Hill's foods have become very expensive, especially considering that most of their foods and nothing but fillers. There are alternatives though. Wysong makes a very good quality line of prescription diets. If you compare their ingredients to Hill's, Wysong is the clear winner.

http://www.wysong.net/page/WOTTPWS/CTGY/RXDIET

I've worked in pet stores for the last few years and I was always so frustrated by vets who sell foods. In my experience most vets are not nutritionists and do not know enough about pet food to offer a professional opinion on it. Hill's does teach the nutrition component in a lot of vet schools afterall. My customers would come in with itchy dogs or cats suffering from ibd or diabetes. It would take hours of work on my part to get them to consider making a food change for the better. Nearly all of them had their problems cleared up once they switched from Science Diet and other low quality foods that were suggested by their vets. The thing about prescription diets is that they have their place. But being prescriptions they are not meant to be fed to the animal for the rest of their life. Hill's does not tell anyone this and most vets do not know it. Sorry for the long rant, pet food is one of my passions :)

Nicole November 6th, 2008 11:02:00 AM

OMG!!! I feed a homemade raw diet and haven't priced prescription diets in more than a decade. Obviously the price of all foods has gone up a lot... but $75 for a bag of food that is mostly made of potatoes and sawdust ("powdered cellulose" puh-leeeeze)???!! It's not the vet's fault, all vets sell prescription diets at a very low markup. But this is a RIPOFF!! Shame on Hill's!!

Barb November 6th, 2008 11:10:00 AM

re:

"because we don’t like being put in a position to market these foods for a manufacturer who shows no loyalty to veterinarians"

How about marketing foods for a manufacturer who is more concerned about profits than pet health? Shows no loyalty to pet owners and their pets?

I don't think so highly of Hills et al, and the fact that they are remarking on the price of GRAIN and SOYBEANs etc being a factor in rising costs only underscores my point, that low quality GRAIN filler is making up the bulk of these diets. Not so great for dogs, and terrible for cats.

I'm happy to see that you want to free yourself from selling it, but I remain unconvinced about the wisdom of recommending them or writing prescriptions for them at all.

I know vets to cite randomized, double-blind control trials or whatever they call those things -- paid for by the food manufacturers, ill designed, etc.

I remain of the opinion that a big brain washing number has been done on vets by these companies who are maximizing profit margins and laughing all the way to the bank.

Stefani November 6th, 2008 11:10:00 AM

You said: You might well argue that a variety of home-cooked diets could rival (or improve upon) some of our veterinary prescription offerings. In many cases I wouldn’t disagree. The problem is that the vast majority of our pet-owning clients want their diets in a bag or a can.

My comment: Many vets are not trained enough in nutrition to give advice on home-cooked diets. After the pet food crisis, we decided to feed our dogs and cats home-cooked. We asked our vet for nutritional advice. One vet refused to give any information, referring us to the Science Diet they sell. The other vet (the clinic owner) admitted she knew very little about what we needed to feed for balanced meals. So we did a lot of research on our own and also finally found a vet who knew more about canine and feline nutrition.

margaret November 6th, 2008 11:13:00 AM

I feel very fortunate to have not been affected by the increase in food prices. I feed my 2 Dachshunds Honest Kitchen and Wysong and although these are very expensive foods, they are unquestionably one of the most high quality diets you can provide aside from making your own food. I supplement the Honest Kitchen with some Primal Frozen Raw as a protein boost. I'm scared what I would see if I had to compare their food expenses versus my grocery list. I think it would a close tie. Although I spend an incredible amount of money on their food, I look at it as an investment in their health. Beemer and Austin are not able to make their own dietary decision so I am left with the responsibility of feedig them properly.

Greg November 6th, 2008 11:21:00 AM

The situation in aviculture is not identical, but similar. The best quality foods (pellets w/o preservatives or food coloring) are hard to find at chain stores (because many owners don't even realize pellets are preferable to seeds, owners like colors, and preservatives are more popular b/c they're easier to store), so I buy much of my pellets online in bulk (and then keep it in the freezer so it doesn't spoil). I also used to buy prepared vegetable mix from a local small bird store, but to save money (and make sure the ingredients are all organic) I now make it myself every couple months and freeze it. Most owners just don't feed vegetables b/c they don't know it's important, or don't have a source for a prepared veggie mix.

zandperl November 6th, 2008 11:26:00 AM

I have looked at the label of the Hills Prescription foods in the past and was aghast. Recently, my vet recommended an RX diet for one of my dogs. She carried the Iams prescription diets. I bought the bag, brought it home and could not believe the ingredients AND the cost. I reluctantly feed the food, but only one bag. I just could not in good conscience feed more.

