# Science Diet - Good or Bad?



## seamas2008 (May 25, 2009)

It seems there's no in-between when I research this. It began when somebody mentioned to my wife she had heard it was not good for dogs. Ha?? My 2.5yr old has never shown any ill effects to this. But anyway just throwing this question out to ye all. We have started the 9wk old puppy on SD also.


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## Ninde'Gold (Oct 21, 2006)

Isn't that the brand with rumors of having sawdust in it?? lol


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## Bender (Dec 30, 2008)

It seems at a quick glance to be very grain heavy with a lot of corn and soy in them.


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## Charlie06 (Feb 10, 2007)

Check out these sites:

Dog Food Reviews | Dog Food Ratings

Dog Food Reviews - Main Index - Powered by ReviewPost


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## SunGold (Feb 27, 2007)

Bad, very bad. Yuck!


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## jwemt81 (Aug 20, 2008)

I would feed dirt and leaves before Science Diet to put it bluntly. :bowl:


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## seamas2008 (May 25, 2009)

Any suggestions?


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## TuckersMom (Sep 26, 2010)

Our breeders fed their dogs Science Diet... I vote bad but they had no issues. Guess it depends on how your dog reacts to it! My mom fed our family dogs when I was growing up cheap kinds like Science Diet, Iams and Pedigree, and they all lived long happy lives. Our lab even lived to 13! Tucker didnt do well on it at all and seems to only do good on the higher quality brands... but my opinion is if it doesnt hurt the dog, is it really that bad...!?


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## Ninde'Gold (Oct 21, 2006)

Canidae is good. Tucker and Reece are both on Horizon right now.


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## SunGold (Feb 27, 2007)

My gang is on Taste Of The Wild right now... the pups are on Canidae.


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## seamas2008 (May 25, 2009)

Any suggestions?


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## TuckersMom (Sep 26, 2010)

seamas2008 said:


> Any suggestions?



Are you reading our suggestions? There have been quite a few! 

We are on Solid Gold Lamb. Its great


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## Jamm (Mar 28, 2010)

Joey and alot of other dogs on the forum eat Fromm. Also Raw diet is a good way to go for dogs with non sensitive tummies!


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## Charlie06 (Feb 10, 2007)

My guys eat Fromm kibble


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## jwemt81 (Aug 20, 2008)

Our boys also eat Fromm.


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## seamas2008 (May 25, 2009)

Oops page never refreshed properly.....

I'm seeing a trend with taste of the wild, solid gold and fromm. A friend of mine, a vet tech just mentioned these to me also. And they all receive 5 stars. I'm pissed off with myself Seamas has been on the hills for over two years now without realising it's poorly reputation and ingredients. Though as somebody said if he hasn't shown any ill effects then it can't be that bad. Well I'll be at the vets with the puppy on Saturday for his shots and will ask the doc (keeping in mind it was them who put Seamas on Hills!!).


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## Enzos_Mom (Apr 8, 2010)

I also vote Fromm - huge fan over here!


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## Bert80 (Jan 17, 2011)

hi guys,,,
Science Diet has been prepared for the pets especially for dogs and cats.In addition to this now they are introducing new products for many other animals too.It is good for your pets.


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## Florabora22 (Nov 30, 2008)

I guess I don't understand why we are trying to convince this person that the food they feed their dog and that supposedly works for their dog is evil. If their dog is fit and healthy, then whose to say the food is bad for their pet? I fell prey to that trap and ended up going through 6 months of diarrhea filled hell as I tried switching Flora over to some of these "higher quality" foods. I eventually went back to a "lower quality" food and she's back to normal.

Correct me if I'm wrong, please, but is there hard scientific evidence that SD is harmful to an animal, or is it just a suspicion?


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## Enzos_Mom (Apr 8, 2010)

I'm not saying not to feed your dog SD if that's what they do well on...I just threw out a suggestion because they asked for some.


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## kateann1201 (Jan 9, 2011)

It's really about what you feel comfortable feeding your dog. Check the ingredients on dog food. If it's what you can live with, and your dog does okay, then who are we to say? Those of us that choose "higher quality" don't do it because we think our You-know-what doesn't stink, but because the ingredients tend to be geared to what is believed to be the closest to a dogs natural diet, as we can hope to get. Sorry for the long-winded sentence. Anyhow, I'll be the first to tell you, that higher quality brands don't always agree with everydog. I'm just glad they work for Bailey so far. And I like that I'm giving him (what I believe to be) better ingredients. It's all about what's best for YOU and YOUR dog. Unless it's Ol' Roy...then I'll blast you for that! lol


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## Noey (Feb 26, 2009)

well Science Diet prescription food - which is slightly different quality - was the only thing and still is the only thing my Noah can eat...and we have tried a variety of things. Most dog foods make him really sick. So he has been on SD Z/D since he was a puppy. I can't say anything bad about it as it keeps him well and took a really sick dog/food allergic puppy and made him a happy dog food eating healthy guy.


