My vet suggested science diet for my 9 weeks old cocker spaniel pup....anyone knows if this is a good brand?

Question

I had read that dog food that has mainly corn, animal by-products are bad....but this was recommended by my vet...so i just want to check...

Answer 1

It gives my dogs bad gas.

Answer 2

For some reason many vets suggest things like Science Diet, Iams and Eukanuba, but all are not the best of foods. They are not the worst either.

I feed Wellness. It's much better and contains human grade food.

Use the chart here to evaluate any food. The one I use comes in at 110 which is an A+. Most of the Science Diet ones come in at 60 or so which is an F:

http://pets.families.com/blog/grade-your-dog-food

Oh and yes some products made by Science diet HAVE been affected bey the recall, but not the puppy food.

Answer 3

I tour petsmarts and petcos educating animals lovers about pet nutrition, and its great that you did your homework!

Science diet IS NOT a good brand of dog food. Vets suggest it - along w/ Iams, and Eukanuba - because they get a percentage of what they sell from the distributor.

Fillers such as corn and barley are hard for your dog to digest. They cause gas and create very large stool. They serve not real nutrional value to your dog.

By products include things like heads, beaks, hooves, snouts, tails and sometimes cancerous tissue. It's the left over parts that end up on the butcher's floor.

You want a food such as Royal Canin, Nutro Natural Choice, Bill Jack - that has protein as the first ingrediant and has wheat (which helps with a healthy skin and coat) instead of corn or barley. All the ingrediants should be easy to understand and natural. Corn glutean isn't a bad thing either - its the sugar extracted from the corn. Look for a premium brand of Dog food for you pet.

You'll have a healthy pet with food that supports brain function, cardiac function, skeletal systems, nervous systems, immune systems, healthy skin and coat, pretty much from nose tail!

My top brand is Nutro Natural Choice (they put glucosamine and Chondrotin in their food to prevent arthritis). www.nutroproducts.com

Look for yourself and make a good decision.

Good Luck

Answer 4

I am not a fan of this food.

I would suggest you ask your vet why he/she recommends this food and what they think of some other foods---such as innova, solid gold, or eukanuba...that gives you some names of some high quality food s and a basic food.

If he/she can say I like SD because of "these reasons," then ask how and why SD is better than some of the other brands I listed. See what he/she says.

If the vet is just recommending the food because they get a "kick back" as others have said I would respectfully suggest looking for another vet. If the vet will tell you to feed your dog something every day because it is in the vet's best financial interests---rather than in the dog's best interests---then I would wonder what else the vet would suggest for profit reasons.

Just my thoughts.

Answer 5

Vets get kick back for pushing it! You are right, it has alot of grains and fillers in it. My female couldn't eat the Hill's Science Diet, they'd throw up.

These three food are very good. A little more expensive, but with the ingredients and nutrients, you actually feed less, and less comes out the other end due to lack of fillers.

Canidae Life Stages (does have some rice)
Innova Evo

Origin is a great food also, no grains or fillers. If you have someone near you that carries the two listed above, they usually carry Origin also.

Answer 6

First: Science Diet is NOT a good quality food.It contains way too much corn and other cheap fillers and by products.There are far better quality foods out there.
Some good choices are:
Canidae, Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul, Merrick, Fromm, Solid Gold, Innova, Premium Edge, Percise just ot name a few.
Second: only one food from Hill's was effected by the recall and it was the M/D prescription cat food.

Third: vets do NOT get kick backs from selling Science Diet..like ANY other pet food business (and most sell Science Diet) vets MUST buy it at wholesale prices from Hill's and then resell at retail prices..the only profit made is the difference between the wholesale and retail price..that's it nothing more.

Answer 7

Many vet's recommend this food, some because they've been bought off by the company and other's because it sounds good to the average customer.

If you're looking at Puppy Original - Two of the three main ingredints are grains, and these grains are ones that dogs don't digest well. The only meat is chicken by-product. The fat is 'animal' fat . . .who knows what went into it. All in all - not the best.

I personally wouldn't feed it. My two pups who were recently spayed ended up being fed it for their overnight stay at the office . . .gas you would not believe, diaherria, general stomach upset. I would suggest something like Chicken Soup, Blue Buffalo, Innova to feed your pup.

