Quote:
Originally Posted by Suzzie 
Vets receive VERY little training in dog nutrition. Essentially all they know is what the food reps go around to each clinic and tell them. Obviously they're going to tell them they have the best food. Vets get a nice kickback including free food for their own pets from these companies, so of course they're going to tell you that's the best food. The smaller companies, who have the great ingredients, don't have the resources to go around selling their food to vets - they put their money into their food, so you're not paying for the advertising. It's a rare veterinarian indeed who actually knows the what's-what of the dog food world.
There are a LOT of resources on dog nutrition on the internet. Take a few minutes and read up.
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Unfortunately, this little paragraph is all too common on the net. I never have discovered how some people can take a few facts and extrapolate massive conspiracy theories.
I am a student in vet school, and, I can assure everyone that there are no side deals, secret negotiations, cash in an unmarked bag, etc... that veterinarians receive from pet food companies. In fact, there are VERY strict rules that prevent such things from happening. A vet would be in big, big trouble if the AVMA found out that he/she was receiving kickback/money for promoting certain products.
Do we receive little education in "nutrition?" Well if you're speaking in terms of do we have an entire class devoted to "what's the best dog food" the answer is no. There is rarely any classes offered that are titled "Nutrition." The components of nutrition are covered separately within other classes and we are expected to be able to "put it all together" on our own. So, to say that "Essentially all they know is what the food reps go around to each clinic and tell them" is well, completely wrong.
A little more on dog food... So why isn't there a huge academic push for "nutrition" in vet school? Well, where do you go when YOU want advice about nutrition? You go to a someone that specializes in human nutrition. Most people specializing in animal nutrition are not vets, they're pHDs working in a lab (usually biochemists). Humans have a specialist for everything at their fingertips. We, however, are expected to be more than proficient in surgery, radiology, dentistry, dermatology, orthopedics, internal medicine, etc etc etc.... all within 4 years of school.
So like I said, we are well educated on the components of nutrition, but, there just isn't time for a class with that title.
And, as far as researching the net - great advice, but, as they always say: Anyone can write anything on the net. There's a lot of good, but, PLENTY of misinformation out there.
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