This one makes me angry. It is insulting to all of us that devote our lives to improving the health of the animals we love. It is used by people who have an agenda. Usually that agenda involves the promotion of something they are trying to sell. What better way to make your product or goods look better than to attack those that are considered the experts in the field?
At University I took two semester-long courses dedicated to animal nutrition. They were in depth, comprehensive, and difficult. I worked hard in those courses to take in as much as I could. They were taught to us by University professors and despite some of the ridiculous accusations I have seen, they were NOT taught to us by Pet Food Companies. In fact, much of the content was in regards to agriculture and large animals. However, Vitamin B12 does the same whether its in a cow, a horse, or a dog or cat. In addition to the nutrition courses, almost every other course touched on nutrition in some way or another. For example, patients with kidney disease have different nutritional needs and its imperative to be familiar with those to treat a patient properly.
When I went to University I spent 7 years learning about my craft. That was just the beginning of my education process. Every summer I worked in Veterinary Hospitals for minimum wage gaining experience. Then, since graduation 29 years ago, I have consistently and regularly kept up with continuing education. Last year I spent over 350 hours reading, going to conferences, mentoring and voluntarily teaching Veterinary Technicians. And, there rarely is a lecture or conference that I attend that doesn't in some way directly address nutrition in some manner or another.
Do I sell pet-food at the hospital? Yes. The majority of the food we sell is prescription food for patients that have medical problems. Do I make a lot of money on the foods I sell? No. Do I counsel our clients to buy kitten, puppy or adult pet food from us and only us. NO. I am NOT a salesman. I have no interest in becoming one. I do not own shares in certain pet food companies. In fact, I don't care what you feed your pet as long as its nutritious and you are seeing the benefits from it (ex good stool quality, healthy condition and growth, excellent hair coat quality, etc). Let me give you an example of how I run my business. Often I have clients who come in with pets with haircoat issues. There is a particular food that I recommend for otherwise normal healthy dogs with coat issues. Do I sell that food? NOPE. Do I get a kickback from my recommendation or is there any financial benefit to me for doing so? Definitely NOT. I do it for one reason and one reason only. The dogs that come to me as patients with THE best haircoat are almost always eating this particular food. It seems to have the perfect balance of essential fatty acids and that is why I recommend it.
In summary, as a Veterinarian I am very proud of our profession and the majority of members in it. It is an honorable profession. I adamantly believe the people who go into this profession do it for the right reasons. Comparatively to other professions with the same education it is a poorly-paying one. Someone interested in making a lot of money does NOT become a Veterinarian. We are highly educated people who are on a life-long quest for information and the desire to do what is best for our patients.
I love this profession and I love the pets I treat. The staff and I work as a team to do our very best to keep each and every one of our clients happy and our patients healthy. This is not just my job. It is my life, my hobby, my outside interest. Money is not a motivator for me and I do not appreciate anyone implying that Veterinarians are somehow dishonestly or deceptively manipulating their clients at their patients expense for monetary rewards. Or, alternatively, that we Veterinarians blindly follow the recommendations of a pet food company without thought or are "bought" by them. That is complete nonsense.
At University I took two semester-long courses dedicated to animal nutrition. They were in depth, comprehensive, and difficult. I worked hard in those courses to take in as much as I could. They were taught to us by University professors and despite some of the ridiculous accusations I have seen, they were NOT taught to us by Pet Food Companies. In fact, much of the content was in regards to agriculture and large animals. However, Vitamin B12 does the same whether its in a cow, a horse, or a dog or cat. In addition to the nutrition courses, almost every other course touched on nutrition in some way or another. For example, patients with kidney disease have different nutritional needs and its imperative to be familiar with those to treat a patient properly.
When I went to University I spent 7 years learning about my craft. That was just the beginning of my education process. Every summer I worked in Veterinary Hospitals for minimum wage gaining experience. Then, since graduation 29 years ago, I have consistently and regularly kept up with continuing education. Last year I spent over 350 hours reading, going to conferences, mentoring and voluntarily teaching Veterinary Technicians. And, there rarely is a lecture or conference that I attend that doesn't in some way directly address nutrition in some manner or another.
Do I sell pet-food at the hospital? Yes. The majority of the food we sell is prescription food for patients that have medical problems. Do I make a lot of money on the foods I sell? No. Do I counsel our clients to buy kitten, puppy or adult pet food from us and only us. NO. I am NOT a salesman. I have no interest in becoming one. I do not own shares in certain pet food companies. In fact, I don't care what you feed your pet as long as its nutritious and you are seeing the benefits from it (ex good stool quality, healthy condition and growth, excellent hair coat quality, etc). Let me give you an example of how I run my business. Often I have clients who come in with pets with haircoat issues. There is a particular food that I recommend for otherwise normal healthy dogs with coat issues. Do I sell that food? NOPE. Do I get a kickback from my recommendation or is there any financial benefit to me for doing so? Definitely NOT. I do it for one reason and one reason only. The dogs that come to me as patients with THE best haircoat are almost always eating this particular food. It seems to have the perfect balance of essential fatty acids and that is why I recommend it.
In summary, as a Veterinarian I am very proud of our profession and the majority of members in it. It is an honorable profession. I adamantly believe the people who go into this profession do it for the right reasons. Comparatively to other professions with the same education it is a poorly-paying one. Someone interested in making a lot of money does NOT become a Veterinarian. We are highly educated people who are on a life-long quest for information and the desire to do what is best for our patients.
I love this profession and I love the pets I treat. The staff and I work as a team to do our very best to keep each and every one of our clients happy and our patients healthy. This is not just my job. It is my life, my hobby, my outside interest. Money is not a motivator for me and I do not appreciate anyone implying that Veterinarians are somehow dishonestly or deceptively manipulating their clients at their patients expense for monetary rewards. Or, alternatively, that we Veterinarians blindly follow the recommendations of a pet food company without thought or are "bought" by them. That is complete nonsense.
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