The Stupid Vets Office Doesn't Even Have a Clue! They told me to jsut feed Purina!

Originally Posted by sharky

hey your vet was honest... see many vets have SD pay for vet school and sign a contract to sell and recommend it ... but most would be vets dont realize what they are doing

... I think that is a good vet to say hey I dont promote this but so and so does talk with them..IMHO

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My Vet is awesome, old fashioned, but great at what he does. I trust him very much when it comes to my pets health. I just wish that Vet's in general would take some time to learn about other, healtier options for our pets.
I appreciate the fact that they were willing to refer me to someone with more info on RAW but am annoyed with the idea that they know nothing about any products but the one's that they sell.

Originally Posted by kittiesx2

My Vet is awesome, old fashioned, but great at what he does. I trust him very much when it comes to my pets health. I just wish that Vet's in general would take some time to learn about other, healtier options for our pets.
I appreciate the fact that they were willing to refer me to someone with more info on RAW but am annoyed with the idea that they know nothing about any products but the one's that they sell.

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Since they refered you it is likely your vet does know but isnt comfortable enough or able to discuss it like the other vet as he does not sell it ...

Originally Posted by sharky

Since they refered you it is likely your vet does know but isnt comfortable enough or able to discuss it like the other vet as he does not sell it ...

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Ohh...That makes sense...now I feel kinda' silly
Thanks Sharky

Originally Posted by kittiesx2

Ohh...That makes sense...now I feel kinda' silly

Thanks Sharky

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I try ... your welcome

Dont feel silly... with my girls it is two vets dealing with the issues... one is learning holistic and oriental medicine and the other is learning nutrition and up to date conventional

I just heard about the purina recall last night. However, I still think that Purina is relatively still safe. Our cats have been on it for years with no problems. However, due to all the recalls, I am tired of questioning everything I decide to try to feed them and will now slowly switch to a grain free dry/wet food. I am going to try raw instinct and evo wet. I do not want them to suffer unnecessarily in anyway.
I love our vet. We actually have 3 different vets at our. I don't know how much they know nutrionally and I know they promote SD. Our cats won't even touch that stuff.
All the staff are very caring and professional. I now have to decide if it would be cheaper to order online or to drive an hour away to get the food I need. Gas is NOT getting cheaper...

Purina is not involved in the recall except for AlpoÂ[emoji]174[/emoji] Brand Prime Cuts In Gravy Canned Dog food. If you feed the dry purina that will be fine. We personally are feeding all purina products (pro plan, kitten chow, and purina one) and have had no problems whatsoever.

Originally Posted by Duchess15

I just heard about the purina recall last night. However, I still think that Purina is relatively still safe. Our cats have been on it for years with no problems. However, due to all the recalls, I am tired of questioning everything I decide to try to feed them and will now slowly switch to a grain free dry/wet food. I am going to try raw instinct and evo wet. I do not want them to suffer unnecessarily in anyway.
I love our vet. We actually have 3 different vets at our. I don't know how much they know nutrionally and I know they promote SD. Our cats won't even touch that stuff.
All the staff are very caring and professional. I now have to decide if it would be cheaper to order online or to drive an hour away to get the food I need. Gas is NOT getting cheaper...

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Originally Posted by ladybass0711

Purina is not involved in the recall except for Alpo® Brand Prime Cuts In Gravy Canned Dog food. If you feed the dry purina that will be fine. We personally are feeding all purina products (pro plan, kitten chow, and purina one) and have had no problems whatsoever.

