Vets and kickbacks

[kalina82]

Originally Posted by Bama Yorkie Mom

my neice is a veterinarian. But she just finished 6 years of school and been a full fledge vet for about a year or little over. She is actually my nephews wife but ive known her since she was about 16. I would use her for my vet but she lives a long way from me, plus the vet I did use finished vet school with her but he went to work for another vet for full time work this year and one thing I like about the vet i use that he was in with is he is a lot more experienced. hes been doing this for 16 years so i would trust him over a new vet anyway most likely. my vet and the one my neice went to graduated with were together so actually I had used them both. none of them try to tell me what kind of food is best. I actually asked the older vet and he said he did not recommend certain foods for certain dogs but he usually just fed his gravy train and had never had a problem with his. My sister feeds her schnauzer gravy train, he eats it great and he has no problems with it. i've had my dogs on so many kind already and now they dont like any of it, dont seem like over a day or so. they love any i put downt the first time or two then its like, we're tired of that, now I read other night that the more you change their food the pickier they become. LOL,,,, so boy did i mess up. But I love my vet.

i've never heard of gravy train. what is it??

i've read that about switching food but i don't think its true. I figure the more foods you feed your pet the more foods it will adapt to eating so if there was ever a problem like running out of food or having to stay at the vets they won't starve when offered something idfferent. i also think it helps with preventing diarrhea and upset stomach. the more different foods they are used to the less change they will get upset tummies when given something they are not used too. morgan's been on a couple different foods and she get different 'snacks' to eat as well. she's never had diarrhea (knock on wood)

[Gizmo's Mom]

With all the problems Gizmo has had with Pancreatitis and HGE in his lifetime, Hill's i/d has been his saving grace. I would never be without a couple of cans at any given time. Makes no difference to me who makes what from it, it does it's job and serves it's purpose when needed. That's all that matters to me.

[irbrenda]

Originally Posted by Gizmo's Mom

With all the problems Gizmo has had with Pancreatitis and HGE in his lifetime, Hill's i/d has been his saving grace. I would never be without a couple of cans at any given time. Makes no difference to me who makes what from it, it does it's job and serves it's purpose when needed. That's all that matters to me.

I wholeheartedly agree! After getting Ralphie's urine culture back yesterday....no blood, no crystals, no signs of anything. Whatever...Hill's U/D is doing its job and my dog is happy and healthy. I'm not sure about Gizmo but Ralphie has to stay on this for long term, maybe forever.

[Candini]

Originally Posted by Yorkiedaze

Science diet is one of the worst dog foods made. The Doctors don't get "kick-backs", but instead they get set up pretty darn good with practice. I know..............I have 3 friends who are Vets.

THey do pretty well around these parts. $60,000-$90,000 depending on the clinic etc. Nice profession and we have tons of them here.

Gravy Train, isnt that at the grocery store?

[Gizmo's Mom]

Originally Posted by irbrenda

I wholeheartedly agree! After getting Ralphie's urine culture back yesterday....no blood, no crystals, no signs of anything. Whatever...Hill's U/D is doing its job and my dog is happy and healthy. I'm not sure about Gizmo but Ralphie has to stay on this for long term, maybe forever.

Yes, Giz was on it for 4 or 5 months and got to where he just wouldn't eat it anymore. It is kinda bland. I read up on the Chickn Soup and slowly made the change, he's been on it for a couple of months with no problems. Sometimes I make him his own chicken and rice. He is the spoiled one.

[BLowry]

My Parents Mini Schnauzer had to be put on SD prescription diet because of her health. Our Vet did tell her that it isn't the best food but, with Heidi's illnesses this is what she has to eat. I don't think it has much nutritional value. My Mom gets the Dog Journal, SD is not rated a very good food. I think with all of "us" trying to eat healthier we want this for our furbabies as well. I know A LOT of people that feed their dogs store bought food...There's alot of junk in it but, this is what they choose...maybe because it's cheaper? All I know is I don't want my girls eating by-products which most of your store bought food has in it...just search what by-products are...you might think differently about store bought food...Not sure if SD has by-products in it.

