Wow. That’s so awesome you watch me from Portugal and that the information is still relevant to you. I was just in Spain last April and want to visit Portugal some day.

You wont regreat the visit! Glad to help if you ever need to!

Yes. Seems like solid pick

I want to but when I email them to compile the information they don’t respond

Thanks for sharing those things

You’re welcome

I only trust very few brands. I'd rather make my own car food with bone meal or powdered eggshell for calcium, human grade meat, mixture of essential vitamins and minerals like taurine etc

Great video thanks for all your great feed back ❤pretty

@@lizxu322 what brands u recommend

I’m not using aafco standards, I’m using text from small animal clinical nutrition, link in description box

This may help. Large breed puppy food guidelines #shorts #petfoodreviews kzfaq.infoWbInwVIqqoY?feature=share

I feed science diet adult original at the moment but I check labs regularly and plan to make adjustments as necessary as she ages. Thanks for watching!

@@AnimalDocRea what would you recommend for a dog who has a sensitivity to chicken?

It would depend on how you determined the sensitivity. Have you done a 12 week food trial yet. I would start there with a hydrolyzed diet. You have to do the proper food trial to start an elimination diet plan or your results will be very frustrating and to do this you need a prescription diet. Otc commercial diets are not regulated enough to give accurate results. It also depends if you mean GI sensitive or skin sensitive because GI sensitive requires another whole diagnostic work up. Otherwise you end up going aimlessly from food to food when the condition actually needed to be managed with medication. Sorry, not a straight forward answer.

@@AnimalDocRea I don’t know for sure. So it’s a skin sensitivity. I came to the conclusion because she’s always been on a chicken flavor (most large breed puppy foods are chicken) and she’s always itched. I assumed it was the chicken because I’ve read that it’s most commonly a protein sensitivity rather than grains. Not that long ago her itching got worse and I noticed some scabs in her “armpits” where she would itch really hard. I recently switched to duck and oatmeal flavor (nutrisource) and she’s been on that for about a month and I can tell she isn’t as itchy as she was when she was on their large breed puppy food. So I need to get a prescription food to do a elimination trial?

Yes, please have it done with your vet because the more diet changes you do the more muddy the water gets. Elimination trials are a diagnostic tool we use to work up dermatitis. it’s very unusual for a puppy to have a food allergy despite what pet food companies would have you think. So a proper work up is needed to do it right and honestly in an itchy dog I NEVER start with food allergy as my first differential that’s how uncommon it is.

I haven’t really looked into it because everything in this country is so politically driven. I just stick to the nutrients first, those don’t lie

Their laws over there are extremely strict over what animals are allowed to be put in the food, especially when it comes to by-products, along with diseased animals. Read some articles comparing the laws here verse there this morning, since I’m trying to decide if I’m going with Farmina for my pup. (I would not go grain free though) I’ve been researching NutriSource also, but I’m not happy with their protein levels. Bags ranging from 22% protein to 34%, none between 28-30.

(And stricter regulations with FEDIAF verse AAFCO also)

@@melissa5907You’re absolutely correct that the EU has much stricter regulations re dog food but also human food ingredients. So many prohibited ingredients in the EU are allowed to be used in the US, to all of our detriments. Farmina is actually approved by both the US and European regulators and I prefer & trust this food more than US standards.

FOR DOGS: PAGE 261, CHART 13.3

Thank you! @@AnimalDocRea

For CATS: Page 376, Chart 20-3. LOL

I also just got a frenchie puppy. A French name for a French bulldog. Our new puppy Carmen. #shorts #puppies #frenchie kzfaq.infoQUQuTvrSC6E?feature=share I’d stick with a puppy formula for now, avoid all life stage food and Wich ever of those fits more perfectly the nutrient parameters I’ve got listed in my puppy short video. Also go with a small bite, I find mine can’t handle the big kibbles with those stumpy little teeth.

@@AnimalDocRea Awwww! How sweet! Welcome Carmen! You will adore her I have no doubts! They are great! And thank you so much

Victor just recently had a recall.

