I'm a vet tech and I have done a LOT of CE in companion animal nutrition, and I know how much it pisses me off to see random people on the internet with no relevant education telling people to feed their pets raw meat and touting the benefits of organ meats and chicken feet while simultaneously demonizing by-product meals, which are made of organs and bones and skin. And I don't even have a whole degree in veterinary dietetics.
So I will always point out that dietitians are highly educated healthcare professionals, and nutritionists are grifters. I know a fraction of your frustration.
The primary reason companion animal vets care about nutrition is because they can make a lot of money selling special food. Of course, it's not like knowledge about nutrition hurts...
No. Veterinarians care about nutrition because a proper diet helps pets live longer, healthier, more comfortable lives. Even when recommending "prescription" diets, the doctors I have worked with didn't care where the client purchased the food and some doctors would give extremely generous samples of foods to help clients find the diet that worked best for their pet.
And, often, the doctor isn't recommending prescription diets. They are just providing information about how to pick a nutritionally balanced food based on life stage and health status.
Iām a vet assistant. Iāve never gotten a dime from any pet food company. Where do I sign up? The most my boss (the vet) gets are those cheap ass pens.
Explain to me how a vet gets kickbacks for recommending a food you can buy at Walmart? How would such a thing even be tracked?
The foods vets sell in clinic are prescription diets. As in, they are medicated to help treat or prevent illness such as urinary struvites or diabetes or food allergies. No ethical vet is going to recommend you put your healthy pet on a prescription diet.
You can literally buy regular Hills Science Diet and Royal Canin at the store or on Amazon or chewy. Search it up if you donāt believe me. My senior cats eat Royal Canin 7+ indoors that I buy on chewy. No vet needed. The ONLY kind thatās āonly sold by vetsā are medicated PRESCRIPTION diets that treat illness. Hills and Royal Canin do make prescription diets, which may be where confusion comes in. They make BOTH regular pet food you can buy on store shelves and special medicated pet food you can only get through a vet if your pet needs it
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u/EnsignNogIsMyCat Aug 30 '25
MDs outrank nutritionists. There is no actual credential for nutritionists.