This thread has been an interesting read. It seems there is just as much controversy among vets about food/nutrition as there is among pet owners. I can only share my experience with various vets and pets.
My interest in pet nutrition has gradually developed, mostly due to one of my orange tabbies. I had been feeding my cats IAMs. I thought it was a better quality food than say Friskies. Although at the time I did not think to read ingredient lists. Kudos to Iams marketing department I guess. My cat developed struvites along with UTI. My vet put him on Medical S/O kibble. Here is where I think vets that "only" sell Hills or Medical or other things at their office go wrong. As a client, I assume you are the expert and if you are telling me this is what my pet needs to be healthy I believe you. So I was willing to pay more for Vet food. When he continued having issues with infections and crystals, my vet recommended I only feed the Medical s/o wet food. The wet food was more expensive than dry but vastly less expensive than monthly vet visits (especially emergency visits on Christmas day). The food seemed to make him puke a lot. He was a fairly young cat at the time.
I do recall my vet saying rather off hand that cats should not really eat dry food. They do much better on wet. This piqued my interest - basically if this is the case then why do you sell cat kibble? or at the very least inform people that wet is generally better. So I researched. A lot. I take pet food company data with a grain of salt and likewise the other extreme. Then I read the ingredients on that food the vet had me giving my cat. And I was livid. Mostly because I thought as a vet they were the expert and also because I was paying top dollar for corn and who knows what else thinking it was a premium product because my vet sold it.
So I dumped the vet food and switched all of my cats onto canned food. Generally they like Wellness, but I switch up the brands often. They each get a can a day, with extra water added.
The result of this is: Yes it is more expensive than kibble but I spend way less at the vet (sorry!) I have to break up their feedings into 3x a day as they seem to get a little too hungry at night. They pee a lot so cat litter needs to be changed a bit more.
My slightly chubby orange tabby has never had another struvite/infection. The other 2 cats have never had any kidney/bladder issues. Plus they are all lean. My 13 year old tortie is bright eyed and glossy. My orange tabby who we were convinced was not going live a long life is also 13 and has no apparent health issues.
So now when in the pet section of a grocery store with a fellow shopper or if someone brings up cat food, I do what vets (the ones I have encountered) don't seem to tell anyone. Look at the ingredients. Is the main ingredient corn? Why would a cat eat corn? Cats should eat wet food... etc.
Not that I am anti-corn. I myself partake of it occasionally. Is it a source of protein? Probably. Is it the top choice for a protein source for an obligate carnivore? I doubt it. I have had a vet try to explain to my why corn is great for pet food. Don't pee on my leg and tell me its raining, when they stop the corn subsidies and corn becomes more expensive, the pet food companies will find a new wonder protein ingredient. My anger about the issue arises mostly not so much about corn in pet food, but in vets selling it to unsuspecting clients who think they are doing a good thing for their pets.
Don't underestimate the power you have to influence your clients and don't underestimate the intelligence of your clients.
I'll put my dog food stories in another post.
