How to keep your dog healthy and safe
How to recognize whom to trust and whom to avoid
For the past few years, I have been observing an alarming trend of processed pet food giants purchasing veterinary clinics. Slowly but surely, many veterinary facilities have been acquired, after their owners received irresistible offers from large corporations with very deep pockets.
Unfortunately, instead of focusing on the health of pets, these new “clinic owners” focus mainly on generating profits and paying their employees as little as possible to improve their bottom line!
These new corporate owners eventually sell out to even bigger multinational corporations that manufacture human food products, processed pet food, veterinary clinics, medical supplies, drugs and medical equipment. They are also keen sponsors of education at veterinary colleges, professional conferences and organized nutritional research conducted by “not so unbiased” experts that are paid by them.
Like it or not, we are living in an era of monopolization of veterinary healthcare which puts the health and wellbeing of our beloved pets in danger!
A possible solution
In order for these multinational corporations to thrive, they have to convince you, the consumer, to buy their products and use their services. This is much more difficult when animal lovers are well educated and understand that drugs and processed pet food are not likely to produce long-lasting health for their pets.
This is why I love providing holistic health information, writing articles, creating helpful tools such as the Healthy Dog Tool and teaching you how to make and feed a raw and natural diet.
Based on the data gathered from the Healthy Dog Tool, about half of our community still feeds kibble. It appears that this is either out of convenience or cost concerns and these reasons are valid to a degree. However, the long-term cost of veterinary care and the emotional impact of losing our best friends prematurely are much greater than the savings gained from a bag of kibble.
You can start slowly by taking our “Quick and Easy Raw or Cooked Diet Feeding course,” you will at least know how to increase the proportions of healthier food for your dog.
In order for these multinational corporations to thrive, they have to convince you, the consumer, to buy their products and use their services. This is much more difficult when animal lovers are well educated and understand that drugs and processed pet food are not likely to produce long-lasting health for their pets.
This is why I love providing holistic health information, writing articles, creating helpful tools such as the Healthy Dog Tool and teaching you how to make and feed a raw and natural diet.
Based on the data gathered from the Healthy Dog Tool, about half of our community still feeds kibble. It appears that this is either out of convenience or cost concerns and these reasons are valid to a degree. However, the long-term cost of veterinary care and the emotional impact of losing our best friends prematurely are much greater than the savings gained from a bag of kibble.
You can start slowly by taking our “Quick and Easy Raw or Cooked Diet Feeding course,” you will at least know how to increase the proportions of healthier food for your dog.
The reality is that unless you make food yourself or it is made of whole pet food by a company you trust, your dog’s food will continue to be “mystery food”. Sadly, not every company can be trusted and it requires experience and skill to recognize the good ones from the harmful ones.
Rather than writing negatively about other brands, I prefer to share info on how my formulas and products differ in formulation, production, and the fact that we package in glass and carefully source each ingredient because this is what is relevant to the health and well-being of your dog.
How to recognize companies that focus on you and your dog rather than their bottom-line?
When Volkswagen installed a program that “faked” the levels of harmful emissions in their cars, they clearly focused on their profits instead of customers and the environment.
When Boeing decided to make important safety features on the 737 Max optional, it was to keep the costs lower (or profits higher); they too failed to focus on what was best for passengers and airlines.
In contrast, the electric car manufacturer Tesla has focused on making cars that are good for the environment and fun to drive. They understand that they first had to focus on what customers wanted in order to succeed in an unprecedented way. The company even thought of dogs by programming an air-conditioning function for dogs!
I would love it if Boeing could learn from Tesla! Can you see the difference between these companies?
If you are wondering how all of this applies to dogs, then the answer is here:
10 essential questions you should ask when you choose a product or a service for your dog.
- Does the company have clear values that they adhere to? Here are our values.
- Is the company’s communication focusing on “You and Your Dog?” or do they waste your time by blowing their own horn and using the words “we” and “I” more often than “You?”
- Do they put down other brands in order to show how “superior” their products are?
- Do they do their best to help and understand your needs or do they hide behind “the company’s policies" and focus on their needs instead of yours?
- Are their online product reviews positive and freely accessible? How do they respond to negative reviews?
- Is their customer service easily accessible, genuinely caring about you and your dog and is the shipping well organized and streamlined for your convenience?
- Do they focus on the quality of their products and ingredients?
- Is their packaging eco-friendly or do they use cheap plastic packaging?
- Are they confident in the quality of their product by offering no hassle return policy?
- Finally, what does your intuition tell you about them? Do they sound like they care about you and your dog?
I hope that answering the above questions will go a long way when it comes to caring for your canine friend and share this info with others!
Stay tuned for a new piece on the nutrient cycle and how to make sure there is nothing missing in your dog's diet. It is coming next week! 🐶
Stay tuned for a new piece on the nutrient cycle and how to make sure there is nothing missing in your dog's diet. It is coming next week! 🐶
© Dr. Peter Dobias, DVM
