Why is my vet giving me contradictory advice on wet and dry food?

[kitte]

Like others have said, do the research and then do what you feel is best for your fur-family.

Personally, I free-feed dry with the occasional wet food treat.

Lone doesn't seem to like many of the wet food products available... and I've tried a few with her.. she prefers the kibble except when she's not feeling well or like at the moment, isn't drinking a lot of water (and then I switch her to wet to make up for the less drinking). She's very good at drinking a lot of water so long as I make the water spots interesting for her to get to... like up on the top of my duchess, the bathroom vanity unit, under the duchess... etc.. so her not getting water is not usually a problem. The wet food she will touch is usually only the Whiskas brand. They come in little pouches so it's really handy to have some in my cupboard for when I think she's looking a little 'off' which is hardly ever.

I always have a seperate bowl of fresh water beside the dry food as well, but I've NEVER seen her drink out of that one lol (I keep it there just in case lol)

It's really all about the research, what you feel comfortable with, and what your cat/kitten will eat.

 

[tru]

Originally Posted by bab-ush-niik

BTW, PetSmart and PetCo have pretty poor selection for good cat foods. I'd suggest checking petfooddirect.com. They have a wonderful selection of good foods, and the prices are good too. I get Eagle Pack from them.

Also... if you shop at Pet Food Direct, be sure to do an online serch for coupons. You can nearly always get at least 15% off and often 20 to even 25% which makes up for the shipping charges.

 

[mybabies]

MOST Vets only get a 2 or 3 week course in nutrition so they REALLY only know what they were taught and things HAVE changed.

Wet is better as it gives a cat more water which they need, and it does not stick to their teeth and cause tarter as dry does. Cats don't chew - they chomp - once or twice and swallow so the idea of dry cleaning their teeth is incorrect.

 

[fred&nermal]

I know from experience that grocery store cat food can be bad for male cat's urinary tracts later in life. Buying food either from the vet or a specialty pet store is a better idea.
I had two cats that suffered from crystals in the bladder. When we switched them to Hills prescription diet, the problem never returned. Rama, my old cat, lived to be 18. His last 6 years were on C/D Prescription diet. My other cat, Dewey, lived 3 years after the bladder incident (his previous owner had been feeding him IAMS). After a big vet procedure, we switched him to C/d and he never had a bladder problem again.
For this reason, I've always trusted Hills prescription diet.
I feed my cats now only dry food. I have a Petmate water fountain next to their dishes, which they love and keeps them hydrated.
I don't think it matters too much. I heard the dry helps to clean their teeth!
For me I like the dry because I work long hours and don't like the idea of wet food sitting out going bad.

 

[pearla]

SO NO BY-PRODUCTS!
I went to pet-co yesterday and compared all the ingredients of 5 brands

..i got asked alot if i needed "help"..haha..anyways, I was shocked to see that the so called "TOP BRANDS" all have by-products listed as their first 5 ingredients!! Purina, Science Diet, and IAMS. They were all pretty pricey too. Im sticking to MAX KITTEN Gourmet, which is in the same price range as the others ($15 for 24 3oz. cans). Is that a reasonable pricing for food, or should I shop elsewhere!!???

 

[kitte]

As to price of the cans, in Australia, you're looking anywhere between $0.99 to $3.00 per can same size depending on brand (AUD of course)

 

[sharky]

I pay anywhere from .50 cents to 2.50 for 3 ounces wet foods

 

[savet]

Vets have contradicting personal opinions too i am afraid. Most vets will not advice you some food because they get paid for it, mostly it'll be just their personal experience and preference (and yes, sometimes they can get brainwashed by manufacturer's sales reps too)

As to the statement that dry food causes urinary crystals and renal stones, I wouldn't agree completely. Although there are some dry foods which can be associated with urinary crystals (e.g. I've seen many cats on Iams with crystals but I wouldn't there to say that it was only Iams causing the problem) there also are prescription diets for disolving urinary stones and these come in dry and canned form such as Hill's s/d. Nobody really knows exactly why some cats get crystals and stones and others don't. Many possible causes have been hypothesized: genetic factors, lack of exercise and obesity, foods with high magnesium and ash content etc. etc.

