What are the side effects of Hill s prescription diet
5 Things to Know When Feeding Your Dog Hills Prescription Diet
The following article was written in partnership with Hills.
Precisely balanced nutrition is vital to the overall health and development of dogs, no matter their age, size, breed, or health status. At Hills, we know pets with certain health conditions can benefit from the specialized nutritional support that the Prescription Diet portfolio offers.
How Hills Prescription Diet Dog Food Works
The Hills Prescription Diet brand includes foods aimed to help veterinarians manage a range of health conditions for dogs (and cats). Hills Prescription Diet foods have undergone extensive testing to ensure they meet the nutritional requirements for the specific health condition(s) they are recommended for.
Nutrition can play a role in how veterinarians manage certain conditions. Some examples could include:
Your veterinarian plays an important role in recognizing more or less subtle conditions that can benefit from therapeutic nutrition.
Your Vet Can Determine If Your Dog Needs a Hills Prescription Diet
To determine if your pet should eat a Hills Prescription Diet food, your vet will start with a thorough physical exam and ask you questions about your dogs lifestyle and behaviors.
After the exam, they may recommend additional diagnostics (such as blood work, cytology, urinalysis, or diagnostic imaging) to help properly diagnose your pet and rule out other conditions. This will help your vet formulate a comprehensive care plan, including a nutritional recommendation.
In my experience as a practicing veterinarian, the cases where nutrition is most frequently recommended are when the dog has an underlying condition related to any of the following conditions: urinary care, kidney care, skin/allergy care, weight management, and digestive care.
Hills Prescription Diet and Obesity in Dogs
When it comes to weight loss, its important to look at everything the pet is eating during the day. The easiest place to start is cutting out any extra calories like treats and table scraps.
However, most pets that are carrying excess weight do not benefit from caloric restriction from treats alone. In fact, just feeding a pet a smaller amount (or fewer calories) of their normal food is not recommended and may lead to nutritional deficiencies.
Several Hills Prescription Diet foods are specifically formulated to help your pet lose weight. Wherever you see Metabolic or + Metabolic, this means that the food contains our synergistic blend of fibers from fruits and vegetables that activates the bodys natural ability to burn excess fat rather than store it.
This means that your pups metabolism will act more like the metabolism of a lean pet while ensuring that their nutritional and caloric needs are being met.
Results with Hills Prescription Diet
Every pet and health condition is unique and may respond differently when fed Prescription Diet foods. However, Hills performs extensive research and clinical studies to create specific and relevant product claims for Prescription Diet products.
To learn more about research conducted and results seen in our clinical studies for specific foods, visit hillspet.com or talk to your veterinarian.
Always talk to your veterinarian about their expectations and any important milestones to look for when giving your pet a Prescription Diet food.
Work with Your Veterinarian When Introducing a Hills Prescription Diet
Its important to work closely with your veterinarian when switching your pup to a new food. Your veterinarian will help you determine how much your pet should eat based on the specific food and your pet's ideal weight and lifestyle. Youll work together to create a feeding transition plan prior to switching to the new food.
Its important that the feeding transition is slow and gradual to ensure that your pet will eat the new food and reduce the chances of any GI upset. We recommend seven to 10 days to fully transition to the new foodbut for pickier patients, it may take longer.
Therapeutic nutrition can play an important role in managing your pets health. These foods have undergone extensive testing to ensure that they are precisely balanced and are an appropriate part of your veterinarian's treatment plan to manage your pets health condition.
Since these foods are only fed under the recommendation of your veterinarian, be sure to ask at your next appointment if a Hills Prescription Diet product is right for your pet.
Hills Prescription Diet FAQs
Do I need a prescription for Hills Prescription Diet?
Prescription Diet foods do not require a traditional prescription, but they do require a recommendation and approval from a licensed veterinarian. Schedule an appointment to ask your veterinarian to assess your pets health and nutritional needs.
How long can a dog be on Hills Prescription Diet?
Your veterinarian will advise what feeding plan is best for your pets nutritional needs. The majority of Prescription Diet products are suitable for long-term feeding.
How long does it take for Hills Prescription Diet to work in a dog?
Every pet and health condition is unique and may respond differently when fed Prescription Diet foods. However, Hills performs extensive research and clinical studies to help demonstrate the efficacy of many Prescription Diet products.
Always talk to your veterinarian about their expectations and any important milestones to look for when feeding a Prescription Diet food.
My pet is picky. Can I mix in other foods with the Prescription Diet food?
Never feed or supplement other foods without checking with your veterinarian first. When your pet is eating a Prescription Diet, it is important to feed only that food for optimal compliance to your veterinarians treatment plan.
If youre worried that your pet will crave more variety, talk to your veterinarian about what other flavor or form options (such as dry, stew, or pt) are available.
Featured Image: iStock.com/VYCHEGZHANINA
WRITTEN BY
Kristin Wuellner, DVMVeterinarian
Dr. Kristin Wuellner is a fun-loving veterinarian with interests that extend beyond the exam roomshes passionate about how client...
