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VCA Animal Hospital Nutritional (not) Truths

Nutritional Truths is a document provided to pet owners at VCA Animal Hospitals. It seems a lot of ‘truth’ is lacking in this veterinary hospital document.

Nutritional Truths is a document provided to pet owners at VCA Animal Hospitals. It seems a lot of ‘truth’ is lacking in this veterinary hospital document.

A pet owner recently emailed me her vet’s office (now her previous veterinarian’s office) was purchased by VCA Animal Hospital – a Mars Petcare owned company. She was concerned about the pet food advice this VCA Animal Hospital was giving pet owners; in the exam room was a laminated flyer titled “Nutritional Truths” for pet owners to read. Below is the VCA Animal Hospital “Nutritional Truths” document…

What a shame a veterinary hospital is providing misleading and outright false pet food information to pet owners. Pet owners deserve to know the accurate truth about their pet’s food. So…below is The Real Nutritional Truths for any veterinary office or pet owner to share:

 

Thank you to this pet owner for sharing the picture of VCA’s Nutritional (not) Truths with us. How very disappointing a chain of veterinary hospitals would mislead pet owners this way. Let’s hope that this post will cause VCA Animal Hospitals to remove this misleading and false document from all hospitals.

Click Here for a pdf version of the AssociationforTruthinPetFood.com Real Nutritional Truths.

 

Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,

Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food


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20 Comments

20 Comments

  1. Nancy Lee Westrell

    October 8, 2018 at 12:38 pm

    Have you seen this announcment on the VCA Corporate website: https://vca.com/vca-joins-mars-family-companies/

  2. Terry Hain

    October 8, 2018 at 12:41 pm

    It looks as if this less-than-truthful poster was written by Royal Canin. It’s in tiny print at the very bottom of the poster. Royal Canin also has a companion YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJaaumipN7Q. I Googled “Nutritional Truths” and found the same poster on only one veterinary clinic’s website in Illinois. I went to a website for a clinic I know was bought by VCA and it wasn’t on its website. I don’t know how widely these posters are showing up at just VCA hospitals, but I bet they are could show up at any veterinary hospital that sells Royal Canin as I’m sure their sales personnel will give them the poster to display.

    • Susan Thixton

      October 8, 2018 at 12:46 pm

      That’s a very good point Terry. Very concerning that more than VCA hospitals could be sharing that misleading Nutritional Truths document with pet owners.

      • Terry Hain

        October 8, 2018 at 12:57 pm

        You should visit the YouTube video and read the comments. Most people are not buying the RC propaganda. You would be proud.

    • Abby

      October 9, 2018 at 8:36 am

      It’s also so sad that Mars Petcare owns Royal Canin. They’re using the exam rooms to convince pet owners of these sad nutritional “truths” in THEIR pet food.

  3. Joyce Lombardini

    October 8, 2018 at 12:46 pm

    Shared Publicly on Facebook. Everyone needs to know these facts.

  4. Carol Weyer

    October 8, 2018 at 1:36 pm

    I do have concerns about my dogs food because:
    He had an Ultrasound (which showed) 1. Bladder Cranial wall mildly thickened, 0.39cm, with anechoic contents. 2. Duodenum: Normal wall thickness (0.75 cm.) with a mildly prominent muscularis layer. Rule out inflammatory bowel disease, etc. 3. Jejunum: Mildly thickened wall (0.49 cm-0.51 cm) with a mildly prominent muscularis layer.
    The Vet first dewormed him and then put him on Hills Prescription Diet for Skin/Food Sensitivities. ZD

    After several weeks they did another Ultrasound which showed improvement. The Vet wants me to keep on the Hill’s food. I have seen reports that didn’t rate Hill’s very good. On top of that it is very expensive and being a widowed Senior Citizen with a limited income, it is really too much for me. Can you recommend anything for me ?

    Thank You,
    Carol Weyer

    • Jeri

      October 8, 2018 at 3:27 pm

      Feed real, whole food. Raw or lightly cooked. It will beat the synthetic stuff sourced with dubious ingredients by a country mile. Best to you and your baby! If you need to know how to balance the meals, try Judy Morgan, DVM’s books at Amazon, Dr. Karen Becker’s book (also available there), or google either for recipes.

    • Pet Owner

      October 8, 2018 at 4:04 pm

      Google within your radius all Vet contacts. Find out which one doesn’t sell prescription PF from their office. Or call a holistic Vet. Take/explain the medical comments your Vet wrote, and the lab report indications (as in what levels are higher than normal). And ask what kind of a natural diet your dog should eat. Years ago we’d be told (low fat) chicken or an organ meat (like lambs tongues) perhaps w/ cottage cheese or a bit of a filler (like rice). And a proper supplement. I am NOT saying this what “your” dog should eat! But “prescription PF” has not always been around. And very wise, old fashioned Vets knew what to feed in place of it.

    • Zac Chernik

      October 8, 2018 at 4:43 pm

      Here is your Hills ZD ingredient list

      Corn Starch, Hydrolyzed Chicken Liver, Powdered Cellulose, Soybean Oil, Calcium Carbonate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Lactic Acid, Potassium Chloride, Glyceryl Monostearate, Choline Chloride, Iodized Salt, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Niacin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), DL-Methionine, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Taurine, Mixed Tocopherols for freshness, Natural Flavors, Beta-Carotene.

      where is the nutrition!!!!! I would find another vet that will not push Hills IMO

      what food was he on before Hills?

      • Cherry

        January 19, 2021 at 12:59 pm

        There’s only one source of meat! This is outrageous!

        • Cherry

          January 26, 2021 at 3:40 pm

          *not enough animal protein*

  5. chris

    October 8, 2018 at 2:20 pm

    I clicked to download a pdf version and it told me there was an error. I would really like a copy of this but I cannot save the images nor when I paste and cut to a word document, does the images show up. Any help is much appreciated.

  6. Amy

    October 8, 2018 at 3:25 pm

    Poop is natural – it’s in Royal Canin too. Yummy! NOT

  7. Dan Coleman

    October 8, 2018 at 3:45 pm

    I have already called my congress people to demand they do their jobs and keep the promises made after all the reported 2007 deaths of every single God created dog and cat. This is a terrible non compassionate country we reside in. Nobody knows the truth about every God created creature and nobody seems to care. All about money and greed and personal gain or profit despite the costs or consequences. Pathetic. Pitiful.
    I shall do whatever it is i can to change things. Animals are wiser and much more kind than people.

  8. Pam Nadelman

    October 8, 2018 at 7:13 pm

    Don’t forget……VCA chain (as well as Banfield) now owned by Mars, so the definitions of all this “good” stuff is merely mirroring the garbage in the many brands they now own.

  9. Morta Here

    October 8, 2018 at 7:17 pm

    My cat’s animal hospital was taken over by VCA a couple years ago, and it went straight in the toilet. They are only about profit and overcharging their clients.Many patients and a few of the doctors left in protest as well.

  10. Ramona Gonzales

    October 9, 2018 at 11:07 pm

    My current vet is at an office that was recently sold to VCA. Fortunately, she has been really good to me and my critters by trying to keep costs, tests, etc down. Of course, I know what to ask and I know my limits in terms of what I can realistically spend. I’m currently doing palliative care for my cat that has Chylothorax and Hyperthyroidism.

  11. Peter

    October 11, 2018 at 7:54 am

    “Elimination diets” are a great means to ensure that the consumer comes back, and comes back, and comes back to the veterinary office…

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