Another vet recommended Wellness Core Reduced Fat for the same dog. I bought that (still very expensive) but he would barely eat it and my skinny dog became even skinnier. I bought three of its ingredients (turkey, white potatoes, sweet potatoes) from the grocery store, boiled them up and am adding that to the food. He is VERY happy with his food, he is slowly gaining weight and his stools are good.

Diane November 6th, 2008 11:49:00 AM

"I know vets to cite randomized, double-blind control trials or whatever they call those things -- paid for by the food manufacturers, ill designed, etc."

Whoa- let's not throw the baby out with the bath water. We can argue about who funds studies, but to say that all clinical trials are paid for by food manufacturers and ill designed is a little short-sighted. I say the more data the better, and not only for commercial diets but for homemade/raw/etc as well. If we didn't have people studying this, we'd still think that protein restriction was the best was to handle kidney disease patients, while recent studies have shown that phosphorus restriction is more important. We wouldn't have data showing that hydrolyzed diets (i.e. z/d) still cause food allergy reactions in 20% of dogs eating them. The better data we have, the better diets we'll be able to formulate to manage disease via nutrition.

Megan November 6th, 2008 11:59:00 AM

Dr. Kuhly- not trying to advertise a particular brand here, but have you checked out the Natura Vet website? It has a nice chart about appropriate over-the-counter substitutes for prescription diets (except for diets that can't legally be sold over-the-counter, like protein-restricted kidney diets).

Megan November 6th, 2008 12:05:00 PM

How about searching out alternatives? Many companies are only too happy to share their the fact that their diets are low sodium, low phosphorus, low fat, etc, etc.

I, personally, am not a big fan of Core Reduced Fat personally... far too much potato for my liking... but there are alternatives. You could also just feed a high quality grain free and add something like canned no-salt-added green beans as a "filler," and just FEED LESS. :O)

Once poochie gets off the carb high he's been on all these years, the appetite tends to even out.

Regarding the Z/D, I have yet to see positive results. Honestly. Granted, most people who come to ME are admittedly coming to me to tell me that their diet is failing, but the vast majority of allergy dogs have tried Z/D first, and found that their dog showed no improvement, or simply got worse. The reason? We're finding a much higher incidence of grain allergies than protein allergies. We change the protein as well to be on the safe side (Natural Balance Duck and Potato, Orijen 6-Fish, Instinct Rabbit and Tapica, Acana Lamb and Duck, etc, etc, etc...) and only about 10% of those dogs end up having to go to raw to solve the problem. The rest are resolved with our diet switch, or at least vastly improved (hard to divide a diet allergy from an environmental one, really, and blood testing is sketchy when it comes to food issues) and the MAX cost of a 30lb bag is $73. Not to mention the kcal per cup is between 450-500+, as opposed to the mere 363kcal/cup for the low allergen and a disturbing 254kcal/cup for the Ultra low allergen formulas of Z/D. Which MEANS you're also feeding up to HALF the amount.

Not only are you getting double you're money's worth, you're paying half the price.

Oh, and did I mention the abovementioned brands are all natural and are glaringly free of by-products, corn (in it's many forms), grain of any kind, powdered cellulose, beet pulp and any artificial preservatives/colours/flavours?

There ARE commercial alternatives out there, if one is so inclined to find them. And they ARE more cost effective, higher quality alternatives.

It also needs to be pointed out again that these "studies" don't name brands. So when any brand comes out and says that their brand is better than brands x, y and z against diseases a, b and c, they could very well be testing against ol' roy, whiskas and dog chow. Wow, surprise. Their artificially medicated food served that sick dog better than a bag that somehow managed to be worse than even Hill's. Bravo, Hill's. Not until they actually test against say, a tailored home made diet using quality ingredients, or at the very least better quality commercial foods, and NAME the brands they are testing against (and choose the ones that closely compare to what they are testing, instead of setting THEIR brand up for success) will I even take a second glance at a Hill's study. Sorry, once again, any company that can justify using artificial preservatives in diets meant for dogs and cats with liver/kidney failure needs to do some serious re-tooling.

A small minority of the holistic vets in our area have started to carry certain commercial brands that we approve of (won't name any names) and while we don't appreciate the competition (who does?) it certainly justifies for us what we've been telling our customers for the past ten years. That there are better alternatives out there, if you're willing to put in the legwork to find them.

