# Article: Vets and Nutrition



## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

Link: How Much Do Vets Learn About Nutrition in Veterinary School? - Associated Content - associatedcontent.com


----------



## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

Great article, Suzan! Thanks for sharing.


----------



## BellaWella (May 2, 2010)

nice article...it basically says the same thing that a lot of you have told me on here! I believe bad diet is one of the main reasons why your dog will die young or good diet live a long and healthy life. If we already know all this, shouldn't our vets??? It sure doesn't seem that they know b/c the still try to push science diet and royal canin. 

When I called to do blood work for my puppy, they asked if there was something wrong with her and I just simply told them that I'm changing her diet to go more towards home cooking. She asked why make it hard for myself when commerical kibble is good enough. This is the best rated animal hospital in my area?!?!?!? Time for vets to add a few more course to their studies in college!


----------



## vjw (Dec 20, 2006)

Please do your research on veterinary medicine college curriculums. I looked this up for a previous post and most Vets have at least one course in college in Veterinary Nutrition.

Also, Vets get their nutrition information from veterinary schools who have nutrition programs devoted specifically to veterinary nutrition. There's veterinary nutrition programs and studies done all around the world, and they've been conducted for many years.

Also, there's many continuing education programs and seminars for Vets. on veterinary nutrition across the U.S. 

Yes, some dog food companies collaborate with veterinary schools and it can be a positive thing that they share information they glean from their studies. Some of the older dog food companies have spent lots and lots of money on pet nutrition studies. Some of the newer companies haven't.

So let's say a Vet. doesn't get much information in Vet. school. There's tons of reputable veterinary nutrition sources online. Many we don't even have access to.


----------



## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

It can be very frustrating. I've had Nikki for 2.5 years now and I am on my 3rd Vet. Currently I like my vet a lot, but we disagree on a lot of things. The staff? They are annoying. All they talk about about are parasite meds and vaccinations. 

When I call the Vet's office for anything at all (like today, I called to leave a message for the doc to speak with him about adding another dog) the Receptionists pulls up Nikki's files and firmly reminds me that Nikki needs more vaccinations. Huh? I'm calling to speak to the Vet about a totally unrelated issue and they have to bring up vax. Last time I was there, I could barely get out of the Reception area without them _chastising _me about Vaccinations and Flea Meds. 

They don't even mention food to me because they know I home cook and I don't want to hear about the "food" they sell. 

I've searched and searched, and there are only two holistic vets in my area and one of them I've already parted ways with. The other one charges outrageous prices. 

Yes, it's very frustrating. The less I see them, the better.


----------



## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

I have owned dogs for over 20 years, lived in 3 different parts of the US, and used the services of oh, about 10 different vets - from general practice vets to specialists. Only *ONE out of those 10 *was able to engage in an in-depth discussion concerning nutrition.


----------



## tamizami (May 1, 2007)

i totally agree, suzan! its so sad, but i'm afraid that no matter what anyone says, i KNOW that the vet schools receive money and grants from the big dog food companies and i KNOW that all those seminars are also sponsored by the big dog food companies. (the same thing happens with most agriculture schools, they receive big money grants from big agribusiness.)

luckily i have a vet whose office help is always pushing vax and meds and food, but my vet knows me and my dogs and is quite impressed with their health, knows i get bloodwork on them twice annually and he is willing to learn from me!


----------



## tamizami (May 1, 2007)

if anyone else is interested in learning more about canine nutrition, i highly recommend the nutrition series with Jan Rasmusen and Dr. Jean Hofve. Dr. Hofve is a veterinarian (CSU), former Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, and has researched pet food and pet nutrition for more than a dozen years. Working two years as a full-time animal advocate for the Animal Protection Institute, she was a liaison to AAFCO, the organization that sets standards for the pet food industry. Also serving as a practicing veterinarian and four-term President of the Rocky Mountain Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, she has unique knowledge of the pet food industry and pet nutrition. She has written extensively on nutrition for Animal Wellness Magazine, The Whole Dog Journal, DogWorld, Cats Magazine, and the Journal of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association.

you can purchase the recordings here.


----------



## Twinkle (Apr 24, 2010)

interesting...good to know..thanks for sharing. I am actually a prevet student and i am pretty interested in nutrition..it is sad to hear that i wont be learning much about it in vet school..i guess i can always take classes on the side


----------



## MaryH (Mar 7, 2006)

Suzan, have you seen or read the book Feed Your Pet Right: The Authoritative Guide to Feeding Your Dog and Cat by Marion Nestle and Malden C. Nesheim? Feed Your Pet Right, Marion Nestle, Book - Barnes & Noble

I happened to see it Sunday while browsing books at Barnes and Noble, was going to buy it but decided against it for now because it seems that most everything I read is dog related and I really would like to do more pleasure reading. That didn't stop me from sitting down and skimming through it for a bit though. What jumped out at me was the results of their questioning all 27 vet schools in the U.S. about what if anything they are teaching about nutrition. If I remember correctly, 1 or 2 schools offer no nutrition courses, some have one class for first years, more offer one course as an elective, and only 1 school (Tufts University Vet School in Massachusetts) requires nutrition for all 3 years. Pretty sad, huh?

