Pets
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Re: Changing dog food
And River gave her reasons as to why she is so enthusiastic about people switching foods. They are pretty darn compelling, don't you think?
I used to be like you. I'm not a fan of dogfoodadvisor or dogfoodproject because there wasn't science backing them up.
Then my dog started pooping blood after he ran. When we figured out that it was because of the Science Diet and switched him off of it, we were able to see for ourselves the benefits of feeding a higher quality diet. There are any number of vets out there who have done their research and who sell the less well known foods in their offices.
The intent of my posts is not to be rude and intimidating, but when I see someone that is consistently giving awful advice to people I am going to say something. If you want to call that "trolling" or whatever, go ahead. But I plan on continuing to frequent the boards and informing posters when bad advice is given to them.
I have been on this board since 2004 and I have never seen anyone so adamant about giving such crappy advice on a consistent basis. Especially when the food she is feeding and recommends could have been so incredibly detrimental to my dogs that they would have died in 2007! I don't know anyone in their right mind, that cares for animals as much as she says she does, would ever want to recommend a food with corn (most likely processed with GMOs) and other crappy fillers. These processed ingredients put a lot of stress on the body and it is completely 100% unnecessary. If she did half the research she said she does, she would know this already. THIS is why it is so frustrating and THIS is why SO many of the regulars left this board a long time ago. They were sick and tired of it.
I used to feed SD to my cat and Purina to my dogs and I thought that since they were doing fine on it, that I should keep feeding it. I finally got out of my stubborn funk, did good, hard research and I learned that the food I can feed is MUCH better than that crap I was feeding (even though they were doing well). They would probably also do well on Ol' Roy and Meow Mix, too, but why would I feed that when I know there are MUCH better foods out there for them, so that they can live happier, healthier lives?!
In the end, they were going to the vet less, they didn't need annual dental work done on their teeth and I noticed amazing changes in them since changing their food to a higher quality.
So, as for the hurt e-feelings, sorry you feel that way, but it is not going to prevent me from coming over here and providing appropriate information to posters, especially when it involves nutrition. My research saved my dogs' lives and it could save more! THAT is what I care about, I don't care about the fact that someone's e-feelings are hurt.
Blessings!They see us rollin'...they be hatin'.
The renal failure was not caused by Hills. It was caused by Natural Balance's Venison and Rice Formula. The rice protein was outsourced from China. Someone in China tried to "beef up" the protein by adding melamine and cyanuric acid to it. This caused crystals to form, which were immediately thought of as a UTI. A day or two later we found out they were in advancaed stages of renal failure. After almost a month in the hospital the vet prescribed Hills, the renal diet one. I actually did feed it for a day or two and their numbers were getting worse and worse. That is when I reached out to Dr. Cooper (the vet mentioned in the link that Nital posted). After doing a plethora of research, I came to the conclusion that Dr. Cooper was correct, not my conventional vet. So, I switched up food, to a high quality, high quantity protein, grain-free food with a low phos level and their numbers immediately started to improve.
After sharing this with my vet, he agreed with me and Dr. Cooper that because the ingredients in the Hills were virutally crappy processed foods, such as corn (with GMO) that the food would have killed my dogs because it was SO processed and there were hardly any nutrients in it. Not only were their bodies trying to heal themselves, but they were also trying to fight off the GMOs and procssed crap that was in the Hills food, which is why we saw almost immediate results after I put them on the high quality, high quantity, low phos grain-free food.
In addition to this, I adopted a senior dog in 2009, whose kidneys were starting to fail in 2011. A different vet (I couldn't get in to my regular vet at that time) told me that her numbers will never get better, they will only get worse if I didn't feed Hills. Although, obviously, I knew better. So, instead of feeding Hills, I fed Fromm Surf and Turf (which fits my criteria for renal dog food) and the next time we went to the vet (6 weeks later) her numnbers were all within the normal range. She was shocked and told me she had never seen anything like that before. I explained to her what I started feeding, why I didn't feed Hills and why I fed the food I did, and she was in AWE. She told me that she is going to do more research in nutrition as it could help save more dogs' lives in the future...