Make your own food is the best way to go I own couple of Frenchies no chicken 🐔

@simsrodriguez3545 it’s only the best if you get it professionally formulated by a boarded vet nutritionist, otherwise it could be dangerously excessive or deficient and thus more delirious than a marginally formulated AAFCO certified food

Here’s the info they sent N&D Ancestral Grain Chicken and Pomegranate Adult Mini protein 32.97% calcium 0.99% phosphorus 0.88% sodium 0.33% fat 19.78% fiber 3.19% N&D Ancestral Grain Lamb and blueberry Adult Mini protein 30.77% calcium 1.21% phosphorus 0.88% sodium 0.44% fat 19.78% fiber 3.19%

I like the pomegranate one better but I’m not personally aquatinted with your pet to make a definite for you specifically. just in general that one looks closest to what I’m looking for.

I understand. You are amazing! Thank you so much for all you do. I’m feeling good about trying this one. Until I get my app with the nutritionist at least!! This food gets good reviews from all ends of the spectrum. Hearing it does a good job with the appropriate nutrients is so great.

If anyone else is interested, I got the dry matter basis for another one of Farmina’s. A little bit high in sodium???? But not too bad overall, I think N&D Tropical Selection Salmon Adult protein 29.67% calcium 0.99 % phosphorus 0.88% sodium (Avg) 0.44% fat 17.58% fiber 3.19%

@meghannelson4577 thanks for sharing

So there is a chapter in the nutrition text I have linked in the description that goes over active dogs requirements. It’s a free link so I’d look at that, but yes there is a separate requirement for true working dogs. There is also a definition of what an “active” dog is vs “working”. Often what we think is active is actually normal vs the domesticated couch potatoes most of us now think is normal

I’ve not heard that, I think it’s if it’s a diet with lamb or kangaroo that is high in pulses, not that the protein is lamb or kangaroo

Yes, that is the current concern so in an abundance of caution You want to avoid grain free.

I am going to be doing a 5 days of farmina review soon. I also am having issues getting Customer service to give me real numbers so if you get that please send it to me!

@@AnimalDocRea absolutely! Thank you!

I converse with my local cardiologist regularly and they are still recommending avoiding grain free as it provides no health benefits it’s not worth the risk

@@AnimalDocRea I am not saying one is better or worse. They may be equal. Because the study in question was severely flawed and funded by the biggest names in pet food. Lots of conflict of interest and cherry picking data to make it say what the funding parties wanted (this is not unique to this industry, happens everywhere).