[alisonJ]

Edie is on Hill's T/D for dental health. I know it works, because when we did not use it for a while, the plaque buildup was bad. Since gum disease can affect major organs like the heart, I think good dental health is one of the best things you can do to prolong your Yorkie's healthy life.

I had a conversation with my vet about nutrition after reading that Hill's might not be good. I always take everything I read on the internet with a grain of salt, and wasn't sure what to believe. He tells me that this food is good, complete, nutrition, and in fact, this food provides a more balanced diet than most people in the world get. I forget everthing he said, but it was a compelling arguement to stay on it. I am glad I did. Edie has no health problems, no allergies, etc. And she loves it.

[kalina82]

Originally Posted by alisonJ

Edie is on Hill's T/D for dental health. I know it works, because when we did not use it for a while, the plaque buildup was bad. Since gum disease can affect major organs like the heart, I think good dental health is one of the best things you can do to prolong your Yorkie's healthy life.

I had a conversation with my vet about nutrition after reading that Hill's might not be good. I always take everything I read on the internet with a grain of salt, and wasn't sure what to believe. He tells me that this food is good, complete, nutrition, and in fact, this food provides a more balanced diet than most people in the world get. I forget everthing he said, but it was a compelling arguement to stay on it. I am glad I did. Edie has no health problems, no allergies, etc. And she loves it.

T/D is a good food for a dental diet. Just be cautious with it becuase it is higher in fat. I don't know if your vet mentioned that to you. Keep an eye on his weight. T/D is also good when given as treats instead of a meal. it probably doesn't work 100% as well as a full meal of it, but it works pretty good as treats especially when you get the big dog kind with the bigger kibble. it gives them something to work on.

[Erin]

Originally Posted by KellyV

I asked my vet one time why a lot of vets push SD... She said it's because that's who they probably received their nutritional training from (I think Purina and Iams/Eukanuba do some training too). They've more or less been brainwashed to think that that particular brand of food is the best.... They can recommend SD, fine, but how many of us have had a vet tell them the food we're feeding isn't good enough when really it's probably one of the better commercial diets out there?! I've had a couple different vets tout SD as the perfect, cure all food that's great for any dog, when all you need to do is spend a little time doing some independent research to discover otherwise.

The way I understand it, Hills provides a lot of funding to the AVMA (you said you've been to seminars sponsored by them). You can't deny that a partnership wouldn't be beneficial to both organizations... Hills provides funding, in turn the AVMA's vets sell SD.... Your normal DVM at a private, small animal practice might not directly receive any kind of bonus, but someone is making money.....

I have had my multiple vets turn their noses up at what I'm feeding (Canidae) and recommend their foods - SD & Eukanuba. Not in a "oh by the way we sell this for your convenience" way but a "your food sucks" kind of way. Someone who doesn't know better would totally be persuaded by them.

You don't need opinions about who makes money on SD. You don't even need to read the internet. All you need to read is the ingredients. And for whoever says not everyone can afford fancy foods... Canidae is CHEAPER than SD & Eukanuba.

[irbrenda]

Originally Posted by Erin

I have had my multiple vets turn their noses up at what I'm feeding (Canidae) and recommend their foods - SD & Eukanuba. Not in a "oh by the way we sell this for your convenience" way but a "your food sucks" kind of way. Someone who doesn't know better would totally be persuaded by them.

You don't need opinions about who makes money on SD. You don't even need to read the internet. All you need to read is the ingredients. And for whoever says not everyone can afford fancy foods... Canidae is CHEAPER than SD & Eukanuba.

In my case, I need the Prescription Diet food to control stones and if that food does the job of keeping his stones away and keeping him healthy, then I can't ask for more. Yes, I would have loved to keep him on the Life's Abundance, the Merrick, the Wysong, the Natural Balance, and anything else I raised Ralphie on, but obviously they were NOT good choices for my dog....too much protein and calcium.

