Vet recommended against "Natural" foods....

[The Food Group]

We took Wendell for his vet check-up right after we got him. Our vet asked what he was eating and I told him that he breeder had been feeding Wendell  Purina Puppy Chow but that I wanted to change ASAP to a high quality food. He responded by saying that "Purina isn't the worst out there..." and that he recommends waiting until after the puppy is a year old to start him on a "natural/ grain-free" food because he has seen so many "loop holes" in them. He recommended Royal Canin. 

I switched Wendell to Kirkland super premium puppy food (chicken and rice) because I read good things about it, but would ideally like to have him on Merrick (GMO free is hugely important to us) or Orijen.

I know (much like medical doctors) that vets are not well educated in nutrition, but didn't know if anyone else had heard of the "loop hole" excuse. 

Thoughts?

Thanks!

[Kathy]

Im sure  you will hear from karen &jackdoodle,,,she will be against  all that food as i think she is right!If Im not mistaken the kikland  brand has had recalls!do you know whats really in in! I just switched mine Fom lifes Abundance,,(breeders recommend to feed them that) i went thru hell with both dogs vomiting 2 to 3 times a week like clock work!!There on Acana!Wild Prarie Grain free,,2 weeks and NOT once have they vomited!!!Im doing the happy dance!LOL Good luck!     Kathy

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Vets are not only not well educated in nutrition (they get their education from the companies)  they also get a kick back from them through sales.  I'd bet my bottom dollar your vet also sells Royal Canin. LOL

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Veterinarians receive no nutritional training in vet school, and all that they do know about dog food is provided to them by salespeople from Hill's, Purina, and Mars (makers of Royal Canin). It is not a coincidence that these are the same products that vets sell in their offices for profit.

The "loophole" story comes directly from the dog food salesmen. It's part of their pitch. They tell the vets that only their foods are nutritionally complete, balanced etc. and the vets believe them.

In fact, any food that has the AAFCO approved label is nutitionally complete and contains all of the vitamins, minerals and nutrients needed for whatever life stage the food is labeled for, according to the very same veterinary guidelines that Hills, Purina, and Mars use. 

I've said this many many times before and I will say it again. Your vet is not a nutritionist. He wasn't trained to be one. His education is in medicine, not diet and nutrition. Those are two different fields of study. That's why there is a veterinary nutrition specialty degree that requires extra years of vet school. This is no different from your doctor. The only difference is that our human doctors don't recommend foods. They may say something like "Cut out saturated fats in your diet", or "Try to eat more vegetables and fruit" or "You need to take a calcium supplement" or even, "Get plenty of fluids, drink juice, eat chicken soup" but they never tell you what brand of juice or chicken soup to buy. A baby's pediatrician will tell the mom to start the baby on rice cereal or apple juice, but they don't tell her what brand of cereal or juice to buy, and they sure don't sell it to her. And when a human doctor has a patient who does have a diet or food related illness, like diabetes, they refer that patient to a dietician, don't they? 

The point is, as shocking as it may seem, your vet is not the person to ask about food, diet, and especially brands of food. 

Listen to you vet's advice about what he knows, which is veterinary medicine. Ignore his advice about food. 

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Why do you think your vet asked what food you were feeding? I ask this because it seems to be a question thrown into a consult even when there is no reason to ask it. If your dog is very over or under weight I can understand asking how much you are feeding or perhaps if there are other medical conditions. Even when I go to my doctor with a tummy disorder he never asks me what I eat unless of course it's food poisoning. If I am overweight he may tell me to cut back.   I truly believe this to be a subtle sales pitch. The one time I was asked I returned with the question, 'why do you ask? Is there a problem'? the answer was 'no' and we left it at that. I have never been asked since.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Excellent point, Nicky. 

[Jen W]

Don't settle for "not the worst out there".  You and your pup deserve better than that!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Amen. Although Purina Puppy Chow is pretty close to the worst out there. Really terrible ingredients. 

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

I agree Jen, I wouldn't go near anything that is rated "not the worst out there" when it comes to my dogs food or anything. More like "That's about the best out there" and even then I'd want to know what "the best out there" was. Geez.

[Sally S Miles]

The way I look at it = you can feed your kids on McD's or similar and give 'em a GummyVite for the supplements, it meets requirements, but I doubt it would be satisfactory in the long run.