Are Our Dogs Dying Younger Than They Used To?

Dog Food Advisor Forums Diet and Health Are Our Dogs Dying Younger Than They Used To?

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  • #91307 Report Abuse
    anonymous
    Member

    http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2016/11/are-our-dogs-dying-younger-than-they-used-to/

    “One of the most popular ways to promote unconventional ideas, including alternative therapies, is through fear. Claiming that health, longevity, and other measures of well-being have declined from some time in the past opens the door to claims that science-based healthcare is ineffective and that we should return to some past practice or adopt something radically different. Dr. Karen Becker, a popular promoter of veterinary pseudoscience, recently made just this sort of argument, claiming that dogs are not living as long as they used to and then implying that this can be blamed  on commercial pet food and “toxins,” by which her past writing indicates she means vaccines, parasite prevention products, and pretty much any conventional medical treatment”.
    (click on link above for complete article and comments)

    #91320 Report Abuse
    Susan
    Participant

    Hi, yes Dogs & Cats are dying younger & getting cancer more now then back in the 60’s 70’s & 80’s, our pets were being feed more home cooked meals & less kibble, they weren’t being vaccinated as much, we didn’t have all these toxic flea products, come on, read the instructions to a Flea Spot treatment, it says “Wear Gloves when applying” so imagine what the flea spot on does to our poor pets skin 🙁

    Our pets did live longer years ago…Now more & more dogs & cats are dying from cancer &
    other diseases….

    Have a look at Maggie the oldest dog in the world, she died this year at the age of 30, yes 30yrs old, Maggie lived on a dairy farm here in Victoria Australia, she drank 1 fresh glass of milk straight from the cow 6am every morning till the day she died, she was not feed any dry kibbles, she was feed table scraps, raw & sometimes ate the placentas when the baby calves were born & also ate a dead calves that were born dead…Maggie ran 20-30km a day, about 15km of a morning rounding up the cows & 15km of an afternoon bringing the cows back home, Maggie was only vaccinated when she was a pup & that was that no more vaccinations…

    It was all these big kibble companies that put the fear into people, telling them “Do not
    feed cooked foods to your dogs, back in the 90’s these big kibble companies started saying home cooked meals & table scraps can kill our pets, they have done studies & proven dogs feed a few veggies & fresh meat added to their kibble 3 times a week reduces their risk of getting cancer..

    Rodney Habib & Dr Karen Becker have an up hill struggle trying to educate the world that dry foods (kibble) aren’t as great as they say they are…Image if us humans just ate dry biscuits 24/7 our whole lives, I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t live as long as the person who ate freshly made meats & veggies…
    Also we do not need to over vaccinate our dogs & cats we don’t get vaccinated every 1-3 years so why are vets vaccinating our pets?? there’s no need, Dr Ronald Schultz studied every major vaccine in over a thousand dogs and every study he delivered the same conclusion, every time vaccines for diseases like distemper, and canine parvovirus, once administered to adults animals provide lifetime immunity.
    There’s is no need to vaccinate every year, if your worried then do tilters instead, it’s a simple blood test done in the vets clinic…
    http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/titers-avoiding-over-vaccination-in-dogs/
    your pets will be fine…

    Here’s Maggies Story, the interview with Maggies dad, just put your name & email then click sign up, then sit back, it’s a beautiful video Rodney has put together after Maggie passed away this year. there’s also a follow up video underneath Maggies video, Rodney
    talking about what contributed to Maggie living so long, 30yrs old.
    http://www.planetpaws.ca/

    #91322 Report Abuse
    pitlove
    Participant

    Great article! Thanks for posting.

    I think our pets are far better off now a days than they were years ago. Even my teacher was talking about how a lot of pets had to get euthanized when she first got out of vet school 30+ years ago because they didn’t have the ability to treat the issues going on with the pet. Can’t imagine how bad our beloved pets had it long before that time.

