Why do vets recommend Hill s science
Why do vets recommend Hills Science Diet / Prescription Diet?
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Why do vets recommend Hills Science Diet / Prescription Diet?
Why do vets recommend Hills Science Diet / Prescription Diet?
Im a qualified pet nutritionist, yet I rate Hills Science Diet, Hills Prescription Diet, and Mars Royal Canin poorly.
Vets on the other hand religiously defend and endorse these brands. Why is that? Why do vets recommend Hills Science Diet, Prescription Diet, and Royal Canin?
Whats the truth about Hills Science Diet?
Take a look at the ingredients on any bag of Hills Prescription or Science Diet dry food. Youll find mostly grains wheat, sorghum, corn, rice.
Shouldnt these animals have a diet mostly of animal or whole prey?
When we consider how much grain is in these foods, and how much carbohydrate for facultative carnivre dogs and factually carnivorous cats, it begs the questions Is Science Diet bad for dogs? How can grains be fed to cats? Is Prescription Diet any better?
In fact youll find much more grain in these products than meat.
Basic animal nutrition 101 tells us how odd it is to feed a dog as a facultative carnivore from the Order Carnivora, and more so a cat as an obligate carnivore, a diet comprising mostly of grains.
Wheres the science in that?
It simply doesnt make sense.
So why on earth do vets recommend these products?
Why do vets recommend Hills Science Diet?
In my experience and communications with many veterinarians, the most common reason may surprise you -> VETS HAVE SEEN THESE PRODUCTS WORK!
But how can they work if theyre stuffed with cereal grains like I mentioned earlier?
This is something Ive found to be rarely considered by veterinarians, if at all. But these are the real questions which should be asked.
If youre a vet, and youre reading this, have you ever considered why these products work?
Why does Hills Science Diet work?
The answer may be simpler than we could ever imagine, with just one simple consideration:
Most pet foods are very poor quality. It doesnt take much to offer a pet food marginally better.
Vets see an improvement in pet health when they are transitioned to Hills Science or Prescription Diet products, very likely for this reason. Pretty convincing evidence, wouldnt you agree?
An animal comes in with an illness and poor blood results, and a few weeks after the transition in diet their blood results show an improvement. Miraculous!?
Unfortunately its a glaring oversight.
Most kibble is absolute rubbish. Junk food. A convenience product designed for profit.
Sadly business is business, and if these manufacturers put your pets before profit theyll never succeed as a business, and the businessmen behind those businesses will never own a Lamborghini (which is generally the driving motivation behind a business).
These simple facts (blame it on Capitalism if you will) are the fundamental reason why most dog foods are unhealthy.
Healthy foods cost money, unhealthy foods make profit.
Why is Hills Science Diet so expensive?
When you read the ingredients, and understand how cheap those ingredients are, you may wonder why Hills Science Diet is so expensive.
So do I.
Hills is owned by Colgate-Palmolive, one of the largest conglomerates in the world. The reason theyve become so big is they know how to make the largest profits possible from products we believe we should use every day.
Im sure valid arguments include the cost of science, research, safety, quality control, and of course funding large offices and lots of staff, but the end result is a dry pet food product made largely of grains for carnivorous animals.
As pet owners and consumers we implicitly trust what our veterinarians recommend, and because we want whats best for the pets we love were also willing to pay a premium for those recommendations.
Why do people feed Hills and Royal Canin to their pets?
Unfortunately for our pets most people dont realise how dubious these products are, and they feed them continuously to the pets they love, without ever questioning it ever!
Were blindsided by some of the best product marketers in the world from some of the leading conglomerates in the world Mars, Nestle, and Colgate-Palmolive.
Not just us, but veterinarians as well.
We trust products without questioning why we trust them.
For student vets, they trust the syllabus material they are taught, often funded or even provided by pet food manufacturers.
Millions of dogs are fed poor quality kibble and consequentially their health will suffer over time. Obesity, diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, kidney disease, IBD, IBS, allergies, and so forth, can all be caused by bad diet. Hills have an answer for all these diet-related health conditions in the form of cleverly-marketed premium or prescription diets. So do Royal Canin.
Hills is a product of toothpaste and shampoo conglomerate Colgate-Palmolive, and Royal Canin is a product of Mars.
The penny drops
Let this simple fact resonate, as it will give you the answer to why vets recommend Hills Science Diet, Prescription Diet, and/or Royal Canin:
If you feed your dog junk food, then replace it with something marginally better, youll very likely see an improvement.
Its not a miracle, and it doesnt mean the expensive premium/prescription diet is healthy or optimal. Its just marginally better than the rubbish fed previously which more than likely caused the illness in the first place.
In many cases a prescription food is tailored to reducing the symptoms of the specific condition. For example, a kidney diet has reduced phosphorous (and more often than not less meat). A weight loss diet will have lower fat (by reducing meat and increasing grains/legumes).
Corporate pet food manufacturers convince us these foods are optimal when theyre not. In some case they even use the word Optimal in the brand name (Optimum, also by Mars).
A dog or cat suffering kidney problems shouldnt be fed a dry food period. An overweight dog is likely overweight because the previous diet was high in carbs and grains their bodies were unable to process. In cases such as this, reducing their meat intake definitely isnt the optimal solution. A diet with lacklustre meat will likely lead to other health issues over time, even on expensive premium diets packed with grains, even the ones using marketing words like Science in the name.
