The Problem With Prescription Diets For Dogs
Got a dog with a problem that a diet can "cure" and you'll quickly find yourself paying a small fortune (from $45 to $70 for about 20 pounds!) headed back to your car with a tiny sack of a veterinary prescribed prescription food. On the surface, it sounds like a quick fix and an easy answer right? Just pour some dry food in a dish and presto, your dog will no longer be overweight, her tummy troubles will disappear, the clock will turn back and even your senior dog will romp like a puppy again. Before you pull out your debit card, let's do a little research into why that diet may not be at all good for your dog over the long term.
Prescription diets are big big business these days, not only are they stocked by virtually every animal hospital in the country, other non-prescription versions abound at the dog food stores too.
Sadly though, when you have a look at the ingredient list and the numerous complaints logged against these brands you might find yourself looking elsewhere for a truly nutritious diet for your pet. Pet Food Advisor has this to say about a recent revamping of ingredients by Hill's Science Diet...
Although we applaud Hill’s decision to use natural ingredients and no chicken by-products, our current analysis suggests little has changed. And what has appears to be mostly cosmetic.
The company’s posted label information shows the recipes are still dominated by cereal grains and lower quality ingredients.
Dog Food Advisor goes on to analyze a long list of Hill's brand dog foods, if you're using any of them you owe it to your dog to become better educated about what's inside that bag, and whether or not it's really going to nourish your dog. For example, Science Diet Canine ID ingredient list begins with this rather uninspiring selection:
Brewers rice, whole grain corn, chicken meal, pea protein, egg product, pork fat, corn gluten meal, chicken liver flavor, dried beet pulp, lactic acid, pork liver flavor (Read More...
I never like to see corn listed as a dog food ingredient, and it appears TWICE in the first 7 ingredients of this product. Most dog owners are aware of the problems with the GMO versions that find their way onto our grocery store shelves and our dog's foods. If you need more reasons to avoid corn in your pet food, this article by Rodney Habib who hosts a popular radio program about pet care ought to help you be more informed, Corn And Dry Dog Food Aflatoxins and Mycotoxins
Scary stuff indeed and plenty of reason to rethink your dog's food choices.