Except it’s not just one flawed study. I think that’s a common misconception that is falsely perpetuated for obvious reasons. And I am by no means saying you are doing that, I’m saying the public is not privey to the vast majority of studies that are performed but not “news worthy”. Here are just a handful. Veterinarians don’t just walk blindly with the pet food industry ( or the FDA), we are scientists in our own minds. Kaplan JL, Stern JA, Fascetti AJ, et al. Taurine deficiency and dilated cardiomyopathy in golden retrievers fed commercial diets. PLoS One 2018;13(12): doi: 10.1371/journal.pone. 0209112. Adin D, DeFrancesco TC, Keene B, et al. Echocardiographic phenotype of canine dilated cardiomyopathy differs based on diet type. J Vet Cardiol 2019;21:1-9. Ontiveros ES, Whelchel BD, Yu J, et al. Development of plasma and whole blood taurine reference ranges and identification of dietary features associated with taurine deficiency and dilated cardiomyopathy in golden retrievers: a prospective, observational study. PLoS One 2020;15(5): doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0233206.eCollection 2020. Adin D, Freeman LM, Stepien R, et al. Effect of diet type on circulating taurine concentrations, cardiac biomarkers, and echocardiograms in four dog breeds. J Vet Intern Med 2021;35:771-779. Freid KJ, Freeman LM, Rush JE, et al. Retrospective study of dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs. J Vet Intern Med 2021;35:58-67. Smith CE, Parnell LD, Lai C-Q, Rush JE, Freeman LM. Investigation of diets associated with dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs using foodomics analysis. Sci Reports 2021; 11, 15881. Bakke AM, Wood J, Salt C, et al. Responses in randomized groups of healthy, adult Labrador retrievers fed grain-free diets with high legume inclusion for 30 days display commonalities with dogs with suspected dilated cardiomyopathy. BMC Vet Res 2022;18:157. Cavanaugh SM, Cavanaugh RP, Gilbert GE, et al. Short-term amino acid, clinicopathologic, and echocardiographic findings in healthy dogs fed a commercial plant-based diet. PLoS One 2021;16(10):e0258044. Freeman L, Rush J, Adin D, et al. Prospective study of dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs eating non-traditional or traditional diets and in dogs with subclinical cardiac abnormalities. J Vet Intern Med 2022;36:451-463. Haimovitz D, Vereb M, Freeman L, et al. Effect of diet change in healthy dogs with subclinical cardiac biomarkers or echocardiographic abnormalities. J Vet Intern Med 2022;36:1057-1065. Karp KI, Freeman LM, Rush JE, et al. Dilated cardiomyopathy in cats: Survey of veterinary cardiologists and retrospective evaluation of a possible association with diet. J Vet Cardiol 2022; 39: 22-34 Quest BW, Leach SB, Garimella S, Konie A, Clark SD. Incidence of canine dilated cardiomyopathy diagnosed at referral institutes and grain-free pet food store sales: A retrospective survey. Front Anim Sci 2022. Walker AL, DeFrancesco TC, Bonagura JD, et al. Association of diet with clinical outcomes in dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure. J Vet Cardiol 2022;40:99-109. Adin DB, Haimovitz D, Freeman LM, Rush JE. Untargeted global metabolomic profiling of healthy dogs based on grain-inclusivity of diet and reevaluation after diet change in dogs with subclinical cardiac abnormalities. Am J Vet Res 2022;25: 2460/ajvr.22.03.0054. Owens EJ, LeBlanc LL, Freeman LM, Scollan KF. Comparison of echocardiographic measurements and cardiac biomarkers in healthy dog eating non-traditional or traditional diets. J Vet Intern Med 2022 Dec 8. doi: 10.1111/jvim.16606. Online ahead of print. Smith CE, Parnell LD, Lai C-Q, et al. Metabolomic profiling in dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy eating non-traditional or traditional diets and in healthy controls. Sci Rep 2022: doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-26322-8.

@@AnimalDocRea I appreciate the well thought out reply as I am trying to sift through the information. I have read a few of the studies linked and all seem to reach the conclusion that it may be associated with diet but it might not be. I understand the conservative approach until a definite cause/causes are found.

@colossusX1 Then I think you are about where most veterinarians are.

I have not reviewed that one specifically but if you work through using the scorecard you should be able to see how it stacks up

The kibble is going to be far more balanced than any home cooked diet unless you have had your home diet formulated with a boarded nutritionist. I don’t recommend home cooked unless you have taken that step to properly ensure it is nutritionally adequate. If you need help finding one you can look at ACVIM.org

You have to check it against the LB standards

Genuinely curious! I just bought the grain-inclusive N&D Ocean for my standard 40lb poodle. I used your sheet and guidelines to find that Tiki Cat kitten wet food was surprisingly cost effective versus other “prestige” brands (Stella and Chewy; Orijen; etc) when you factored the caloric and protein content per servings per can. Takes a smidge more math, but when comparing to brands with much larger serving sizes that may be cheaper per pound per bag… things start to sway in favor of the better-formulated foods.

I do it for simplicity sake for the videos, no other reason

Was there stones or just cystitis? If stones, I send all my stones to the urolith center in Minnesota to find out composition and make my diet choices based off that, otherwise it’s hard to make the correct recommendations.

@@AnimalDocRea they were struvite stones that blocked

I’ll have to see if they can send me the research data, I didn’t see any publications on the website, I have never used them for struvites so I’m not familiar with their data. Have you consulted your vet, maybe they are more familiar with the brand in this category.

