Maria is determined to be heard. Maria’s cat Princess died, but her determination to change the future for other pets continues on.
At 11 years old – Maria’s cat Princess was overweight. In 2013 her veterinarian prescribed Royal Canin Weight Loss Management kibble giving instructions to ONLY feed this food to Princess. Over the next year, following the exact directions of her veterinarian – Princess continued to gain weight.
In 2014 Princess was diagnosed with Type 2 Feline Diabetes…even though Princess was fed a diet prescribed by her veterinarian.
The next ‘treatment’ was Hills m/d prescription food – wet and dry formulas. And over the next two years – Princess was seen by 23 different veterinarians. She went through many, many treatments and over these two years was diagnosed with…
- Feline Obesity (fatty lumps)
- Fatty Liver Disease
- Feline Diabetes (type 2)
- Periodontal Disease (all teeth removed over 2 x dental procedures)
- Jaw Cancer
- Feeding Tube permanently inserted into her neck to get around the jaw cancer.
After the diabetes diagnosis…every single veterinarian she went to recommended Hills m/d diet and only Hills m/d diet. After six months on the Hills prescription diet, Princess’s health continued to deteriorate.
By September 2015, Maria took matters into her own hands. She had been researching real food for Princess, she put her on a raw meat diet. Within six months Princess lost over 3 pounds and her diabetes began to stabilize. Unfortunately, the multiple illnesses that Princess suffered from were too much to overcome. Princess passed over Rainbow Bridge in April of 2016.
In 2016 Maria filed a complaint with the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA). The AVA basically dismissed Maria – but the veterinary clinic that was mentioned in her complaint letter issued a life-time ban on treating any of Maria’s future pets.
Not discouraged, Maria took her message to the Australian Veterinary Association annual convention. On day 1 of the AVA convention she arrived at 6 AM and set up a small table just inside the conference hall. She brought with her copies of the film Pet Fooled, Dr. Tom Lonsdale’s book Raw Meaty Bones, her t-shirt she would wear on day 2, a bag of sugar, and of course she brought a picture of Princess…
The morning breakfast at the AVA convention was sponsored by Mars Royal Canin pet food. Maria came dressed for the occasion…(she’s wearing a wig in this image – as many of the AVA members know her)…
For one hour, Maria held a 4kg bag of raw sugar over her head “so that everybody could see the sugar in pet food as they walked into the breakfast room.”
Maria had conversation with several veterinarians, many agreed with her position regarding high sugar content in dry pet food. But…the Australian Veterinary Association was not happy she was there.
“Security asked me several times to leave the building…but I didn’t.”
“The AVA organizers rallied up against me….and asked me several times to leave the building…but I didn’t.”
The police were called in and Maria was escorted from the building. But interestingly enough, the police officers – in light of the recent illnesses and death of several police dogs linked to Mars Advance Dermocare – the police officers that where asked to remove Maria from the building agreed with her position; dogs should eat fresh, real food.
Fully aware there was the potential that she could go to jail, Maria returned to the conference at 6 AM on day two. Day two of the Australian Veterinary Association conference began with a breakfast meeting from Hill’s pet food. Maria came dressed for this occasion too (no wig for day two). Maria set up her table inside the convention center…
But security guards removed her table from inside the convention center to outside on the sidewalk…
The local ABC television station was there to film Maria, and ABC Radio Brisbane was there interviewing her. Only one veterinarian spoke with Maria on day two.
But…they all saw her. All of the Australian Veterinary Association members saw her table, saw her t-shirt, and saw her bag of sugar. They saw her picture of Princess. And while they might not remember all of the topics discussed at the 2018 AVA convention, they WILL remember Maria.
Princess must be so proud of you Maria. Pet owners around the world stand with you. Thank you for your bravery, and your determination.
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
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Christine
May 15, 2018 at 11:43 am
Amazing – good work.
jane eagle
May 15, 2018 at 12:05 pm
Heartbreaking that our agencies that exist on our tax dollars refuse to enforce our laws or protect us.
