Last week I published a blog item about a new dog food called "Hill's Prescription Diet Canine j/d". Today, Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc., the maker of this food, issued a press release touting that it is the first to incorporate the theory of "nutrigenomics" into dog chow.

So what is "nutrigenomics"? The press release says:

Nutrigenomics is a relatively new science that explores the interplay between genetic make-up and how the nutrients found in certain foods could assist in the prevention of specific diseases. The application of nutrigenomics allows scientists to gain a better understanding of genetic disease.

To date, approximately 450 canine genetic diseases have been identified, which vary according to breed. Nutrigenomics has great potential to improve not only the health of our pets but also our own well-being, from disease prevention to, in some cases, prolonging life expectancy.

Blah, blah, blah. Don't all dog foods make these claims? The way I see it, there's nothing here to convince me that this food will make my dog healthier and happier. The only way to truly test this, is to put my dogs on this diet, and see if they can make it to their 15th birthdays. And I don't want to take this on faith for the next ten years, only to find out that these claims were wrong.

And the other thing is that every dog is different. Just because one dog is still alive after 15 years, doesn't mean your dog can live just as long.

So, forget about living longer lives. Instead, focus on living happy lives. That's the only thing you can be certain of.