Cats on dry food will drink much more then cats on canned food. So if fed on dry, make sure water is always available.

BTW, if you are worried about teeth, there is a special dry food for prevention of tartar build up - you can get it at your vets (Hill's Prescription Diet t/d) and it can be combined with wet food. It works like sort of edible brush. Or you could try to brush your cat's teeth - that would be the best prevention. You can get a special finger tooth brush and enzymatic meat flavored tooth paste for pets (never use human tooth paste, it's not meant to be swallowed).

 

[jokieman]

Originally Posted by DesignVHL

Ok see that makes me mad, lol!! A vet is SUPPOSED to know and understand the nutrition of the animals they see and take care of. They SHOULD teach that in school, its strange to me that they do not. I don't think they are being fair to their "customers" by not properly advising themselves on what is right for our beloved pets....I mean if they are giving this contradictory advice, wouldn't it be safe to say that they are not giving good/accurate nutritional advice and it just should not be like that!

The vet business is pretty much the same as the doctor business. They do get kickbacks for prescribing medications and recommending certain foods.

 

[panther pride]

If you can afford it, Innova evo is one of the best cat foods out there. Go to www.Naturapet.com. Its what I feed Bindi and his coat is like velvet, his teeth are clean and his weight is great. http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/ima...ilies/wink.gif

 

[noelle&oliver]

Originally Posted by MyBabies

MOST Vets only get a 2 or 3 week course in nutrition so they REALLY only know what they were taught and things HAVE changed.

Wet is better as it gives a cat more water which they need, and it does not stick to their teeth and cause tarter as dry does. Cats don't chew - they chomp - once or twice and swallow so the idea of dry cleaning their teeth is incorrect.

Exactly. The idea that dry is better is pervasive through the industry. I have a degree in Animal Care and that's what we were taught as well. I'm not a vet, but our degree included an entire semester class on nutrition and the information was very lacking. They explain how the feline body works, but they then go on to tell you that dry food is perfectly acceptable. Nobody questioned it because the professors and professionals are supposed to know this stuff. It wasn't until after I graduated and started researching myself, that I found a wealth of information that just wasn't offered. I don't believe they are intentionally misleading, but rather they just lack the proper information. Feline's biology is also different from so many other animals, so unless you specialize in cat's as a vet, it's really easy to be mislead or lack the proper information.

It doesn't help that reps from Science Diet, and others, give them "classes" and kick backs to sell their food, either.

Major reasons why dry food should not be the staple diet -

1. Cats are obligate carnivores that require a lot of protein in their diet. Animal protein quality in dry food is no where near as good as in canned food. It can't be in order to make the dry hard kibble, as animal proteins are not a very good binding agent. Kibble is comprised mostly of carbohydrates, plant based protein, which a cat can't metabolize very well. They are not designed to eat grains. Cats get their energy from protein and fat and need much more of both than humans do.

2. Cats are descendent from desert creatures, and as such, learned that the only way to get sufficiant amounts of water was in the prey they were eating. They have a very low thirst dry and will not actively seek out water until they are in some stage of dehydration. Dry food contains little to no water, obviously. No matter how much extra water they drink, they cannot make up for the amount they should be having in their diet. Canned food has a high water content, and as such, meets their needs and much more closely mimicks their natural diet. The animals they eat are comprised mostly of water. In fact, all animals are comprised mostly of water, including humans.

3. Dry food does nothing to clean their teeth. When they bite into kibble, it shatters and is swallowed. It does not stay in contact with the teeth long enough to clean it. In the wild, cats chew on chunks of meat and cartilage, which keeps their teeth pretty clean. They do not munch on hard, dry kibble. Neither dry or wet food is responsible for the condition of their teeth. Genetic's often play a bigger role, actually.

Basically, dry food is a man made convenience. Since it's introduction, more and more "rare" feline diseases and conditions have become prevelant and commonplace.

More information on Feline health and nutrition - written by a holistic veterinarian. http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library