Does prescription dog food really work

Does Your Dog Really Need A Prescription Dog Food?

If you are thinking about prescription dog foods it probably means that you have received some kind of bad news about your dogs health. He has a health problem and you need to make changes in his diet.

Your veterinarian may have recommended a prescription dog food. We are not vets and we dont know your dogs individual health problem. However, we can give you some information about prescription dog foods to help you make an informed decision with regard to your dogs diet.

Facts about prescription dog foods

There are differing opinions about prescription dog foods, even among veterinarians. The early creator of these diets was Hills and they are still the largest brand in this category. Other companies that make veterinary diet formulas include Eukanuba, Royal Canin, Innovative Veterinary Diets (IVD), Purina, and Waltham.

As you can see, most of the companies involved in making prescription dog foods are large corporations. It takes money, a large staff of researchers, facilities, and other overhead to invest in these diets. Small, innovative holistic pet food companies rarely have that kind of money to invest though they could grow to make prescription pet foods in the future.

You have to have a prescription from a veterinarian to obtain one of these foods, though you dont necessarily have to purchase them from your vet. You can use the prescription to buy the food online, for example. As you probably already know, prescription diets tend to be very expensive.

In theory, prescription dog foods are medications. The companies that make them spend a lot of money on research and development, just as drug companies do when developing new medications. A vet prescribes a specific food after diagnosing a dog with a specific condition, then monitors the effects of the food on the dog.

In order for a dog food manufacturer to claim that one of their products is effective for a certain disease, the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), part of the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) must see research from the company proving their claims.

The company has to show full documentation that the food is safe and that is works. The food still has to meet AAFCOs general labeling guidelines but the CVM watches over their medical claims.

Many people complain that these dog foods have low quality, filler ingredients and low meat content. All you have to do is read some of the labels and you can see that these complaints are justified in most cases.

Most prescription dog foods do not have high quality or holistic ingredients. Meat content is intentionally low in some foods because certain health conditions may not allow for high percentages of protein, so thats a separate issue.

But its not unusual to see veterinary diets with ingredients that you would not normally like to feed your dog. For example, Brewers rice is the first ingredient in one food from Hills $89 for a 25 pound bag. Yet the food receives 4.5 stars out of 5 from reviewers and 95 percent of the people who bought the food would recommend it.

Do prescription diets work?

Yes, in many cases prescription diet dog foods do seem to work when they are correctly prescribed for a dogs condition. If your dog is sick, you may have to put aside your dislike of some of the ingredients in the food and focus on things that work.

Dogs do benefit from ingredients in dog foods that are not holistic. Sometimes its a question of having a precise ratio of protein, fat, fiber, or other nutrients. Sometimes a food may contain an unusual ingredient or work in some other way. For example, Hills makes three kinds of diets for dealing with bladder stones, depending on what kind of stones your dog has.

If your dog has struvite stones, their s/d diet works by making the urine extremely acidic to dissolve the stones. Their c/d diet also acidifies the urine but can be fed as a preventive. And their u/d diet is used for urate and cystine stones.

So these different prescription diets actually have ingredients that affect the acidity of your dogs urine. Thats what youre paying for with prescription diets. It doesnt show up in the guaranteed analysis or the things we normally look for on the dog food label, but it can be very important if your dog is ill.

Do you have to feed a prescription diet?

It probably depends on your dogs health and the issue hes facing. Some veterinarians like prescription diets more than others. Dr. Jodie Gruenstern, a holistic veterinarian, is not a fan, as she writes in Dogs Naturally magazine.

She doesnt use or recommend prescription diets. She points out some of the undesirable ingredients in veterinary diets, as weve been discussing, and also points out that most of them are high in starch. She also adds:

Manufacturers of most prescription diets also caution against long-term feeding of their diets. Most of these diets are extremely restricted in specific nutrients and they are not intended to be fed long term, as significant deficiencies can develop.

This is certainly true. However, we do note that the same thing is true of any medication. You would not continue to take penicillin on a long-term basis. Prescription diets need to be considered as medications, to be used as short-term treatments for a specific medical health condition.