Hannie
May 15, 2018 at 12:23 pm
Not only is it sad that these commercial pet foods are really bad for your pet (who would think) but having your vet recommend one of them that makes your pet even sicker is really hard to take. So I urge all pet parents: before you feed your fur baby any food that a vet or anyone else recommends, get on the internet & do your research & make your own decision. Chances are you won’t come up with the same decision. I would rather not think that any vet would ever mean harm to any fur baby, I believe they are brainwashed big time by the large powerful commercial pet food companies. After a lot of research, I primarily cook for my baby w/just a small amount of kibble, grain free & the best I can buy.
Peg
May 15, 2018 at 1:41 pm
My condolences Maria, on the loss of your beautiful Princess.
Thank you for all your hard work and your persistence!!!!
Marcia
May 15, 2018 at 3:00 pm
It still shocks me that Prescription Hill’s Science Diet is still in Veterinarians’ offices who truly care about the animals over the almighty dollar. Hill’s pays vets to push that crappy food! It is called kickback. I only wish that pet parents would stop having unfounded faith in everything a Vet says! It is just like human doctors! If they were so smart, there wouldn’t be so many Medical Practice cases (I worked in both the legal field (in med mal) and the pet food industry — so I know a bit of both).
We need more pet parents like Maria — and it does seem that the moral majority is turning the industry around a bit. The trouble I see is that a company focuses on natural, organic, human-grade food — and after that company becomes very successful, MARS buys them out and the food starts losing its quality quickly.
thomastryon
May 15, 2018 at 3:04 pm
Thank you Maria. What a great idea, Wouldn’t it be great to launch a worldwide day of remembrance for those murdered by the pet feed industry? We could table outside pet feed stores and vets.We already have a a blueprint with Maria’s protest.
Christine H.
May 15, 2018 at 7:43 pm
I like your idea of using Maria’s protest as your blueprint.
barbara m
May 15, 2018 at 3:27 pm
Ever wonder why vets have “prescription” pet foods in their office?
“Most veterinarians acquire their only knowledge on pet nutrition in elective classes in veterinary school. These classes may only last a day or a week and are most often “taught” and sponsored by representatives from pet food companies! Hill’s, lams, and Purina are among the largest contributors for these courses.
Vets mostly sell Hill’s Prescription Diets and Hill’s Science Diet because Hill’s often spends up to $100,000+ being a ‘Platinum Sponsor’ at veterinary conventions, ‘donates $ to veterinary member associations, ‘donates’ millions each year to vet schools worldwide, especially the 30 vet schools in the U.S. and Hill’s employees are actually the ones who often “teach” vet students about pet nutrition.. then Hill’s Nutrition salespeople set the graduating students up in their practice with Hill’s Prescription Diets and Hill’s Science Diet.”
http://www.bestcatanddognutrition.com/roger-biduk/kickbacks-from-pet-food-companies-to-veterinarians-and-vet-schools
Thank you, Maria, for being so brave and determined.
Fred
May 15, 2018 at 6:13 pm
Thanks for posting that link, very informative
Kathryn Smith
May 15, 2018 at 3:31 pm
Diabetes and obesity in pets is on the rise nationwide; it’s not the BRAND of food, it’s the specific ingredients in the food — CARBOHYDRATES! Cats are obligate carnivored, and while dogs can tolerate some carbs, cats cannot digest them at all. Their diet, like that of humans, is beginning to ‘catch up’ with them — look at the number of PEOPLE that are diabetic and obese… and if you research their diets back to childhood you will see that they were raised on a carb loaded diet … we’re seeing obese HORSES as well — they are grazers, and are being fed a high carb diet, including Molasses! to make the feed palatable to them! We are now seeing equines with Diabetes … WAKE UP PEOPLE! We’re killing our children, ourselves and our animals!
Sheryl
May 15, 2018 at 4:27 pm
Be strong and fight Maria. I support you 100%
Lynn
May 15, 2018 at 4:30 pm
Don’t wait til your pet is sick to make the switch! Education is key and the film Pet Fooled is a great place to start. Cured our golden boy of squamous cell carcinoma with food and supplements, the oncologist said he only had 3-6 months, that was 4 years ago.
