Ohio State University Veterinary School website has a VERY misleading post titled “Myths and Misconceptions Surrounding Pet Foods“. Interestingly (but not surprising), just under the title readers will see “Important Information from Purina Veterinary Diets” which is actually a link to a Purina webpage that basically states the same misinformation as what is stated on the Ohio State Vet School website.
The fiction from Ohio State:
#1. “Like grain-free diets, there is no scientific evidence that feeding a raw vs. a conventional diet is any more beneficial to an animal’s health. However there is ample evidence that it is not. Moreover, these diets also have generated controversy due to their increased risk for microbial contamination.“
False.
The accurate information is kibble diets (conventional diets) have a significantly increased risk for microbial contamination, not raw diets. Based on FDA data (Enforcement Reports) of recalled pet foods since 2012….
More than 159 million pounds of kibble pet food has been recalled for microbial contamination.
As compared to:
1.5 million pounds of raw pet food has been recalled for microbial contamination.
#2. Ohio State Vet School tells readers a rendered ingredient is “better than” fresh meat. Quoting: “Many people have been led to believe that whole meat is better than meat meal, just based on the name. This is simply not true.“
False. Their “simply not true” is absolutely true.
All meat meal ingredients are feed grade, some pet food meat ingredients are feed grade – some are human grade. Human grade ingredients are far superior to feed grade because they are legally ‘edible’. Feed grade ingredients are directly allowed by FDA to be ‘inedible’ – sourced from diseased animals and animals that died other than by slaughter (Source “Final Response Letter from FDA CVM to Association for Truth in Pet Food” https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=FDA-2016-P-3578).
#3. Ohio State Veterinary School praises corn as a wonderful source of nutrition.
Misleading because they neglect to mention the risks.
The Vet School website states: “corn provides a nutritious, affordable source of carbohydrate for energy, essential amino and fatty acids for healthy skin, coat and immune system function, and a variety of other nutrients.”
Yes, corn does provide nutrients to the diet – but corn in pet food also comes with significant risks. In 2020, 94% of all recalled pet foods (based on pounds) was for aflatoxin contaminated corn. More than 130 dogs died in 2021 due to aflatoxin contaminated corn in dog food.
Did Ohio State Veterinary School put their reputation at risk by allowing Purina to speak for them on their website? Was this pet food fiction actually written by Purina or is this veterinary school actually VERY uneducated about pet food?
Personal opinion: Ohio State Veterinary School should be embarrassed that they themselves are contributing to pet food myths.
My thanks to the pet owner that shared this Ohio State fiction with me.
Wishing you and your pet the best –
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
TruthaboutPetFood.com
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Jane Eagle
April 7, 2022 at 1:20 pm
It is outrageous that not only are corporations able to lie with impunity and NO consequences, but that veterinary “schools” now participate in the same taxpayer funded deceits.
Sally
April 7, 2022 at 1:22 pm
This article is almost laughable. Given that Ohio is an agriculture state, and according to an OSU Summary of Major Findings: Economic and Social Impacts of Veterinary Medicine in Ohio, their school gets little funding from the state. Wonder who their donors are….
Kathryn Smith
April 8, 2022 at 5:34 am
Unless CVMs have changed, they only offer 1 semester of a course in ‘nutrition’, and historically those classes have been taught by a ‘nutritionist’ working for the feed manufacturer that got the bid to provide feed for the animals housed/cared for at that teaching hospital. Just say’n…can’t be objective
Gill
April 7, 2022 at 2:09 pm
Thanks Susan, but you’re preaching to the choir here. Has anybody challenged Ohio State .. has anybody attempted to educate them as to their false claims .. you don’t say. Obviously a pet owner has informed you, but has that same pet owner informed OS? My guess would be that as an extremely well-informed consumer advocate, it would be better coming from you.
Dee
April 7, 2022 at 2:20 pm
Thank you, as usual, for being so on top of things and watching out for our beloved pets.
T Allen
April 7, 2022 at 2:27 pm
Guess we know who is underwriting the vet school at Ohio U don’t we? Very sad for the vet students, pets and their owners.
Mary
April 7, 2022 at 2:34 pm
How many pounds of dry compared to how many pounds of raw are consumed/sold each year? Once that ratio is determined then I could figure out if the dry food is actually more infected than the raw in proportion to the amount sold.