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I'll put it this way ..i will not be feeding ANY more products made by Purina or ANY other company with any affiliations to any recalls again. I am going strictly on a balanced,safe home cooked diet for my animals. Their health and safety are too important to me to chance to a company, such as Purina that i can not trust or get good facts from. I will not risk my animals health to go for the cheaper product. I am also switching too because the ingredients in Purina are not the best things for them to be eating. Too many fillers in them and not enough meats and nutrients. I will be making everything from now on- at least now i will not have to worry about if their food is going to get recalled tomorrow or send them into renal failure ya know! That's why i will no longer trust Purina or just about any other pet food company for that matter. We also have 2 dogs and a wolf mix. (the wolf mix lives with my mom and the 2 dogs with us) they were not fed alpo in the first place (aweful ingredients!) but i am also watching dog food issues as well with them- i will not chance the health of any of my beloved animals with companies that i simply do not trust. Also- signs for renal failure do not necessarily happen all at once- it can happen over time- so while some foods may "seem to be safe" because they haven't caused any problems YET....yet is the key word to remember...it's best not to chance it.

I think that because you feel the way you do a good holistic veterinarian should be the only kind of vet you should consult. Regular vets would rather have you feed commercial pet foor or buy their products and holistic vets would rather have you avoid processed commercial pet food altogether and prepare homemade pet food. Two entirely different schools of thought. It seems that there are fewer holistic vets than regular vets. The whole veterinary practice is dominated mostly by regular vets. But if you just keep searching I'm sure you can find a holistic vet in your area who can give you good guidance on preparing a homemade diet. After all it's obvious by what you've said that you need a veterinarian who truly shares your desire to care for your pet naturally. Rest assured a holistic vet will advise you to throw out that Purina and provide you with a balanced recipe. So channel that frustration into finding a vet who will give you the kind of support you need rather than getting angry with vets who are not even trained in animal nutrition, they just don't know any better(and of course people who have no knowledge of how to prepare homemade pet food are going to go with scientifically prepared commercial food, it's just easier, so they have no other advice to give you.) A really good book to read is "Dr Pitcairn's Guide to Natural Care for Dogs and Cats." This book has homemade recipes galore for both cats and dogs and I really respect the vet. I just have no idea where to find all the supplements, probably in certain health food stores.

I feed my cats both commercial pet food(high quality, not Purina, more like Evo, Wellness) and homemade raw to one of my cats who eats it. It's a balanced recipe because it is approved by holistic vets and I follow the recipe carefully. It's from Feline Instincts. But I am not discussing this with my vet because I use regular vets for whatever medical issues may come up as they are the most convenient in my area (I rely on public transportation and walking) but I feel that what I feed my cats, regardless of the fact that they will always ask me this, is not so much their business as long as my cats are healthy and don't require a special diet for medical conditions. After all, animal nutrition is not their specialty. Realizing this I've learned what to talk about with whom and what not to talk about with whom. I'm not going to say it's not their business but I can put limits on how much detail I give them in regards to food.

but I feel that what I feed my cats, regardless of the fact that they will always ask me this, is not so much their business as long as my cats are healthy and don't require a special diet for medical conditions. After all, animal nutrition is not their specialty. Realizing this I've learned what to talk about with whom and what not to talk about with whom. I'm not going to say it's not their business but I can put limits on how much detail I give them in regards to food.

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I agree with a lot of what you said but my only concern arises with the above thoughts.

Just as with any practitioner of medicine, animal/human alike, in order for them to treat us/pets 100%, they should know anything that could affect the health of the patient(animal/human). I wouldn't keep information from my doc or my child's pediatrician on the off chance something they are eating is adversely reacting with or contributing to something worrisome. (small odds but still). I realize what you're saying--if it's not broken why mess with the recipe type of thing. But having worked with vets and having mds in the house, I hear about such things happening....kind of like when patients dont' report any holistic/herbals they are taking but every so often SOMETHING has contraindications....

Something could be at work on a physiological/chemical level that *WE* dont' understand.

That said, the vet/MD does NOT have to AGREE or APPROVE what we are eating or what we are feeding our pets, but I am always open to listen to suggestions or their reasons for such suggestions. Also, that way I can better gauge the way my vet/doc thinks, and if we are on ANY of the same pages.

THe only time I would draw the line with any practitioner is if they dont' take the time to LISTEN to me as a patient or listen to me about my pet. As it seemed Starry's experience was.

