I was reading this post from Dr. Lisa Pierson at Feline Diabetes.com (on the message board – she posts there ). I thought I would share this. She was sharing part a post she made on a vet site about dry food and the need for all these studies. Some very good and common sense points. It’ time for change – in the vet world too!

Quote from Dr. P:
“….Start my recent post on V**:

My question to those who feed dry food to cats is “why?”

Do you feel that it is for the cat’s health – or for the owners’ convenience and pocket book?

If you feel that there are ‘pros’ associated with feeding dry food to cats – in terms of their health – not any perk for the owner – can you outline what those are? (I am not counting sick cats that you are trying to get to eat *anything*. I am talking about feeding dry food as part of a basic diet.)

Keeping this very simple:

Cats are designed to eat other animals. We all know that they are obligate carnivores. Their prey is relatively high in protein (*animal*-based, not *plant*-based), moderate in fat, very low in carbohydrates and pretty darn high in water.

When one looks at *all* dry foods, there is very little resemblance to what a cat would eat in the wild.

Given these facts, I am at a loss to understand why we, as veterinarians (versus pet food companies), all keep debating this issue.

Why is Man designing all of these studies to prove that it is really ok to feed a cat a diet that deviates so far from what it was designed by God/nature to eat?

The answer is simple: Profit margin. Why else would Man be debating this issue ad nauseum?

We never see Man doing studies to prove that a horse can eat meat, do we? Of course not. Meat is expensive.

I can understand the pet food companies jumping through hoops to prove that cats can thrive on a water-depleted, highly grain-based diet because grains are cheaper than meat, but I will never understand why veterinarians continue to debate this issue.

I propose that we stick to what we *know* to be true about the cat and that is that they are designed to eat other animals – not plants. They are designed to eat a low-carbohydrate, water-rich diet. They are not designed to eat water-depleted, grain-based diets no matter how hard humans try to convince themselves with study after study that these diets constitute optimal nutrition for this species.

Why isn’t the question of….. “why are we doing all of these studies?”…. asked more often? Because this is a question that I have asked over and over and over again with no answers forthcoming. (Mark – you did allude to the issue of profit margin in one thread awhile back which I greatly appreciated.)

If humans want to run all of these expensive and time-consuming studies discussed within this thread to try and prove that Man can fool with nature to such a drastic degree and not harm the cat, fine. But in the meantime, I propose that we keep it simple and stick to what we already know to be true about the cat’s unique dietary needs that define it as an obligate carnivore.

With regard to diabetes and carbohydrates, no amount of studies will negate what many of us see clinically in our diabetic patients when moved to a low-carb diet. I have never seen the same level of improvement on high fiber diets. Plus, getting back to nature – cats are designed to eat diets low in carbs *and* low in fiber. They are not horses or cows. So, again, let’s stick with what we know to be true – and with what we observe clinically in our patients.

And with regard to urinary tract issues, I don’t think that it can be disputed that a urinary tract system is healthier when there is water flowing through it.

I know that if I was ever treating a blocked cat that was on dry food, my brain would certainly jump to “I sure do wonder if this poor cat would be suffering tremendously like he is now……. if he had been on a canned food diet”.

Why not practice preventative nutrition? Why do we talk about canned food diets for UT patients *after* they are brought to us in a miserable state? Why don’t we keep their bladders ‘hosed down’ with a more appropriately hydrated diet?

When asked for evidence based medicine to support my views, I will always maintain that the burden of proof is not on a person in my position. Instead, it is on those who want to stray so far from how a cat is designed and that burden of proof has never been met.

Lisa Pierson, dvm
catinfo.org ”

What do you think, Dr. Barchas? Your thoughts?

http://tedeboy.tripod.com/drmichaelwfox/id88.html

Way past time that the veterinary profession got out of bed with the commercial pet food industry.

Oh, and Doctor:

Need more “Proof”?
Pick up any encyclopedia in a THIRD GRADE LIBRARY and look up “CAT” or “FELINE”.
It will state that the species is the strictest of ALL CARNIVOROUS MAMMALS.

How is this so hard to comprehend?

So to the person who asked why some one would pay the prices for the dental formulas, it is to avoid for as long as possible the trauma of going under at the vets for a dental cleaning. If mom did not change me then I would have to have gone through a yearly cleaning where as know I could wait – probably like 5 years before I have to go through the trauma.

The question is where is the reputable, substantial and unbiased evidence that dry food is good for cats, beneficial and should be called “prescription” food or have ‘Science’ in it’s name. Since this is the food that is most often recommended and sold (how about that conflict of interest) by Veterinarians. We need a study not funded and supported by the pet food industry.

This is a rather sad argument/discussion (but something I’m passionate about) because when you look at the basic physiology and biology of the cat, why would anyone – let alone a vet – recommend feeding a processed grain-based dry food to a cat. Convenience? Why would you feed any living being mainly processed, compressed (often very poor quality) pellets?

Certainly you know that just because a large study hasn’t been done, doesn’t mean something isn’t true. And aren’t most studies started and/or motivated by anecdotal and theoretical evidence and/or dare I say even intuitive ideas? Please someone do a study! Will that create a change in what vets promote and sell as proper nutrition for cats?

I asked this question in your blog about raw diets: why do vets promote and sell food that isn’t backed up scientifically (as far as I know) . Can you show me one of these unbiased studies – maybe I’m wrong? And isn’t there a conflict of interest when selling these foods and calling them “prescription” when there is no “science” behind them as far as I know.

And Dr. Barchas, it’s not that any and all “commercial” food is unnatural or bad, it’s the unnatural carb and grain-based (not to mention low quality and again processed) commercial foods that can be a problem and thus “unnatural”. I feed great commercial grain-free quality canned and a commercial raw food to my cats. Commercial foods are not all the same! Commercial foods can be wonderful when they have ingredients which are natural for the species they are meant to nourish.
I feel like at some point there is going to be a huge outcry from feline owners about this issue. I think there has to be. The truth always comes out.
And another point I want to make is about how dry food began as a convenience type food and that continues to be a big part of it’s desirability. As if people can’t take the time and effort to feed a species appropriate canned diet (grain-free quality canned preferably) or even properly prepared raw (there are commercial raw foods).
Again it’s about the quality and appropriateness of commercial food.

I am so glad I found one of those sites with an agenda (Dr. Pierson’s site) when my cat was diagnosed with diabetes and had DKA. The info on catinfo.org hit me like a ton of bricks. What had I been feeding my precious, beautiful and now ill cat all those years??? Oh the anger I felt.
I am passionate about this subject after all I have gone through with my cat. I don’t mean any disrespect, but simply feel strongly about this issue. And cats are too precious to be feeding food that may eventually be harmful -evidence or no evidence. Common sense.
Thank you for reading, I am grateful to have been able to say all of this.

Best wishes and healthy purrs to all.

So, Dr.Barchas, do you or do you not know that dogs and wolves are the same species? How can you, in one post, quote a statement that says dogs are wolves, and in another claim that they might just have a common ancestor? How can we trust what you say?

I do want to point out how shocked I was to read the beginning of the vet’s response. Who exactly is debating whether dogs are carnivores? Can you give me one example of why they are not? And how can a vet state that dogs “appear to share a common ancestor with wolves” when dogs ARE wolves? Genetically, they are the same animal. They are the same species – Canis lupus! Dogs are domesticated wolves, and only recently have been given a sub-species name to note that they are a separate variety of wolf – so now they are Canis lupus familiaris. Just like wolves, they are carnivores. Wild dogs in developing countries are nothing more than stray domestic dogs. They are not a separate species. If you want to give an example of an actual wild dog, that would be something like the African wild dog, Lycaon pictus, which is a separate species of canine, and just like the rest of them, a carnivore.

This is extremely shocking coming from a vet who is to be trusted on his knowledge of pets!

If one were to be truly objective, one would acknowledge the bias of the commercial pet food “studies” financed by big commercial pet food companies, and follow the science of biology.

Cats do not have the proper enzymes to break down grains and plant matter. That is a simple biological fact. When you try to say that dry food isn’t bad, read the label and count how many grains and plant fillers are in it. None of it is getting used by your cat’s digestive system. It’s just going out the pooper.

And it’s no big secret that dry food is so over baked that they have to coat it with all the nutrients that got cooked out… then they have to coat it again with “appetizing” oils in order for the cats to even touch it.

Tell me again who needs to employ “critical thinking”.