Science Diet Dog Food (Summary)

In case this makes you feel any better, Science Diet Dog food sales are plummeting. Apparently people are smartening up about what to appropriately feed their dogs. That would be called divine justice.

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/04/24/reformulated-science-diet.aspx

LOL

I am trying to lose some weight and I am trying to find some of the best rated diet products. Do you know of any? Thanks.

I’m sooo very sorry for your losses Christy!!! That must have been absolutely horrible!!

That does seem pretty unlikely to be a coincidence..

Fingers crossed and praying for your little one’s good health!!!!

I’m not one to post opinions online but I felt led to share my own experience in regards to Science Diet and you all can make up your own decision. I’m an avid pet owner for 36 years. 11 years ago I got 2 dogs, a lab and a beagle lab mix. My vet recommended science diet. I faithfully, and regretfully, used it for 11 years. In the past year, I have lost both of my beloved dogs to Anal cell carcinoma. My lab had “GI” issues for 2 years before being DX. After months of chemo and no improvement he lost his battle. 3 mos ago my other dog had a mass in his anus. He became very sick this past week and when I took him to the vet yesterday he too had anal cell carcinoma with mets throughout. I had to put him down. Coincidence??? Unfortunately, I have 1 little dog left and have also fed him science diet his whole life. It was only after I lost my dogs that I began to research their food. Seems that I’m not the only one who believes science diet has caused-or greatly contributed to-the death of my dogs. Please save your own animals and research there food

I was transitioning my Lab from Hill’s Large Breed Light to Hill’s Prescription JD at a 60/40%.  This 8 year old dog apparently died from Hypervitaminosis.  Hill’s is running away from answering any questions faster than my dog could run!

PLIERS, or a hammer.    My geriatric Yorkie mix cannot chew the large size Renal Diet SD food.   I crack each nugget into small pieces with pliers.

Dorothym, they dont put quality ingredients in these ‘dog foods’ only the cheapest.  try Chicken backs, bone and all. a raw diet of chicken with the bone is just what your dogs need. Its way cheaper then those “high quality foods” there is less poop, with no smell and dries up, turns white, and washes away in the rain. less shedding, and less vet visits. here is a secret your vet wont tell you, they dont know crap about nutrition, and raw chicken bones are malleable and safe for dogs not to mention extremely healthy with most nutrients they need. you can add steamed or raw veggies but should be mashed like you would find in animal intestine. dogs dont digest plants that well, so why feed them corn wheat and soy that is in commercial dog foods? for smaller dogs use chicken necks. oh and they are way cheaper then kibble. 

switch to a raw diet, not the pre-packaged stuff tho. go with some raw beef, not ground, and fish, any but salmon. You can cut as small as you like, and itll get rid of those digestive problems. Here is the issue, the Corn, Wheat, and Soy in “dog food” is hard to digest, and causes the problems you are seeing. Dogs are not meant to eat that stuff, or wolves would eat it. Dont worry, they can handle any bacteria that may be in the meat. Chicken is good too, and usually cheaper. You can get alot of trimmings from your butcher as a low price too. Raw is high in protein and will help your little guy gain his weight back. There is a supplement called Spirulina, a type of seaweed, its full of complete proteins, with all essential amino acids. Its used in cancer and AIDS patients to help with weight loss. good luck and get away from commercial foods

chicken backs, bone and all. a raw diet of chicken with the bone is just what your dogs need. less poop, with no smell and dries up and washes away in the rain. less shedding, no bad breath, and less vet visits. here is a secret your vet wont tell you, they dont know crap about nutrition, and raw chicken bones are malleable and safe for dogs not to mention extremely healthy with most nutrients they need. Vets get paid to carry those foods, not cause they are good for your pet. you can add steamed or raw veggies but should be mashed like you would find in animal intestine. dogs dont digest plants that well, so why feed them corn wheat and soy that is in commercial dog foods? for smaller dogs use chicken necks. oh and they are way cheaper then kibble. 