I dont' care if the vet suggests Purina. Fine. But TALK to me about it.

I agree, the vets don't seem to know a thing about food. I feed my cats premium food (California Natural & Wyson dry). I asked the vet about them & she said she's never heard of them! Needless to say I was really surprised. I talked to the owner's of the pet store I go to (they sell only premium brands & know a lot about nutrition) They said vets only take 1 course in nutrtion in school. don't know if this is true or not.

Originally Posted by chopperbates

I agree, the vets don't seem to know a thing about food. I feed my cats premium food (California Natural & Wyson dry). I asked the vet about them & she said she's never heard of them! Needless to say I was really surprised. I talked to the owner's of the pet store I go to (they sell only premium brands & know a lot about nutrition) They said vets only take 1 course in nutrtion in school. don't know if this is true or not.

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Again , like your 'people' doc, there is no way they can specialize in every aspect. That is what specialists are for.

And it's not across the board either. Some vets take a special interest in nutrition; some are less in tune with thinking outside the box. Same with a pediatrician or family practitioner.

When I go to the vets', sure I'd love them to know EVERYTHING. But most importantly, I want their diagnostic skills TOP NOTCH. I want a vet that knows what to look for and how to treat a condition, and has compassion and empathy for us and with our pets.

If they aren't as up with latest foods, I can forgive that; but I would expect a good vet to research it if a 'case' warranted it, and not just toss me the textbook answer, but instead LISTEN to my concerns and work with me.

Well, vets are basically trained in veterinary surgery and internal medicine. They are NOT trained in behvior or nutrition (unless they go out and do that research on their own like we have, without the help of Hill's, Waltham or Purina). ..

I can't completely blame them. But at the same time, they HAVE to know that people rely on them for al pet-related information. You'd think they'd have the best interest of the animals at heart and would continue their education, the way human doctors are required to do?

I guess the reason I won't discuss much detail in regards to what I feed my cats is because the last thing I need is a vet who does not know much about animal nutrition telling me not to feed a homemade raw meat recipe and getting bossy about it and even telling me I'm doing a bad thing. I'm afraid of this. I feel it should me me and not them authorizing how I feed my cats. Of course I will make an exception if a medical issue comes up requiring a different kind of diet.

Originally Posted by StarryEyedTiGeR

I'll put it this way

..i will not be feeding ANY more products made by Purina or ANY other company with any affiliations to any recalls again. I am going strictly on a balanced,safe home cooked diet for my animals. Their health and safety are too important to me to chance to a company, such as Purina that i can not trust or get good facts from. I will not risk my animals health to go for the cheaper product. I am also switching too because the ingredients in Purina are not the best things for them to be eating. Too many fillers in them and not enough meats and nutrients. I will be making everything from now on- at least now i will not have to worry about if their food is going to get recalled tomorrow or send them into renal failure ya know! That's why i will no longer trust Purina or just about any other pet food company for that matter. We also have 2 dogs and a wolf mix. (the wolf mix lives with my mom and the 2 dogs with us) they were not fed alpo in the first place (aweful ingredients!) but i am also watching dog food issues as well with them- i will not chance the health of any of my beloved animals with companies that i simply do not trust. Also- signs for renal failure do not necessarily happen all at once- it can happen over time- so while some foods may "seem to be safe" because they haven't caused any problems YET....yet is the key word to remember...it's best not to chance it.

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Good for you! I am looking at getting some trial size bags of Orijen since a lot of people would either like to get it or already have. That way I won't feel bad about spending a lot of money if they DON'T like it. Am now in the process of trying to find a good wet food with no grain.

