Rx for Health A Vet s Guide to Prescription Dog Diets

By Isabella Storyclaire

last updated November 18, 2024

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Which Diet did your Vet Prescribe?

Your veterinarian knows your dogs detailed health requirements. Consult with your veterinarian to find out which of these support diets are recommended for your dog.

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Vet-Prescribed Dog Food

Our vet support diets are the #1 veterinary recommended fresh food, as determined by an independent national survey of 16,000 veterinarians. This is because a whole-food diet is never more important than when you need to maintain your pets health. Our comprehensive line of whole-food prescription dog food is designed to help pets live their healthiest lives possible.

Our veterinary team, including board-certified specialists in nutrition, toxicology, and dermatology, has developed eight veterinary support diets for dogs. These prescription dog food recipes are explicitly formulated to meet the critical nutritional requirements of dogs and are prescribed by veterinarians based on their patients needs. All our vet support diet dog foods have been formulated for the long-term nutritional management of your pets health under the direction of your veterinarian. In addition, we can work with your veterinarian to create acustomized diet for pets who have specific health requirements or special complex needs.

Prepared in small batches in our open-to-the-public Kitchens, our prescription dog food is made from only the finest meats and the highest-quality produce; all the same wholesome food we choose for ourselves. Also, the proprietary Nutrient Blends used in our vet dog food meet or exceed the strictest certifications and requirements set forth for human nutraceuticals. We also regularly test our food through independent human food laboratories.

In addition to our vet-diet dog food, our exclusive line of veterinarian-developed dietary supplements for dogs addresses the most common ailments faced by our four-legged friends. We also offer fresh cat food for your favorite feline. Ask your veterinarian how one of our veterinary support diets can support your pets health today.

Prescription Diet Dog Food Guide and Recommendations

Maria is a freelance writer who loves having dogs around. She loves how fun and rewarding to bring a dog into the family. She makes extensive research on how to better care for your little furry. She is dedicated to helping you have the best life together.

What Is Prescription Dog Food?

Prescription dog food is dog food made with a special formulary that, because of its custom ingredients, does not meet the AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control) guidelines for commercial dog food. This is why when you go to the pet store, you are not allowed to purchase prescription dog food without written proof of your vets directive. The food is kept behind the register or at the stores Veterinary counter. At Petsmart, for example, the prescribed food is sold behind the vets counter. And while other stores have prescription foods on their shelves, once you get to the register you must present the written prescription from your dogs vet or you will not be allowed to buy it.

Unfortunately, the internet has made it possible for irresponsible dog owners to buy prescribed food without consulting their dogs veterinarian. Merchants like Petco or Petsmart require proof of the prescription prior to approving the order. Stores like Amazon sell prescribed diet food and assume no responsibility because its the dog owners duty to consult the experience of a vet. However, other stores likeChewy.comwill request a vets prescription before they release the order.

Can My Other Dogs Eat the Prescription Food Too?

No.

Remember when we mentioned that prescription diets dont meet AAFCO guidelines? Thats an important detail. Any bag or can of dog food that you purchase in the U.S. has to meet AAFCO guidelines to ensure that it is safe to feed a dog. If you allow an otherwise healthy dog to eat prescription dog food regularly, they will become seriously malnourished and eventually very ill.

Dont give in to the droopy, sad eyes, face or whining. Giving your pooch prescribed food when he/shedoesnt need it will make him/her sick. Therefore, be diligent if you have more than one dog. Make sure to supervise yourdogs or separate them when feeding time comes along so your healthy pooches dont eat food that can kill them. Allowing your healthy dogs to digest prescribed food could also be detrimental to their health if it doesnt kill them. This is the reason why prescription food is mostly accessible at veterinary hospitals.

What Illnesses Require Prescription Diet Dog Food?

Prescription dog food can be used as either a standalone treatment or in support of a series of treatments for a wide range of medical problems.

Digestive Disorders or Gastrointestinal Issues

Just like humans, some dogs have sensitive digestive systems and are prone to infections or mild to severe stomach issues.According to PetMD, Pancreatitis develops when the organ becomes inflamed, which can occur for a number of reasons (obesity, infection, trauma, metabolic disorders, etc.) or seemingly out of nowhere. When the pancreas gets inflamed, something causes the enzymes inside the pancreas that digest the food to break down outside the stomach resulting inthe absorption of other organs in the body including the liver and kidneys.

If not taken care of right away, the progression is immediate and deadly. Symptoms vary in dogs, but if your pooch has been vomiting, has lost weight, has had diarrhea, has been fatigued and or has had difficulty breathing amongst other things, your vet will do a blood work and stool test to determine the cause. When caught early, pancreatitis can be taken care and your pooch cured. This is when vets prescribe a special medicated diet food. Other digestive system disorders include gastroenteritis, acid reflux, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), etc.