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## Braccarius (Sep 8, 2008)

jwemt81 said:


> I would feed dirt and leaves before Science Diet to put it bluntly. :bowl:


My dogs would love you.


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## silver39 (Jan 29, 2010)

We had our Charlie on California Select and his poops were very runny. Once he had his elbow dysplasia surgery our vet recommended the perscription hills science diet j/d for his joints, at first I cringed but thought I would give it a try, and he has now been on it for 5 months and has been doing very well on it. So like others stated if your pup is doing good on it, it can't be that bad.


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## The_Artful_Dodger (Mar 26, 2009)

I think science diet is a good food, but I'm of the opinion that you can't tell a whole lot about a dog food by just looking at the ingredient list. I tried to get a better understanding of canine nutrition by looking at some books my roommate has - she's doing a phd in animal science and does feeding trials (with sheep though) - only to find out that it is A LOT more complicated than it seems. I'm not saying any other foods aren't good but I don't think science diet deserves the bad rep it gets on the internet.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Noey said:


> well Science Diet prescription food - which is slightly different quality - was the only thing and still is the only thing my Noah can eat...and we have tried a variety of things. Most dog foods make him really sick. So he has been on SD Z/D since he was a puppy. I can't say anything bad about it as it keeps him well and took a really sick dog/food allergic puppy and made him a happy dog food eating healthy guy.


Same deal with our dogs... 

Our first golden who had renal failure lived a bit longer thanks to Hills K/D. And then our collie would have probably have gone into pancreatitis or renal failure after all of the digestive problems he was having if he weren't put on Hills I/D. 

We are still weaning the collie onto our regular food (Nutro Ultra), but that's because of the expense instead of quality. 

But that's the prescription kibble. 

When it comes to the regular kibble, I probably would not voluntarily feed that to my dogs because of the ingredients list. But that's me. I know there are people who cringe about Nutro products. 

Dog foods on my good list -

Nutro Ultra 
Nutro Natural Choice
Wellness Super5
Wellness Core
Merick (Grammy's pot pie)
Purina Sensitive Skin 
Purina Selects 

^ The above are kibbles that I've actually fed my dogs (including the collie with a very sensitive stomach) and haven't had any digestive issues pop up. 

My guys are on Ultra and I've gotten into the (probably bad) habit of picking up a 5 lb bag of other kinds of dog food to mix in Jacks' kibble. So he will get 1/2 cup Ultra and 1/3-2/3 cup of something else. <- And the collie gets the same deal in the mornings.

I had our previous guys on Natural Choice for 13 years and they thrived on the food. You talk about full and shiny coats, bright healthy eyes, clean teeth, energy... they did fine on the food. They both died of the same cancer, but I'm not entirely sure that cancer is related to food. I know somebody who fed her goldens the barf diet, and one of them died of the same cancer as my guys.

I would have put Jacks on Natural Choice too, except the Nutro lady sold me on Ultra, and the rest is history. :


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

I believe if "it's not broken, don't fix it." I rescued a beagle in vet school who lived to be 17 years mostly eating Purina then Hill's k/d at the end. Didn't like Canidae.. My current dogs have eaten Wellness for 10 plus years. Along the way, as far as palatability, my dogs liked Bil Jac and Precise.


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## msdogs1976 (Dec 21, 2007)

The_Artful_Dodger said:


> I think science diet is a good food, but I'm of the opinion that you can't tell a whole lot about a dog food by just looking at the ingredient list. I tried to get a better understanding of canine nutrition by looking at some books my roommate has - she's doing a phd in animal science and does feeding trials (with sheep though) - only to find out that it is A LOT more complicated than it seems. I'm not saying any other foods aren't good but I don't think science diet deserves the bad rep it gets on the internet.


I agree. I don't feed the brand, but I do feed one that gets just as much negative feed back. I say if your pup is doing well on it and your vet gives you a thumbs up on what you are doing, stay with it.