All in all, 4 dogs in my care had kidney issues and they were ALL improved by feeding a food other than the recommended Hills food, whereas when I fed Hills their numbers had gotten worse.
The food I buy is 100% manufactured in the US or Canada, nothing is outsourcedd, the fish based foods aren't preserved with ethoxyquin, BHTs, or any other chemicals. The fish along with the other proteins all come from sustainable sources, they are never frozen, the animals are free-range,. etc...
I just don't understand why someone would advocate a company like Hills, especially when (last they informed me) they still outsource many of their ingredients and they have been involved in several recalls. It isn't the people that suffer from this, it is the animals. Personally, I wouldn't want to be involved in or assciated with that in any way shape or form.
The renal failure was a HUGE eye opener for me, and now I know where all the ingredients in the food my pets are eating comes from and it sure as hell will never be outside of the US or Canada.
They see us rollin'...they be hatin'.
Ummm, YES. It WAS Natural Balance's fault my dogs went into renal failure. Had I not fed that food, they wouldn't have eaten the poison that someone added to the food. If it wasn't their fault, then they wouldn't have have reimbursed me for almost $10K for vet bills that my dogs incurred... :-/
I really don't even know how to respond to that comment. Seriously?!
::blink blink:::
And the precrip food that my vet provided was the Hills Prescription food for dogs that are in renal failure. I forget the name of it now, R/D something or other?
And no, of course having all the ingredients from the US won't totally prevent foods that I feed my dogs from recalls. However, they know exactly where their ingredients are coming from and are never outsourced. Everything is manufactured in that facility. That obviously says something about the company, especially since they have never had a recall (and they have been around and family owned since 1904). They know their ingredients and they know what they are putting in the food and in turn they haven't had any recalls. Hills can't say the same thing.
They see us rollin'...they be hatin'.
So you've had FOUR dogs go into renal failure....what food were you feeding when that started? And did this all happen at the same time? Did it ever occur to you, that maybe you could have done something to prevent renal failure? Did you keep up with dental cleanings for them, poor dental health can cause renal issues as well. But I'm sure you already have a ridiculous theory about that too, no doubt backed by all your "research"
She was answering the question that was asked. RP is a long time poster and is hardly a troll. She is at least providing answers to the OP and aggie based not only on testimonials from her own experience but also information provided by an expert. You didn't like that she answered the question (which you couldn't refute because it is a personal testimony) so YOU had to be the troll and attack her. So take your own advice and grow up and respect her responses as I know she takes time to think them out. RP is giving good advice and is trying to counteract aggies crappy suggestions so the OP can make a good, informed decision.
Reading comprehension fail.
Have you seen my monkey?
Wow....nutrition debates; they exhaust me.
Team Aggie and Nala.
If a pet is doing well on a food and it fits into your nutritional beliefs then feed it. Period.
I've been a vet tech for almost 13 yrs now. I can't understand how someone can go to thier vet, trust them enough to advise them on a variety of medical conditons (minor and major) and perform surgery on a member of thier family yet argue to the moon and back about dog food. Happens every.single.day. Me: "what are you feeding your pet?" Client: " I don't know, but its a good food. Real expensive. In the front row of PetSmart".
*head desk*
I actually agree with you on this point. But I'm the nutter who visits multiple doctors and vets before I choose one I like and am happy with. I don't have the patience to argue with a doctor or vet over what is right for me and my family, so I choose one who agrees with my views. Fortunately, rarely do I get into it with diet because my dogs have been incredibly healthy, so they can't find much to grumble about, even when I was *gasp* feeding raw.
Have you seen my monkey?
Nala, there was a dog food recall back in 2007 which happened to KILL many dogs and cats. As I mentioned in PPs, I was feeding Natural Balance. The rice protein was outsourced from China. Someone tried to beef up the rice protein with cyanuric acid and melamine. THIS is what caused my 2 dogs and 1 foster to go into renal failure. Natural Balance had a law suit filed against them (not by me) I dealt with them individually and they gave me a settlement of $10K. This was 100% their fault not mine. I would also like to add that the bags of dog food were mislabeled.