Dr. Gruenstern favors a raw diet, though that may not be feasible for all dog owners, especially when they are coping with a sick dog.

What about over-the-counter dog foods for health conditions?

There are lots of dog foods today that make health claims although they may be skirting the FDA by doing so. If you check the FDA web site, you can find occasional warning letters sent to various pet food companies over the years advising them to stop making certain health claims about their foods.

You can find commercial dog foods for dogs with various health issues such as sensitive digestion, food allergies and food sensitivities, weight problems, healthy joints, and foods for senior dogs. To take foods for healthy joints as an example, its not unusual for many dog foods today to have added glucosamine and chondroitin, especially in foods for large breed dogs.

However, the amounts of glucosamine and chondroitin added to these foods are not considered to be a therapeutic level. In order for your dog to actually benefit from these supplements, you would have to give him more than the amounts normally added to over-the-counter dog foods.

If dog food companies added a therapeutic level of glucosamine and chondroitin to their foods, they would have to be overseen by the CVM/FDA like a prescription dog food. (You can read more about these supplements here.)

Feeding a dog food that contains glucosamine and chondroitin may be helpful in minor ways (though evidence is currently lacking) but if your dog really needs a joint supplement, you are better off adding your own supplements to your dogs diet.

You will notice that the labels for over-the-counter dog foods are usually very general. They wont say they actually prevent or treat a problem since those are medical claims. Instead, they will use vague terms such as promote or support.

They are less likely to get in trouble for using these terms and dont have to provide proof of their statements. Over-the-counter dog foods making these health statements are overseen by AAFCO rather than CVM/FDA, unlike prescription dog foods.

These diets have not had as much research or work put into them as the prescription diets. However, in many cases the breakthroughs made with prescription diets eventually end up benefiting dogs by being incorporated into commercial dog foods.

Whats the Rx?

The bottom line with prescription diets is that sometimes dogs really need them, regardless of whether we like the ingredients or not. Hills once dominated this field but with more competitors, it means there are now more choices for many veterinary and over-the-counter diets now.

If your vet prescribes a diet for your dog and he wont touch it or he doesnt seem to be improving, you may have other options.

Do keep in mind that over-the-counter foods do not have the same therapeutic values as prescription diets, even if they are more or less designed to address the same health problem. In some cases they may be a good alternative to a prescription diet if you are coping with a weight problem or a food sensitivity, for example.

In other cases, there is no substitute for a prescription diet. Over-the-counter dog foods wont produce the same results as these diets for some problems. If your dog has a serious health problem, work with your veterinarian to find a diet that will help your dog.

Finally, as noted above, remember that veterinary diets are not intended to be fed on a long-term basis. These foods are medical in nature. They should be considered the same way you would consider a prescription from your pharmacy.

Give it to your dog as a treatment and work with your veterinarian to see his health improve. Then move on to a good quality diet that is appropriate for his health situation.

16 Things About Prescription Dog Foods You Didnt Know

When your dog is diagnosed with a disease that requires diet change, a vet may recommend a prescription dog food brand.

These foods are costly.

Sometimes, it's your only option, but only sometimes.

Here's what you probably didn't know about prescription dog foods

Prescription Dog Food: 16 Things You Didn't Know

What Are Your Dog's Needs?

Sometimes, your dog will need a significant change in his diet, whether due to allergies, new or older health conditions, a sensitive stomach, or other reasons.

If you (and your pet) are in this position, start by looking into veterinary products and over-the-counter solutions for different dog food diets before deciding what's right for you and your dog.

Do your own research using your vet's diagnosis as a starting point?

There's a lot ofmisinformationfloating around the internet about pet nutrition.

Research, learning, and understanding are essential to avoid being duped into something you don't need.

Even though your vet will often advise prescription dog food diets for specific illnesses, you most likelydon't need to buy these expensive dog food brands.

That's just reality.

I'll explain why below, but mostly, it comes down to the fact that there are good foods for the moneythat are formulated similarly to prescription foods.