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## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

From a purely financial standpoint: if you like the ingredients in Science Diet for the long-term feeding of your dog, there are quite a few similar brands that are much cheaper.

My own experience: I fed Science Diet many years ago when I had my first couple of dogs. The vet sold it and there weren't many choices in the one big box store where we lived at that time.. In the last five years I've fed a number of formulas with much different ingredient lists than SD. I see my current dogs having much healthier coats and skin; better energy and less itchiness.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Just thought I'd throw this in here, since it's semi applicable.... 

Today I was talking with my sister who feeds the dogs in the morning. She wanted me to know that Jacks really loves the Merick (Grammy's Pot Pie) kibble that I picked up when the last 5 lb bag of "random dog food" was running low. 

Right now he's getting 1/2 cup of Nutro Ultra, 1/3 cup of Purina Sensitive Skin, and 1/3 cup of Merick for every meal. As I run totally out of Purina it will just be 1/2 cup Ultra and 1/3 cup Merick. 

Every time the container is open, he goes diving for the Merick kibble, ignoring the other bags. And of course since starting the Merick, he's been devouring his kibble and licking the bowl clean, despite the fact that my sister puts too much cranberry juice in his food when she feeds him. Normally he eats a bit slower when she feeds him. 

Even though it's more expensive than Ultra, I can imagine feeding him Merick instead.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

kdmarsh said:


> I guess I don't understand why we are trying to convince this person that the food they feed their dog and that supposedly works for their dog is evil. If their dog is fit and healthy, then whose to say the food is bad for their pet? I fell prey to that trap and ended up going through 6 months of diarrhea filled hell as I tried switching Flora over to some of these "higher quality" foods. I eventually went back to a "lower quality" food and she's back to normal.
> 
> Correct me if I'm wrong, please, but is there hard scientific evidence that SD is harmful to an animal, or is it just a suspicion?


I'm with you. Science Diet is a well researched food that many dogs thrive on. All the negative things I've heard have either been from individual dogs who didn't do as well on it (and all I've really heard was that the coat was a little dull) or are based on theories about dog nutrition rather than hard evidence. None of that makes it a bad food for a dog who's doing well on it.

I don't feed Science Diet for three reasons. First, I don't know of a blend that is calorie dense enough with enough fat and protein for my dogs' needs. Second, it seems relatively expensive. Third, I don't know of people with competition dogs who feed it.

None of those things would rule it out as a "bad food" in my book.

And, while we're on the subject, those sites that rate dog foods by "stars," at least in my experience, rate the foods entirely by theories about animal nutrition, not actual observation, and those theories aren't necessarily founded in hard evidence. For example, they've decided corn is a bad ingredient (despite a dearth of evidence proving it so), so every food that has corn it it automatically receives a lower rating. That often goes for any grain and a bunch of other ingredients that aren't harmful or evil.

There's no discussion or analysis of feeding studies, actual dogs that do well on it, professionals that choose to feed it to dogs who MUST have good muscle tone, coat, and health or they'll lose, etc. Those criteria are much more important to me than whether some person with no credentials doesn't like corn or brewer's rice or whatever.

So I don't trust dogfoodanalysis.com any further than I can throw a 40lb bag of Eukanuba (1 star).


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## Blondie (Oct 10, 2009)

seamas2008 said:


> I'm pissed off with myself.


Don't be pissed off anymore with yourself. Be happy you are here and are learning abundantly the many wonderful options that are available!
We are also a Fromm family, by the way.


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## nicoleh (Jan 4, 2011)

My Teddy lived to almost 15 years old and the only thing he ever ate was science diet. So im a fan. My new pup, Finley is on eukanuba because the breeder had started him on it and I believe it to be a solid food as well.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

seamas2008 said:


> It seems there's no in-between when I research this. It began when somebody mentioned to my wife she had heard it was not good for dogs. Ha?? My 2.5yr old has never shown any ill effects to this. But anyway just throwing this question out to ye all. We have started the 9wk old puppy on SD also.


There are a lot of dogs that thrive on Science Diet, nice coats, bright clear eyes and good health. My big problem with it is economic. In my opinion it is overpriced for what is in the bag.


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## Jax's Mom (Oct 16, 2009)

We use Kirkland signature brand lamb and rice by Costco. Its less expensive than some of the premium dog foods, but still a much better food than science diet and cheaper I bet. I pay 25 dollars for 40 lbs. With 3 dogs, we need to budget.


