Dinovite

I have never used Dinovite but I have attempted more than once over the years to contact Mr. Ed Lukacevic (developer and president of Dinovite). Each time, I was assured by the representative that he would get back to me but he never did so.

I suspect he made a decision not to respond based on what I told his representative I wanted to discuss. I first meant to ask whether there had been any properly designed independent studies of Dinovite that demonstrated a benefit for dogs (I see nothing of that sort on the website). Other questions I have had about the product’s claims follow.

The testimonials one hears on national radio ads and those published on various comment/rating websites are of little value largely because people make unsupported assumptions as to the benefits of Dinovite. For example, someone will say “I have kept my dogs healthy with Dinovite all their lives” or “my dog’s itching and scratching resolved after using Dinovite.”

Few people realize that testimonials are of little value when it comes to evaluating health claims. This is amply explained in this article titled “Why Bogus Therapies Often Seem to Work” by Barry Beyerstein. (http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/altbelief.html)

Now, this is not to say that Dinovite might contain some nutrients that could help a dog that has a deficiency but, apart from deficiency symptoms that are well-documented in the veterinarian literature, it doesn’t make much sense to be providing supplements that cost way more than what one can get at a pet store. Additionally, supplements might do more harm than good in the same way this has been of recent shown for humans.

One of the most irritating things that I have been hearing over and over in Dinovite’s radio advertising is a statement from one of the “testifiers” (the radio ads mostly feature what may be snippets of recorded telephone calls to Dinovite’s customer line as opposed to anything remotely resembling hard science): “Dinovite has the digestive enzymes that are cooked out of regular dog food.” The need for digestive enzyme supplementation in humans is a common misconception that marketers use to sell tens of millions of dollars worth of such supplements. However, according to the below link, digestive enzyme deficiency is very rare. Additionally, vegetable enzymes (these are what are usually sold) are of no value since they are digested as protein.

One would presume that digestive enzyme deficiency is as rare in dogs as it is in humans but a vet would have to weigh in on that to be certain since I am a layman and there is not an animal version of “quackwatch.com” to which one may easily refer.

I suspect Mr. Lukacevic and his wife Cindy may be: 1) lacking in critical thinking skills, 2) willfully blinded by their financial success, or 3) perhaps not really very honest people. Something that makes any of the three options especially repulsive to me is that there is a large sign over the door of their headquarters building in Crittendon, KY inscribed with “Glory to God” (http://www.dinovite.com/contacts). I see this inscription as an advertisement to the world that these folks are evangelical Christians and would seem to have the effect of saying to the public “look, we are good Christians who will provide to you a product with proven value that is well worth the price you pay.”

In light of the above, I would very much welcome Mr. Lukacevic’s response to this comment after so many years of avoiding confrontation (I will also post this to their contact page). I have reason to believe that others, even veterinarians, have attempted to contact him (someone who worked at Dinovite actually told me that vets have called to complain about Dinovite’s claims). Veterinarians of course would have a much better handle on this subject than I, a simple layman in the engineering field.

One last comment. Contrary to what seems to be popular belief, having an A rating with the BBB says nothing about the value of a business’s product. The rating speaks only to the way a company handles customer complaints such as billing, guarantees, advertising, etc. If, for example, a product has nebulous claims with a money-back guarantee and they follow their stated policies, there is little chance they will lose their BBB rating even if the product has absolutely no value.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

My 3 year old Pomeranian had an anaphylactic reaction to Dinovite. That is to say his trachea closed off and he had to struggle to breathe. It was very serious and had I not administered Benadryl, it may have been deadly. I am sure this is an isolated incident, but let this be a warning to anyone considering Dinovite as a supplement to their dogs food regimen. I believe it would be prudent to give a little bit to your pet and closely monitor him/her for any signs of breathing difficulties. Also keep Benadryl or some other antihistamine handy.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

My dogs will eat almost anything, but they won't eat this.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

This is a product that may work for some animals but it actually made my dog worse! The reason being is that she has had a recurring systemic yeast infection and has been totally grain free for over a year.

Prior to being grain free, my Maltese lost 90 percent of her hair among other serious issues but with the use of nzyme products she had almost totally recovered.

I thought Dinovite then would make a great dietary supplement as I had tried it before, however, it failed the first time as well. I tried it again as I attributed the failure to the severity of my dog's condition.

So without totally researching the ingredients I began to add to her food. Within a month she was as bad as she had ever been. Losing hair, scratching, biting until bloody, goopy ears and the whole nine yards.

I researched the ingredients and sure enough, GROUND GRAIN SORGHUM is in the first bunch of ingredients. It is a nasty grain that is more than likely a GMO product as well.

I was so angry and I wrote the company but they refused to answer me or to post my review. I immediately took my dog off the junk and within two weeks she began recovering nicely.