Differences Between Over-the-counter and Prescription Dog Food Diets

Obviously, prescription veterinary dog foods are only available from veterinarians.

Prescription dog food manufacturers are regulated by a patchwork of individual state feed control officials under theFDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine.

Other labeling standards are set by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) for prescription pet food diets and over-the-counter products.

If a product says it can prevent or treat a disease, research to prove it should be submitted to the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) under the FDA.

Sadly, many dog foodsuse more general termsto get around that.

They will say they support and promote good health in dogs rather than making specific medical claims.

Pet owners, in the meantime, assume this will help their dogs with a specific disease, which is often not the case.

The bottom line is to be vigilant, read those labels closely, and do research.

Pet Food is Big Business for Veterinary Clinics

I've writtenthis articlebefore about how closely related veterinary clinics and vets are to pet food manufacturers and how they work together.

It's important to be aware thatyour veterinarian may have a vested interestin getting you to buy prescription dog food diets at their clinic.

Moreover, it might surprise you that many vets only havebasic animal nutritioneducation.

Since the 1980s, pet food sales have bumped their profits significantly.

The trend peaked between 2000-2005, as pet food costs increased by more than 30 percent.

This stalled sales, pushing pet food manufacturers to become even more involved in veterinary care to stay in the loop.

We need to voice our concern over this and remain skeptical.

Pet Food Manufacturers, Retailers, and Veterinary Chains are Sometimes Connected

Some large pet goods retailers in the USA own certain veterinary chains. This makes vet hospitals the largest veterinary chains in the country.

According to Banfield Pet Hospital, Mars is the owner of Banfield Pet Hospital and Blue Pearl under its veterinary health division.

These are separate from its pet care division, which includes prescription and over-the-counter pet food (source).

As these multinationals are showing the way to higher profits, other pet food conglomerates are following their example and buying up veterinary clinics too.

Prescription Pet Food Manufacturers are Sometimes Sued for Price-fixing

Due to the incestuous nature of the prescription dog food business, it is easy to falsely promote its use and control its price.

The following companies have beennamed in a lawsuit accusing them of conspiring to do so illegally:

• Nestle Purina,
• Mars Petcare,
• Hill's Pet Nutrition,
• PetSmart,
• Banfield Pet Hospital and
• BluePearl Vet.

The plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit want restitution, treble damages, and to stop how the defendants market their prescription pet food diets.

Prescription Dog Food Doesn't Contain Drugs That Require a Prescription by Themselves

Another bone of contention is that prescription dog food diets (as well as cat foods) shouldn't need a prescription at all since they contain no special drugs, controlled substances, or unique ingredients, compared to over-the-counter products.

Many aren't even evaluated by the FDA.

Since the product comes with a prescription, most pet owners assume it will treat and prevent health problems better than what's available over the counter.

Many dog owners also fear the consequences for not following their veterinarian's advice, giving the products what's argued as an unfair advantage.

PetSmart Allegedly May be Illegally Charging Tax On Prescription Animal Foods

A lot of pet food manufacturers have been in hot water over the last few years.

PetSmart has a separate and unrelatedclass action lawsuitagainst them.

They were sued because their receipts show that prescription pet food is non-taxable, but tax is still charged.

Plaintiffs want sustained monetary compensation, court costs, and further relief from the court, but looking at the history of how these things turn out, it doesn't look good for the pet owners either way.

Pet Food Labels Aren't Always Accurate

Did you know that what you read on the label of your dog's food isn't always the truth?

Both prescription dog food brands and over-the-counter pet food can be contaminated with ingredients, not on the label, and the FDA doesn't seem to have an issue with that.

For example, the Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutritionpublished a study in 2011 where three of the four soy-free venison pet foods they testedhad soy in them.

One pet food producthad unlisted beef in itas well.

Hydrolyzed Proteins in Prescription and Specialty Foods May Contain Meat Byproducts and Feathers

A product's price and the quality of its ingredients don't always follow each other as consumers might expect.

Some special over-the-counter and prescription dog food brands use hydrolyzed meat, particularly allergen-free and limited ingredient formulas.

This is also known asfeather meal.