@@AnimalDocRea thank you so much! And yes i have asked my vet and they have not heard of farmina before, they recommended hills C/D which I have no problem with but was curious about the farmina vet lines

@@heatherhupp7051 I have emailed them for more detailed information on the product so I can determine how it compares to the other players in the market

Glad to hear

@@AnimalDocRea Dr.Rea i just wanna say when i either get more of a audience ima refer my viewers to you

I appreciate that

@@AnimalDocRea youre welcome doc

It looks like the ones I looked at with a quick internet search in the quinoa line also have flaxseed Wich is a grain, I don’t See on those that they say grain free

Wow after watching the video on chewy they sure do pack a lot of marketing in there so I can see why it’s difficult to read the label. I’ll have to email the company for ca/phos and get back to you.

@@AnimalDocRea I've already reached out to them because I currently have my dog on this brand but a different flavor and I'm thinking about changing. They actually gave me the analysis for every flavor in that line. For the Salmon on a dry matter basis: Protein 26.1% Fiber 10.3% Calcium 1.3% Phosphorus 1.1% Vitamin E 326 IU/kg

I've already reached out to them because I currently have my dog on this brand but a different flavor and I'm thinking about changing. They actually gave me the analysis for every flavor in that line. For the Salmon on a dry matter basis: Protein 26.1% Fiber 10.3% Calcium 1.3% Phosphorus 1.1% Vitamin E 326IU/kg

Sure, you can also watch the orijen videos because orijen and arcana are the same company

I’ll look into it.

Thanks alot

I’ve not ran through with the PSS any of the SD adult but it’s easy to do and I’m sure you can do it

Thanks can you point me in the direction of where you talk about mins and maximums on the labels again?

Iv got the charts in my shorts

Watched them all, didn’t find anything about the meaning of mins and max. I’ll try and do some google research, thanks

@jessicalebreton1161 I’m not sure I understand your question I guess. You don’t want to use the min max values provided on the GA, you want to use the typical analysis on a. Dry matter basis if you can get it from the company.

Ok, I’ll work in building a playlist by score

I’m hoping to film a video on Rawz today for cats.

We would love to know when you do the dog food. THX@@AnimalDocRea

I’ll definitely look at anything that is a potential 10! The only 10/10 so far is the science diet puppy from the “2024 best review”

Yes..:I believe you are right 9/10. I think I’m going to review the whole line and see Wich ones are the best. I’ve tried to get them to send me data on there therapeutic diets but I’m getting ignored so that makes me think they just are bad at customer service or they don’t have data in the vet line

​@@AnimalDocReaThanks for confirming! I want to say this Tropical line is new for them. I was listening when you mentioned that high protein/meat forward kibble tends to drive up the calcium & phosphorus. Perhaps this line with the additional fruit lowers it back down. Just an un/educated guess? I also feel like $60 is fairly reasonable for a "premium" brand. Definitely more confident I have some tools now to cut thru some of the noise and shop for something quality for my pet pal. So THANK YOU!

I have an email out to them requesting their research data on the vet life line. When I get that I can tell you if there is research to substantiate the medical claims.

@@AnimalDocRea Thank you so much for looking into it! All I want to know is the best food them at this stage in life.

I’ve started a series going through all the farmina foods. It’s going to take a while to go through them because there are so darn many it’s ridiculous. Look for the video next week or the week after on the quinoa ND line and then more to folllow

Thank you! Our mini goldendoodle is a super picky eater and snubbed the quinoa line. He loves the ancestral grain lamb and blueberry. I just want to make sure it is as good as it seems to be before I switch him from Stella and Chewy’s full meal to adding as a topper to the Farmina kibble.

@catherineferris4901 I’ll do that line next!

I’m gathering information to try and do a “mega” review. I’m glad you settled on a good choice for you!