Darcy Flynn
May 15, 2018 at 5:28 pm
I hope Maria can see some of our responses to hopefully support her! I’ve done so much work on my own, but once you find a group to help you, it just lifts your level enough to help keep you going when you don’t think you can go anymore…OK everyone – please send her your thoughts and support!!
Karen Snyder
May 15, 2018 at 5:36 pm
Ten years ago, Hills Prescription KD killed one of my cats.
Sally Foster
May 15, 2018 at 5:45 pm
Apparently, where making $$$ is concerned, too many veterinarians have forgotten that oath to “first, do no harm…” Are they deaf and blind to the numerous pet food recalls and the many deaths caused by those pet foods they promote and sell?? The vet schools are certainly remiss in not teaching appropriate nutrition within the sadly deficient curriculum they offer regarding pet nutrition; many receive substantial funding from these mega corporations which make and market garbage from the slaughter industry as wholesome and nutritious food for pets and are beholden to them as a result, so not teaching truthful, unbiased information about the nutritional needs of carnivores. DO NOT TRUST and patronize any vet if he/she is not aware of the benefits of feeding dogs and cats a natural diet, but promotes and sells these so-called “prescription diets.” And do let them know why you are taking your business elsewhere. Kudos to Maria for her dedication to the memory of her beloved Princess and persistence in getting the message out there that these foods are NOT wholesome, nutritious and safe to feed, but, in fact CAN KILL.
David Boothman
May 15, 2018 at 5:53 pm
The same battle has been fought in human medicine. Medicine is not science, it’s a set of procedures based upon a Committee’s interpretation of science. But most scientific studies turn out to be wrong. If you find this incredible then Google “dirty little secret seed magazine”. It describes how a world leading epidemiologist investigated the validity of conclusions of the most cited papers in his field. Over ninety percent of conclusions were wrong. Physicians cannot argue with the protocols or suffer potential removal from practice. Recently a Vet was put on probation for 30 years for following the advice of the world’s leading scientist in veterinary vaccines instead of following the protocol. All you can do learn the science as this person did and in dealing with the Vet provide written signed instructions. If the Vet won’t do it thenfind one that will. Feeding carbohydrate to a dibetuc cat cat is amonts to animal abuse but that’s what the protocol requires.
Suzanne
May 15, 2018 at 6:46 pm
Maria, you are a brave, brave woman. Thank you for your courage and tenacity. I’m so sorry for the loss of your Princess.
Ian
May 15, 2018 at 7:55 pm
Yahoo Maria !! You’re my hero. So sorry about your kitty—- but thanks for taking action like this ! How ironic that they kick you out of the convention hall to the street and THEN you get on TV! Streisand effect !
Jessie Frederiksen
May 15, 2018 at 10:24 pm
Awesomeness!!
Batzion
May 15, 2018 at 11:09 pm
There are two public databases where one can learn of bribes to doctors and hospitals by drug and medical device companies:
1: Open Payments Data: https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/
2. Dollars for Docs: https://projects.propublica.org/docdollars/
Something similar is needed in order to determine which veterinarians are being bribed by Big Pet Food and Big Pharma.
FYI, I wrote to both Open Payments and ProPublica a few months ago suggesting this but heard nothing back from either.
Maria, you are my hero!
Catks
May 16, 2018 at 12:04 am
Maria you are my hero too. So sorry for your loss ?
Eve
May 16, 2018 at 12:25 am
Before I became an animal holistic nutritionist I used my ow n veterinary basic nutrition skills and common sense to reestablish good sensible i ate foods for my previous house sits, friends and families pets by ditching the poisonous anx destructive processed let feeds (not foods). In 3 monthz I managed to reverse a female tortishells 5iu per day down to just 1iu, I also reversed her dandruff, dental plaque thick oily coat to soft and shiny, reversed her obesity from 13kos to 7 and reversed her oral sarcomas which she had several extended her life crom 2 wks to live to 4 years!!! I received attack from the narcisstic so-called vet nurses and the vet said my new diet for her had little effect RUBBISH! I have ben treating animals for over 30 years I know exactly what I am doing! I also use homeopathy and other holistic naturaltreatments with NO side effects.
