Some Pets Eat Better Than Their Owners

I was stunned to read that our present Food and Drug Administration has opened, as of 2003, the floodgates to any kind of exaggerated claim a company may wish to make for its nutritional products (“Sugarcoated Deception,” editorial, Sept. 6).

But it does explain why the last year has seen an ever-rising tide of wildly misleading advertising in this field. Unfortunately, money will always win out over truth. As a nutritionally oriented veterinarian, I have worked for over 40 years to improve the lives of my patients using nutrition first.

But, as in the human field, this is done in spite of, not with the help of, a major portion of the pet-food industry. My patients live longer, healthier lives thanks to good nutritional guidance. If only it were possible to give our human population the same level of advice my cat and dog patients are getting. But as always, to mix a metaphor, money talks and carries a big stick.

Bud Stuart DVM

Santa Barbara