I have honestly tried......

[Gail and Bailey]

Today I was at a birthday party for my friend's dog ......only her dog and my dog and six people were there.

My friend knows I am very picky about what Bailey can have to eat. So... her husband asked me before giving treats to the dogs.  They are just chicken strips (he says)...May I see the bag (I asked).  Of course it said..."MADE IN CHINA" !   I politely said that Bailey could not have one because they are made in China.  Shoulders were shrugged and the bag was put back in the pantry (there may have been an "eye roll") and I was asked what she could have.  I pulled out some treats I had brought and gave them to both dogs.  It makes me sad that even after I have nicely tried to inform my friend about the food issues facing dogs these days.....their dog gets Beneful,  milk bones,  and treats from China!   At least the dog just turned 6 and seems healthy....although always hungry and begging for food.   This is not the only friend (with a dog) that ignores the information I try so nicely to put forth.  The other dog that Bailey plays with is fed Iams and all kinds of yucky treats.  I feel like I am talking to brick walls!!  

[Nadia]

Totally agree :)

[Gail and Bailey]

So we will all keep up the good fight and keep trying!

Thanks to everyone for your comments.  :>)

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I find that I have to hold myself back from getting 'preachy' as opposed to informative - and it is really hard.  My dh usually tries to give me a nudge in the ribs to remind me to shut up.  You can only mention it so many times before  others just write you off as a nut. When I get the old "My dog growing up...." stuff, I simply try to remind them, like Karen says, that their tried and true brands were made differently and without "help" from China's lack of quality control.

[Gayle & Hunter]

Oh my gosh I can so relate too what you are going through it is like talking to deaf ears. All you can do is try, I am exactly like you, I could be worse...lol. I cook everything for Hunter even his treats, sometimes I think people think I am being so picky about what Hunter eats and almost snobbish but I'm not I just want him to have the best chance for a healthy life...JMHO. I know what works for me doesn't necessarily work for others but we had a terrible thing happen to our little girl Abby who was a beautiful black lab, she was part of a recalled dog food and developed liver damage at age 7, we were blessed to be able to have her until she was 10 but she truly was never the same. We lost her in Oct of 2013 and it was devastating so for us never again would I feed any kind of kibble....but like I said that is just me.

[Gail and Bailey]

So sorry you lost your little Abby!  Hunter is a lucky boy to have a mom who cooks for him!!

[Gayle & Hunter]

Thanks I do enjoy it.

[Moe]

My SIL got a dog and is feeding it Beneful. The dog has some health problems and smells really bad. I told them that Beneful isn't the best food and they might want to consider a higher quality food. She brought the dog to the vet that week and the vet told her that Beneful was fine. Really??? This is a vet that tons of people in our area use. I never brought it up again.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It's been well documented that there is no nutrition curriculum in vet school. What most vets do know about dog food comes directly from the sales reps for Purina & Science Diet, and their parent companies. Beneful is a Purina product.

Your vet is an expert in medicine, not nutrition. Just like your doctor. The difference is that our doctors don't sell us food or recommend brands. The pediatrician may tell us that it's time to start the baby on rice cereal, but he doesn't sell us a box of Gerber. 

Most of us have learned the hard way not to take advice on pet food from vets. 

[Lynda Kamrath]

Best you don't bring it up.  She believes the vet and that is what she wanted to hear.  Leave it at that.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Why is it ethical for vets to sell dog food? I have never understood the practice that allows vets to conduct their business along lines which would never be tolerated in the field of human medicine. BTW  I love Karen's word 'Crapinacan' which is what our childhood dogs got and did just fine with Lol  My boys only get what I give or allow and I don't give many treats or chews at all, they play with balls and toys and each other and get along just fine. I did convert my ex who feeds all of his pets (2 cats and 2 dogs ) with Orijen so I am happy about that. My vet never asks about food but there was a locum last time who f asked what I was feeding, when I said Orijen she mumbled that it was a good food and never mentioned it again though I was reading her mind and she was thinking 'what can I up-sell to this woman'. The shelves in the waiting room are full of science diet.  It's when I see little old ladies coming in and buying this very expensive stuff with their meagre pension money that I feel faintly ill.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It's definitely a conflict of interest for vets to sell food; it's also a conflict of interest for them to sell drugs. The latter issue is one that has been under debate for a long time, with battles raging between pharmacies, vets, professional associations for each, etc. http://pharmaceuticalcommerce.com/brand_communications?articleid=26854

In the meantime, many pet owners don't realize that the vet makes as much profit from the sale of food and drugs as the retail businesses do, or that they can ask the vet to call in a prescription to the local pharmacy, where it is almost always cheaper. Or that should they choose to follow the vet's recommendations and purchase the crappy Rx food, they can also ask for a prescription so that they can order it on-line. 

One wonders if the Rx food recommendations would wane if the vets made no profit from their sales.