Answer 8

Having experience working with vets, I can personally say that they don't take a cut from the Science Diet profits and recommend it so much because it IS the best pet food on the market. All of the ingredients are of high quality products and specifically designed to fit your pets needs. Their superiority in quality leaves little room for competition - if you're still in doubt, just check out the AAFCO label (Association Of American Feed Control Officials) on each bag. Most brands sell formulas for puppies to senior dogs which meets the AAFCO requirements for dogs at all life stages, but Science Diet has food specifically geared (and AAFCO certified) for puppies, adult dogs, and senior dogs. Just because a dog food says puppy doesn't mean it's nutritionally balanced for puppies.
But Vet's don't only recommend Science Diet because it meets lifestage needs. It's high quality, and consistant ingredients really make a difference in a pets health. Science Diet will maintain a healthy coat and teeth, keep your pets organs and bones strong and healthy, and help ward of infections and viruses - ultimately leading to a longer life for your pet.
And while the cost per bag of Science Diet is higher than some other brands, it's comparible in price because it doesn't contain fillers (such as bone - which is merely ash, why would you feed your dog ash?). By having actual substance and nutrition rather than fillers, your dog doen't need to eat as much as the other brands. Therefore the cost per day is roughly the same - ranging anywhere from only 0 - 30 dollars more per month. Most people who try out Science Diet are surprised how long the bag lasts, aside from being impressed by the wonderful affects it has on their pet.
You will notice that the food label does contain corn, but that's only because it's a very digestable ingredient and a great source of carbohydrates for any pet. By-products, meaning gross leftover parts like the gallbladers and stomach are actually the most nutritious part of meat. These by-products contain essential viatmins and minerals just as though your pet were out eating in nature.
Science Diet is a product started by a vet, developed by vets, and today - over 50 years later recommended by vets. If you really care about your beloved pet feed him or her the healthiest and most nutritious balanced food on the market, which also soars in taste tests! Feeding Science Diet is a great way to give a little (actually a lot) of something back to your great pet. Or you could just go with that other brand - because it's just a dog.



By the way, Science Diet is one of the few brands who has had NO recalls. All of their products are 100% American made and therefore submit to regular FDA checks. The few Science Diet products that were pulled from the pet food shelves were voluntary, because Science Diet is one of those rare companies that actually cares.....hmmmmmmmm.

For more info on this great pet food, check out www.hillspet.com

Answer 9

Your vet is only telling you what he knows which is nothing when it comes to nutrition.. Science Diet is crapinabag. Vets take a very minimal amount of classes on nutrition and many of the seminars are put on by Hills. So it's a bit bias.
They sell Science diet in their offices and push it for profits. Find a better food. Science diet is no better then Purina blow chow.
Science Diet is over priced and way over rated. Compare a label to Ol Roy or Purina dog chow and learn what the ingredients really are and you wil see that anyone buying this garbage is being scammed and ripped off by the NAME... Sceince... sounds good?? And the fact that it is pushed by vets. Its a rip off total junk food.

NADINE.... You are WRONG. Science Diet IS effected y the recall... You need to do some checking before you make a claim like that. Maybe your vet just chose to sell the tainted the crap anyway?

Answer 10

If it contains those ingredients, it's not good.

The vet probably gets a percentage of the sales if he sells the food in his practice. Other than that, they really aren't all up to date on the nutrition side of things.

I suggest looking at a food like the ones offered at http://www.frrco.com/121668 or Canidae, Timberwolf Organics. These are good foods, and I highly recommend them.

Answer 11

I have used this brand of dog food. Usually it has been because they have had healthy problems!!

I am using Purina Pro PLan for puppies on my 3 month old yellow Lab. She is doing great on it. It doesn't cost as much as the science brand either. Not that would make a difference to me.
But the Purina brand is easily bought at Wal-Mart and has good products in it that puppies need. Our breeder suggested this brand. Our puppy has had no problems with her stomach which puppies can have. They get upset stomach very easily!!!
The science brand my dogs hated it!!!!! It smell terrible!!!!
Unless your puppy is having medical problems I wouldn't use this brand?? Just my thoughts!!!
Good Luck with your new puppy. I just love dogs of all kinds!!!