The feathers and other meat by-products are broken down into basic amino acids under very high heat, and then palletizers are added to make them taste more attractive.

The theory behind this is that some pets are sensitive to certain kinds of intact animal protein. Still, such problems are often caused by poor-quality protein and other ingredients in many pet foods in the first place.

The digestibility of the resulting amino acidsis different from the essential nutrients' bioavailability, though.

Along with other ingredients not natural for our pet's bodies, like corn, wheat, soy, potato, and other starches, the resulting products are not biologically appropriate or nourishing, according to some experts.

They create waste products in the blood that the kidneys and liver have to deal with.

Dogs and cats fed too much or only dry pet food are dehydrated at a low level.

That's hard on their organs and results in many diseases in dogs.

Let's cover a few of the most common diseases and health issues in dogs and when prescription dog food is often advised for these illnesses.

You'll also discover how you can pick alternative or even better dog food brands that arenotexpensive prescription dog food diets).

Kidney Disease & Chronic Renal Failure Foods

Dogs with kidney disease and renal failure require a very specificdog food diet.

Prescription dog food diets for kidney and heart diseases are common solutions prescribed by veterinarians, as well as some weight loss and senior dog food formulas.

But expensive prescription dog foodsaren't the only way to go in this case.

The safest option for dogs with renal problems is high-quality foods with moderate to low levels of protein.

These foods must also have little to no phosphorus and sodium. There are plenty oflow-protein dog foodsthat fit well and will not cost you an arm and a leg.

Homemade dog food (specifically designed for dogs with kidney problems) may also be a great treatment, although it often turns out to be more expensive than store brands.

Allergy Diets and Gastrointestinal Disease Dog Foods

Many dog breedsare very susceptibleto allergies and gastrointestinal diseases.

As a result of these diseases, symptoms in dogs may include skin problems, allergies, intolerances, or gastrointestinal issues.

Once you see these symptoms and visit your veterinarian, you'll be advised to prescribe dog food, but you don't actually need it.

To fight this, look forlimited-ingredient dog foods andnovel protein formulas.

Hydrolyzed protein dog diets are a common solution for this,but a controversial one.

Moderate or low fat and soluble fiber levels are often recommended for dogs with these problems; however, some pets may need more fiber, not less.

There are special products forInflammatory Bowel Disease, but trial and error is often needed to find the right diet.

Foods for Canine Arthritis, Hip & Joint Problems and Diseases

Canine arthritis is a disease that most dog owners fear as their pets age.

Fortunately, there are ways to prevent it or alleviate the symptoms using a proper diet.

One proven way is givingfish oil to dogs.

Fish oil contains omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA), which have been shown in clinical trials to behighly effectiveagainst canine arthritis and joint problems (source).

Somesupplementsfor dogs with arthritis will also contain glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, and vitamins, all of which are the key ingredients to a healthy diet for dogs.

New Zealand's green-lipped mussels are popular, too, for their glycosaminoglycans.

But when it comes to prescription dog food, it's a bit different.

The dog's weight must be carefully controlled, so always check the number of calories and portion size.

Over-the-counter and prescription dog food senior formulas, large breedpuppy foods, or other diets for joint support are usually recommended.

But glucosamine and chondroitin levels in prescription dog food diets are usually so low that they may have little or no effect whatsoever (source).

Therefore, it's a waste of money.

Furthermore, they've never even been approved by the FDA or AAFCO as pet food ingredients.

These supplements don't get approved because there isn't enough scientific evidence that they prevent or treat joint issues or arthritis in cats and dogs.

The dose is also challenging to control if your pet doesn't always finish his food.

Weight Control & Diabetes Management Dog Food Brands

Obesity and weight problems in dogs are becomingincreasingly commonin the US.

But choosing a costly weight loss prescription dog food diet isn't your only option.

You need to know that the key to weight loss in dogs without starving them is choosing the right type of nutrients that will keep them full and satisfied.

Higher fiber will always make dogs (as well as humans) feel more full without more calories. Between 200-300 calories per cup are common.

It also slows digestion, which is excellent for maintaining steady blood glucose levels.

