Is Conspicuous Consumption back in fashion?

[Bullgrit]

The humans in my family drink tap water, (through the fridge door). We use bottled water when the convenience of a bottle is necessary. And our bottled water supply is nothing special, definitely not Evian-like.

We don't give our dog "people food" for any reason because we know from past experience that once a dog has that, he will beg and annoy for it forever more. Give a dog a steak, and the next time you cook a steak, he'll beg for some while cooking and while at the table. Annoying.

Bullgrit

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

T
We don't give our dog "people food" for any reason because we know from past experience that once a dog has that, he will beg and annoy for it forever more. Give a dog a steak, and the next time you cook a steak, he'll beg for some while cooking and while at the table. Annoying.

Context, context.

Our dogs regularly eat steak and pork chops (along with duck, turkey, and rabbit). They're on a raw meat diet. Cooked steaks and pork chops (and some of the other meats) are diced to use as training treats. It's far more economical, and more healthy for the dogs, than most commercial dog treats. And don't get me started on commercial dog food -- if the first ingredient in the list is wheat or corn, you're feeding your dog something their system isn't designed to digest, and you'll just be cleaning it up later.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

But then, I'm constantly bemused that bottled water has become a major industry. Especially here in Scotland, where our tap water is effectively indistinguishable from bottled - indeed, the Scottish brands of bottled water basically come from the exact same source.

For us, its a convenience item only. 99% of the water we consume comes from the tap. Bottled stuff is for on the go or emergency use. There is also a seasonal inversion of a local reservoir that makes the tap taste...dirty...so for a couple of weeks a year, water, coffee, tea and soup are not on the menu when dining out. (We have a water filtration system.)

 

[Umbran]

And don't get me started on commercial dog food -- if the first ingredient in the list is wheat or corn, you're feeding your dog something their system isn't designed to digest, and you'll just be cleaning it up later.

I'm sorry Olgar, but that's untrue.

In the wild (not that your domesticated animal is "wild") your dog would be expected to eat the stomachs of herbivores, and their stomach contents, for important nutritional supplements. Your dog is quite capable of digesting corn and other vegetable matter.

Commercial diets that have the AAFCO* logo (typically on the back) will be a reasonably balanced diet for your pet - more balanced than what most humans feed themselves.

For pet dietary information that is not backed by any pet food company, I can suggest going to the Pet Nutrition Alliance website: http://www.petnutritionalliance.org/ All of the organizations that are part of the Pet Nutrition Alliance are not-for-profit organizations concerned with animal health.

I'd be happy to continue discussion about animal nutrition in a separate thread - I am not a veterinarian, but my wife is, and she's more than happy to answer questions.


*Association of American Feed Control Officials - an independent group that sets standards for the nutritional balance of foods for the species and life stage the food claims to be designed for.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

I'd be happy to continue discussion about animal nutrition in a separate thread - I am not a veterinarian, but my wife is, and she's more than happy to answer questions.

Thanks, but I'll accept your evidence. My wife's a trainer and working toward her vet tech cert, and better educated on the subject than I (or any of the vets she's worked for, frankly) -- we'll let them argue it out. I'm sure my wife will berate me later for misunderstanding something she told me that you've corrected.

Edit:

For pet dietary information that is not backed by any pet food company, I can suggest going to the Pet Nutrition Alliance website: http://www.petnutritionalliance.org/ All of the organizations that are part of the Pet Nutrition Alliance are not-for-profit organizations concerned with animal health.

Well, minus their supporters: Hill's, Nestle/Purina, and Proctor & Gamble, you mean?

Not that there isn't good information there, and for 99% of pet owners it's probably sufficient. I trust that corporate food providers mostly have their customers' best interests in mind. But those FAQs for vets read like Purina soundbites, and if I had a dollar for every vet we've had whose recommendation for canine nutrition happened to be what they had on the shelf and was woefully ignorant of specialized nutrition needs, well -- but I digress.

Anyway, our experience is not a statistically valid sample of the veterinary profession, and we've had some animals with some pretty tough nutrition challenges, so we're probably an extreme case. Having watched our dogs' health as they transitioned to vet-recommended commercial food, to specialized kibble, to our current raw regimen (shared by a number of my wife's fellow agility competitors, and not one of those wacko "wild" diets, by the way) I'll take the raw regimen we're on over any commercial product. Not that it isn't challenging to manage and maintain so for Joe Q Public they're much better off with the mean recommendation.

 

[Umbran]

Well, minus their supporters: Hill's, Nestle/Purina, and Proctor & Gamble, you mean?

I stand corrected.

Mind you, Hill's and Purina are demonstrably interested in the science of nutrition, where some other food companies don't even have nutritionists or veterinarians on staff.

But those FAQs for vets read like Purina soundbites

Have you considered that maybe some of those FAQs sound like Purina soundbites because Purina is itself in the forefront of animal nutritional research, and has it mostly right? I know that's an odd thought in the age of cynicism against corporations, but I'll put it out there for folks to think on.

and if I had a dollar for every vet we've had whose recommendation for canine nutrition happened to be what they had on the shelf

You think it would somehow be *better* if they recommended something other than what they sold? You think a vet should go, "I know this is the best food, but I'll keep this other stuff in stock instead?" I would kind of expect a vet to have the commonly appropriate stuff on hand, wouldn't you?

I know some claim vets get kickbacks for selling certain kinds of food. That's conspiracy theory hogwash. Doesn't happen.

Anyway, our experience is not a statistically valid sample of the veterinary profession, and we've had some animals with some pretty tough nutrition challenges, so we're probably an extreme case.

Yes, special nutrition challenges are an exceptional case. They're devilishly difficult to diagnose sometimes, and rather frequently, though they'll swear otherwise, owners *don't* stick to the vet's recommendations, making diagnosis and management even more difficult, as what the vet is told is other than what's actually happening.

I'll take the raw regimen we're on over any commercial product.

You will note that through all this, I have not knocked raw diets one iota. I have merely given some defense for some of the commercial diets.

And there I'll leave it, unless folks want a separate thread on the topic.

 

[sabrinathecat]

Penn&Teller's BullSh*T series had a great episode on Bottled water.
My favorite bit was the water waiter filling all the bottles from the same garden hose, then spouting a rambling sales review to the diners at the restaurant about blah-blah-blah, and using the power of suggestion on them.

Yes, almost all bottled water in the US comes from the same place as the water in the taps, and is filtered through the exact same system as the water in the taps, and it is a matter of what the pipes are like in between that can cause a problem.

 

[Zombie_Babies]

My dog gets Blue Buffalo for a reason: Her digestive tract very obviously handles it better. She rarely farts anymore.

She also gets people food all the time cuz, well, we like to spoil her. Then again, she makes it easy. Her 'begging' while food is being cooked is to sit or lay there and watch. She 'begs' for food at the table by very quietly sitting in place and waiting for us to pass her something. It's not annoying at all and on the occasions she can't have what we're eating (cuz it's seasoned with something that's bad for dogs) she watches without complaint. She's pretty easy to get along with when it comes to people food.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

My dog gets Blue Buffalo for a reason: Her digestive tract very obviously handles it better. She rarely farts anymore.

There's a quote for the TV ads!

 

[Zombie_Babies]

There's a quote for the TV ads!

It should be, that stuff works wonders!