We have a 4 year old Maltese that was having similar problems. $1700.00 later we found out that he has Addison’s disease and auto-immune system problems. He is now on a steroid pill everyday for the rest of his life along with a special diet of HA dog food sold at our vets office. His diarreha with bright red blood and vomiting is now under control.

I have an 8 year old Yorkie that is really having some serious digestive issues. She has had a bloody stool on and off since she was a puppy, but now is having the problem almost every day. Her stomach rolls after she eats and it is not long before she has bloody diarrhea often accompanied by vomiting. She used to weigh 5 1/2 pounds, but is down to under 5 pounds now. She is still energetic and playful, so it has not affected her disposition yet, but we are all worried. I started her on Science Diet for Sensitive Stomachs and that does seem to help. The only problem is that I have not been able to find it in small bites. She doesn’t have many teeth left, so I have to soak the big bites to get them where she can handle them. Not ideal by any means. Do you have any suggestions?

Love it now!  Dog’s stomach has calmed down but seems to have a bit of a problem other than the dog food!  But even though it is more, Kaysee only weighs 5 lbs so she doesn’t eat very much!  I truely think it has improved her “system” all the way thru!  Not a lot of unnecessary filler!  Se the ingredients!  I give it an A Plus!

Very interesting blog page. I simply got nothing to do therefore I’m simply killing time searching the internet and I find that I’ve discovered some really valuable web site. Many thanks

Dogs are cool in every way, and we have so much to learn from them. 

 Anything is better than Purina, but try putting your dog on an all natural dog food. It might cost a little bit more but once you see the results it will be worth it. There are a lot of great foods on the market.

Thanks for brief explained. i have to sharing related to this topic.Dog food refers to food specifically intended for consumption.Though technically omnivorous, dogs exhibit a natural carnivorous bias, have sharp, pointy teeth, and have short gastrointestinal tracts better suited for the consumption of meat. In spite of this natural carnivorous design, dogs have still managed to evolve over thousands of years to survive on the meat and non-meat scraps and leftovers of human existence and thrive on a variety of foods.

adequan

what about Ideal Balance Science Diet?  It does not have corn in but does have whole grain, chicken, veggies, cranberries, etc.  I was told that “chicken meal” is all the chicken “junk” mushed up together.

We have 3 dogs, 2 Shih Tsus & a Boston Terrier/Pug mix.  We were feeding them the Regular Science Diet Small Bits.  Our vet thought all 3 were a little overweight.  He thought they could all loose 1-2 lbs.  Recently I bought the Science Diet Small Bites weight management formula.  Our dogs’ bowel movements have increased so much, maybe at least 3 times more than before.  They’ve been having accidents, if they’re not walked every few hours.  Is this normal?  Should I switch back?  Anyone have any experience with this.  Is this temporary?  No upset stomachs, just a lot of….output.  Not to be gross.

This is a great website. I read some posts in here. All them is very good. Having much necessary problem that you haven’t ever known before. Thank for share!

Hi Sandy… That page is still there. But the links won’t take you to where you want to go. All the comments are now stored on the Disqus server. So, they all have different comment number identities.

I’m still setting things up as I find time. One new page not yet posted is called http://DogFoodAdvisor.com/community

Try that page and notice the 3 tabs at the top. They will also provide some new info. Always click on the time/date links to be transported to the appropriate comment.

Hope this helps.

Morning Sandy!
It’s two blue titles above “Latest Articles” on the left, t’words the top.

I like this new blog format. I also prefer the default, ‘Sort by newest first’ comments option so one can see straight away the latest comments.

In passing….R.I.P. Jenna O’Grady Donley, a young smart and  beautiful woman who was to officially graduate from Sydney university in veterinary science, next week, was killed by an elephant in Malaysia in the last 24 hours.

Hi Monkey… I don’t like “Newest First” either as I’m used to newest comments at the bottom of the page (along with the comment box).

You can change the sort order yourself to oldest first. I tried it but that means that if you have 1,500 comments (like some posts already have), you’ll see the oldest comments on your first page. So, you’d have to navigate to page 15 to see the newest ones.

I decided to use the current “Newest First” sort for myself. It’s more like my email editor, Facebook and Twitter. Though it doesn’t seem natural now, it will in a few days or so.