Here is a link regarding the recalls (that weren't just NB, but many other foods as well). MIllions of people were affected by this recall.
http://www.itchmo.com/date/2007/05
http://www.itchmo.com/3-companies-indicted-in-tainted-pet-food-case-4685
http://apetsfoods.com/natural-balance-dog-food-recall-2007/
Obviously, you aren't privy to the completely devastating and tragic events that happened.
As for the 4th dog that went into renal failure, she was about 15 years old. I only had her for about 3 years as she was a rescue. Renal failure happens to a lot of geriatric dogs no matter what preventative measures are taken thorughout their lives.
It is a shame this board has turned out this way. SMH.
:::sigh:::
They see us rollin'...they be hatin'.
Did I say thats how you specifically chose the food to feed your dog? No. I said thats how my conversations with 99.9% of my clients daily go. You are not onw of my clients. Its an amazing thing to have someone know what they are feeding let alone know why they chose it. I'm happy for you.
Everyone points fingers at veterinary staff being uneducated. What about the pet store employees w/ NO education or formal training? They are the well trusted source of information? I don't think so. Congrats to those who research foods and chose what is best for thier family. But unfortunately most of the general public does not do this. Its sad really.
I've never had a vet I've worked with argue w/ an owner about the food they choose to feed. I can't speak for other vets, I know there are some seriously awful ones out there. But most are not. Your vet makes a recommendation; you choose whats best for you. Its really that simple. The only time an actual disagreement comes into play is when discussing food allergies, another hot topic. But we can save that debate for another day.
And Nital - I wish more people interviewed veterinarians. You HAVE to trust who you are taking your pets for medical care. I applaud you!!!! I interview my employers (all vets). Whats the difference, right?
For the same reason I don't go to my general practitioner and ask for nutrition advice for myself (or the pediatrician for nutrition advice for my son). While they may take one or two courses on nutrition in vet/med school, that's not their specialty, and I don't consider that in-depth knowledge.
I took a course on photography, but I don't call myself a photography expert.
RP is far from a troll. My dog is in renal failure and she and a holistic vet gave me the advice not to switch my dog to a kidney diet. His levels haven't risen in a long time so his vets have stopped harassing me about switching and every month theiy comment about how great his coat looks. If it was my choice I would go to a vet who was more informed about food but my dog has to see a specialist and there is only one in my area. To whoever suggested that renal failure was the pet parents fault, my dog has JRD from when he was born. He is only 2 and his teeth are clean, thank you.
Being a vet doesn't make you an authority on nutrition just like being a doctor doesn't make you an authority. I research my dogs diet just like I do mine and my kids. Luckily I can switch pediatricians when mine told me there was no benefit to BFing and I can switch mine when she told me I couldn't survive on a vegan diet when I have done so just fine for 15 years. If I could I would switch my dog but that is not an option.
Do you know anything about this company: http://www.lendafreehand.com/? They say they produce premium dog food and I like the fact that they donate a meal to feed rescue dogs in our area. But can anyone tell me their product is really "premium" and worth the money they charge?
by the way, those tools that bold text, or make it italic, it does not look like they work in the reply form!!!
What a cool concept for dog food!! It is similar to buying Tom's shoes.
I wouldn't feed the Engage or Enrich formulas to my dog.
Energize and Empower are a little better. I am curious what they preserve their fish ingredients with, if it is ethoxyquin, I would definitely not feed the foods. I would recommend sending them an email and asking them about their preservation methods for their fish ingredients.
I am not big of foods that have rice in it, especially so close to the top of the ingredient list.
They see us rollin'...they be hatin'.
My pup was on Science diet. We switched her to Wellness. She had a huge change in her coat, amount of poops, and over-all health.
We were feeding our cats junky cat food (purina for one) We switched them to Wellness a few years ago. Took care of one cat being fat, and the other skinny. The litter boxes don't stink nearly as much, nor do they need cleaning as often. They seem to love it more, since when we were transitioning them they ate the wellness and left the other stuff. They're coats are thick and shiny.
From what I've seen with my pets, I will never food low quality Purina, Science diet stuff again. Wellness or Blue buffalo (their current food) is what I'll stick with.