# Why are vets/vet techs so loyal to Hills science diet?



## GoSailGo (Sep 15, 2012)

I know this topic has probably come up before, but I had a small (friendly) debated with someone on Facebook the other day about whether or not Hills Science Diet was the way to go. Several people were on the side of raw diets, but this girl said she was a vet tech and that raw diets give all dogs intestinal problems and that Hills Science Diet was the best food for any dog. I have heard some vets get payouts and I have heard they definitely do not get payouts...it just seems fishy that science diet is the only dog food they would recommend. Do they just grab them from a young age and tell them THIS is the food? I have visited quite a few vets over the last year trying to find a good one (I finally have) and most of them will ask what I'm feeding Navarro and then they'll give a big long, "HMMMM" and follow it up with, "Have you tried..." You can guess what. So the big question is...do they actually get payouts?


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## GsdLoverr729 (Jun 20, 2010)

Science Diet and Iams are the two food companies who sponsor the nutrition portion of veterinary schooling. Due to this, they are pushed as the best during the course (only a few days long at the maximum). Then the vet/vet tech pushes them.
There is also some funding and sponsorship from these companies into tech/vet programs. Most of it is schooling. But at the vet I used to work at, we got "puppy packs" and "kitten packs" to give to clients from them. These were very popular with clients and kept them coming back. So good marketing.

I am a vet tech in training (going that route through work rather than school), and I can honestly say I believe that raw is the BEST thing for pets if the owner does the proper balancing. I would not touch Science Diet or Iams (or Purina) with a 30ft pole. And when clients ask me? I tell them just that (;


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## skier16 (Feb 21, 2013)

the only legitimate argument ive heard in favor is that they do true clinical trial with their foods. something that is far too costly for any small company to do. other then that though vets get kick back and education funding for selling it. its definitely not the best.


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## TrickyShepherd (Aug 15, 2011)

Cause they fund their school and businesses. 

Also remember.... vets are not nutritionist. I wouldn't trust most of them with my dogs nutrition or diet plan. 

I am thankful to have found a vet that has all holistic grain free food on his office shelves. Fromm, Taste of the Wild, Acana, Earthborn, etc... However, I still don't ask him about nutrition. Just happy he doesn't accept that as a sponsor.


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## GsdLoverr729 (Jun 20, 2010)

TrickyShepherd said:


> Cause they fund their school and businesses.
> 
> Also remember.... vets are not nutritionist. I wouldn't trust most of them with my dogs nutrition or diet plan.
> 
> I am thankful to have found a vet that has all holistic grain free food on his office shelves. Fromm, Taste of the Wild, Acana, Earthborn, etc... However, I still don't ask him about nutrition. Just happy he doesn't accept that as a sponsor.


He hiring by chance?  Jk, jk lol! But this is an argument I have daily, sometimes multiple times a day, with coworkers and ex-coworkers.


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## GoSailGo (Sep 15, 2012)

TrickyShepherd said:


> Cause they fund their school and businesses.
> 
> Also remember.... vets are not nutritionist. I wouldn't trust most of them with my dogs nutrition or diet plan.
> 
> I am thankful to have found a vet that has all holistic grain free food on his office shelves. Fromm, Taste of the Wild, Acana, Earthborn, etc... However, I still don't ask him about nutrition. Just happy he doesn't accept that as a sponsor.



THIS is why I have been through 5 vets so far and finally tried a holistic vet...she showed recognition and even interest when I told her what I was feeding Navarro and I seriously wanted to hug her. I couldn't stand the other vets. One even gave me a half hour lecture about why I have waited too long to neuter my puppy (he was 7 months old!!!!!!!). Finding a family doctor was WAAAY easier!


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## TrickyShepherd (Aug 15, 2011)

GoSailGo said:


> THIS is why I have been through 5 vets so far and finally tried a holistic vet...she showed recognition and even interest when I told her what I was feeding Navarro and I seriously wanted to hug her. I couldn't stand the other vets. One even gave me a half hour lecture about why I have waited too long to neuter my puppy (he was 7 months old!!!!!!!). Finding a family doctor was WAAAY easier!


I do believe that looking for a good vet is just as hard (maybe harder?) than finding a good pediatrician when expecting. I always tell people that are looking for pups.... get a good vet beforehand if you can. It'll save a lot of headaches for you and the pup. I wish I did this...

I had a vet and person family friend that lived next door most of my life. When I moved into my own home, I was just way too far to go to him. Unfortunately, I had no clue that I should set this up first. I got Zira, and we were at new vets constantly. I was so fed up with arguing with them, and treating my dog for misdiagnoses, no one listened... and if I had to hear about spaying early, or shots, etc 1 more time, I was going to blow a fuse.

It's hard these days, but search around, read reviews, ask friends.... etc. Eventually, you'll find that gem in the middle of the dirt.


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## marbury (Apr 3, 2012)

All the vets I know personally think the over-the-counter Hills products are basically the equivalent of Ol' Roy. I've never heard them recommend it to our clients. It's their vet formulas that they love because they are clinically tested and effective.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

GoSailGo said:


> this girl said she was a vet tech and that raw diets give all dogs intestinal problems and that Hills Science Diet was the best food for any dog.


First, SD does have its place in prescription foods. My vet will not sell it anymore due to inconsistencies in the food and they sell Purina prescription diets.

Second, she's not even a vet...she's a tech...and she is a not a nutritionist. She's simply spouting what she's heard in the office.

