Everywhere you look, pet products all seem to be "veterinarian approved". Exactly, what must a product go through to get such a distinction?

My all time favorite has to be the PupCups. It's just plain old water, no additives, no flavorings. You could drink it yourself. Yet, they make the claim that it's "veterinarian recommended". Like, what veterinarian wouldn't recommend water?

Another company that makes "all natural" dog treats has a veterinarian approval from actual veterinarian who claims that, "Amazing Dog Treats is the only product that I am aware of that does not have any harmful ingredients or preservatives." Does this mean that all other products are harmful?

Well, if a veterinarian said it then it must be true right?

For starters, all animal drugs, medicated feeds, food additives, feed ingredients, and a minority of pet foods sold in the USA, whether prescribed or over-the-counter, are "veterinarian approved". This is because they have to be reviewed and approved by the Food & Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine. The Center has a veterinarian that oversees this agency, and hence anything that passes muster, is "veterinarian approved".

Commercial pet food manufacturers have veterinarians on staff, who mostly take a consultative role, advising on nutritional balances and ingredients. These manufacturers can make the claim their products are veterinarian approved also, albeit the veterinarians are on the company dole.

One problem with trusting veterinarian approval, is that vets can disagree on things. The famous BARF diet (bones and raw food) was developed by a veterinarian, claiming that feeding raw meaty bones promotes good health. But another veterinarian debunked this theory claiming that it's the meat on the bones that promotes good health, and used nutritional data to prove that dogs derive little value from bones, if any at all.

In fact, it's not just food and drugs that get veterinary approval, but services too. There are pet sitters who claim to be veterinarian approved, as well as dog trainers. Here's a taxidermist claiming to be veterinary approved.

So how much faith can we put into a stamp of "veterinary approval"?

The truth is that there are no laws and regulations on exactly what "veterinarian approved" means. Every veterinarian has his or her own opinions, and thus, if one veterinarian won't approve of your product, you can find another one who will.

In the case of PupCups, they actually have a veterinarian provide a statement of recommendation, noting that "Water is essential to almost every function in a dog's body..." Does it make you feel better knowing that water is recommended by a veterinarian?