Shasta,
I wish I had an answer, but I just want to comment so I can see if anyone else does, as I am in a similar situation.
Our (my fiance and I’s) roommate calls himself a “dog whisperer” and believes that he knows all there is to know about dog behavior and health. He advises his friends with dogs to shy away from foods containing by-products, which is great, but THIS is where his knowledge of good and bad dog foods ends! He has been feeding his hound mix Hill’s Science Diet all her life, she is going on 4 years now, and I am seeing some signs of cow hocking in her hind feet. I have been burning to shove this website in his face and give him solid facts on why what he feeds his dog is bad, but he is the type of know-it-all that would not even look at it, even if I tie him to a chair with this website on. He is just convinced that he is feeding his dog the best food out there. At least he has switched her between the lamb and chicken flavors a couple times, for protein’s sake… But still… It’s the Science Diet crap…
So, long story short, I don’t even know if a food switch would help his dog’s legs at this point, but I would be curious if anyone knows how to subtly tell a person that they don’t in fact know it all and that they should research what they feed their baby… Although I can see how it can be a VERY touchy matter (i.e. “don’t tell me how to care for my dog, you’ve only had yours for 6 months and I have had dogs all my life” – which he has said to me once before).
Side note – even his vet recommends this site, and brands other than the Science Diet (I saw his dog’s annual check-up sheet, which thankfully, she seems in good overall health so far), but he still wouldn’t look into another food. He can TOTALLY afford top notch brands too.