Third, my dogs that are on raw have NO intestinal problems. The two that are on kibble sporadically throw up.

Fourth, I took my cat with IBD off of SD and switched him to raw several years ago. No more IBD...go figure.

Fifth, the BW on the dogs on RAW are spot on. My vets are very happy with the health of my animals.


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## FlyAway (Jul 17, 2012)

I discussed the J/D "Joint" forumula with my vet. I could see it being good for somebody who doesn't have time ot knowledge to make sure their dog gets the proper supplements. I found a food that almost exactly matched the J/D formula except that I had to buy some additional EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) fish oil. 

So, convenience would be one reason.


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## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

They make money when you buy the product. Same principle as Pet Supermarket pushing whichever product bonuses them on volume of sales. This month its Nutro maybe iams next month.

Money and greed that is the answer.


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## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

Of course money is made. It's made by everyone or nothing would be for sale. Hills has no more a part in the finances of a practice than the people who make antibiotics, dasuquin, ear meds or shampoo. There is a mark up. But no kick backs if that's what people are implying. ****, Hills does not even offer a staff feeding program. 

Feed what you want. What a vet recommends is irrelevant unless you are feeding something in appropriate. 

There is a place for prescription foods. But there are many many companies that make rx foods. 


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## marbury (Apr 3, 2012)

gsdsar said:


> Of course money is made. It's made by everyone or nothing would be for sale. Hills has no more a part in the finances of a practice than the people who make antibiotics, dasuquin, ear meds or shampoo. There is a mark up. But no kick backs if that's what people are implying. ****, Hills does not even offer a staff feeding program.
> 
> Feed what you want. What a vet recommends is irrelevant unless you are feeding something in appropriate.
> 
> ...


Ding ding! Totally agree.

We don't get some 'special secret vet commission' from certain food companies. If we have demand, we stock it. NO ONE buys regular ol' Science Diet from us. We ONLY stock prescription Hills, Royal Canin, and Purina at our clinic, and that's because we find they work for our clients.


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## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

Here is an article that may help in answering the OP's question

http://www.soggypaws.com/Documents/prescription_diet.pdf


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

kickbacks.


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## marbury (Apr 3, 2012)

doggiedad said:


> kickbacks.


I work in the wrong clinic, then. Hills doesn't send us squat, not even free mats for our waiting room.

I don't know what most vet offices are like (I've only worked in one) but seriously, there is no bribery from Hills. We have to request pamphlets on their prescription foods. We don't get a rep, either. We DO have a Royal Canin rep who comes and tries to get us to sell their whole line.


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## Rangers_mom (May 16, 2013)

My vet recommended Wellness.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

gsdsar said:


> Of course money is made. It's made by everyone or nothing would be for sale. Hills has no more a part in the finances of a practice than the people who make antibiotics, dasuquin, ear meds or shampoo. There is a mark up. But no kick backs if that's what people are implying. ****, Hills does not even offer a staff feeding program.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


A little Googling will reveal how heavily Hill's is involved in sponsoring vet schools and vets.


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## TrickyShepherd (Aug 15, 2011)

I was pre-vet... I saw it for myself. They start young.  

I can only imagine it gets worse over time, and with it getting closer to graduation (and eventually on the job). 

Not all vets do this, they can pick and choose whether they want to promote that or not. Like I said before, they're not nutritionist... so I don't think they all do it to cause harm... they just are not trained in that field, and who wouldn't take offers like that, AND get a product that's been tested prior to them using it?! 

However, my vet does use some prescription SD for some of the sickly animals, or animals with a lack of appetite. That wet food smells soooooo horrid that even the worst cases won't turn their nose to it! If they do... you've definitely got a problem! It's like McDonalds' fries to a 6yr old. I don't see this as a problem since it's just to entice the animal to eat anything so they can bring them back to strength. Duke and Zira were on this for a few days when they absolutely wouldn't eat anything else (Zira with a serious SIBO reaction when she was a pup, and Duke with Gastritis just a few months ago)..... it did it's job, and they didn't die from it. So I don't think I would count that in as a problem. I just hate walking into a vet's clinic and seeing shelves stocked with SD of all kids... NOT just prescription diets. There's way too many of these guys around my area of FL. 

At one point during college, I did ask my neighbor at the time (family friend and family animal's veterinarian for about 20years, owns his own clinic).... and he said it was true for when he went to college years and years ago. Still is the same today. Yes, he has them in his office, but it's only the prescription diet bags... at least it's not a whole darn storefront of it.


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## GoSailGo (Sep 15, 2012)

So interesting to see both opinions! There just doesn't seem to be a straight answer if you take everyone's reply in to account. You would think more vet offices would be educated about different diets and supplements for dogs. It is, after all, a big part of health. It is really unfortunate.


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## Belmont (Sep 26, 2012)

My vet told me that they are less likely to recall than other brands.

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## ten3zro (Jul 13, 2013)

Most vets know little about dog food, dog behavior and dog training. No more than your human doctor knows about nutrition, psychiatry and fitness. Vets are introduced in school to certain brands of food and this has been fairly well documented. Do your own research and consult with breeders you respect who've gotten good results.


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## SusiQ (Jul 27, 2007)

I agree - I am a Dietitian/Nutritionist (human) and doctors are quite ignorant when it comes to nutrition. If you are a good label reader, you are light years ahead of your vet. Just remember to do your own research - one of my professors in college put it best - nutrition is a science, not an opinion.


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