At a used book store last week I picked up a copy of Current Veterinary Therapy, Volume 5, published in 1974. I checked to see what the vaccine recommendations were back then, and found this tidbit in the chapter "Minimal Disease Prevention for Cats":
"During the third part of the initial examination, the veterinarian should discuss diet and general health programs with the owner. The owner should be advised of the importance of adding raw meat to the diet and of offering a variety of foods not only to promote a well balanced diet but also to guard against the feline tendency to become addicted to certain meats. A daily vitamin program should be established....."
Thank you Nancy Kowall, DVM, from Pasadena, who wrote these sage words! Where had all this gone by the time I was in vet school, in the mid-90's? By then we had become corporatized, and our cat and dog nutrition lectures were taught by employees of Hill's Science Diet. What had been learned from Pottenger's cats had been unlearned, and was presented as fact.
Interestingly, the previous chapter, Minimal Disease Prevention for Dogs, has eight authors and only discusses the benefits of vaccines. There is no mention of other things that help prevent disease, like diet, vitamins, and a healthy lifestyle.
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