Kidney Disease/Failure

Renal disease or failure in dogs often demands a low-protein diet provided by the best low-protein dog food. Commercial dog foods, even those with the lowest protein content, still contain more protein than a dog with failing kidneys can handle.

Since an otherwise healthy dog will become severely malnourished if fed a low-protein food for too long, low-po dog food is only available by prescription. There are also specialty hepatic formularies that restrict not just protein, but also copper, fat, and phosphorus, which can also be dangerous for already burdened kidneys.

Weight Loss

Depending on the pounds your pooch has gained, your vet will prescribe a special diet for your little one. If its a matter of one or two pounds, most likely your vet will tell you to cut down the portionof food you are feeding your dog. However, usually, more than a two-pound increase will alert your vet because having a fat dog is not cute or cuddly, but dangerous instead.

Fiber based diets assist with the carbohydrates absorbed which help moderate glucose consumption in dogs. If you notice your best friend a bit plump, check to see if you cannot feel his/her ribs. If you feel around his/her side and cant determine where the ribs are or the waist is, your dog is most likely overweight. In addition, youll notice him/her having difficulty walking and is slow, and sleeps more than his/her normal routine. Maintaining your dogs weight is imperative because dogs get sick like humans and can develop arthritis, diabetes and heart disease. If that happens you can switch them to the best diabetic dog food to help remedy and reverse the problem.

Hills Prescription Diet w/d Canine Digestive/Weight/Glucose Management Chicken 12x13oz

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Urinary Tract Infections and Bladder Stones

Sadly dogs also get urinary tract infections and bladder stones just like humans. Female canines are more prone to it than the males. When urinary tract infection invades your dog, certain prescribed foodshave reducedlevels of magnesium and certain types of bacteria that fight the bad germs and regulate the nutritionalmanagement of calcium oxalate and other chemicals needed to maintain your dog healthy.

Hills Prescription Diet u/d Canine Non-Struvite Urinary Tract Health 8.5lb

Urinary tract and bladder health

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Cancer

Dogs with cancer or cancerous tumors can be switched to a neoplastic dog food. Research has suggested that cancer cells are fed by carbohydrates, and commercial dog foods are usually very high in carbs (even the best ones). A neoplasia support prescription dog food is generally very high in Omega 3 fatty acids and very simple, restricted carbohydrates. They are also generally formulated with fewer antioxidants than can be found in the top-of-the-line low-carb commercial options, since these can (and will) interfere with chemotherapy treatments.

Allergies

Sometimes dogs develop sudden allergies to food or other ingredients. A sensitive digestive system means your dog will not eat. Other times, your pooch will throw up or get diarrhea after he/she eats.When this happens, a medical diet will be prescribed by your dogs vet. My Harley for example, developed allergies to poultry when she was seven years old. It took a year or so to narrow down the ingredients she was allergic to and to find the foods she could eat without throwing up. For a while, she ate prescribed venison, but a few years later, her stomach did not like it either. Today she is on the Hills Digestive Care i/d and sliced apples which she loves. Dinner or lunch time is no longer stressful and instead, at 13.5 years old she continues to be her spunky self.

Hills Prescription Diet z/d Canine Small Bites dog food 7 lb (3.17 kg) bag, Small

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Which Brands Sell Prescription Dog Food?

Hills Prescription Diet (or Hills Science Diet) and Royal Canin are currently the only two mainstream dog food brands with a prescription line. If youre buying food directly from your vets office, it will almost certainly be one of these two brands. You can also find these foods on Chewy.com, though you will need to provide a copy of your Rx before completing your purchase.

If convenienceis less important to you than the quality of the food, you should consider going independent.Darwins Natural Pet Productsand Just Food For Dogsboth carry prescription dog food made with their proprietary, human-grade, whole food blends. Like Hills and Royal Canin, they will also requirea prescription before they can be dispensed. Darwins Natural food can be purchased either online or in person from their Tukwila, WA store; JFFD food can be purchased online or in person from one of their kitchens in Southern California.

How Do I Get Prescription Diet Dog Food?

Medical diets are prescribed when your veterinarian decides your little furry one has no other option. Most vets will advise dog parents prior to going that route. Sometimes a change of regular store bought food, brand or organic kibbles is all your dog needs. After all, if we ate chicken salad 365 days a year, wed be pretty sick of the food as well.

If you feel that your dog is suffering from an illness that can be treated with a special diet, your first step is to make an appointment with your vet. If your vet confirms the diagnosisandagreesthat such treatment is the best course of action, they will write you a prescription for the special dog food. Like a prescription for human medication, this script can be taken anywhere the specialized food is dispensed.

Of course, dogs will be dogs, and they do tend to get tired of the same food. If they refuse to eat their prescription food, you may want to switch them to another type or flavor. This does not mean you should not consult with your doctor first, and do not take them off the prescription food unless your vet gives the green light. Remember, its better to be safe than sorry when it comes to the care of your loved one.

Continue reading:

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The Best Dog Food To Prevent Seizures In Your Pooch