Huh...?

Charlie needed more dog food so when we went to town I decided to stop in at the animal clinic to see if they sold Eagle Pack for cheaper than the pet store. I asked the vet tech at the desk if they sold it.

She said "No, we only carry premium foods".

I said, "but isn't EP a premium food?"

She said "No. Only foods recongized by veterinarians are premium, EP is sold in pet stores, and workers will tell you that it is a premium food to get your money".

So I said, "what premium foods do you have then?"

And she said "Medi-cal is the only premium food we have, it's the best food you can feed your dog".

I said "But isn't EP a good food?".

She says "Well, it's not a premium food.... If your looking for a good pet store brand, Eukanuba is probably the best (and she goes on about how great it is). If you buy from the grocery store, I recommend Iams, it's a high quality food... So, would you like to buy medi-cal, or do you want a sample?"

I said "Well... Uh.. I guess I'll take a sample for now."

And then she gets a sample for me and 2 pamplets, one on medi-cal and one on dog food nutrition. I leave, go to the pet store and buy Charlie his EP.

What do you think of her information? Is it correct, and what do you think of medi-cal??

*gasp* LOL, I feed Eagle Pack, Iams is better than Eagle Pack

I believe I heard somewhere along the lines Royal Canin bought out medi-cal.. maybe I'm wrong... Medi-cal and techni-cal I could be lying though....

That lady really confused me. That's why I made this thread, lol.

Oh, I asked about Techni-cal and she said they don't sell that... That food is related to Royal Canin (which they sold, but she stated it was not a premium food).

Dog food people are funny... Where I get food, the man told me Wellness was the best food.

Than when I went there, and told him I was switching he said that Royal Canin was the best food... To make a long story short I called him on it, and he came up with this story saying Wellness was the only food one of his dogs could eat because of a skin problem, but he currently feeds Royal Canin.

Anyhoosy, I was telling someone about it today at school and it just so happens that she used to work there and knows the man well.

She said with whatever research you've done, go with it and don't listen to him. Apparently the dog food companies give him deals, so he pushes whatever the "deal" is that month/week whatever...

That's absolutely ridiculous. If you want to learn more about commercial dog food, have a look here:

http://www.dogfoodproject.com

Obviously the vet tech you talked to doesn't have much of a clue about either nutrition or the pet food industry. It's really sad that people like that are allowed to deceive consumers. It makes me mad.

I've looked around your site before, loads of info..I almost made her go there, lol. I was telling her about Canidae and Innova, she still said medi-cal is the best premium food and that pet store brands aren't as good because they arent recommened by vets. I still don't know why she thinks EP isn't a premium food... It says "Super Premium Dog Food" right on the bag! What do you think of medi-cal, Mordy?

These classifications (Premium, Super Premium, Specialty etc.) don't make unbiased statements about the quality of a food, but more about the overall content of animal protein (even the really poor quality stuff like meat meal), the price range and the location where it's sold (grocery store vs. feed store, pet store etc.)

I really think that person probably doesn't even know the difference.

To be honest, I don't think much of Medi-Cal at all.

I buy Innova and will never buy anything else. I might someday do the BARF.

Some vets and vet techs are pure quacks. They still go by the whole 'Raw Meat will kill your dog, Pedigree is the best, blah blah. When it comes to nutrition most vets dont know squat, except for who gives them extra $$$ to sell their food