As a vet student...dog food companies

[HeartSong]

I get free dog food, quite a bit even. However, it is all Science Diet, Iams, Purina. Blah, I want to yell at those companies and have them explain to us why they don't put quality ingredients in their food. They claim it's about the nutrients and not the ingredients. Hmmm, and why can't it be about both? I think it's really about money simple as that. Why waste good quality stuff and put it in dog food, just feed them junk instead. I try to talk to by fellow classmates but they don't really seem to care that much about it.

But we are bombarded by these pet food companies. They give us all this free food, and big discounts if we want more, we can work for them (which is one of the few jobs we can have during vet school), they have bought us notebooks, doughnuts, other breakfasts, books, etc. No wonder vets recommend them.

[sheplovr]

They do NOT put QUALITY into their food, especially Purina and Iams and Eukanuba. Science Diet is a total disaster waiting to happen. I have given the top foods many times and the bad and these top the bad list among others. Stay away from the junk u pay top bucks for also. Junk dead dogs, cats, road kills, feathers, etc.
Keep within the top list of good if any are but RAW.

[pomlover80]

What food do you guys suggest cause actually i was just researching this today....mainly because of the animal testing video i saw today of iams facility. But I am just overwhelmed when it comes to trying to compare it all....between holostic, and natural and raw and commercial and what to look for and what people say...i have no idea what to feed my pom now. I just want a good quality food for him that is available and easy to feed that doesn't hurt other animals to make it. I also am not sure what to feed for his special needs as a small breed...i just started him on eukanuba's new small breed food but now that i read and saw about the cruelty they do with animal testing i am looking for something else....any suggestions?

[*chihuahuagirl*]

I have feed science diet forever, and has had no problem with it. But i dont agree its the best. I want to feed my dogs royal canin, Cuz all the dog and cat food we buy, we get it at a lower price, not at costumer price, cuz my mom works at the vet.

[Dax]

Thanks for posting this Heartsong. I suspected the the dog food industry was active with vet students. It's too bad they don't realize that people will pay more for their pets. If they were smart they'd make a high end food.

[Country-Side Br]

The dog food industry is a very high profit making industry, as we can all assume. There isn't a need to add high quality products to their foods. The advertising that they do makes up for it. I agree, Iams and Euk. (owned now by Procter and Gamble) is basically the same food, just different lableing and pricing. I worked for P & G and know how they operate. They compete against themselves constantly...Pampers vs. Luvs, Tide vs. Cheer/Era/Gain, etc. Take a look at most of the shampoos on the market...made by P&G, yet with the same ingredients...Pantene for example...every variety of it...the EXACT same ingredients!!
But, onto the topic at hand....because corn and grains are so readily found (as are the meat by-products), they can make food cheap and people will buy it. Therefore, there isn't a need (in their eyes) to use high quality ingredients. I use Canidae for all my dogs, working, pregnant, puppies etc. The ingredients are very high quality, human-grade feed. The first 3 of 5 ingredients are meat meals, not whole meats or by-products. It doesn't have any fillers...corn, soy, wheat, grain fractions, etc., in it. It has balanced Omega 6 and 3 fatty acids as well as digestive enzymes, probiotics and guaranteed enzyme activity. I've fed the other top feeds before, and I've noticed a BIG differnece in the dogs after I changed over to Canidae. The biggest difference is that they have less frequent stools...what they eat, stays with them and is utilized.

[Dobified]

Originally Posted by HeartSong

Blah, I want to yell at those companies and have them explain to us why they don't put quality ingredients in their food. They claim it's about the nutrients and not the ingredients. Hmmm, and why can't it be about both? I think it's really about money simple as that.

But we are bombarded by these pet food companies. They give us all this free food, and big discounts if we want more, we can work for them (which is one of the few jobs we can have during vet school), they have bought us notebooks, doughnuts, other breakfasts, books, etc. No wonder vets recommend them.

Thank you for saying this. It brings the truth out.

You will make a fine vet , especially since you are going in with your eyes wide open.