In this video, I break down why you’ll hear a lot of vets recommend big brands like Royal Canin, Hill’s Science Diet, and Purina—without me ever speaking for veterinarians. What I can share is what vets across the spectrum have told me after a decade of interviews: these companies often have studies and research behind them, and vets are trained to follow science and outcomes. That part is fair, and our community cares a lot about research-based results. But I also explain my issues with how that research shows up in the real world. There can be bias, a lack of transparency (I can’t even get complete nutritional analyses), and many studies are short—like 2 to 10 weeks—so we’re still left asking about long-term effects, especially when a lot of protein comes from non-meat sources like corn, soy, or pea protein. I also push back on the “it’s not about ingredients, it’s about nutrients” line—especially when the food is expensive, meat isn’t the first ingredient, and protein percentages can be low. My bottom line: why can’t it be both? Our dogs deserve the right nutrients AND real, whole food ingredients.