My little friend Chiclet is VERY passionate about these lies humans believe, WOOF! And all of you who have read Bark N Blog for any length of time know that I’m totally on the same page here with Chiclet – I just wished ALL you humans would wake up and smell the lies perpetrated for vested, economic reasons that have absolutely NOTHING to do with our health, grrrrrrrr! Here is another grrreat article by Chiclet of Dogs 4 Dogs:
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Let’s face it: you Humans are gullible. You’ll believe almost anything if you’re told it often enough, especially if you’re afraid your dog might die … or if you’re told by an “authority figure” in a lab coat (even if the authority figure is an actor) … or, well, if you’re lazy.

Mom’s inbox is jammed with e-mails from people who’ve fallen for lies perpetuated by parties with vested interests. I know I’ve nagged about some of these things before, but you keep asking me the same questions. I’m wearing my tiny paws to the bone trying to help you people see the light. Do dogs have to do everything????

Okay, here goes. I’m going to tell you ten of the lies that hurt dogs most. A lot of these lies apply to your species as well, so listen up. I’m not a vet, nor do I sell drugs or food. I have no vested interested in your believing what I say. I don’t hate vets, either, despite some of my comments. I LOVE the good vets–ones that are up-to-date, well-informed and open-minded. I hope your dog has one like that.

Lie #1: Recommendations are reliable. A recommendation for a product, service, vet or whatever must be considered suspect if the recommender (or his/her employer) benefits from your decision in any way and/or does not possess impeccable credentials. This includes your best friend, celebrities, talking TV dogs, vets, vet techs and even nonprofit organizations. Do you know that one huge humane society used to pitch shock collars to raise money??? Finally public outcry stopped them. Mom says that’s like a shelter for battered women raising money by selling guns.

Lie #2: Experts have expertise. Experts’ and authors’ credentials are seldom thoroughly checked by publishers or reviewers, nor are their facts. I’m a dog, okay, yet I have the most highly acclaimed dog health book in the country—and I’m not even a vet. If my book hadn’t gotten the numerous unbiased endorsements and awards that it has, I’d have to advise you not to trust me. (But it did, so you can.)

Experts in one field may be completely incompetent in another. The title “doctor” or “veterinarian” must be backed up with relevant experience for the procedure or subject at hand. For example, few vets have much training in dental procedures; most hand over the work to a vet tech who may or may not have experience or good training. Also, allowing a general practice vet to operate on your dog or treat her for a major illness is crazy. And all too common. Would you let your GP treat YOU for cancer? (Please say no.)

One more thing: don’t expect on-line “experts” to be trustworthy unless you know that the person giving the advice has the appropriate experience, or has done meticulous research AND ISN’T FUNDED BY A PET FOOD COMPANY OR THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY. Cooing “We Love Pets,” or having happy dogs pitching your products, is NOT a sufficient credential.

Lie #3: Commercials and other ads must, by law, be truthful. Ha! Why do you think they’re called advertisements and not truths? I know you know this, but you Humans keep getting sucked in anyway. Your species is soooo easily seduced.

Lie #4: When “everyone knows” something, it must be true. I already warned you that people are gullible. En masse, you’re downright self-destructive. Here are just a few of the things “everyone knows” and passes along as fact to others:

a. People food is bad for dogs. How can fresh food be good for people, and processed food be bad, but the opposite be true for dogs? Newsflash: it can’t! Despite what anyone tells you, homo sapiens, with a little training, ARE smart enough to feed canines.

b. Kibble cleans teeth. This is an old wives’ tale with no basis in truth. In fact, because kibble generally offers worse nutrition than canned, frozen, freeze-dried or fresh foods, it probably harms dental health.

c. Your dog’s shots must be kept “up-to-date.” Up-to-date is a sales pitch. Learn which shots your dog needs and doesn’t need. It’s probably not what you think. (Did you read my book’s Vaccination chapter or my last newsletter?)

d. All dogs must be vaccinated for your vaccinated dog to be safe. I hear this one all the time and it never makes sense. Why vaccinate if it doesn’t protect your dog from an unvaccinated dog?

Lie #5: Vets can be trusted to act in your dog’s best interest. Here’s the thing. Vets, most of them anyway, are Human. Although there are exceptions, Humans tend to put their own interests first. Hey, dogs do, too. The Human interests include:

a. Supporting themselves. If vaccinating their clients’ dogs yearly puts Junior through college—even though all veterinary schools and organizations recommend against most yearly “boosters”–well, far too many of them vaccinate away. If recommending heartworm meds even during seasons when contracting heartworms is impossible, well, you get the idea. Okay, ignorance rather than greed may be in play, but still.

b. Ego/Laziness. Few professionals willingly admit to being ignorant or behind the times. This (plus the profit motive) is why vets sell processed food and even dangerous meds. They buy whatever pet food and pharmaceutical reps tell them … which is easier than actually becoming an expert on nutrition and pharmacology.

c. Lack of information about you. Vets sometimes fail to suggest an expensive (but effective) treatment because they think you can’t afford it…or may suggest only expensive treatments because they hope you’ll go for it.

d. Self-protection. Vets may recommend unnecessary tests to protect their own butts. Mom says doctors for Humans do this a lot.

Lie # 6: Suppressing symptoms is of primary importance. If your dog is bleeding uncontrollably or has a raging fever, then by all means suppress those symptoms. But when life or ultimate wellbeing is not at stake, resist the impulse to get rid of that pesky symptom by doing something that will damage your dog’s long-term health. For example, don’t use antibiotics to treat chronic tear stains or a virus. Don’t use steroids to treat a chronic allergy; allergies are immune-system dysfunctions and steroids suppress the immune system. (Want 43 more reasons why you shouldn’t use steroids long-term? Click here.)

Find a vet who will help you search for the root cause of illness, not just patch up the symptom so you (and your vet) will feel like you’ve done something proactive. (Check out HolisticVetList.) Believe me, if you suppress one symptom, something worse will surely rear its ugly head sooner or later. (Suppress the next symptom and your dog is on the road to major organ disease, even cancer.) Remember what that last straw did to the poor camel’s back?

Lie # 7: Studies “prove” a point. When you hear or read that a study offers proof of anything, know that there’s probably another study–which will never be published– “proving” just the opposite. Read any pro-product study carefully. See what it really says. Find out who funded it. If you can’t find the study, disregard it. Google the topic. Be skeptical, very skeptical. Note: people ask Mom all the time to show them studies proving that “people” food is better for dogs than processed food. Who would fund such a study? Certainly not a dog food manufacturer.

Lie # 8: Poll results and other stats can be trusted. No, they can’t! Nothing is easier to fudge than numbers. In a previous newsletter, I analyzed claims like “seven of ten veterinarians recommend…” Well, who do those vets work for? What is their specialty? How many other like products do they recommend? Is there something else they recommend more?

Lie # 9: Nationally-sold and advertised medications are safe. Numerous products that are unnecessary, harmful and even lethal are sold nationwide—for Humans and for dogs. Google any product for safety before giving it to your dog. Dogsadversereactions.com is a good place to start. The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine is another although it takes some patience to navigate.

Lie #10: Nationally-sold and advertised foods are safe. In general, the more money spent on product advertising, the less money spent on quality ingredients. Quality ingredients are usually scarcer and thus more expensive, so cheap mass-produced products are generally lower in quality. A big case in point is grocery-store dog food. We believe that the smaller brands are safer and generally of higher quality. (Remember the recent pet food recall?)
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Permission to reprint granted by Jan Rasmusen, author of Scared Poopless: The Straight Scoop on Dog Care. Learn more, and sign up for a free newsletter, click here.

Disclaimer: The content of this newsletter is provided for general information purposes. Any information provided is not veterinary advice and should not be substituted for a regular consultation with a veterinary professional. If you have any concerns about your dog’s health, please contact your veterinarian’s office immediately.

2008 Jan Rasmusen. All rights reserved. Scared Poopless and Dogs4Dogs are trademarks of Jan Rasmusen
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Have a pawsitively tail waggin, naturally healthy, TRUTHFUL day, WOOF!

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