Pamela Dugan
May 16, 2018 at 1:53 pm
I have a 12 year old cairn terrier who has been dealing with high liver values for almost 2 years now. Last October I switched him from Blue Buffalo kibble ( which he has eaten for years) to a raw diet. At the time I switched him over he was bothered by arthritis in his knees and he just wasn’t as active as he had been. Since switching to the raw diet, he runs around like a dog half his age! He’s back to being a happy guy! At his recent yearly vet appointment I mentioned that I had switched his food. The vet told me that he isn’t a fan of raw diets. He ran a blood test and the liver values we’re still running high. He was going to put him on Hills prescription food. Fortunately, I’ve done alot of research over the last two years, and when I saw some of the information out there regarding Hills food I said ” no way!!!”. My dog has been on denamarin, a liver supplement, and that along with his raw diet is what he’ll be on until he crosses the rainbow bridge. As pet owners we trust our vets to do what’s best, but we need to educate ourselves as well. I hate to say it but sometimes I think it’s all about the money. I won’t give my dog anything that I haven’t fully researched. Best of luck to all my fellow pet parents. We have to be their advocates. They’re counting on us
Jeri
May 18, 2018 at 1:31 pm
You might look into getting your own Milk Thistle and SAMe. That’s all that Denamarin is — and they put the two together and gave it a name to enable them to sell for $$. They will give you the song and dance about a specific amount of Milk Thistle or SAMe, but you can likely do this for far cheaper on your own. Been down this road myself. My dog ate raw to the day he passed and did far better than any other dog in his condition his age.
jennifer hahn
May 22, 2018 at 5:44 pm
Good for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! a vet foiled by knowledge…so great!!!!!!!!!!
Yea raw , and yippee to the dogs new energy! Good luck and milk thistle comes in dog formulas.
Andi
May 16, 2018 at 4:23 pm
Wow so brave – good for her! So sad that pet parents have to resort to that to expose corruption and so sorry for her loss. I too went to over 10 vets and spent thousands in vet appointments trying to get answers. After prescription food didn’t help I did my own research and we turned to raw. I follow Susan, Dr. Becker, Rodney Habib, and Julie Ann Lee. They are all so amazing and warriors for our pets
Christine
May 17, 2018 at 4:44 am
Thank you for the update, and Maria THANK YOU for your continued fight to have the veterinary fraternity not only acknowledge the problems these processed foods cause, but also to cease recommending these harmful products.
Anyone who has had a pet suffer should join Maria when she attends these events. If enough people stand up and make a noise, the veterinary industry will have no choice but to cease their hand in glove relationship with these manufacturers.
Vets need to be restricted the same as doctors. They should not be able to supply medicines/products and that way they will be free to recommend appropriate dieticians to advise on diet and stop the over prescribing of medications.
Christine L
May 17, 2018 at 6:09 am
It’s time vets were regulated like doctors. Vets should not be able to supply the medications they prescribe and they should not be recommending or supplying foods for medical conditions when they are not formerly trained dietitians.
Medications need to be supplied by pharmacies to prevent the temptation to oversubscribe by the vets. Referrals to specialists for conditions outside the scope of their qualifications should be mandatory. No vet or specialist should be able to supply the products they prescribe or recommend.
Good on Maria for continuing to take the fight to the AVA. All affected pet owners should be standing shoulder to shoulder with her. The strength is in the numbers!
Christine Lee
May 17, 2018 at 6:16 am
It’s time vets were regulated like doctors. Vets should not be able to supply the medications they prescribe and they should not be recommending or supplying foods for medical conditions when they are not formerly trained dietitians.
Medications need to be supplied by pharmacies to prevent the temptation to oversubscribe by the vets. Referrals to specialists for conditions outside the scope of their qualifications should be mandatory. No vet or specialist should be able to supply the products they prescribe or recommend.
Good on Maria for continuing to take the fight to the AVA. All affected pet owners should be standing shoulder to shoulder with her. The strength is in the numbers!
jennifer hahn
May 22, 2018 at 5:42 pm
Yes yes yes ……yes
pamroussell
May 17, 2018 at 8:45 pm
Maria has my vote for cat mom of the year! Good for you for not backing down and leaving the attendees with your message! There WILL come a day when more vets pay attention and start doing the right thing because consumers are getting smarter and voting with their pocketbooks!
jennifer hahn
May 22, 2018 at 5:42 pm
There are 2 types of humans 1-The ostrich (head in the sand when they get scared) 2-the one that fights for justice no matter what and does it in a way that is effective and digestable when ever possible.
