Category Archives: Nutrition

Here is an article from Veterinary Practice News responding to the ridiculous marketing ploy by Petco declaring a ban on “artificial” food ingredients. Since the late 1980s, individuals and organizations have been trying to warn the public about a deadly … Continue reading →

A reader recently sent me a link to this little advertisement.  This is an illustration of a popular bit of alternative nonsense, the idea that raw milk has magical health-giving properties. The idea owes a lot to the Appeal to Nature … Continue reading →

I have been following with great interest the emerging evidence about grain-free and exotic protein diets as a possible risk factor for heart disease in dogs. I first raised the subject in response to several cases of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) I … Continue reading →

The FDA has recently held a webinar with a representative of the agency, a nutritionist, and a representative of the pet food industry to provide an update on the state of the ongoing investigation of certain diets and possible heart … Continue reading →

For some years now, grains such as wheat and corn in dog and cat foods have been demonized by many in the alternative medicine world. There has never been any real scientific evidence to support all the hysterical claims about … Continue reading →

Folks who are critical of commercial pet foods or advocates for raw diets and other alternatives often rail against the evils of carbohydrates. The idea that dietary carbs cause disease is a central thesis of the recent “Truth About Pet … Continue reading →

I recently reported on a study out of Australia that found an association between feeding raw chicken, infection with the bacterium Campylobacter, and a serious neurologic disease call Acute Polyradiculoneuritis (APN). Not surprisingly, advocates of raw diets are desperate to … Continue reading →

I have covered the raw diet issues since the very start of this blog, which is about nine years now. My articles on the subject are collected here. Very little has changed in my assessment of the evidence over this … Continue reading →

In all the debates here and elsewhere about the relative merits of commercial pet diets and homemade, raw, or other alternatives, advocates of alternative diets often claim that conventional diets are unhealthy. Scientific evidence is not typically provided to support … Continue reading →