Riley had a bout of diarrhea (cause unknown) so our vet put her on royal canin gastrointestinal. She’s been stable for a while and we want to transition her back to Farmina (grain inclusive). We don’t think she has any food allergies but was wondering if you had any favourite proteins you would feed your dog. Royal canin has every protein in its gastro formula so I think we can pick whatever we want moving forward as she seems fine with it. But I would prefer not to leave her on a gastrointestinal food forever. And is it better to feed her a variety of farmina grain inclusive foods or should we stick to one? Most of her treats are cod based with some denuded pork loin and smoked chicken. Thank you. I love your videos so much. Oh, also, my friends use purina pro plan and wanted to know why I would pick farmina (grain inclusive) over PPP. I know you like purina pro plan but am wondering if you reviewed a grain inclusive farmina, if you would give it a thumbs up too?

I’m sorry to hear that.

I knew someone would appreciate the reference

@@AnimalDocRea If you get another cat, you can name him "Figaro!" Non più andrai, farfallone amoroso! LOL

I get asked that all the time but in order not to seem biased in any way, I refrain from commenting on what I feed

I am not aware of there being any toxicity related levels of green tea in pet foods including the Farmina line.

I can look into it, but I already did the puppy and it’s going to be really similar if you just follow for the adults guidelines I have posted. Pro plan large breed puppy formula: A winner for sure kzfaq.info/get/bejne/isV_mJSgsrmWmo0.html

Agreed

I don’t get caught up in the drama Wich is what this likely is. When the evidence is presented in the trial I’ll make my informed decision. I will however say just because one study MAY have been skewed it doesn’t discount the numbers of independent studies done thereafter that substantiate it. People think this was the only study….no there were dozens. Kaplan JL, Stern JA, Fascetti AJ, et al. Taurine deficiency and dilated cardiomyopathy in golden retrievers fed commercial diets. PLoS One 2018;13(12): doi: 10.1371/journal.pone. 0209112. Adin D, DeFrancesco TC, Keene B, et al. Echocardiographic phenotype of canine dilated cardiomyopathy differs based on diet type. J Vet Cardiol 2019;21:1-9. Ontiveros ES, Whelchel BD, Yu J, et al. Development of plasma and whole blood taurine reference ranges and identification of dietary features associated with taurine deficiency and dilated cardiomyopathy in golden retrievers: a prospective, observational study. PLoS One 2020;15(5): doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0233206.eCollection 2020. Adin D, Freeman LM, Stepien R, et al. Effect of diet type on circulating taurine concentrations, cardiac biomarkers, and echocardiograms in four dog breeds. J Vet Intern Med 2021;35:771-779. Freid KJ, Freeman LM, Rush JE, et al. Retrospective study of dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs. J Vet Intern Med 2021;35:58-67. Smith CE, Parnell LD, Lai C-Q, Rush JE, Freeman LM. Investigation of diets associated with dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs using foodomics analysis. Sci Reports 2021; 11, 15881. Bakke AM, Wood J, Salt C, et al. Responses in randomized groups of healthy, adult Labrador retrievers fed grain-free diets with high legume inclusion for 30 days display commonalities with dogs with suspected dilated cardiomyopathy. BMC Vet Res 2022;18:157. Cavanaugh SM, Cavanaugh RP, Gilbert GE, et al. Short-term amino acid, clinicopathologic, and echocardiographic findings in healthy dogs fed a commercial plant-based diet. PLoS One 2021;16(10):e0258044. Freeman L, Rush J, Adin D, et al. Prospective study of dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs eating non-traditional or traditional diets and in dogs with subclinical cardiac abnormalities. J Vet Intern Med 2022;36:451-463. Haimovitz D, Vereb M, Freeman L, et al. Effect of diet change in healthy dogs with subclinical cardiac biomarkers or echocardiographic abnormalities. J Vet Intern Med 2022;36:1057-1065. Karp KI, Freeman LM, Rush JE, et al. Dilated cardiomyopathy in cats: Survey of veterinary cardiologists and retrospective evaluation of a possible association with diet. J Vet Cardiol 2022; 39: 22-34 Quest BW, Leach SB, Garimella S, Konie A, Clark SD. Incidence of canine dilated cardiomyopathy diagnosed at referral institutes and grain-free pet food store sales: A retrospective survey. Front Anim Sci 2022. Walker AL, DeFrancesco TC, Bonagura JD, et al. Association of diet with clinical outcomes in dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure. J Vet Cardiol 2022;40:99-109. Adin DB, Haimovitz D, Freeman LM, Rush JE. Untargeted global metabolomic profiling of healthy dogs based on grain-inclusivity of diet and reevaluation after diet change in dogs with subclinical cardiac abnormalities. Am J Vet Res 2022;25: 2460/ajvr.22.03.0054. Owens EJ, LeBlanc LL, Freeman LM, Scollan KF. Comparison of echocardiographic measurements and cardiac biomarkers in healthy dog eating non-traditional or traditional diets. J Vet Intern Med 2022 Dec 8. doi: 10.1111/jvim.16606. Online ahead of print. Smith CE, Parnell LD, Lai C-Q, et al. Metabolomic profiling in dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy eating non-traditional or traditional diets and in healthy controls. Sci Rep 2022: doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-26322-8. Just to name a few…..

