Most Vets Don't Know: Be Your Dog's Voice!

Just like if your doctor told you that you needed surgery you would get a second opinion, we need to do this with our dogs. Because a vet or a doctor says "X" does not make it so. Before my dog died from the recalls of 2007, I never thought to doubt what my vet of 20 years said. When I started reading everything I could about dogs and feeding and vet care in the US, the more I started to doubt my vet.

One example, is every year, he gave a cocktail of vaccinations, and last year when I wanted to titer my 8 yr old Bijon, and it was told to me that he didn't think it would matter. Huh? Does he not read vet literature? The titer came back that he had FULL immunity. So, if we did another shot I would have overloaded his system. Vaccination Bundles, especially in young, pregnant, sick or older dogs are not recommended, yet vets are still giving them.

When the 2007 Dogfood Recalls were announced I called my vet and asked what I should feed. He said he feed Beneful. Beneful? Has he ever done any research on Beneful? Each of us should do that on any product we feed to ourselves, our children and our dogs. Check into the company, have there been any recalls or problems with the food. There are some websites to research dogfoods: dogfoodanalysis.com, dogfoodproject.com, truthaboutdogfood.com and thepetfoodlist.com are a few I use on a regular basis.

I do my own research on every product, now. For dogfood, get Pitcairns, Natural Health for Dogs and Cats. You can learn to "balance over time" rather than "complete and balanced" which is a propaganda technique professed by the commercial companies. In the wild, dogs would eat a variety of things over a period of time. I have been homecooking and feeding some raw for almost 2 years now. We have not had to go to a vet at all. My dogs have no yeasty ears, tear stains or itchy skin since I've started homecooking.

It is a myth that dogs cannot have "people food." It was perpetrated by the Commercial Dogfood Companies to make people believe they should only serve their products. These companies make billions of dollars each year, using the cheapest ingredients and often things not fit for human consumption. Some companies even use ingredients that would turn your stomach if you knew what they were. Better yet, research "Rendering" and "By-Products" in dogfood and discover what they really are.

The truth is, there are very few vets who will work with you to make sure your dogs are getting everything they really need. If you do find one, then you are one of the lucky ones. Do your own research, then ask your vet. If he is up on his education, he will advocate homecooking and/or raw feeding. Certainly, he will recommend organic, human grade, no additives, no rendering plants, no by-products or fillers. If not, start looking for another vet. You need to be the "voice" for your dog. Stop buying into the advertising!