The excerpt page still exists, but since our comments are now hosted on the Disqus server, the links in our page won’t take you to the comment you’re looking for.

I’ve settled on Disqus because of its Internet-wide acceptance as “the standard”. Once you register with Disqus, you can use it on thousands of blogs that use Disqus, too.

Sorry for all these changes. I dislike change as much as anyone. But since WordPress is not currently supporting comment structure like it once did, I found Disqus to be the best solution.

Here’s something interesting. Hover over anyone’s profile picture and notice the pop-up that lists that person’s posting history. Pretty cool way to find older comments that you’d like to re-read.

You can also link to Facebook and Twitter, too.

There are dozens of other features you’ll slowly uncover like I did. Hope this works out better for all of us over time. Thanks for your question.

Mike S,
I LOVE THE EDIT FEATURE!!!! Woooo-hooo!

You’re not dense! Mike S is working on upgrading the site. There have been a few bugs. While he works on fixing it, he puts the old format back in place, so we can keep blogging. thoughtful, huh? Then he tries uploading the “debugged” version, until he finds a bug in that. He’s certainly being diligent. I’m liking this threaded format!

Why are you confused?

Hang in there Marie! Keep trying!

Not any more, or the government either, but lots of people still
Do. Afraid I lost my naïveté when I got toxed. It’s a very cruel world. Good thing there are still some incredible people in it.

Toxie? LOL, you haven’t seen any unmasked pics of me floating around, have you DFN? Never mind!

I agree with you on the premise that they SHOULD be more careful. But the fact is they are indoctrinated. They have been taught by a chemical industry financed system in a mind controlling manner only rivalled by Stalin, Hitler, and the Taliban. 8 years of intense study and sleep deprivation, followed by internships w/grueling 48 hr rotations!

Yes, the system is broken. That’s part of the reason I do what I do! (Raise awareness) I do think the public needs re-educating. If your older, you grew up before the chemical companies had such a tight grip. Back then your doctor was trusted. He was someone you knew all your life. It’s hard for people to let that go. They still see docs like they see policemen. Trusted authorities. We all want things just a bit easier, that’s why so many people come to this site. They can get good info here, without doing the extensive research. I do think it’s important to question your service providers, but not everybody operates that way. I’m aggressive, most people are passive. They would never think of questioning an authority. That’s another good reason to come to this site… We do. We kick it back and forth, so less combative people can see both sides…

You both have good points!

My problem, Marie and Toxie, is that these people are in a position of power and trust. And many times I’ve heard vets and doctors make food suggestions based on erroneous information, so then you have a person who thinks “well my doctor/vet recommended it…”. Also, you mention their job is to diagnose. Well guess what… they misdiagnose things CONSTANTLY and throw medications at symptoms rather than fix the root cause, which, many times, is diet related. You are what you eat! Nutrition and health care should not be mutually exclusive, they should be indelibly intertwined! And yes, consumers have a responsibility to self educate. But at the same time, industry (medical, food, etc) shouldn’t be so free to take advantage of consumer’s gullibility and/or lack of knowledge.

My vet has been in practice for 25 years or so, and she sells prescription Hills and Royal Canin. Of course, what she has on her shelves seems to be collecting dust – in the 2 years I’ve been going to her, the only Rx food she has recommended was to help my severely underweight kitten get her blood glucose up as a temporary fix. When she complimented me on my other cat’s glossy fur, she got excited when I told her about Blue Wilderness (the food he was on since he was a kitten) and started recommending it to her clients. She is not a holistic vet, but she has talked to me about a diabetic cat that impressed her by doing so well on raw that it no longer needed shots – and now she recommends raw for her diabetic patients (when she deems it appropriate against other health factors). She’s even said she’s glad I tell her about this stuff, because with a large practice and family to run (LOL) she just doesn’t have much time left over for research. Vets are in business to make money, sure, but a lot of them do it because they really do want to help animals, but their training just doesn’t emphasize nutrition, as well as that of other medical professionals. (Except for dentists? )

I’m jumping in and agreeing with Marie here, DFN. Vets are indoctrinated, and many are now getting a clue. It’s difficult for them, because “the machine” keeps churning out more indoctrinated ones and they, like many f you when I get talking, feel over whelmed by the sheer magnitude of what they discover they don’t know. Toxicology is after all, another 8 year degree, as is a clinical nutritionist… So they practice what they know and they are on call. Nt much tie for research… The system rather overwhelms them. Which is why I work with a conventional vet and just keep educating him. He has an open mind, and if I give him relevent and reliable arterial, he’ll act on it.