In addition, some dogs' weights will improve with high-protein diets that are very low in carbohydrates.

This will require some thinking and calculating on your part.

If you're not up for it, prescription dog food formulas are made specifically for dogs with diabetes and glucose control.

Senior Prescription Dog Food vs. Over-the-Counter Diets

I havewritten beforeabout why you must always consider your dog's age before picking the correct type of diet.

Senior dogs will need specific nutrition to keep them healthy.

As indicated above, fish oil will be highly beneficial to senior dogs.

Omega-3s help with joints and arthritis in older dogs. These fatty acids and antioxidants support dogs' brain health and many other bodily functions.

Mostsenior dog foodswill contain these ingredients.

Low-fat and calorie recipes areusually advisedfor older dogs, but not all senior pets are overweight.

Thus, some senior dogs may need the opposite.

Many of these prescription dog foods will include glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate for the joints, but remember what I said about these additives above (i.e., they may not necessarily work).

Urinary Tract Disease and Kidney Stones Dog Foods

Problems with urinary tract disease and kidney stones are less prevalent, but they're still around, and you should know how to change your pet's diet if you encounter them.

Wet dog food is the best choice in these cases due to the higher level of liquids.

Canned dog foodwill dilute the urine better than kibble.

Prescription dog food is specific to the type of minerals found in a urinalysis or the stones.

Over-the-counter solutions for these issues are rare, so in this case, prescription brands may be the way to go.

Cardiac Diets for Dogs

This is another issue that senior dogs are more likely to have. Still, not all veterinarian-recommended prescription dog food diets will work to deal with this.

Kidney and geriatric prescription diets and dog heart disease-specific products are sometimes recommended.

Low sodium is the common factor in these dog food recipes.

Still, thereisn't much scientific evidenceproving its benefits for hypertension in dogs.

Its effects are evendoubtfulin human blood pressure, other than in rare individuals sensitive to sodium (source).

Taurine and Carnitine are two ingredients with possible (but still unproven) benefits for heart disease in dogs and fish oil with omega-3 fatty acids.

Prescription Dog Food: A Final Word

My contention in this article is not that veterinarians aren't essential partners in the treatment and prevention of health problems of our dogs.

You should never try to diagnose issues yourself, no matter how tempting that is with the ease of use of the internet.

But, since it is a partnership,you need to do your part.

Always read dog food labels, then talk to your vet about anything you don't understand, especially the ingredients.

Ask themspecific questionsand address your concerns.

Your veterinarian's responses will tell you a lot about how much they know about canine nutrition and the products they recommend for your dog.

Follow that up with your own research, checking for:

• The quality of the ingredients;
• If the protein, fat, and calorie levels is good,
• If the ingredients are natural and biologically appropriate for canines;
• Where the ingredients come from;
• Where the food made;
• Who it's actually made by;
• Does the company outsource or share manufacturing plants with others;
• How it's made and if nutrients are destroyed or difficult to absorb;
• The recall history of the product line;
• The history of the parent corporation and/or the manufacturer;
• Whether the product has gone through food trials;
• Any research to support the food's or its key ingredients' effectiveness;
• Customer and professional reviews and/or complaints about the product;
• Outstanding and settled lawsuits against the parent company or those who make that specific brand of dog food.

If your pet's health doesn't improve after a few weeks, it might not be the right product.

He might do better with supplements or a different approach.

Every pet is different, and it might take trial and error to find the best way to help your dog.

Never feel you're limited to the products available from your specific veterinarian.

There are many health products for dogs, and the numbers are constantly growing.

Most importantly, if you don't see any positive changes and your veterinarian does not address that, go to a different vet clinic or find a better professional.

Like this infographic? Spread the word! Share it on your site:

<p><strong>Please include attribution to TopDogTips.com with this graphic.</strong></p><p><a href="https://topdogtips.com/prescription-dog-food/"><img src="https://topdogtips.com/img/Prescription-Pet-Food.jpg" alt="16 Things You Didn't Know About Prescription Dog Food" border="0" /></a></p>