And kudos to those few vets!!

Kim November 6th, 2008 12:20:00 PM

For what it's worth, I could get hundreds of pounds of free kibble/canned food every month... and I still have to go out and buy my girl's food. *sigh*

Megan November 6th, 2008 12:51:00 PM

Dr. Khuly,

I've tried e-mailing you my question several times, but the e-mail keeps getting bounced and not getting through to you.

It's a food-related question and maybe others who read this could help me out as well?

I really, really, desperately, want to start home-cooking for my dog. Each time I have to feed her a meal of commercial food (canned), I hesitate because I'm afraid of the ingredients, quality, etc. I guess you can say the recall has really got me paranoid.

Could you please lead me in the right direction to home-cook for my dog?

I will admit that I'm deathly afraid of any nutrition deficiencies in the long run, so I don't know what to make of sources that say all I need to do is to provide a variety. I know that, but don't dogs have different requirements than human beings? How do I know for sure she's getting all her B vitamins or C or so on?

Thanks for reading

Lisa November 6th, 2008 12:51:00 PM

Stefani,
I'm no fan of Hills and don't mean to defend them in any way, but the rising cost of grain impacts every pet food manufacturer. Even if you're feeding a grain-free diet, the meat you're feeding your pet was likely raised on grain. That's absolutely going to affect the cost of meat-based commercial pet foods.

Shelly November 6th, 2008 12:52:00 PM

Megan: I registered (I see you have to be either a vet or a vet student--interesting that they ask for my veterinary license number, to boot). I'll let you know what I think. Do you know if this is an independent company or one owned by a conglomerate?

Dr. Patty Khuly November 6th, 2008 12:57:00 PM

Kim,
I am not so sure I like the Wellness Core Reduced fat either. It is about 350 kc/cup and my boy was on a food that about 420 kc/cup. Right there it became a reducing diet for him which he did not need. Despite many various treatment plans, he has continued to have long term diarrhea. However, with this food and the addition of fresh turkey and potatoes, he is holding his own in weight and has had normal stools. Yesterday, he got into his old food accidentally which has rice as the only grain, and he had looser stools this AM. Looser because of his previous food or looser because of increased volume? I don’t know.

Diane November 6th, 2008 01:35:00 PM

Hi Lisa,
You may want to check out Mary Straus' site Dogaware.com...I know she posts comments on this blog from time to time. Lots of information and also her recent series of articles written for Whole Dog Journal.

Esmee November 6th, 2008 01:36:00 PM

Natura is an independent company that makes Innova, EVO, California Naturals, and a few others. They developed NaturaVet with Dr. Sean Delaney (DVM, DACVN) after hiring him as their vice president.

Full disclosure- Natura funds my holistic medicine club at the U of MN. They also give me free pet food (which, as I mentioned above, my dog doesn't actually eat anymore since we've transitioned off kibble). They also flew me out to their plant in Nebraska, gave me a tour, and gave a group of vet students the opportunity to chat with Dr. Delaney for a few hours about nutrition, homemade diets, feeding for various diseases, etc.

Megan November 6th, 2008 01:48:00 PM

Diane:

Has your boy been tested for medical possibilities such as addisons, cushings, hyperthyrodism, liver/kidney issues, internal infections, enzyme insufficiencies, etc?

Provided that all of these things have been ruled out, my general rule of thumb for an otherwise healthy dog that can't keep weight on due to digestion issues (diarrhea mainly) is a raw diet (nature's variety is my raw diet of choice - not only do I prefer the convenience, it was the first raw diet to meet AAFCO standards... and while we all know that really that doesn't mean squat, at least it's some comfort that they are testing their product, and there's a full nutritional analysis available to those who request it, unlike many others who will only provide what is legally required). I generally start with the chicken/turkey, and if food allergies appear to be the cause, rabbit is my next choice. I avoid the organic formula, because of the inclusion of pork and dairy.

Generally within 1-4 days you end up with the firmest stools these dogs have ever seen... and they put on muscle, not just fat. Kibble wise, there are some places in the US that are carrying the Acana grain free (the Orijen is probably too much potato as well for your sensitive boy, although the Wellness is an obscene amount) although Instinct (tapioca based) may be another alternative, or the grain-inclusive Innova (not a huge fan of Evo).