They have had those changes proposed for about 3 years now. I’ll believe it when I finally see it.

@@AnimalDocRea See my other reply! LOL None of us may live that long!

The general consensus among veterinary nutritionists and toxicologists is currently that the research and data presented in those studies does not extrapolate invivo to be relevant at the current inclusion rates. At such time that this body of evidence changes and shows more relevant data I may re-evaluate my concern level. I discuss many times on my channel comments that the time horizon in pets is unfortunately very short in comparison to humans , and much research done on the human side simply does not translate to animals in a meaningful way.

@@AnimalDocRea I have not found carrageenan in any of Hill's cat food. Or you know I would have said something! LOL

I get the N&D grain chicken for my puppy. I get the mini one as my dog is a small breed. Whatever food you choose make sure to switch slowly. I didn’t know this and my puppy had diarrhea for couple of days. I’m pretty happy with it personally.

@@raisivity i did the same and got the chicken one N&D and my toy breed puppy still is having loose stool which is difficult to pickup . It’s been more than a week . Anything u did to improve?

@@MbSbAquaGamer it turns out my puppy is allergic to chicken and beef. I changed to their duck recipe (not really for puppies) and issues immediately stopped. Do note a lot of them have chicken fat in the ingredients. Having said that, I now feed him raw instead and he’s doing incredible. Find a local coop in your area where you can buy in bulk. It doesn’t have to be raw. There’s also gently cooked options (but are more expensive). I pay about 3x what I was paying for farmina. Gently cooked is about 4x.

The only supplements I ever recommend are glucosamine, all the rest are honestly just superfluous and although likley not going to hurt, not going to help. Before I would even consider a supplement I’d have to see some real data it works ( actual research paper) and I’d want it to bear the NASC seal.

The information you are is not totally accurate and I do t care to revisit the drama again. The board certified cardiologists are still suggesting you avoid grain fee, regardless of who did the research. Also carbs have no bearing on canine diabetes. The disease process is Not equatable to humans. That’s why we as veterinarians don’t worry about carbs.

I don’t know anything about that. Can you send me a link?

Could you explain about the France situation a bit more? Thank you! 🙏🏼

Thanks for your insights. I have to defer in my professional practice to recommendations and consensus of the American College of veterinary cardiology. I’m sure they also have scientific interests as well as expertise not only in the biochemistry of the issue, but specific insight into the veterinary component and the specific species differences. I know many studies have been done, not just the one currently in the news, and so even if that one was suspect, there are still many more that leave questions. I think that since grain free serves no health benefits, it’s better off to just avoid it. Why potentially do harm for no reason? I do appreciate your weighing in with your field of expertise and contribution to the conversation. Also , it is my understanding that it may be the inhibitory effects of taurines absorption due to pulses, so I don’t think adding taurine will solve the issue if will simply be blocked. But please let me know if you have a different understanding of that. As far as reports go, I don’t follow FDA reports, I follow the recommendations of my peers (AVMA, WASAVA, ACVN, ACVC) so I can’t speak to what the FDA is doing or not doing or whom they may be trying to appease or not.