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## Florabora22 (Nov 30, 2008)

Jax's Mom said:


> We use Kirkland signature brand lamb and rice by Costco. Its less expensive than some of the premium dog foods, but still a much better food than science diet and cheaper I bet. I pay 25 dollars for 40 lbs. With 3 dogs, we need to budget.


Wow, 25 dollars for 40lbs!!! Boy, I wish I had a Costco membership. I would totally try that food. I pay about 35 dollars for a 33lb bag of Flora's food.


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## seamas2008 (May 25, 2009)

I feel more confident having spoken with the doc on Saturday. And yes as somebody said if it's not broken don't fix it. Seamas is in good health (fingers crossed) and has never shown any bad effects to it. The little fella (again fingers crossed) is showing no bad reaction to it. In fact he can't get enough of it!


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## sifuyono (May 8, 2008)

kdmarsh said:


> Wow, 25 dollars for 40lbs!!! Boy, I wish I had a Costco membership. I would totally try that food. I pay about 35 dollars for a 33lb bag of Flora's food.


that's very cheap
compare to my pro plan 70 dollars for 38 lbs....:doh:


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

If it's not broken, don't fix it. My worst problems occurred with feeding Canidae for all life stages. I generally feed Wellness, have fed Wysong, Precise, and Bill Jac as pups.


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

Wellness is $47.00 for one week for me!(when I don't have pups) Plus if I have a litter!!


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Sally's Mom said:


> If it's not broken, don't fix it. My worst problems occurred with feeding Canidae for all life stages. I generally feed Wellness, have fed Wysong, Precise, and Bill Jac as pups.


Thanks for that info! I've been feeding Wellness and feeling insecure it wasn't good enough according to everyone, including Toby's vet!  Her concerns relate mostly to the sourcing of the ingredients and the fact that they aren't an open book with the veterinarians, like Hills is with them. Hills does a lot of long term testing of their formulations and that carries a lot of weight for her. Despite all that Wellness is the only kibble that we have good results with regarding firm poops! Plus it doesn't have any of the extra chemicals like BPA and sodium that worry me.


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

Dallas Gold said:


> Thanks for that info! I've been feeding Wellness and feeling insecure it wasn't good enough according to everyone, including Toby's vet!  Her concerns relate mostly to the sourcing of the ingredients and the fact that they aren't an open book with the veterinarians, like Hills is with them. Hills does a lot of long term testing of their formulations and that carries a lot of weight for her. Despite all that Wellness is the only kibble that we have good results with regarding firm poops! Plus it doesn't have any of the extra chemicals like BPA and sodium that worry me.


If you have any questions or concerns about their sourcing (or anything else) call them! I probably called them half a dozen times back when we first put Gunner on Core and they were always very helpful and forthcoming.
And it's funny how much vets can vary in their opinions of food. My vet isn't a big Hills guy. They do sell the prescription formulas, but I can't see him recommending the regular, off-the-shelf stuff. When we first started going to him and I had Gunner in there for the first time, he asked what we were feeding him. When I told him that he was on Wellness Core, he said "Great. Good, high-quality food." 

I still say, regardless of the brand or formula, "if it's working, don't fix it."


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

LifeOfRiley said:


> If you have any questions or concerns about their sourcing (or anything else) call them! I probably called them half a dozen times back when we first put Gunner on Core and they were always very helpful and forthcoming.
> And it's funny how much vets can vary in their opinions of food. My vet isn't a big Hills guy. They do sell the prescription formulas, but I can't see him recommending the regular, off-the-shelf stuff. When we first started going to him and I had Gunner in there for the first time, he asked what we were feeding him. When I told him that he was on Wellness Core, he said "Great. Good, high-quality food."
> 
> I still say, regardless of the brand or formula, "if it's working, don't fix it."


I've called them 2 times since we went on Wellness and they are very helpful. I was particularly concerned with sodium levels the first time since the vet wanted to make sure his sodium intake was restricted. They gave me the exact amounts, etc. Then we thought we would do a mixture of the Super 5 and the Core, to get more protein. I wanted to make sure if we did this we wouldn't be overdosing him on added vitamins/supplements. I called and the consumer rep told me not to do it, because mixing the two might very well cause an excess of some nutrient. The Super 5 and the Core are different formulations and shouldn't be mixed. Plus, he went on to tell me the Core variety I wanted to use had the highest amount of sodium of the Core varieties (Ocean Fish if anyone is interested). 

I've not asked the sourcing issue yet and I've not asked about any internal inspections of the Diamond plant where it is manufactured, but I've thought about those things. 

