Wow, a veterinarian publically ‘outing’ Science Diet Pet Foods. Carefully chosen words get her point across clearly. And her website has Science Diet advertising too.
From her blog Fully Vetted, the bio for Patty Khuly VMD, MBA says she’s a small animal vet in Miami, FL and serves on the board of South Florida Veterinary Medical Association. She writes for PetMd’s blog FullyVetted and provides weekly pet health columns for USA Today and The Miami Herald. What she says about one of the most popular veterinarian recommended pet foods (I hope) gets the attention of many more veterinarians (it got my attention!).
Her post titled ‘What’s Up With People Hating on Some Commercial Dog Foods?’ was sort of a response by Dr. Khuly to a perplexed pet owner asking ‘What’s everybody’s problem with Science Diet?’ http://www.petmd.com/blogs/fullyvetted/2010/may/hating_commercial_foods
The following is some of what Dr. Khuly wrote to the perplexed pet owner…
“This is, we’re in the midst of a sea change in how we treat our pets now that so many of us consider our pets family members. And that means that what we view as OK to put in our pets has changed too.”
“When the very same conversation is taking place with respect to higher quality human foods, it’s no wonder foods like Science Diet (foods that have traditionally been viewed as the best of the bunch) no longer cut it compared to those that offer much more in the way of highly digestible animal protein and higher quality carbohydrate sources.”
“Many of us now want to see more biologically appropriate, recognizable ingredients, a variety of them, more animal protein than veggie protein, and an obvious commitment on the part of the manufacturer to the kinds of ingredients we’d be willing to serve our human families, too.”
She points out that there is no scientific evidence is out there to prove that fresh, home cooked or human grade commercial foods are any better than the others; remember…she states no scientific evidence (those that have made the change to high quality have clear evidence living under their roofs…their healthy pets! – but it remains there is no scientific evidence to prove such). Dr. Khuly believes that this “no-evidence” argument is why most veterinarians recommend foods that educated pet owners wouldn’t feed on a cold day in @#$$. Current evidence “points to the fact that they’re ‘good enough’”, thus why she believes so many vets remain on Big Pet Food’s band wagon.
“Hence, the pushback on Science Diet. Because few foods have claimed so much and offered so little, this brand gets more attention than Purina or Pedigree or a whole bunch of less impressive fare (Ol’ Roy, anyone?).”
http://www.petmd.com/blogs/fullyvetted/2010/may/hating_commercial_foods
‘Claimed so much and offered so little’…wow…I’m impressed!
I vote Cornell Veterinary School (one of the very few not influenced financially by Big Pet Food) be the first to perform health studies on pets fed grocery store pet food, pets fed high quality kibble (no by-products or waste materials), pets fed home cooked diets, and pets fed raw. No need to torture countless animals in cages with tubes running in and out of their bodies; use pets in homes…real life. Update us every six months as to general health conditions of the pets. Let’s find out! Let’s get the evidence!
There is much needed to be done towards the safety of pet food; we need veterinarians that stand up for common sense nutrition despite not having clinical evidence to back it up. I know veterinarians are scientists…but you are ‘practicing doctors’ as well. Please, more of you, listen to the health of your patients whose parents have bothered to learn the significant differences in pet foods. There IS a difference and we need you to KNOW it and TALK about it to your clients.
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author, Buyer Beware
Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
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