I had a dog ate kibble n bits his entire life up until 2 years b4 passing. He was a papillon with dcm, chf, grade 4 murmur. Ffw today I genetically health tested specifically the heart my current papillons who have eaten only farmina since birth and zero issues. I'm not convinced grain free leads to dcm. Black rock owns shares to nestle who owns Purina. I have multiple dogs breeds and everyone has done exceptionally well on dog foods not owned by nestle/blackrock/Purina. Blackrock also is a stake holder to Pfizer. Imo Purina/nestle is behind a lot of issues, not grain free. It's like some foods are created to cause future issues bc health issues keep doctors and vets in business.

@oceaneyespat7394 I’m sorry, it is very disrespectful to tell a veterinarian who dedicates their life to animal health and wellbeing that they are intentionally poisoning pets for profit. Not only is that statement disrespectful, it is false and intentional hurtful. Im sorry you have such distrust in your heart, but this is not the place for you. We are supportive and positive to each other on this channel.

@AnimalDocRea actually never not one time in my statement did I say YOU was guilty of any of that. If you found disrespect because I was stating an obvious fact once researched, again that is not directed to you. Having multiple breeds and doing genetic testing is not what most vets do. Matter of fact I don't know a single vet office that does breed specific genetic testing. Zoetis funds a lot of scholarships for vets. Zoetis shares stocks with Pfizer. What I'm saying is I don't think it's grain free that's the issue. Or you personally. How you got my comment was directed at you I'm still not sure 🤔

I have tried so hard as a vet to get their efficacy data to review them, when it’s prescription, it is important that the information is provided to your vet to make sure it follows the parameters your pet needs to manage their medical condition . If your vet cannot get that data, they most likely won’t want to prescribe it, just like they would not prescribe a new heart medication without reviewing the data on it. I have myself been trying for months to get farmina to send me the data on the prescription line and have not gotten a response so it isn’t your vet, it’s the company. Your vet is doing their job and looking out for your pets well being.

Also not all farmina is prescription, only the vet line.

Looking into it. Just perused this website, very interesting

yes please Dr Rea, could you do a review on Open Farm Dog food with grains? It's a Canadian owned company with very good intentions but after watching your channel since last week and learning about Calcium and Phosphorus, I have now switched my Cocker Spaniel from Open Farm (grain inclusive) to Science Diet Adult dog food. I would love to have your input on this Canadian food. Thank you !@@AnimalDocRea

@ChristineBolduc9046 already filmed and edited and ready to go next week

Thank you so much! Looking forward to it! 😻🐶@@AnimalDocRea

That’s a new one

Sorry to hear that but yes, red flags.

This is really good to know. I’ve bought a couple of bags from a local pet store with no issues. Just curious, did you get it online? Direct from them? Local pet store? Where ? I need to buy another bag in like a week. Just curious.

@jhonattancastillo all of it was from chewy. Never had any issues until last summer

I’ll keep an eye out. I am planning on ordering the pumpkin lamb recipe next. I’m using the chicken and grain one now. I thought it would be better to rotate.

I buy from Hollywood and I use Farmina!

I think that is a very wise choice.

@@AnimalDocRea Thank you, and great video as usual!

In a study published in December 2012, scientists at the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition in England, in collaboration with scientists from the University of Sydney and the Institute of Natural Sciences at Massey University in New Zealand, found that cats have the ability to select and combine different types of foods to meet their daily nutritional requirements. Except for food allergies, cats need a variety of protein sources.

@@edschulhof6303 yeah it doesn’t make sense to market a single animal protein diet as a good thing allergy wise when the company isn’t doing whatever it takes to completely prevent cross contamination.

