Canidae RepreSENT ;)

Facts.  Pure and simple.  Show me WHY this is a superior food and I'll buy it and suggest it to others.  But, I'm an old fart and I don't LIKE games, so that might just be me......

Facts. Pure and simple. Show me WHY this is a superior food and I'll buy it and suggest it to others

 
i am totally with Glenda on this...Just good solid facts and information.  Discounts and free samples would be good too, but IMO that should be seconary to the info.   

  I'm an old fart too and agree with Glenda; show them the facts. A comparison of the ingredient lists of the different products should be enough to convince any one who understands that dogs need a meat based diet that Canidae is better for dogs. I think a lecture combined with passing out nutrition handbooks explaining why a food like Canidae is better would be a good idea.

Non-bias scientific facts. Whats the difference if Hills, Purina, or Canidae were "sponsoring" classes. It's still "buying" support. Present the facts and let the quality of education show as proof.
Maybe as a "Student Representative", whoever it might be, would qualify for special "perks" for gaining support for the brand name. It would not really do anything to qualify a food's quality.

Discounts on the product would be great, too.
 
My roomate is in vet school and Science Diet opens a 'warehouse' every other weekend for anyone employed by the vet school or taking classes there. They get any #40 bag of food from SD (all formulas available, cat and dog) for $10. That is a really hard price for any student to say no to, and Hill's knows it. They also get two bags of treats with a purchase. My roomate knows it isn't the best food, but since it is so cheap, she has a hard time justifying spending $30 more dollars a bag for a better brand.
 
 
I realize Canidae might not be able to do something like that, but coupons would be a good idea. The employees/students aren't going to recommend it to people unless they can buy it for their dogs first.

I'm gonna say no on the lecture. As a student, that last thing I want to do is sit down for another lecture, even if it is a subject I'm interested in. I think a fun, well-designed brochure, not too text heavy, but stating the facts and including at least one side-by-side comparison... and if the brochures could come with a small sample bag that'd be great. Then have drawings or fun contests, nothing too intense like quizzes, for discounts or free food.

I would say that concise, scientific information, together with free samples.  Once someone sees how their own dog does on a premium versus a big box store diet, they have to ask themselves what the difference is, and why they should not recommend it.
BTW, why have you chosen Canidae, and not another of the premium foods?  Just curious.

My best advice would be to see if Canidae has anything "written up" comparing the "holistic approach" to conventional foods like Science Diet. 

It is going to be VERY hard to convince people that it is better when you have arguements coming at you like "Science Diet has been around for years and has helped so many dogs with their perscription foods" and "what research has Canidae put into this" and the whole "an all life stages food is not right for all dogs" blah blah (trust me, I deal with it ALOT, lol).  If you can plan ahead for the criticism you  might get and can compile some "come-backs," you might have a good chance at getting at least some interest in your arguements.  Also, you may have trouble getting Canidae to comply considering how holistic companies don't want to advertise so much and fall into the same schemes that big companies like SD.  Maybe you can ask them to send you a lot of samples and brochures?

I am by no means trying to discourage you, but these are just some things to consider. 

--I forgot to mention:

I would also consider choosing a different company like Natura or Eagle Pack that has maaaany different lines/types of food...

BTW, why have you chosen Canidae, and not another of the premium foods?  Just curious.


I chose Canidae because a) it is the most affordable by far - easier to get students and clients interested in, b) the ingredients in my mind are just as good as the other holistic brands, c) is probabaly the best brand that can be distributed to my honkeydonk town - it was sold here once but the small sotre that sold it closed for some reason, and d) they have been the only ones so far to contact me back... Canidae is my personal top choice in food anyway (I cannot get it here yet so I feed SG) so that's why. Thanks for all your suggestions guys.

A lot of the vet students here (OSU, major vet school) feed SD because they get it free.  They know there are better foods, but since they get it free, its hard to turn it down.

Free food fer sure. My vet stopped even selling Purina and SD in her clinic when a distributer friend started giving her unsaleable bags of Natura products for her rescues and she saw the difference between SD and Natura. I think she still uses the Royal Canin prescription products but only the bare basics - kidney, the cans for bland feeding, allergy formulas.

Doug has done fantastic on Canidae's Platinum as he gets his pancreas back "online".

Bil Jac is another better food that ought to get into the vet schools - at least they promote meat-based feeds (yes, they have corn but that's not the worst thing). They have a very aggressive promotional program and might be better positioned to increase their exposure among vet students. In particular by offering free food.

Bil Jac is another better food that ought to get into the vet schools - at least they promote meat-based feeds (yes, they have corn but that's not the worst thing).

 
Bil-Jac uses BHA [:-]