Gastrointestinal Biome Dry Dog Food
INGREDIENTS:Chicken, Cracked Pearled Barley, Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Whole Grain Corn, Whole Grain Oats, Ground Pecan Shells, Chicken Liver Flavor, Chicken Fat, Powdered Cellulose, Flaxseed, Dried Beet Pulp, Pork Liver Flavor, Dried Citrus Pulp, Soybean Oil,Fish Oil, Calcium Carbonate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Lactic Acid, Potassium Chloride, Pumpkin, Pressed Cranberries, L-Lysine, Iodized Salt, Choline Chloride, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Thiamine Mononitrate, Niacin Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Biotin, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Ginger, Psyllium Seed Husk, L-Threonine, Taurine, L-Tryptophan, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Mixed Tocopherols for freshness, Natural Flavors, Beta-Carotene.
Hills Prescription Diet C/D Canine Dog Food Review (Dry)
The Hills Prescription Diet C/D Canine product line includes the 2 dry dog foods listed below. Each recipe is designed to help in the treatment and prevention of urinary tract stones especially those of calcium oxalate or struvite origin.
Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile: Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.
Recipe and Label Analysis
Hills Prescription Diet C/D Multicare Urinary Care was selected to represent both products in the line for this detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.
Ingredients Analysis
The first ingredient in this dog food is corn. Corn is an inexpensive and controversial cereal grain. And aside from its energy content, this grain is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
The second ingredient is brewers rice. Brewers rice is a cereal grain by-product consisting of the small fragments left over after milling whole rice. Aside from the caloric energy it contains, this item is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
The third ingredient is chicken meal. Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.
The fourth ingredient is chicken fat. Chicken fat is obtained from rendering chicken, a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.
Chicken fat is high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. Although it doesnt sound very appetizing, chicken fat is actually a quality ingredient.
The fifth item is corn gluten meal. Gluten is the rubbery residue remaining once corn has had most of its starchy carbohydrate washed out of it.
Although corn gluten meal contains 60% protein, this ingredient would be expected to have a lower biological value than meat.
And less costly plant-based products like this can notably boost the total protein reported on the label a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.
The sixth ingredient is soybean meal, a by-product of soybean oil production more commonly found in farm animal feeds.
Although soybean meal contains 48% protein, this ingredient would be expected to have a lower biological value than meat.
And less costly plant-based products like this can notably boost the total protein reported on the label a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.
The seventh ingredient is egg product, an unspecified (wet or dry?) form of shell-free eggs. Quality can vary significantly. Lower grade egg product can even come from commercial hatcheries from eggs that have failed to hatch.
In any case, eggs are easy to digest and have an exceptionally high biological value.
After the chicken liver flavor, we find soybean oil. Soybean oil is red flagged here only due to its rumored (yet unlikely) link to canine food allergies.
However, since soybean oil is high in omega-6 fatty acids and contains no omega-3s, its considered less nutritious than flaxseed oil or a named animal fat.
From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.
But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this Hills product.
With 5 notable exceptions
First, flaxseed is one of the best plant sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Provided theyve first been ground into a meal, flax seeds are also rich in soluble fiber.
However, flaxseed contains about 19% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.
Next, we note the use of taurine, an important amino acid associated with the healthy function of heart muscle. Although taurine is not typically considered essential in canines, some dogs have been shown to be deficient in this critical nutrient.
In addition, the minerals listed here do not appear to be chelated. And that can make them more difficult to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually associated with higher quality dog foods.
Next, we find no mention of probiotics, friendly bacteria applied to the surface of the kibble after processing to help with digestion.
And lastly, this recipe contains sodium selenite, a controversial form of the mineral selenium. Sodium selenite appears to be nutritionally inferior to the more natural source of selenium found in selenium yeast.
Nutrient Analysis
Although this is a prescription product, our review has nothing to do with the accuracy of claims made by the manufacturer as to the products ability to treat or cure a specific health condition.
So, to find out whether or not this dog food is appropriate for your particular pet, its important to consult your veterinarian.
With that understanding
Based on its ingredients alone, Hills Prescription Diet C/D Multicare Canine Dog Food appears to be a below-average dry product.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 22%, a fat level of 17% and estimated carbohydrates of about 53%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 25% and a mean fat level of 15%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 52% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 61%.
Near-average protein. Near-average fat. And above-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.
When you consider the protein-boosting effect of the corn gluten meal, soybean meal and flaxseed, this looks like the profile of a dry product containing a modest amount of meat.
Hill's Dog Food Recall History
The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Hill's through April 2024.
No recalls noted.
You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.
Our Rating of Hill's Dog Food
Hills Prescription Diet C/D Canine is a grain-inclusive dry dog food using a modest amount of named meat meal as its dominant source of animal protein.
However, due to its intentional therapeutic design, this dog food is not rated.