    #93294 Report Abuse
    goldenstar
    Member

    I defenatly do not agree with the bashing of another vet. That’s right Dr Becker is just promoting this information to …what just lie because she likes the publicity?
    I lost my Golden Retriever to Cancer right after her 9th birthday. Maybe it is just one dog and there is no scientific data available that shows definite proof that dogs are not living as long. But my dog died way before her time. I don’t really care about proof. And I am cherry picking.
    Fear? Yea I was terrified when I found out that the growths on my dog that 2 different vets said they were nothing to worry about just let it grow big…nothing to worry about……was really a soft tissue sarcoma that consumed her body and she lost the function of her hind end and got really sick.
    I just want dogs to live long and healthy lives. Maybe vets could learn from each other if they stopped bashing.
    Instead of dismissing that dogs may not live as long, maybe ask is this really true and can we work together and find out why.

    • This reply was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by goldenstar.
    • This reply was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by goldenstar.
    #93298 Report Abuse
    Susan
    Participant

    “Psycho Vet” (Skept Vet) I checked out his Face book page about 1 month ago, he only has 1205 people following him, so that tells me not many people believe in or agree with him…..he’s 1 unhappy negative person, I posted on his F/B page he should be helping animals not bagging people that give their lives & time to teach us so we can learn & help our pets, he removed my post….

    #93299 Report Abuse
    goldenstar
    Member

    This topic is a sore spot for me having lost my Golden last February. I do believe in science and my traditional Vet. I respect the Vets that misdiagnosed my dog’s cancer. This type of cancer can be appear like a fatty tumor. We even did a needle aspiration. I know now that a biopsy should have been done sooner. But I trusted their guidence. It really was already too late. At best if we knew sooner, it would have given her a little more time
    The skeptvet is a very intelligent person who is very passionate and devotes time to help pets. I just wish that that passion would not be so angry and negative. I know people have their reasons to not trust any healer that is not traditional. I choose to believe in all healing.
    Something is happening and dogs do seem to have shorter lives. I do believe there is a study going on now with Golden’s on this subject.
    I came to Dog Food Advisor as one source to learn how to provide the best that I can for my new Golden. I think a lot of people do this with minds open and really want help. Then I see the link to the Skeptvet in the topic. I see it all over this forum. In so many topics. It seems more like a form of advertising. I am wondering if this person posting the skeptvet link is the skeptvet. When someone else recommends a company or product over and over in this forum, people have asked if they have a vested interest in that company. I am wondering the same.
    It is knowledge, but it not the only answer. I hope new people coming here know this. The skeptvet can be so intimidating and harsh.
    I wish that there was not this division between holistic and traditional medicine.

    #93300 Report Abuse
    anonymous
    Member

    “I am wondering if this person posting the skeptvet link is the skeptvet. When someone else recommends a company or product over and over in this forum, people have asked if they have a vested interest in that company. I am wondering the same”.

    That’s ridiculous. One could say the same about the posters that post the same diatribe over and over again against science based veterinary medicine and promote homeopathic cures, raw diets, etc. Advising pet owners to disregard what their veterinarians tell them is best.

    I am sorry for the loss of your dog, if it was hemangiosarcoma, it’s a very aggressive form of cancer common in certain breeds. Often there are no symptoms until it is too late. I went through this with a corgi. It tends to strike between 8 and 10 years of age.

    Annual checkups along with the recommended blood work might help to catch it early, even then, the treatment options are limited.

    I blame the puppy mills and backyard breeders that continue to breed dogs regardless of hereditary genetic disorders.

    • This reply was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by anonymous.
    #93310 Report Abuse
    goldenstar
    Member

    Well, I had to ask. I had been curious.
    “That’s ridiculous. One could say the same about the posters that post the same diatribe over and over again against science based veterinary medicine and promote homeopathic cures, raw diets, etc. Advising pet owners to disregard what their veterinarians tell them is best.”
    I have to admit….That kind of sounds like something the skeptvet would say.
    I am not against science based information. I am just not crazy about the skeptvet.
    You have some great advice and that is appreciated. You and I will probably never agree on some things.
    I would not tell people to disregard their vet’s advice. Do people here actually do that?
    And the blood work is a very good idea, I do plan on doing that.
    I am very sorry about your Corgi.
    My dog had soft tissue sarcoma. It started out as a small growth on her leg. About a year and a half later. I had to let her go.
    Yes breeding is a factor. But environmental toxins and diet has to be in the mix. I mean… Look how it affects humans.

