June 28, 2002
Friday

Ziggy Digital photo by Vicky Pilcher ---

I've only briefly touched upon food as a topic, and it deserves a little more attention, as it is crucial to the optimal development of Rover into the best that he can be.

One of Dr. Fran's mantras is that it is always cheaper to prevent a problem than it is to fix it. Puppy food is the best example of the truth of that statement that I can find. This is not the time or place to be saving money.

The repercussions of improper nutrition when organ systems, bones and musculature are forming, are deep, far-reaching, and sometimes irrevocable, so go premium, no matter how tight your finances are. If you can't afford premium puppy chow for your pooch, you definitely won't be able to afford the vet bills stemming from all the things that will go wrong because you saved a few pennies up front.

But Doc, you say, all the labels on dog foods read the same. Why should I pay more for the same thing?

First of all, FDA requirements on pet foods are, in my opinion, criminally lax. They only require what you're seeing on that label to actually be in that bag sometime in the next six months. That means that most of the less expensive dog foods stay less expensive by buying the stuff that's cheapest at this moment, matching the ingredients to the label twice a year, because they have to. In a time when allergies are fast becoming one of the leading (very expensive to treat) problems facing dogs, and food allergies being a contributing factor to those allergies, you want to know what's actually going into your dog's mouth.

More importantly the bigger reason those cheap dog foods can stay cheap is that they're not required to prove they can do what they say they can. The place the premium dog foods spend a huge amount of their budgets is on Research and Development. They actually do feeding trials, where they feed puppies their food, and make sure they grow to their optimum size, that their bones form right, that they don't experience devastating problems because they're missing some crucial nutrient, and that they ultimately live to the ripest old age that they can. And even better, the best foods actually do research to see if common diseases can be mitigated, or even prevented by dietary changes.

That takes money.

But it's worth it.

I can, without hesitation and without any gain to myself, recommend Hills Science Diet and Iams, based on years of positive experience. There are other good dog foods out there, but don't go based on price. Call the number on the bag, ask if they do feeding trials and ask to see the results of those feeding trials.

Of all the things I will ever say to you, this one is probably the most important, and the one I will repeat most often. Don't skimp on the chow. Get the best now, or you will pay for it in spades later.

Next week: Nutrition to prevent Hip Dysplasia

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