Susan Thixton
April 7, 2022 at 2:44 pm
The industry does not release data of pounds of pet food sold. But they do release sales data. According to industry statistics (https://www.petfoodprocessing.net/articles/15310-state-of-the-us-pet-food-and-treat-industry-2021) kibble pet foods were 59% of all pet food sales in 2021. Raw pet foods were 4% of all sales in 2021.
Scott
April 7, 2022 at 3:58 pm
So 100 times more kibble recalled, versus 15 times more kibble sold.
Jane
April 7, 2022 at 6:21 pm
THIS. Is incredibly important- stating raw numbers instead of in proportion to amount distributed/manufactured is incredibly misleading.
Susan Thixton
April 7, 2022 at 6:53 pm
The direct sales percentage to recall percentage of pet foods (based on pounds) for 2021 are:
Kibble: 59% sales, 99% recalls.
Can: 36% sales, 0.08% recalls.
Raw: 4% sales, 0.02% recalls.
Julio parra
April 7, 2022 at 2:47 pm
That’s very true, there is a high bias in all the information regarding Kibble, for the academic environment, trying to look at this type of “food” better than it really is.
I would like to translate this information to Spanish, because I have many followers in my home country, and I consider it will be very helpful to them.
So, please let me know if that is possible,of course, giving the correspondent credit to your website.
Susan Thixton
April 7, 2022 at 2:48 pm
Yes – you can translate for your readers.
Michelle Harvey
April 7, 2022 at 4:05 pm
Wow, just wow. Going with this logic, I guess we should all go out and eat junk food daily as it is obviously just as nutritious as fresh food. NOT!
Richard Stone
April 7, 2022 at 5:49 pm
It’s extremely sad and depressing, a company like Purina that makes billions of $$$$$ is nothing but snake oil, giving out false information, false claims, poisoning our pets with everything they put in the pet food. What the heck, according to law, pets are PROPERTY, and therefore you’re unable to sue them for more than just replacement. Pets are our family!. They’re not a piece of property. Every time we lose them it’s heartbreaking. And worst of all is the FDA not supporting the public but I’m believe strongly that many of the people working for the FDA have become very rich.
They support the Vet schools and the newly-to-be Vets I sure are led to believe that Purina is probably the best food available. Maybe Vets should be educated in food as part of the ability to graduate. I don’t know if this is required but it certainly should be, regardless whose sponsoring the school
Will Falconer, DVM
April 8, 2022 at 3:06 am
I’d bet good money that every OSU vet student gets free food from Purina, and Purina supplies the OSU vet patient clinic with food. It was that way with Hill’s in U of Missouri when I was there (except we didn’t get free food, that’s been a step further I’ve heard from more recent vet students who’ve been through the system).
But this is a step too far. Publishing an article for all to read that’s biased as hell and motivated solely by profit. OSU grads who know better should be up in arms about this.
chris
April 9, 2022 at 6:26 pm
Purina with the cooperation of OSU gets the bias instilled early for the students who may later on become involved with AAFCO, state feed officials and other key points in the path to give the stamp of approval.
Concerned
April 15, 2022 at 7:55 pm
Recently, the kitchen at The Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center nutrition center underwent a transformation thanks to a generous gift from global pet care leader Purina. The upgrade has allowed the Veterinary Medical Center to stock more diets and to centralize diet options that historically were stored within each specialty area.
The state-of-the-art Purina Nutrition Centers allow the students, staff and faculty to have exposure to a variety of veterinary therapeutic and maintenance diets across a variety of brands as well as get first-hand experience with optimal nutrition choices for their canine and feline patients. Each nutrition center is custom designed to fit the space and needs of the university, and the committee at each school works directly with a Purina-hired architect.
“We’re committed to improving the lives of pets every day at Purina through best-in-class nutrition that is rooted in science and our deep understanding of pets. As a veterinarian at Purina, I have the honor of helping improve the clinical nutrition education of veterinary students,” said Lauren Pagliughi, DVM, veterinary communications manager for Purina. “We have invested in Purina Nutrition Centers at 20 out of the 30 U.S. , because we believe that nutrition education and expertise is critical for today’s veterinarians to provide the highest quality of care to their patients.”
https://vet.osu.edu/vmc/companion/news/vmc-gets-nutrition-center-upgrade-thanks-generous-donation-purina