Dr. Khuly, in response to your question regarding Natura, they are their own company. They own Innova, Innova Evo, California Natural and Healthwise (which is their version of a grocery brand). They also produce canned foods for all lines except Healthwise. They are canned by menu foods, however the do supply ALL their own ingredients, have exceptional QC practices and have QC staff at the menu foods plants to oversee their production at all times. All of their raw ingredients are tested before, during and after processing. They're one of the few canned items we continued to carry through the scare.

You may be able to find the president's video release somewhere in the internet archives during the menu foods fiasco, and it will give you some idea of the kind of company they are. Very up front, very forward. Ever since the melamine scare they have had stickers on the front of every bag they produce that states "certified Melamine and Cyanuric Acid Free." Ballsy, considering most companies simply pretend the whole thing was just a bad dream (menu who?).

Please do let us know your personal opinion on them... I would love to hear your arguments for and/or against them. As a layperson I can only get so far into the organization. It's always nice to have an insider. ;O)

Kim November 6th, 2008 01:50:00 PM

Dr. Khuly, I am glad to hear that things are changing, but about those nutrition classes being added to the curriculum . . .

Aren't a lot of them being paid for by Hills, et al?

Oh, and P.S. (and OT) -- here is an interesting article on one of those changes in the veterinary profession. Wonder if the change described in this article has anything to do with any of the other changes?

http://www.tuftsdaily.com/1.851502

Stefani November 6th, 2008 03:06:00 PM

Stefani: I do believe that's changing, too. Though money's tighter than ever for vet schools, vet students are a cynical bunch who will be increasingly unwilling to accept corporate sponsorship *inside* the classroom. If the techs I know who are now entering the doctor side of the profession are any guide, Hill's can forget about teaching anything without facing sniggers and jeers.

...and yes, as the article you cite would suggest, they're women.

Dr. Patty Khuly November 6th, 2008 03:24:00 PM

Kin and Megan: I guess I already DO recommend them; Innova is on my short list for kibbled diets and if pets are already doing well on Evo and California Naturals I won't switch them.

Dr. Patty Khuly November 6th, 2008 03:27:00 PM

Lisa, there is a yahoo group, or maybe more than one, on home cooking for dogs. There are also lots of books around on the subject. Amazon might be your best bet, rather than a bookshop, many of which tend to have only a small number of titles on dogs in general, and fewer on nutrition.

I am looking for a kibble that has no grain, because it seems my dog cannot tolerate grain. You would think it was easy to do, but nope - all the ingredients I checked on bags include corn, wheat, oats. Even the brand called Coprice, which is supposed to be based on rice, contains wheat. The food has to also be palatable, or there is no point paying a fortune for a bag of food and it being left untouched. BTW, am in Australia, so options are limited regarding brands. Maybe I need to stop feeding kibble and go for more cooked and raw foods instead.

I tried Hills SD and it gave my dog a skin rash, that went away after I stopped feeding it. I also tried it for a cat with kidney disease - he flatly refused to eat either the dry or canned food.

It is easy and convenient to buy a bag of kibble, or a few cans of dog food, and feed your dog. After all, we lead a busy life. But once a week I try to make a "meatloaf" for my dog. I know what's in it, and he likes the taste, and it makes sure he gets some fresh vegies in his diet. It is not that much extra effort to make and toss in the oven at the same time as I put my dinner in there.

I think part of the problem is the fear that by feeding a home cooked (or raw) diet, the pet will be missing out on something essential. After all the kibble bags have huge lists of ingredients, and how do we compete with that? I think if vets got themselves educated on nutrition, for dogs and cats and other pets, they could pass that information on, and it would be seen to come from a reliable source.

Special diets exist for human ailments - avoid this, eat more of that. Why not for our pets? Maybe vets can hand out a diet chart to simplify things. Then it is not too much more effort than pouring kibble into a bowl and hoping for the best.

Robin November 6th, 2008 05:02:00 PM

We feed a homemade diet. My dog is tiny, and it's very cost effective for us.

We went to a recommended homeopath, after the dog food scare last year, who wrote out an extensive diet with specific quantities and we stick to it. I've extrapolated for making "batches" and Lottie is thriving. We had to plunk down $150 for the consult, but it was worth it. She also did extensive food testing which I was not fully on board with (muscle reflex testing....) but the diet breakdown was awesome and her extensive career with animal nutrition was impressive (22 years). Her first recommendation was RAW, but I was hesitant and she worked with me to feed "rare".

I recommend seeking out a homeopath or animal nutritionist if you have one in your area. The investment is worth it! I know exactly what she is eating and her health is thriving, all of which add up to lower costs in the long run.