I am type 2 and proud to be a fighter who tries to learn daily how to take what i know, share it and try to create change by the flow of information. Pearls before swine, falling on deaf ears….that is the obstacle , not the facts, but the lack of ability or concern of the ears that hear them.
jennifer hahn
May 19, 2018 at 11:51 pm
What is worse? her cat dying and her suffering so much , or the lies and denial and complete abandon of her vets, and the community?
Batzion
May 20, 2018 at 1:33 pm
One is the cause, and one is the effect. One is the predator, and one is the prey. One is evil, and one is good. With no intention of diminishing what Maria and Princess were forced to endure, the worst is evil because it doesn’t stop per the following that I wrote last year:
“Evil is a parasite and a cannibal. It devours the hosts it infests. But evil is insatiable and never satisfied. It has been chipping away at you since the day you were born. It observes and studies you, always waiting for the right moment to take that big bite out of your soul, the one that will redefine your existence.
“You say, ‘But I’m a good person.’ Evil laughs at you and says, ‘So what? ‘Good people’ are what I savor the most. People who believe they are good — and dare I say ‘righteous’ — are the easiest to consume. Do you know why? It’s because people who believe their own lies always believe mine. It’s because I’m the one who convinced them they were good and righteous in the first place.'”
Look at the vets, and then look at the community. That is where you will find the evil in those “good people” glorying in its own stinking vomit, and that is where they will remain while Maria continues to move forward against them knowing her beloved Princess is whole again and at peace in heaven.
How many before Maria and Princess? How many after?
jennifer hahn
May 20, 2018 at 2:47 pm
Amen
Jill
May 21, 2018 at 12:04 pm
This is terrifying because we trust our vets to make the best recommendations for our babies. What are we supposed to do when our fur babies refuse to eat anything but dry food?? This article, while inspiring and representing a dedicated pet parent and hero, is also very scary for me as a mom of a kitty who has refused anything but dry food over many years.
Jenn
May 21, 2018 at 5:05 pm
Freeze dried raw is in pellets and crunchy, Stella and chewy is great my cats live for that food I give 4 nuggets on top of canned 3 x daily
Jill
May 22, 2018 at 12:02 pm
Thank you Jenn. My cat has been diagnosed with a very rare illness called Feline Gastrointestinal Eosinophilic Sclerosing Fibroplasia and because of that, cannot eat raw food. I have tried every kind of canned food out there, homemade foods and broths – he won’t eat anything except for kibble. And one thing that the drs and nutritionists all agreed on is that it is more important that he eat at all, than eat the “right” thing. But articles and other stories like this scare me so much.
jennifer hahn
May 22, 2018 at 5:37 pm
So sorry about your cats condition. Yes, i agree-anything at that point is best. I love instict dry food. It has a tiny size kibble, and bits of dehydrated raw, and cats love it.
Jill
May 23, 2018 at 1:16 pm
Thanks so much.
jennifer hahn
May 23, 2018 at 9:18 pm
Be sure to add water to kibble.
Jeri
May 21, 2018 at 7:06 pm
Cats can be transitioned to real food. It just takes time and ingenuity. Many have done it, though. See littlebigcat.com for some ideas. Some have rolled the new real fresh food in dry and coated it with the dry until cats are transitioned. That’s just one idea.
Jill
May 22, 2018 at 12:08 pm
Thank you for the information Jeri. I have tried everything. Not only read through littlebigcat, but spoke with Dr. Jean directly as well. My cat has been diagnosed with a very rare illness called Feline Gastrointestinal Eosinophilic Sclerosing Fibroplasia so we have to be careful that he doesn’t stop eating. Every trick that people said was sure to work because it worked on their very finicky cat hasn’t worked with my guy. He defies every “sure to work” suggestion! He just does not like any human food or canned cat food.