Any Veterinarians In Here? (1 Viewer)

[Henry Carmona]

I have been contemplating what ive recently read on this website:
Link Removed
Basically, it talks about Breed Specific pet food.
It says stuff about how there is no such thing as a commerically available pet food that can be good for all breeds.
It also says that some foods can actually be toxic to some breeds and that the best way to provide good food for your dog is to research what foods are needed for your particular dog and then make them yourself.
I wouldnt mind doing this as i do have a quite expensive dog whom i really love, however, where can i get information on what type of food to make for my particular dog?
It also talks about how many, commercial brands misrepresent their ingredients.
The guy isnt all that bad hes actually trying to get others to join in the fight for regulation of pet food manufacterers.
Please help if you have any professional info, thank you.

 

[Carl Miller]

Henry, I'm not a vet so maybe this isn't what you're looking for. But I have to comment because I've been heavily involved in the Pug breed for many years. The Pug nutrition section of this guys site is something I'd visited before and it kind of irks me.

Pugs have been in my family since I was 5 years old. Over that time my parents did a lot experimentation with diet and nutrition. Actually, it was mostly my mother because she got a little nutty over her dogs. She went the all natural, home-cooked route with 2 of their Pugs and one lived 11 years, and the other 12 years which is about average for Pugs of solid breeding. Naturally, the other regular dog food fed Pugs they've had, and I've had have all lived in and around the same amount of time, had the usual array of common Pug ailments and cost essentially the same amount to care for.

I've never seen any quantifiable evidence from independent sources that these specialized diets provide benefits to dogs.

 

[Julian Reville]

I am a veterinarian. Please e-mail me your credit card number and expiration date, and I will happy to provide you with an informed guess.
Just kidding.
Seriously, about the only breed-specific dietary recommendations I know of relate to some breeds having problems with hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia, which seems to predispose them to pancreatitis. (Shelties, especially).
As far as what is in various dog foods, well, I always recommend feeding a well-known national brand. Besides, what's REALLY in the food you or I eat? Outside of growing it myself (I'd starve, based on my gardening history), there is no real way to know.
Julian Reville, DVM

 

[Henry Carmona]

Carl,
Thank you, that is good to know. Im just confused and want to do whats right for my little guy.

Julian,
Thank you very much. I am wondering about something the author of that website said:

A survey of the 26 schools of veterinary medicine in the USA showed the average amount of training on animal nutrition provided in the curriculum to graduate with a D.V.M. totals five classroom lecture hours. The majority of the five hours is spent on dairy and beef cattle, poultry or swine production and horses. This can be confirmed by the college catalogs from the 26 schools.

Theres just too much info that has me raising my eyebrows.

Anyone else have any info?

 

[Paul_Fisher]

Julian, did you go to Auburn, one of the best vet schools in the nation?

 

[Julian Reville]

Quote:

No, sorry, I went to the University of Georgia, THE best vet school in the nation.

 

[Henry Carmona]

Julian, the word supplemental was used in a paragraph which talks about feeding my dog certain meats and vegetables.
It says that the bulldog makes its own vitamin C and cannot process other forms of vitamin C, such as in dog foods.
This info can be found in The National Research Council's book, Nutrient Requirements of Dogs (ISBN: 0309034965).
Another Books Back Cover.

 

[Julian Reville]

Henry,
As far as I know, ALL dogs synthesize Vitamin C; as for not being able to utilize other forms of Vitamin C, I don't know.
From Plumbs Veterinary Drug Handbook:
Exogenously supplied ascorbic acid is a dietary requirement in some exotic species (including rainbow trout, Coho salmon), guinea pigs, and in primates. The other domestic species are able to synthesize in vivo enough Vitamin C to meet their nutritional needs.
Most Veterinary Colleges have a Nutritionist or a Veterinarian who is an expert on Nutrition on staff; you may want to give Texas A&M a call.
I hadn't seen the book you referenced, but that's not surprising. There are thousands of animal related texts; I have a whole bookcase full, but I still go to www.VIN.com for new info. There are some subsites on there that should be available to you if you want to look things up or ask questions. http://www.vin.com/PetCare/