Toby's doing well on it, so we're sticking to it. We went through a bunch of foods both from the big manufacturers and the "holistic" ones (anyone can call themselves holistic because there are no regulations so that term means little to me), before getting to this point.


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

Dallas Gold said:


> I've called them 2 times since we went on Wellness and they are very helpful. I was particularly concerned with sodium levels the first time since the vet wanted to make sure his sodium intake was restricted. They gave me the exact amounts, etc. Then we thought we would do a mixture of the Super 5 and the Core, to get more protein. I wanted to make sure if we did this we wouldn't be overdosing him on added vitamins/supplements. I called and the consumer rep told me not to do it, because mixing the two might very well cause an excess of some nutrient. The Super 5 and the Core are different formulations and shouldn't be mixed. Plus, he went on to tell me the Core variety I wanted to use had the highest amount of sodium of the Core varieties (Ocean Fish if anyone is interested).
> 
> I've not asked the sourcing issue yet and I've not asked about any internal inspections of the Diamond plant where it is manufactured, but I've thought about those things.
> 
> Toby's doing well on it, so we're sticking to it. We went through a bunch of foods both from the big manufacturers and the "holistic" ones (anyone can call themselves holistic because there are no regulations so that term means little to me), before getting to this point.


I just PM'd you with some of the sourcing and inspection info they gave me. Didn't want to get too far off-topic, here.


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## typercy (Jan 17, 2011)

Charlie06 said:


> Check out these sites:
> 
> Dog Food Reviews | Dog Food Ratings
> 
> Dog Food Reviews - Main Index - Powered by ReviewPost


Thanks for the links! I was looking for something like this.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

Many of the rating sources are very skewed and are not done by nutritional experts. One is even by a dentist!!! Many dogs need and thrive with some grain in their diet. Just because a food is grain free does not make it an exceptional food. I much prefer a site that examines what is and is not quality ingredients and how to read and analyze ingredient listing and nutritional analysis. Here is a site that I like: http://www.dogfoodproject.com/

Also, Dr Marion Nestle has a very good book out that takes a look at the dog food industry called "Feed Your Pet Right".


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## ambie7 (Mar 18, 2012)

We are just starting Science Diet Ideal Balance for our girl. I am hoping it works out. Today is day 2 so we shall see.


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## flykelley (Oct 15, 2011)

kdmarsh said:


> I guess I don't understand why we are trying to convince this person that the food they feed their dog and that supposedly works for their dog is evil. If their dog is fit and healthy, then whose to say the food is bad for their pet? I fell prey to that trap and ended up going through 6 months of diarrhea filled hell as I tried switching Flora over to some of these "higher quality" foods. I eventually went back to a "lower quality" food and she's back to normal.
> 
> Correct me if I'm wrong, please, but is there hard scientific evidence that SD is harmful to an animal, or is it just a suspicion?


Had the sam issue with my Lilly, but instead of diarrhea she couldn't go to the bathroom. Ended up at the vet and she had to get a enama. After X-rays the vet said she has never seen a dog that full of sh*t. Switched her back to SD and have had no issue's.

Mike


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## newport (Aug 8, 2011)

jwemt81 said:


> I would feed dirt and leaves before Science Diet to put it bluntly. :bowl:


My feelings exactly! Why would you feed THIS dry food over all the better brands on the market. Just because Vets sell it ( and make a kick back selling it from the manufacturer) does not mean it is good quality. Heck- Doctors give you pharmacutical drugs that kill you!:no: What is so different than a vet selling dry garbage dog food?


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

This ingredient listing doesn't look like anything I would consider feeding my crew. I still believe the best nutrition comes from FOOD, not chemicals. And I wonder where all those chemicals are sourced from..... Adult Healthy Mobility


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## Shutterwolf (Jan 30, 2012)

I feed the Kirkland (Costco) Lamb & rice and it works out quite well. 30 bucks with tax for a 40 pound bag. Science diet is horrid crap!


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## cgriffin (Nov 30, 2011)

Actually, I really don't see a problem with the poster continuing to feed Science diet. It is not a bad food, there are a lot worse out there. All my dogs were on Science diet for many years and never had a problem with it. Science diet also has good veterinary prescription diets for kidney/liver/joints etc. etc., diets which really do seem to help the dogs with medical issues. 
I just chose last summer to switch my dogs to Taste of the Wild Sierra Mountain formula to see if it would improve my dog's coats and skin. And it did, so I stuck with it.


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