Thanks for the input and kind words everyone / I will look into seeing if there are any holisitic vets in our area, and if so i will consult them as far as nutrition and home cooking is concerned. I still want my regular vets to be on the same page as me (it was not my regular vets who i called the other day- they were out and the other vets i do not like were in- my regular vets would have NEVER done that...i also use several different vet clinics....one for my rabbit, one for my dogs (and sometimes my kitties- they also treat our shelter animals- they're the ones i called yesterday), and another one - my favorite, for my cats normally (since i work at a shelter- i go all over the city, so i'm good friends with many of the vets around here- that's why i was soo suprised yesterday when the ones i'm not used to just cut me off and told me to give them purina without even listening or researching! gurr!) I will definitely be picking up that book about home cooking as suggested and guess what - last night my mom gave me her old food processor that she hasn't used in about 20 years So that's one major expense i don't have to worry about right now I also think that home cooking will be much better for Kojak (my little sick guy who has chronic herepes outbreaks) and for my extremly overweight kitty, Jasmine (we adopted her that way) so hopefully home cooking will really benifit all of them

I will agree to disagree here. I understand your concern, but blowing it this far out of proportion is a little ridiculous in my opinion. Purnina is one of the SAFEST foods out there. Don't get me wrong I would be concerned about my animals too, but not with Purina since they make there own foods at a COMPLETLY different plant then menu foods. And the only recalled product is ALPO. So I think this is being completly blown out of proportion!

Originally Posted by ladybass0711

I will agree to disagree here. I understand your concern, but blowing it this far out of proportion is a little ridiculous in my opinion. Purnina is one of the SAFEST foods out there. Don't get me wrong I would be concerned about my animals too, but not with Purina since they make there own foods at a COMPLETLY different plant then menu foods. And the only recalled product is ALPO. So I think this is being completly blown out of proportion!

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THE RECENT recall NOW encompasses far more than ONE MENU plant ... Oh and read Purinas cans they no longer SAY WHERE they ARE MADE ... and since they are now building a plant in CHINA I wouldnt take any kind of chance

i hate that vets are all about money and don't actually learn about nutrition. . . .that's a real sore spot with me.

sharky - you are really lucky you have a holistic vet......there aren't really any here in maine....

I disagree that vets just think about money, I trust my vet 100%. I'm sorry there are those of you that don't have this relationship. My vet has never pushed any certain brand of food onto me. I researched several products, see what my cats like, and go from there. So far we have been lucky and have not had our particular brand recalled.

Originally Posted by ladybass0711

I will agree to disagree here. I understand your concern, but blowing it this far out of proportion is a little ridiculous in my opinion. Purnina is one of the SAFEST foods out there. Don't get me wrong I would be concerned about my animals too, but not with Purina since they make there own foods at a COMPLETLY different plant then menu foods. And the only recalled product is ALPO. So I think this is being completly blown out of proportion!

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Purina has been safe so far as we know. Like I mentioned earlier, our cats have been eating it for years without any problems. However, have you ever read what ingredients are in purina? I didn't know much about cat nutrition and how important it was until coming on here. There are so many by-products etc..I was horrified. My intent was switching to a better quality food before this recall, however, due to the recent recall my options have been limited.
The way I look at it is 1) I can continue to feed purina which is a lower quality food and hope that nothing goes wrong, 2) switch to a better quality food without grains meaning they would eat less because they would actually absorbed and use those ingredients and be healthier in general. This recall has only enforced the decision I have made a couple of months ago.
It is a shame that some vets do not know as much nutritionally. I can honestly say that is one topic I have never discussed with my vet so I don't know what his views are. I do know that they promote science diet, but our cats won't touch that stuff with a ten foot pole.
The way I see it is that I may pay a bit more for better food, but it will benefit them in so many ways and I will have the peace of mind of not to have to question each time I feed them something if that could potentially hurt them.
All I know at this point is that I'm tired of thinking that everything is ok and that it was one ingredient when now it's more than one. Their health and happiness is my sole goal. Until I can find something else they will switch to, I will stick with purina only because they are ok at this point. I don't think that some people are blowing it out of proportion. There are some people who have no clue whatsoever. I think it's up to each individual person and how much they value their pets. I think being cautious is better than taking a risk on the pets they love and only they can decide what is right for them.