I may buy the book at some point but not before I read some of the unread books piling up here. :w00t:


----------



## tamizami (May 1, 2007)

marion nestle is so highly respected! lately all the books i have been reading are about human nutrition, so i think i will have to get marion's. thanks for the tip!


----------



## MaryH (Mar 7, 2006)

tamizami said:


> marion nestle is so highly respected! lately all the books i have been reading are about human nutrition, so i think i will have to get marion's. thanks for the tip!


 
My pleasure! Will you do a book report for us?? :aktion033:


----------



## tamizami (May 1, 2007)

just ordered it and yes, i will do a book report!


----------



## wooflife (Aug 8, 2007)

MaryH said:


> Suzan, have you seen or read the book Feed Your Pet Right: The Authoritative Guide to Feeding Your Dog and Cat by Marion Nestle and Malden C. Nesheim? Feed Your Pet Right, Marion Nestle, Book - Barnes & Noble


Thanks for the suggested reading I'll be diving into these soon.


----------



## lovesophie (Jan 28, 2008)

Awesome article! Thanks for sharing this with us. :aktion033:


----------



## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

Mary, I haven't read it. I've read her other books, though. She's a decent author, though I don't agree with her on every aspect of human nutrition. 

Anyway, with respect to everyone's opinions, there will always be people who will cling to outdated notions about pet food, and believe that most veterinarians are more knowledgeable than they actually are.

Since I and others have firsthand experience with several vets over the years regarding this subject, and from hearing the experiences of my friends and family, I'll stick to my opinions. I'm not saying that _all_ vets are lacking in nutrition knowledge, but IMO most vets have a lot to learn about nutrition. And they should learn it from someone other than sales reps from Hill's.


----------



## poochie2 (Jan 14, 2010)

Nikki's Mom said:


> It can be very frustrating. I've had Nikki for 2.5 years now and I am on my 3rd Vet. Currently I like my vet a lot, but we disagree on a lot of things. The staff? They are annoying. All they talk about about are parasite meds and vaccinations.
> 
> When I call the Vet's office for anything at all (like today, I called to leave a message for the doc to speak with him about adding another dog) the Receptionists pulls up Nikki's files and firmly reminds me that Nikki needs more vaccinations. Huh? I'm calling to speak to the Vet about a totally unrelated issue and they have to bring up vax. Last time I was there, I could barely get out of the Reception area without them _chastising _me about Vaccinations and Flea Meds.
> 
> ...


Very well put and 100% agree especially the last line you stated !:aktion033:


----------



## vjw (Dec 20, 2006)

tamizami said:


> i totally agree, suzan! its so sad, but i'm afraid that no matter what anyone says, i KNOW that the vet schools receive money and grants from the big dog food companies and i KNOW that all those seminars are also sponsored by the big dog food companies. (the same thing happens with most agriculture schools, they receive big money grants from big agribusiness.)
> 
> luckily i have a vet whose office help is always pushing vax and meds and food, but my vet knows me and my dogs and is quite impressed with their health, knows i get bloodwork on them twice annually and he is willing to learn from me!


 

Holistic Vets have sponsors too. Usually from supplement companies. See the first paragraph regarding their 2010 Annual Conference.


AHVMA Home Page


----------



## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

vjw said:


> Holistic Vets have sponsors too. Usually from supplement companies. See the first paragraph regarding their 2010 Annual Conference.
> 
> 
> AHVMA Home Page



I don't think that we have any disagreement there. It's all about money on both sides, we all know that. Anyone who thinks otherwise is kidding themselves.

However, in *MY* experience, holistic vets have more in-depth knowledge of nutrition than conventional vets do.


----------



## vjw (Dec 20, 2006)

Nikki's Mom said:


> I don't think that we have any disagreement there. It's all about money on both sides, we all know that. Anyone who thinks otherwise is kidding themselves.
> 
> However, in *MY* experience, holistic vets have more in-depth knowledge of nutrition than conventional vets do.


 

The problem with holistic vets is that they usually incorporate alternative medicine, including alternative nutritional practices into their practice. 

I don't use Wilkipedia that often for references, but the article linked below pretty much sums up the thoughts of the "Scientific Community" about alternative medicine. Some scientist's definition of alternative is: all treatments that have not been proven effective using scientific methods, and this is the part that scares me about alternative medicine.


Alternative medicine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


----------



## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

vjw said:


> The problem with holistic vets is that they usually incorporate alternative medicine, including alternative nutritional practices into their practice.
> 
> I don't use Wilkipedia that often for references, but the article linked below pretty much sums up the thoughts of the "Scientific Community" about alternative medicine. Some scientist's definition of alternative is: all treatments that have not been proven effective using scientific methods, and this is the part that scares me about alternative medicine.
> 
> ...


We are all entitled to our opinions, Joy. If that is what you want to believe, then that is fine by me. I have no problems using alternative medicine as well as conventional medicine. We are adults and we make our own choices.

I would hope that you understand that I and perhaps others simply do not agree with you in this matter. 

Have a good day.


----------



## tamizami (May 1, 2007)

i try to take the best advice from allopathic/conventional and homeopathic/holistic practitioners and decide on the right course for my dogs and me. i have vets from both disciplines.

also, you need to search for a holisitic vet that is certified in nutrition or clinical nutrition modality. not all holistic vets are. search here.


----------

