Are we really feeding Fido what they need?
New Age Health has become a very popular movement among society. There are various therapies and supplements available that come with varying degrees of sound scientific evidence, benefits demonstrated with centuries of use, or potential benefit based on theory. This movement has penetrated the pet food industry and it is important to realize clever marketing can often cloud judgment with respect to true nutritional principles. Well-meaning pet owners often consult pet store personnel regarding nutritional recommendations that often conflict drastically with recommendations given by veterinarians. Pet store food recommendations often reflect fancy marketing and “facts” provided to employees by sales representatives. They often do not tend to have the unbiased education veterinary staff do in order to be able to differentiate between fact and fiction.
Veterinary clinics can stock any food they wish to but they only recommend food that has been through rigorous feeding trials above and beyond basic AAFCO feeding trials to ensure adequate body weight is maintained, proper urine pH is attained for optimum urinary tract, ingredients are highly digestible for gastrointestinal health, and most also have dental and skin and coat benefits.
Most foods sold at pet food stores do not undergo even the very basic AAFCO feeding trials because it is expensive. They are only formulated according to a recipe and fed to your pet… essentially; your pet is now the “test subject”.
Food purchased at a veterinary clinic is very comparable to or less in cost than those sold in pet food stores.
Because it is of the highest quality, you can feed less which also costs less. Our foods are also 100% guaranteed!
Words such as “natural”, “holistic” have no true nutritional meaning. They are merely marketing buzzwords.
“By-products” – are not necessarily a bad thing. Mixed tocopherols (such as vit E) are by-products of the soybean industry; pork/chicken/beef livers contain excellent nutrients and are internal organs of animals used for human consumption; flax seed oil is also a by-product with many documented health benefits
Contrary to some popular television commercials out today, corn that is COOKED is an EXCELLENT nutrient source. It provides carbohydrates and protein, essential fatty acids, Beta-carotene, Vit E and lutein. It is no more likely to cause food allergies than any other grain and is not a common source of allergies in pets.
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