    #93321 Report Abuse
    anonymous
    Member

    “I have to admit….That kind of sounds like something the skeptvet would say”.
    Thanks! I’ll take that as a compliment. Although, I can’t hold a candle to someone that articulate and knowledgeable, lol
    I have learned a lot from SkeptVet, and nothing is being sold there, no books, no supplements, no t-shirts, no membership fees…nothing. Unlike many of the homeopathic sites I have visited.
    I find his blogs helpful. To each his own. And regarding a prior comment, “The skeptvet can be so intimidating and harsh”. Sometimes, the truth hurts.

    #93326 Report Abuse
    goldenstar
    Member

    “Sometimes the truth hurts” No…..
    See the thing is, I don’t see what the skeptvet says as always truth. But it is always a way to show that he is right.
    That last article for example, just looks like he hates Dr Becker and shows the basis of his reasons.
    Saying that Dr Becker is trying to scare people about dogs not living as long …well I can’t reason that one out. The data, the graphs all point to that he dislikes her and here’s why.
    They both seem like very smart and passionate people trying to help pets. Why does their have to be such a divide between holistic and traditional vets. Seems to be 2 separate camps that can’t come together.
    I wish they could so pets can bennifit.

    #93328 Report Abuse
    anonymous
    Member

    Because, it is clear to most medical professionals that a lot of the things some homeopathic vets recommend clearly have potential to harm animals.
    We’ll just have to agree to disagree.
    Peace.

    #93329 Report Abuse
    goldenstar
    Member

    “We’ll just have to agree to disagree.
    Peace.”
    Yes…..😊

    #93373 Report Abuse
    Acroyali
    Member

    “Because, it is clear to most medical professionals that a lot of the things some homeopathic vets recommend clearly have potential to harm animals.”

    Ah, but there are indeed two sides to this coin.
    Some things that conventional veterinarians recommend can harm animals, too. Monthly steroid shots, yearly vaccines, and poor food can have their downfalls. Ignoring the fact that quacks are quacks no matter HOW they practice is ignorant.
    I had a very sick dog. After 4 grand spent at a local animal hospital, my dog was no better. I started exploring other treatment methods, as it was getting ridiculously expensive and, more importantly, my dog was not getting better. A very pragmatic holistic vet worked with me. He recommended medication (not “holistic” medication, but “medication”) to get my poor dog some relief…WHILE we worked on what was causing the problems in the first place. For my other dog, he strongly recommended heart medications–3 separate kinds–but we devised a few other things in the form of supplements that seemed to add length and vigor to his life. He outlived everyone’s expectations.
    There is no magic treatment that fits every animal. THAT is what holistic medicine should be all about–sizing up the patient. It really has little to nothing to do with scorning the usage of life-saving drugs. Take into account a dog or cats over all health, diet, activity level, exercise tolerance, age, past health problems, right down to their emotional state (are they high strung and anxious, or easy going?) That’s the kind of practice I respect. Any vet who completely ignores the patient’s progress and only pumps more medications into them is wrong, as is the holistic vet who scorns the use of ANY medication and lets an animal suffer in the name of “holistic healing.” The two ways CAN work together, and work very well.
    I recently read of a homeopath who “fired” a client because her dog became very ill, spiking a fever in the middle of the night, so the dog was rushed to the ER and placed on antibiotics. Because of placing the dog on these life saving medications, the homeopath fired the client, stating that she refused to work with someone who wasn’t holistically minded. Absolutely RIDICULOUS and I would have fired the homeopath because he or she could have fired me.
    Quacks and quacks. They’re not limited to one form of practice. And it completely sucks that there are so many holistic vets (and doctors) who feel antibiotics are bad when your pet spikes a 105 degree fever and scorn the use of life-saving drugs in an elderly pet to give them more time, and better quality of life. And it completely sucks that there are many allopathic and conventional vets who roll their eyes the minute someone mentions a supplement or herb that seemed to help their animal. I refuse to patronize either kind.
    Just my opinion.

    #93375 Report Abuse
    goldenstar
    Member

    Thank you… This is more of what I was trying to get across.
    It is not just one way or the other.
    But for the article of this forum thread. Dogs are not dying at an earlier age and this particular pseudo science vet is wrong and here is why. It is very convincing, very intellectual, very scientific.
    But……dogs do seem to be dying younger than they used to.
    I just want our loving pet family members to live a long and healthy life and that should be the goal of every type of vet.

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