Most of the time the deteriorating health of our pets (especially pets with a health condition) is attributed to the worsening of the condition or old age, or just plain bad luck, which is far from the whole truth. Diet is so often overlooked as the cause of an initial health condition, and also the cause of subsequent health conditions while the pet is on the premium/prescription food. Its strange how the term We are what we eat is never translated to our pets.
These are fundamental reasons why toothpaste and shampoo company Colgate-Palmolive (makers of Hills) and confectionery company Mars (makers of Royal Canin) make an absolute killing out of expensive premium and prescription diets regardless of whether theyre optimal or not, and completely irrespective of the grains theyre made from.
The mass poisoning of pets by vets 1991 2015 (and beyond)
This is a controversial video by Sydney vet Dr. Tom Lonsdale, a campaigner against the junk pet food industry since 1991.
Why Do Vets Recommend Science Diet? And 5 More Questions to Ask
Im obviously grateful for veterinarians. Theyve saved my dogs life.
However, I also know vets tend to push certain brands and push certain vaccinations/procedures for all dogs without presenting the actual pros and cons for the individual.
It is, of course, up to the dog owner to ask questions, butnew dog owners dont always know what kinds of questions to ask.
This post will give you a couple of ideas to consider.
Use it as a guide for asking the right questions, and please share your own examples of additional questions you think dog owners should ask.
SixQuestionsYou May Want to Ask the Vet:
1. Why do you recommend Science Diet? Are there healthier options for the same price?
The dog food company Hills Science Diet has done a really good job getting on the shelves of most veterinarians offices, but its not the healthiest food for most pets, especially at the price vets are charging.
When the vet recommends you buy Hills Science Diet or Hills Prescription dog food from her own office, take a look at the ingredients. Are you comfortable paying a premium price for the food?
Im not saying you shouldntfeed Science Diet. Just make sure its really the healthiest choice for your pet based on the price.
2. Is a heartworm test really necessary?
A heartworm test might be necessary for your dog if he is at risk for heartworms. It can also give you peace of mind.
However, vets do not always explain why a dog might need the test, and they never say why he might not. They recommend the test for all dogs.
Do you really need to pay $45 for a heartworm test when your dog has been on a monthly heartworm preventative for the last year? Or even his whole life?
Im not telling you not to do a heartworm test. Just think about whether its really necessary and be prepared for scare tactics if you decide to opt out.
Its also up to you if you want to give your dog a monthly heartworm preventative all year or if you decide its healthier for your dog to opt out of heartworm preventatives during winter months or even all year.
3. Could I pick up the medication at a pharmacy instead of here?
The answer to this question should always be YES. If not, find a new vet.
Yes, you can purchase the medication at your actual vet office if you choose. You can also choose to have many pet medications filled at pharmacies like CVS or Costco and the rest can be filled through online pet pharmacies like 1800PetMeds.
Unlike doctors with human patients, veterinarians are permitted to sell (and profit from) the drugs they prescribe.
Yes, sometimes its convenient to pick up the medication right then and there, but its usually going to cost more and the point is you have a choice to go elsewhere.
Also remember there are many different names/brands/generics of the same drug. Your dog doesnt have to use the brand the vet carries.
The blog DOGThusiast had a great post on your right to your pets prescriptions(at least in California).
4. Is adental cleaning really necessary? How urgent is it?
My 9-year-old dog was in for an exam recently, and his vet told me his teeth looked great for his age. Then, when I had Ace in for an unrelated issue at a different vet, the doctor suggested my dog have a dental cleaning after he simply glanced at Aces mouth. I felt he was suggesting this only because he knew my dog was 9 years old.
Yes, some dogs and cats definitely could benefit from a dental cleaning. Maybe most of them could. The point is to ask questions.
- Is this really necessary this month?
- Are there other options?
- How urgent is this?
- What if we wait six months?
- Could I see a printed-out, detailed estimate on costs?
Also see my posts:
I cant afford a dental cleaning for my dogandAlternatives to brushing a dogs teeth.
Once my pets hit 7 years old, all the vets Ive taken them to have tried to charged me about $25 extra per pet for their yearly exams. Yes, even for my cats! Instead of the basic exam, they get a senior exam for a higher price but no extra tests or anything like that.
My suggestion for this is to simply call the vet out on it and ask if there is anything extra in the senior exam. If youre paying more, you should be getting more.
6. Does my dog really need a bordetella vaccine?
It might be a good idea for your dog to get certain vaccines, and it might not. Just make sure to ask questions. Sometimes vets will recommend certain vaccines (Lyme, kennel cough/bordetella, rattle snake, etc.) without explaining the actual pros and cons.
So ask!
Its OK to decline any vaccination or to wait to have it done at a later date. For example, the bordetella vaccine (kennel cough) may not be necessary unless you plan on boarding your dog or taking him to dog daycare.
The only vaccination required by law in most areas is rabies, but its still your choice whether to have your pets vaccinated or not.
Everything is your choice, not your vets choice. Its the vets job to give recommendations and to provide you with correct information.
For more info, see:
Are too many vaccinations bad for adult dogs? Dog vaccinations what not to do My cats are overdue on shots Do dogs need flea prevention all year?
