[Laura B]

I’m a dog trainer and a client of mine has now been told by 2 different vets that what he feeds his dog doesn’t matter. That Purina or Alpo are just as good as any other food. I don’t believe it but am having trouble finding objective information to the contrary. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

[anonymously]

I find this site helpful. http://skeptvet.com/Blog/category/nutrition/
“A Vet Takes a Skeptical & Science-Based Look at Veterinary Medicine”

[Susan]

Hi have a look at the ingredients in Alpo in the Reviews….then have the look at ingredients in a few good 5 star kibbles & print their review out & show him all the ingredients marked in red in the Alpo kibble…..I just had a look at the Alpo & there’s more fat then protein & 60% carbs….also tell him to change vets if they said that Purina & Alpo is good….

[Jenna K]

I took my youngest dog (6 months) to a clinic when I first got him and I asked the vet about keeping him on the same grain free diet as my 3 year old dog (he has been eating Fromm since he was a pup). The vet said the same thing, that as long as it works for the specific dog, it’s fine. It’s kind of frustrating because it doesn’t make any sense that the cheap food that’s full of fillers would be as good as the grain free recipe. It does make sense that each dog won’t have the same needs or reaction.

[anonymously]

Also, I recommend Linda Case’s book “Dog Food Logic”. She has great credentials, wide knowledge, and is not affiliated in any way with any pet food company.

[Josh H]

Vets will never admit it, but I think they get a lot of support from the big dog food companies (i.e. money, free samples to give to customers, etc). I really like my vet, but he recommended Science Diet because of the “science” behind it, but he said at the end of the day give my puppy what he likes because it doesn’t really matter. How can dog food with bad ingredients be the same as dog food with great ingredients? I do not understand that logic at all.

When it really comes down to it, all dog food is processed (unless your dog is on a raw diet), but if you look at a lot of the big name brands of dog food it is basically just processed crap. There are arguments on both sides, but I 100% believe that if you give your dog premium dog food with good ingredients, that they will be healthier and happier.

[anonymously]

Because, many health disorders are genetic. We all know people that eat at McDonalds every day, smoke and drink alcohol, and yet they live till age 90.
Others run every day, are on a healthy diet, stay fit, abstain from bad habits and drop dead before age 50.
No guarantees. Of course it makes sense to go with a quality food within one’s budget…but that doesn’t prevent bad stuff from happening.

PS: Regarding “Tasty dog food for a very fussy dog” just put a spoonful of homemade chicken broth (boiled chicken with nothing added) on the kibble, defatted, debone the chicken and serve later but discard most of it because of the tiny bones. You can freeze servings in individual baggies.

[Josh H]

True, but with a healthy diet you can still prevent a lot.

[anonymously]

Not always. Genetics play a greater role. The best predictor would be to look at the parents.
However, regarding dogs, it is not always possible to get accurate information.

For example, cancer and allergies often have strong genetic links among specific breeds.

[Acroyali]

IME, nutrition is a single finger of a hand. Alone it does very little, but when combined with the “other fingers” (genetics, exercise, toxic load status, etc) it all comes together as a functioning thing.
I firmly believe nutrition plays a large role in the health of any living thing. I feed raw, I’ve fed raw for decades but I still find myself getting extremely irritated when I read people claiming that a raw diet is guaranteed to “prevent” cancer or any disease known to the canine species. It’s bullcrap, I and many others have had raw fed, naturally reared dogs out of raw fed, naturally reared parents that die of a genetic disease (or, a disease with a strong genetic link) at a young age. I simply think, anymore, that diet can bring any living thing up to it’s genetic potential, and that’s the best that we, as owners, can strive for. I do feel the vet is wrong, though, and would encourage your client to feed her dog a so-so food for a month or two, then switch to a good diet for a month or two and see what differences (however subtle) are noticed.

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