Multiple studies from multiple independent universities are ongoing and clear conclusions have not been made. Since grain free provides no nutritional benefit, there is no reason to feed a diet solely for the reason to avoid grains IF it may cause health problems. “Big kibble” does the majority of all pet food research including all the major advances in mapping the genomes and identifying gene expression related to nutrition so it’s not fair or even reasonable to discredit studies that they fund. Also without their research there would Literally be none. All the other “not big kibble” companies could do their own research and come up with the “species appropriate diet” you seek, but they don’t and they haven’t. I follow whoever has the data that makes the most sense, it’s not big kibbles fault they are the only one talking. As far as conspiracy theories and lawsuits, I’m not into the drama. I read the papers, I digest the numbers, and I make my decisions on that alone. All the rest is just noise. And to be clear I don’t recommend any diets. I don’t recommend grains, I recommend avoiding grain free until the cardiologist tell me otherwise and I recommend a diet that meets the nutritional requirements illustrated in the available text. That’s all.

There is a difference between what we veterinarians think is ethical and what the government legalizes

@@AnimalDocRea I understand that the incidence of DCM is as much breed specific as diet. Plus, most grain free dog foods include a large amount of legumes. "Studies performed by the FDA and cardiologists at veterinary colleges including UC Davis and Tufts University have confirmed that there is a link between legume rich, grain free foods and canine heart disease. The problem is complex and we as a profession do not understand everything about why the disease occurs." The FDA refuses to investigate any other causes of DCM than grain free diet.

I never rely on the FDA to initiate much meaningful investigation, there are many private run research facilities that are currently investigating all aspects of this issue most of wich are veterinary colleges interested in the science and not pleasing certain dog food companies that may have good lobbyists

@@AnimalDocRea I would say most pet food companies are not pleased with being looked at! From your comment about the FDA, can I infer that you agree with me? WOW!

People email me and ask me to review certain ones, this was the specific one that was asked of me. When I just get asked about the brand in general I try to pick the one that will get the most points.

⁠Thanks for the clarication! And keep up the good work, your videos steered me in the right direction for sure. I ended up going with farmina (with grain) for our new morkie puppy. Seems like the closest I can get to "best of both worlds" in a kibble I can find in my area. I feel like I am listening to science yet I go for quality ingredients at the same time.

I think that’s a solid plan. Happy to help.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022316623355007 yes it is a theory, as is all research in the beginning , IE a plausible hypothesis. pea starch continues to be worked through as a continued concern for cardiomyopathy in dogs. As indicated in the video, the reason to avoid is that the current research is on going and cardiologist recommend a “better safe than sorry approach” considering there is no health benefit to feeding a grain free diet. This study shows that a diet should be safe if less than 45% but how does one know the percentage in the food, you don’t unfortunately. So for my patients, if feeding farmina, I recommend you select a grain inclusive option. But what you do is between you and your vet as I am not personally acquainted with you as to provide medical advice.

I’ll not go into my skepticism that that 30 yr old dog was really 30 years old, I’m going to have to see some carbon dating

@@AnimalDocRea The Skeptical Dr. Rea! LOL Supposedly there is a veterinary record of the dog from May 1992. And Guiness claims to have verified his age.

But who verifies Guinness…..

@@AnimalDocRea I hear Guinness is Stout! LOL

One dog is hardly a trial.

Credentials in the description box. But if you are saying I’m not a board certified veterinary nutritionist/internist, then yes you are correct

To do what? LOL I feed my cats homemade, but I learn from Dr. Rea all the time. Please be respectful of other points of view.

I don’t know, that’s what they told us in Spain 😂

@@AnimalDocRea Tuna belongs to the Scombridae family. Cod belongs to the Gadidae family. They are different. Peter Pan called Captain Hook a "codfish!" LOL

All I know is on the menu there was the Spanish and the English and it said: Bacalao = Cod. And I mean all over Spain, not just 1 place, he literally ate it everyday for 10 days. But I only speak limited Spanish so I’m no expert. It certainly didn’t look like tuna.

@@AnimalDocRea Bacalao is Spanish for cod fish.

Yes cod fish is bacalhao in Portuguese

You must be clairvoyant because that’s next weeks video 😂. Be sure to subscribe and set your notifications on !

@@AnimalDocRea yes I will be sure to subscribe!