CreatureofHabit November 6th, 2008 05:49:00 PM

I don't blame you! A pain in the butt, all the way around, but what are your choices? I thought there was a mail order catalog (Foster & Smith's??) that you could send in a prescription for Hill's or other foods? Or maybe websites?

I can't say too much, years ago, Hill's Science Diet was better than Alpo or Tender Vittles & my cat lived 18+ years on it, supplementing with her own fresh mice Her teeth were great, active & healthy (except the last year or two), so I didn't dare "switch brands".

One of my dog's littermate has lived on the kidney/bladder diet for years. I cringe about it, hasn't kept the urinary infections in check---but she looks healthy & trim, so I'm not interfering on this decision (not to mention "my breeder told me to do blah, blah")

Barbara A. Albright/New Hampshire November 6th, 2008 08:42:00 PM

Thanks, Esmee, Robin, and CreatureofHabit!
All your suggestions gives me a place to start... I'm just so worried about feeding an imbalanced diet... long term!
Thanks again. :)

Lisa November 6th, 2008 08:48:00 PM

Lisa -- Here's a good site with a listing of newsletters. I've been researching dog nutrition for more than ten years now and have found the information here to be reliable.

http://www.b-naturals.com/index.php?main_page=news...

There are recipes and guidelines for feeding raw, cooked, combined with kibble or not -- lots of different ways to get a well-nourished dog. And she gives references so if you are so inclined, you can follow up with more research.

Catherine November 7th, 2008 03:47:00 AM

Lisa: I second the nutritionist consult. Sometimes it can be done by telephone. Call you closest vet school for a nutritionist who does phone consults--I know there are a few. Also try Dr. Rebecca Remillard's website:
https://www.petdiets.com/faqs/display_faq.asp?ID=5...

Dr. Patty Khuly November 7th, 2008 06:38:00 AM

Here's another resource I found with a variety of nutritionists available by phone. It's from the American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition's website:
http://www.aavn.org/site/view/58440_NutritionResou...

Dr. Patty Khuly November 7th, 2008 09:16:00 AM

Buyer Beware when it comes to nutritionists. I am 100% in agreement with the abovementioned statements, but as with all professionals, not all are equal!

For example, if your nutritionist begins by insisting on a grain portion and your goal is a grain free diet, find a new expert. If you want to supplement calcium using something other than bonemeal and your nutritionist insists on it, find another expert (bonemeal is surprisingly high in lead in most cases). If there are particular ingredients you want to use because you can get them cheaply, and your nutritionist wants to simply charge you their flat fee and provide you with their cookie-cutter recipe, find a new expert.

Also avoid those who fail to ask the animal's age, breed, activity level, health status, and to provide you with different recipes for different protein sources (nothing bothers me more than "insert meat here" recipes... each meat has it's own protein/phosphorous/amino acid fingerprint and needs to be supplemented individually - eggs look nothing like fish which looks nothing like chicken).

There are many recipes already available... personally, I would take a gander over to dogwise.com, a publishing company that publishes only pet related titles. They have some of the most cherished books in my collection (and we have, literally, a library... if it's in print, it's on my shelf. :O)

Kim November 7th, 2008 11:43:00 AM

Good point Kim....

I think in my post I took for granted that I had a great nutritionist. I hadn't thought to outline some of the strong points you made.

When I started looking, I set out to specifically find a dog nutritionist / homeopath that would work with me on Lottie's allergies AND diet. I researched backgrounds and degrees. It came down to the homeopath I found about 45 minutes north of me or another one north of Portand, Maine. I ended up going with my choice mostly based on distance, as I wanted to be compfortable with follow-up appointments and my schedule (the Dr. in Maine is 3hrs north).

Anyway, a good place to start is the Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy.
http://www.theavh.org/

I found that these Vets took a wholistic approach to the animal, did a thorough background/history, and advocated natural, organic, and "whole food" supplement sources, all of which mattered to me. She was also flexible in understanding my hesitence around RAW (for my tiny dog). I was not convinced by the Muscle Reflex Testing, but I may just be cynical......the nutrition information I received was very thorough and clear as well. Most importantly, I'd seek out a recommendation and I would talk on the phone first to judged your comfort level. $150 is a serious investment, but in the long wrong I know she is getting the right balance of ingredients.

