Health Nutrition Vitamin

Ty B says:

The ‘how’ is great marketing. Think about it, the majority of vets (who are generally considered well versed on dog health) typically recommend the WORST food for dogs. Why? Are they stupid or naive? Not really. They just have succumbed to great marketing and salespeople.

pink_dancer912 says:

that is just wrong. that poor poodle can just get worse from it’s condition. there isn’t much you can do but if you think there’s a serious problem you can call the ASPCA or something like that to have someone check up on you’re parent’s dog. if they are ignoring the dog’s liver problems that could be animal neglect.

Crystal says:

As the old saying goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. Take them to and show them how your choice of food is rated and their choice. Maybe seeing it in writing might convince them. If they won’t see the light, don’t stress too much over it - there was a time when only inferior corn based dog foods were sold and when better foods became available, Eukanuba was seen as a premium food (only gets a 2 star rating now).

It’s really sad when people are told by those they trust (vets) that Iams and Science Diet are quality foods. I have seen many conditions improve and disappear with a change in diet. You don’t go into detail with your dog’s allergy symptoms, but I solved one itchy dog by switching to a grainless, Taste of the Wild Canine Wetland formula (she was already on a novel protein food free of wheat, soy, corn, etc. - common allergens) and ear infections and itchy skin improved immediately and disappeared entirely within 3 weeks.

Link to beneful formulas:.
php?cat=all&stype=1&si=beneful

Link to California Natural

Bryndel says:

Fortunately(??) an off-kilter diet usually takes a while to kill an animal. It’s not poison, after all, just basic lacks leading to diseases people (even vets, who should know better) don’t generally think of as influenced or caused by food. Dogs can survive on table scraps and garbage, at least for a while, but that doesn’t mean they’re *healthy.*

So-called designer “poo”-anything dogs always give me the shivers. As overpopular “breeds” go they’re a serious pet peeve of mine. There are a very rare few breeders out there who almost might persuade me otherwise, but far too many people simply see it as a way to make a quick buck and delude themselves that simply crossing to a random untested member of a different breed will somehow guarantee you a solid, healthy, breeding-worthy dog. Like any mutt, many of the individual dogs can be great, but the genetics are a seriously suspect Russian roulette, and some dogs and owners badly lose the gamble.
If you’re flexible on exactly the kind of dog who’ll fit into your house and not fussed about consistency or predictability through breeding, you can always find all sorts of unique poodle crosses (and purebreds, and other sorts ) without spending a fortune on an animal who’s just going to cost you an additional fortune in vet bills down the road… Particularly if you then skimp on your nutritional research, too. Ouch.

Nonetheless, this dog’s luckier than many… 5 million or so cats and dogs annually in the US, I think the statistics are? Take that into consideration and figure that at least she has the bare necessities of life (even if it’s sadly shortened, however preventably) and a roof over her head. A few generations ago people still thought it was silly to bring a *dog* inside at all.
And kudos to you for being better informed and more caring than the last generation. If it’s any consolation, my parents and grandparents both still drive me nuts with their irresponsible, ignorant fingers-in-ears attitudes toward dogs–although after many years I’ve managed to bring them around to a more acceptable level, with inside dogs adopted from rescue instead of overpriced newspaper ad-bought “wolf hybrids.” So even the most ignorant and foolish can eventually be brought around to sanity, with love and persistence