Can I get some opinions here? I was doing a google search on Vitamin C supplements for dogs and came accross this article. Anyone one know of any articles that swing the other way?

http://home.att.net/~wdcusick/013.html

Also I'm interested in knowing if anyone can tell me what the average person would gain by joining BARF WORLDS web site?

Thanks,

Glenn

Glenn,
There's a lot of information in that article that is simply flat-out wrong.

"Today we know that the average life span of dogs has decreased and people are accepting their shorter life span as being "normal."

Umm, nope, canine life span on the average has been inching up and up for many years. The life span of full time indoor house dogs is almost 50% higher over the course of the past 50 years, although there are a ton of variables to include better medical care, improved diet, higher use of barriers to prevent accidents, etc. Geriatric canine medicine is a fairly new field - it wasn't needed in the old days, because old dogs were rare.

Basically, this author is a layman who makes pet food. He has to rely on other people's data, and without a hard science background, data can be difficult to interpret correctly. He doesn't have a background in Vet medicine, and is apparently self-taught regarding his knowledge of nutrition. Glancing over his work on his web site, he does not have a background in statistical analysis, either.

Virtually any data can be manipulated to fit a conclusion, especially if that conclusion has already be established.

Maybe this fellow means well, and is on a sincere crusade to reveal a vast conspiracy put forth by the Pet Food corporations. Or maybe he's trying to sell those books of his, that you can order on the website. Who knows, but until he utilizes better scientific methodology, I'll pass on his following his recommendations.

Thanks Will. It's good to have someone wade through the junk and clarify things for people like me.

Glenn

There was a study done on Vit C and HD. THe conclusion was that adding it helped prevent it. Will see if I can find it.

Even though dogs do 'make'thier own Vit C, I am also a believer that in today's society, the body is depleated of it very quickly. Vit C is an antioxident that the body needs. It is my belief that we live in a time/era where we no longer get all the necesarry vit/minerals from the foods (or from the soil they are grown in) we eat. We are in environments that depleat our bodies of certain things much quicker than they may have years ago. How do we KNOW the dogs body produces enough Vit. C for thier individual needs? Stress depleats that body quickly of Vit C.

With all the added activities, training, work, sports etc that we have our dogs in I am sure they use and depleat thier bodies very quickly of the Vit C that it produces.

Interesting article. Studies from one sourse are always suspect. I tend not to believe this but I will have to do some research to draw my conclusion. In the mean time. It's is easy to buy food grown Vit C from a good nat food store.The Vit C is either from a plant source that is naturally very high in Vit C or the vit C molicule is attached to the matrix of a food like alge or something like that. This might well make it more bioavailable. When dogs are sick any vit c is helpful. I have saved dogs and cats lives with vit C and nothing else.

I feel very safe supplementing with Vitamin C because whatever is not used by the body is excreted as waste in the urine.

I've been feeding raw for a couple of years now and have never supplemented with any extra vitamins, minerals, etc. In the course of a week or two, they get meat (muscle and organ), bone, eggs, veggies, yogurt. My dogs have done very well. I personally don't understand the need for the extras. That's what feeding natural is all about. JMHO!