I too questioned the quality of the Hills food with my vet and all he said is it's doing what it has to do and you don't ever want to put him under stone surgery again. I even went as far as calling the Hills tech line and questioned the ingredients. I told the rep I did not see anything that looked like it was fit for humans! He told me that the chicken absolutely IS human grade but it has to be listed as a by-product because it is not 100% white meat. He assured me that it does not contain feathers and other ugly stuff and I should not believe what I read on the Internet.

I'm not a vet and I do know how to read ingredients very well as all I use for my family is natural and certified organic and holistic food as much as possible...Whole Foods Markets gets my paycheck plus ..... and it urks me that I cannot do that any longer for Ralphie.

For now, I am going to stop driving myself crazy reading the ills of SD and hope that at some point I might be able to put Ralphie back to his old diet. It just doesn't seem like that will ever happen. I fear seeing that blood again and if I cause that to happen because of my stupidity and stubborness, I will not forgive myself.

[kalina82]

Originally Posted by irbrenda

In my case, I need the Prescription Diet food to control stones and if that food does the job of keeping his stones away and keeping him healthy, then I can't ask for more. Yes, I would have loved to keep him on the Life's Abundance, the Merrick, the Wysong, the Natural Balance, and anything else I raised Ralphie on, but obviously they were NOT good choices for my dog....too much protein and calcium.

I too questioned the quality of the Hills food with my vet and all he said is it's doing what it has to do and you don't ever want to put him under stone surgery again. I even went as far as calling the Hills tech line and questioned the ingredients. I told the rep I did not see anything that looked like it was fit for humans! He told me that the chicken absolutely IS human grade but it has to be listed as a by-product because it is not 100% white meat. He assured me that it does not contain feathers and other ugly stuff and I should not believe what I read on the Internet.

I'm not a vet and I do know how to read ingredients very well as all I use for my family is natural and certified organic and holistic food as much as possible...Whole Foods Markets gets my paycheck plus ..... and it urks me that I cannot do that any longer for Ralphie.

For now, I am going to stop driving myself crazy reading the ills of SD and hope that at some point I might be able to put Ralphie back to his old diet. It just doesn't seem like that will ever happen. I fear seeing that blood again and if I cause that to happen because of my stupidity and stubborness, I will not forgive myself.

you are doing the right thing by keeping him on S/D. S/D will help prevent stones and he'll live a long and healthy life. i hope you don't have another episode with the stones.

[irbrenda]

Originally Posted by kalina82

you are doing the right thing by keeping him on S/D. S/D will help prevent stones and he'll live a long and healthy life. i hope you don't have another episode with the stones.

Ralphie and I thank you for your vote of confidence in SD and his health!

[journey826]

There is NO perfect pet food.the more pet owners get involved in the well being of their pets the more pet companys are going to taylor their products to meet our standards.Truth is there are many pet owners that feed their pets the cheapest they can find and many who feed only the best at the current fad. you will always here varying stories of these dogs living long lives on good and bad foods.Bottom line is I think that if you have a sick dog already(genetics) and give them bad food it will bring out the promblem that you were going to see anyway and the healthy ones stay healthy eating substandard and excellent quality food.do the best you can,read up and let god handle the rest.nuroticism never helped any of us.JMO!

[Erin]

Originally Posted by journey826

There is NO perfect pet food.the more pet owners get involved in the well being of their pets the more pet companys are going to taylor their products to meet our standards.Truth is there are many pet owners that feed their pets the cheapest they can find and many who feed only the best at the current fad. you will always here varying stories of these dogs living long lives on good and bad foods.Bottom line is I think that if you have a sick dog already(genetics) and give them bad food it will bring out the promblem that you were going to see anyway and the healthy ones stay healthy eating substandard and excellent quality food.do the best you can,read up and let god handle the rest.nuroticism never helped any of us.JMO!

I agree that there is no perfect food. But why should anyone feed something known to have preservatives, by-products, and less wholesome ingredients when there are better similarly priced and increasingly easy to find products out there?