it or say anything about it because as a vet, he gets his prescription food from Purina and Hills Science Diet. That was all. He did tell me to cut back to 1/4 cup twice a day each, and to add fresh carrots and green beans if they still seem hungry. They are low calorie fillers.

I saw that too... it goes against everything I decided on when I was deciding on which food to feed them. :( :(

Joey vet told me to cut his food by 1/3 and add about 5 green beans, this allowed him to lose 1 ounce a week until all his extra weight was gone. There is some research that shows carrots can increase hunger because it raises blood sugar, so choosing foods low on the glycemic index scale can help manage hunger.

Yeah, he did actually tell me although carrots are better than more dog food, I should use mostly green beans. Luckily my boys LOVE their veggies, so it shouldn't be a problem. I actually don't think they will be starving anyways, they are grazers, and usually don't finish their food until bedtime. Very bad habit they got into. I just need to make sure that I make them eat 2x a day and that they eat their food during those times.

Sorry, but I don't agree with your vet.

Vets are like human doctors. They go through years of schooling, learning, and drilling to help you medically. They treat illnesses and they're great at it because they have HOURS of it behind them.

They receive very little training/learning on nutrition. I go to my doctor when I'm ill or if there is something related. If I have something wrong with my skin, I go to a dermatologist. If I need to change my diet, I go to a Nutritionist.

For humans, there are specialists because of how much there is to know about it.

For pets, there is just one person for all of this. Yet there is just as much to know about a pet's skin as a human's.

Vets, therefore, read studies that are backed up by the very company that is trying to make themselves look good. It's a very biased study, scientific or not.

Through my psychology training, we were taught to always question studies, no matter how authentic they may seem. I think a lot of people automatically assume it's OK because it's backed by a big name. Of course, this goes both ways with both sides.

Are you babies healthy otherwise than the extra weight? If so, and you're happy with TOTW, then stay with it. I know he didn't tell you to or tried to convince you to switch (which is great!), but I don't think standing behind a company just because they claim that they have better testing.

Just my two cents.

I only feed veggies such as carrots, raw sweet potatoes, and apples as treats. Try cutting down the portion of kibble.

I agree with your vet.

We've had tons of conversations (umm debates) about this in health and diet. They might be worth reading.

If there is no statement on the bag saying that an AAFCO feeding trial was done then there may have been no feeding trial at all. It lasts for six months and it is absolutely true that a portion of the dogs can be withdrawn and passing doesn't take much. However, some foods (the worst of the worst) have failed. It's fine to feed a food that hasn't had a trial..but guess who becomes the trial subjects...your dogs. A food can be AAFCO certified by a nutrient profile check for about a hundred bucks or a trial for about twenty thousand. So obviously most companies won't put the money into it. If they won't put money into it then what else are they skimping on? Quality control?

Buy the company, their philosophy, what they have done for dogs and cats nutritionally, who they have on staff, and their quality control procedures before the ingredient list.

This will look different or different people. I like Purina Rx foods. I'm not a huge fan of their OTC foods although I'd feed them much sooner than other foods. I really like Hills and RC. My sorta healthy boy eats Hills.

Purina Rx is keeping my girl alive. Soooo I think they are doing something right. Until some of these small companies start contributing to canine nutrition research and come up with food lines to help sick animals, I'm not really sure that they have a clue what they are doing (or do they not care?).

The bigger companies do the most research. They are far from perfect. Some are better than others. And to each their own when deciding what to feed and what to found as valid research. I'm sure that ninety nine percent of YTers would be thankful for their ontributions to science if their dog was one of the sick ones. Why would I trust a company when my dog is very ill and not when they are healthy?

I think you should do what you think is right based on what your vet thinks (they see dogs on all kinds of foods and there are obvious differences between a few of them) and what your vet guided research tells you.

Not all vets know a ton about nutrition but board certified veterinary nutritionists do. Most seem to agree with your vets stance.

Vets know nothing about dog food. I don't think they even have to take one nutrition class. I'd recommend finding low fat treats and a premium food with lower calories. And more walks outside.

Good for everyone! :)

I definitely need to do this more... lol

Yeah me too! I need to practice what I preach! :p