I chose my doctor and pharmacists the same way. I no longer take pharmaceuticals, but I need compounded nutrients.

Doctors aren’t popping anything down anyone’s throats. People demand an easy quick fix, so doctors just give it. I’ve worked in retail pharmacy for several tears, I’ve seen this lack of desire to be proactive (from a patient standpoint) and pharmaceutical companies just market to that.

There is no excuse for patient or client ignorance in that matter, and I agree that vets and doctors alike SHOULD learn more about nutrition. But that is NOT what they are trained in, and that’s not why I go to a doctor or veterinarian. I go because I need a diagnosis, or treatment that I cannot legally purchase without a physician’s (or vet’s) consent. I don’t demand expertise in oncology out of an endocrinologist, and I don’t expect my vet, trained in treating (allopathically, mind you) several species to be an expert in nutrition of any one animal. That’s not what western medicine focuses on, unfortunately.

Look, vets aren’t retarded – they’re practitioners of allopathic medicine – just on animals. They receive scientific training in their studies, and while I 100% agree that Hill’s OTC Science Diet food SUCKS, their prescription foods they actually test and a scientifically-minded professional like a vet appreciates that. Whether or not it’s funded by Hill’s isn’t too relevant given that pharmaceutical companies MUST fund and preform their own testing if they want to claim their product can treat a specific condition. So I guess this implication is that Hill’s lies in all their studies on their food? Doctors don’t know much about nutrition either. That’s why you usually get referred to a nutritionist for specific dietary needs.

The mark-up on pet food in the average vet practice isn’t exactly them making money hand over fist – it’s usually vaccines and other procedures that make them money. Not that there is anything wrong with that – a vet practice is a business, and if the vet recommends a *prescription* food in good faith to my animal for it’s well-being, I’m not going to flip out and change vets or think s/he doesn’t ‘know any better’.

That being said, I do agree that vets (like doctors) do NOT know much about nutrition. But they don’t base their food recommendations on what we call ‘common sense’, they base it on data.

I’m not trying to defend Hill’s here, just trying to illustrate where most vets are coming from.

Lynne,& Marie,

Vets pushing this food is probably just like doctors pushing certain meds. It is not solely bcs of the empirical test data but also bcs of the sales rep effort to have the vet endorse it. If you know it’s bad, if the reviews here are bad then no matter what test results you have, it is still bad.
It’s like saying marlboro ultra lights are better than reds, they’re both bad, no matter how less of which ingredient is in it

Well, what I meant was that they formulate these foods (with said awful ingredients) and then test them to see if they would work for certain conditions. Even if the animal’s condition improves just marginally, it’s considered a success and they write up how they did the trial, a vet reads it, deems it scientifically sound, and prescribes it.

Vets “push” this food because, unlike many other foods, Hill’s does actual studies and testing on their foods – and to a scientifically trained professional like a veterinarian, that’s very very important. It’s like a doctor prescribing a non-tested drug…they won’t do it. And they don’t want you taking it.

I am not trying to defend Hill’s – their food, ingredient-wise, is terrible – but they do have at least that to their credit. *shrug*

Hey Mike – Sorry to add to your backlogged To Do List, but could you review Hill’s Ideal Balance line? To this (rather untrained) eye, the ingredients looks a slight bit improved upon the traditional SD foods (no by-products or brewers rice, etc.). Maybe the SD version of Purina’s One Beyond?

Could you pleased review Hill’s Science Diet Healthy Advantage.

Mike- Wondering if you could review the Hill’s perscription T/D its for dental.
Thanks