Do not give this junk to your dog if they need to be totally grain free. The people at Dinovite who are "advisors" do not know their tail from a whole in the ground and really know nothing about fighting yeast.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I have a miniature schnauzer with a skin condition, and all I heard that this product would clear up her skin with good nutrition.

Unfortunately, the supplement tastes so bad she would not eat the product, no matter what I put it on. when we requested a refund we told it is going to 100% refund because it was our first purchase, but we have to send the rest of product back to them and also pay for shipping which was additional $9.

When we got our refund it was only 50 percent what we paid originally. Finally, we were told Dinovite withdraw money for their cost of shipping on the original shipment.

In addition, we were only refunded on the product that was not used. Their 100% guarantee is not true and they do not stand behind the product.

I'm very disappointed in their customer service, very rude and do not stand be hide their products like they promise. This is just another scam. Can't trust anybody anymore.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I bought Dinovite for my 3 cats after hearing the radio ads. But none of my cats would eat it. I followed the instructions exactly. At one point I figured if I leave the food dish for a couple of days the cats would get hungry enough and eat the Dinovite. But on the second day the dish was not touched. I felt sorry for my cats and gave them fresh food without the Dinovite.

I also bought the Lick Chops and cat treats. My cats wouldn't eat any of it. I paid over $50 for the Dinovite products and it was a waste of money. On second thought the Dinovite might make a great cat repellent.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I tried Dinovite on my Westie that was suffering severely with raw skin irritation that I just couldn't get cleared up via multiple vet visits from my local vet. So I thought I'd give Dinovite a try.

I did the first order and saw some improvement, but after the first box, I decided to buy another box and give it more time due to the site's recommendation and phone discussion with customer service. I bought a second box but didn't open it since I wasn't seeing any improvement from the first box. I ended up taking my Westie to a skin specialist. My Westie was given five different prescriptions to get him well. He is still now on a better path under the skin specialist care, but as severe as he was, Dinovite could not fix his skin problem.

I called today to take advantage of my money back guarantee, and I was told that since I purchased another box, the guarantee was null and void, even though it was unopened and not used at all.

Buyer beware. Their guarantee is only good for first purchase, and even then they have other rules that the company will give as an excuse not to refund your money. Like you didn't give it more time, you need to buy more, or you didn't give enough in food or administer correctly, etc.

I recommend you first spend the money on a vet that specializes in skin allergies before you invest any money to Dinovite. Because as much as they say you get your money back, YOU DON'T.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I have been feeding my dogs Dinovite for probably over three years to help with paw chewing. It did an ok job, but we never discontinued it.

On a recent vet checkup, they did a blood test and decided that both my dogs have elevated liver levels. We removed the Dinovite from their diet for 23 days, and their liver levels were re-tested and returned to a safe level. Of course, I just bought the LARGE box of Dinovite, and I called them and asked for at least a partial refund, and they said no.

So, this product might not be bad for every dog, but it is bad for my dogs. Unless you have their liver levels tested, it might be too late when you realize you have a health issue for your dog.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

My two white cats had stiff fur and one had a chronically bloody chin. The vet said that the chin was "typical" for a male cat.

I started feeding them Dinovite in January. The chin cleared up and the fur improved. But, at the same time, I noticed a marked increase in water consumption. After three months on the Dinovite, the water consumption kept increasing until the two of them were consuming four times as much water as before I had given them the Dinovite. When I took them to the vet, he said that they were both in kidney failure.

I discontinued the Dinovite and reported the reaction. They would not refund any money, and they claimed that no one else had reported this happening.

I started giving my cats some kidney support special food and special renal support "treats" to keep them alive. I have been able to stabilize them. Their water consumption is still the same, and if I forget to give them their renal support treat, they start exhibiting kidney failure symptoms almost immediately.

I do NOT recommend this product!

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

My husband had heard commercials and so we asked friends via FaceBook if anyone used it. A couple people said they did and loved it. After reading reviews we decided to spend the $100 and give it a try. Our dog is 4-year-old KLabrabull. We have battled his itchy skin from the beginning. We learned he was abandoned at four days old and mama was impregnated by a stray.

He goes through bouts of being itchy however his skin has never shown any sign of dermatitis and his hair has always been soft. We feed him very high quality of dog food. We completely dote over our boy. The product took quite some time to receive and once we started it he took to the taste.

About four weeks in he started to itch worse ended up getting bald spots and a few hot spots from itching. It appeared that the Dinovite actually seemed to dry his skin out and he developed dermatitis which he had never had before.

I gave the rest of the Dinovite to the friends who said they liked it and do use it. This product did not work for us and actually made it worse.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

My Dobermans turned their noses up and wouldn't eat it in their food. Even the puppy, who eats anything, wouldn't touch it.

The site is difficult to navigate, and they made it difficult to return. I have to pay return shipping. Let's see if they give me my money back.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend