The-Truth-About-Pet-Foods

your last letter where researchers gave massive doses of vitamin C to
dogs and putatively had negative reactions, is an abuse of the scientific
literature since in real life nobody would give such amounts to their animal.*
Company D: As proof that different breeds have different requirements,
it is proven that some breeds require only certain
amounts of copper. Collies, for example, require 270 IU of
vitamin D. Your foods do not show this certain and correct
knowledge.
Truth Response: IU’s of vitamin D or mgs of copper in collies and
Bedlington terriers misses the point. Your statement, for example, “collies
require 270 IU of Vitamin D per kilogram” (Are we sure its not
270.015375948 IU’s) , demonstrates that your position is no different
than the rest of the pet food industry which believes scientists can create
100% perfect foods because they “know” how many IU’s of vitamin D a
dog needs. You have fallen victim to the myth of the 100% manufactured
diet and so will pet owners who follow your lead. Such fabricated diets
based on specific requirements (only valid until the scientific board meets
the next time) have caused immeasurable disease and suffering for companion
animals. We have obvious logical differences in nutritional paradigms.
All of the various “breed-specific” arguments are reducible to one
thesis: You think you know exactly what each breed of dog requires in
terms of IU’s, micrograms and milligrams. We think you don’t. On the
face of it, your assertion is absurd since any thinking person knows that
certainty such as you impute to yourself cannot be justified because – as
explained in the previous letter – science is constantly evolving and not at
an end point in any discipline. Since your foundation thesis is erroneous,
all of the reductionistic specifics based upon it about which breed requires
which exact dosage of certain nutrients are invalid.
It is apparent from these few examples (volumes could be written)
that truth does not prevail in the pet food marketplace. Marketing, propaganda,
sensationalism, absurdity and myth displace common sense.
* Cornell Vet, 1979; 69(4):384-401.
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