Creature of Habit November 7th, 2008 12:50:00 PM

What an informative subject! My vet's practice is small and one more issue is that they can't afford to stock large quantities of all the prescription foods. One of my dogs is on the I/D (bland food for intestinal problems) and it's hard enough to have to buy food during vets' hours - including them closing at lunch time - unfortunately sometimes I go in and they have to order the food and I have to make another trip. The expense is frustrating mostly because of the quality for the money, and I can certainly understand that they aren't getting much of a bulk discount either, so I'm sure the markup is low. I appreciate them stocking the food but I wish these diets were available over the counter - at least the bland food. Why not?

I've now found two substitute brands that are available in stores - one for canned food, one for kibble, but they're not easy to find either. High Tor Eno is a canned food which provides a bland diet, and Nature's Recipe makes an "easy to digest" kibble that's a little better quality than the Hill's. Each is available at a different local pet supply store, and I do make the trips. And for a skinny old dog, he sure does seem to go through food!

Anne November 7th, 2008 05:04:00 PM

If you read Monica Segal's books "K9 Kitchen" and "Optminal Nutrition" you can formulate a balanced diet for your dog. Monica also has other publications on feeding.

N Sanders February 7th, 2009 12:10:04 PM

Kim,

I have found the same thing with Wellness Core Reduced Fat. My 11 year old sheltie had something going on last November 08 and I started this food because of the fiber content, which I found out that it only really has 6.40% fiber on the technical profile a customer rep sent me from Wellness. Anyway, he lost weight when I first started the food so I increased the amount. When I increase the amount, the amount of stools increase and are never the same. I cannot get a consistently decent stool from this dog. I have added probiotics, several different kinds, supplements for the intenstinal tract, enzymes, etc. When I increase the food to keep the weight on the stools are the worse. I am still in search of a proper food. Something odd though, the first 12 lb. bag did work pretty good, but the second and third bags have made matters worse. I called a customer representative and she recommended the Wellness Core Ocean saying it had the fiber he needs. It states on the Ocean recipe that it has 7% fiber, but it's really 6.50%. I don't think it's fiber he needs. He is grain intolerant because he has not vomited once since changing to this food. So that's one good thing. He would at least once a month vomit in his bed during the night, undigested food water and bile. I had always rotated on the foods that I once thought were good. My little pom died eating the best food I thought I could give her, Hill Prescription diet. She was starving all the time and just could wait until I fed her. She was so starved she would have eaten anything, because of that food. I would consider feed Science Diet prescription or otc to any living thing.

The other problem besides increased food and increased stools and abnormal stools is the potatoes really has his arthritis flared. Like I said I am still insearch of another food and seriously considering Natural Balance and adding some meat to it. 

If anyone else has some suggestions?

Carol

Carol May 10th, 2009 02:11:11 PM

I need to revise my last comment:

When I said I would consider feeding Science Diet, I meant to say I would NOT feed Hill's Prescription Diet or otc Science Diet to any living thing.  My vet didn't help matters either, by promoting the food and not telling me what to do when her liver enzymes sky rocketed. If I had only known then what I know now, she might still be with me or at least not suffered so until she died.

Carol

Carol May 10th, 2009 02:25:23 PM

I feed my 2 senior cats Iams and I'm very happy with the results.  I understand that the most beneficial diet is one made at home, but in the essence of time and a busy family life, it's not possible to maintain.  Yes, it's expensive, but it's no different than feeding my family quality food.  Food expense in comparison to the health issues my cats could be having (ex: crystals that cause urinary tract blockages, allergies, etc) is well worth it.  At the recommendation of my vet, I tried feeding my female cat R/D in an effort for her to lose weight.  She had an allergic reaction that caused open sores on her feet and sores around her lips.  The expense of the food was one thing, but my pet's health was something I wasn't willing to jeopordize.  I moved her to Iams weight control, along with more activity, and the results were what she needed.  She lost the weight and I didn't have any additional health issues.  I don't expect to convert anybody to Iams.  I just hope that pet owners take a more active role in knowing what they are feeding their pets instead of just accepting what their told.  Carol, I'm sorry to hear about your loss.  Also, I'm sorry that your vet didn't make an effort to look at the food they were promoting and the harm it was causing.  I'm with you - no Hill's Prescription or otherwise - EVER.

Kate June 1st, 2009 07:38:03 PM

Thanks for your sharing.This is a good access to Abercrombie and Fitch.

AF September 16th, 2009 09:28:29 PM

Your article very interesting, I have introduced a lot of friends look at this article, the content of the articles there will be a lot of attractive people to appreciate, I have to thank you such an article. Khairuddin Syach Weblog and Mengembalikan jati diri bangsa

Mengembalikan jati diri bangsa October 3rd, 2009 03:15:05 PM