Prescription Science Diet Dog Foods

I've gotten a few calls today regarding dogs that can no longer stay with owners because of cost.  For whatever reason, money is tight and they can no longer afford to feed the family dog.  I hear all kinds of reasons every day but this one is fixable.  I offered dog food assistance but in all but one case today the dog is on prescription food for allergies.  Science Diet z/d is what each dog is currently on and the owners were told they MUST stay on it.

According to my favorite dog food review website, even Science Diet z/d is bad for the dog AND it contains allergens. The word "sawdust" is even used in the review.

I have offered to pay for two weeks of grain-free dog food.  I will buy the bags and give them to the dog owners to try for two weeks.  If it helps, great.  If not, I tried.  I am getting to the point that if I walk into a vet office and Science Diet is sold, I walk back out and use a different vet. 

If you have a dog on a prescription food, please look at the review and decide if that's what you think you should be feeding your dog.  To save you some time, Science Diet, Pedigree, Purina, etc are all in the ONE star category.

That's what we use at the RSPCA where I volunteer- I'll bet no-one was aware it was 1 star rated. I really don't expect that anyone would pay for that though, a dog can be fed leftovers if nothing else and most seem to prefer that to dog food.

Original Post by cjkl:

That's what we use at the RSPCA where I volunteer- I'll bet no-one was aware it was 1 star rated. I really don't expect that anyone would pay for that though, a dog can be fed leftovers if nothing else and most seem to prefer that to dog food.

Leftovers would be more appropriate than many bagged foods.

Actually, I think it may be being fazed out. The thing is, the company sort of sponsors us, to my understanding. However, if an animal doesn't react well to the food there are a wealth of other things that can be offered as they are donated.

i wish more people were aware of what they are feeding their dogs. i always get a little sad when i see someone buying Beneful or something at the supermarket, because i assume these folks think they are buying something healthy for their dog, when in reality they are buying a bag of cornmeal and by products. i mean beneful, it sounds healthy, the ads make you think it's healthy, but it's the opposite.

the dog i had growing up had HORRIBLE allergies. my parents fed him kibbles and bits. they had no idea at the time that it was garbage, the vet never said a word about his diet being a factor. i always wonder if the poor guy would have been less itchy on a good food.

i feed my dog canidae, which on that site rates a 5. he likes it, his weight stays steady, and he's healthy as a horse. 

Science Diet has a shelter program.  They offer discounted food as long as it is the only food on the premises and a bag of their food is given with each adoption.  Good marketing AND it guarantees to make the local vets rich.  Very nice of them to offer food to shelter pets though.  The Humane Society I used to volunteer with also took part in the program. 

People have the freedom to feed their dogs whatever they choose.  I have a problem with a vet recommending a food that isn't a solution to the problem.  It's not good for the dog at all.  On top of this, poor unsuspecting families are thinking they have to give up their dogs due to financial difficulties and not being able to provide this expensive cardboard.  The families I have offered to help are all working on getting back on their feet, they just had hours cut or switched jobs due to a lay-off.  Some took pay cuts and are having trouble getting caught up.  The grain-free food I purchased for them could work for their pet, provide tons more nutrition, and cost a heck of a lot less.  I hope this makes it more affordable for them to keep their pets.

Original Post by jules817:

i wish more people were aware of what they are feeding their dogs. i always get a little sad when i see someone buying Beneful or something at the supermarket, because i assume these folks think they are buying something healthy for their dog, when in reality they are buying a bag of cornmeal and by products. i mean beneful, it sounds healthy, the ads make you think it's healthy, but it's the opposite.

the dog i had growing up had HORRIBLE allergies. my parents fed him kibbles and bits. they had no idea at the time that it was garbage, the vet never said a word about his diet being a factor. i always wonder if the poor guy would have been less itchy on a good food.

i feed my dog canidae, which on that site rates a 5. he likes it, his weight stays steady, and he's healthy as a horse. 

Canidae is in our food rotation.  My dogs love it.  I only feed my dogs 5 or 6 star foods.  I agree with you on the Beneful bags.  They are white with veggies on them.  It makes you think you are doing the best thing for your pooch.  It's sad.

ETA:  The possible ethoxyquin is a concern but that is why it is in our rotation and not used as the base food.

Hey augustnkate, do you know anything about something called Pro-Plan Sensitive?  I didn't see it on any of the reviews.

Original Post by lysistrata:

Hey augustnkate, do you know anything about something called Pro-Plan Sensitive?  I didn't see it on any of the reviews.

I believe it's a one-star.  I will check into it.

ETA:  Is this it?

Lysistrata---I found the Pro-Plan version of the Sensitive Stomach.  Both are Purina products.  I e-mailed the site the information so they can evaluate and add it to the page.  The ingredient list is very similar to the Purina ONE formula though.

I think once you learn how to read dog food labels, you won't need a site to review the dog food for you because you can do it yourself by just reading the ingredients. Made my life so much easier (thanks again Jewelsmcblah :3).

I didn't do a very good job reading the labels myself in the beginning.  I thought that a dog food that didn't have corn, wheat and soy in it and the first ingredients were meat meant that it was a good food.  I was wrong.  There are a ton of words that are used to disguise ingredients.  Also, most ingredient lists don't have ethoxyquin free source on their ingredient list.  It's usually on their website.  Instead of researching each one myself, I save time by using a website with all the information right there.

I learned this all very recently as well. My poor dog was eating Beneful for years.

What is ethoxyquin?

It's kinda yucky Lys. 

If you need a sensitive belly formula try California Naturals, Natural Balance LID, or Wellness Simple Solutions.  No mystery meats or grain fragments in any of them.  The California Natural and Wellness formulas use rice as the starch.  The NB LID uses potato.  You should be able to find Natural Balance in the big box stores.  The California Natural is cheaper usually, but still of great quality.  The manufacturer, Natura, uses only their facilities to make the kibble unlike the others who have other companies make the food to their specifications (ie. Natural Balance kibble is made by Diamond).

Hey Augustnkate, I wrote up a dog food primer that includes a formula to figure out cost per calorie of food, and it lists the calorie information for a number of products.  That way people can really compare how much it costs to feed an "expensive" quality brand of food.  You're welcome to use the information with adopters and pet parents if you want.  The download is here Link  If you just want to check out the calorie formula here is the original thread.  I've gotten tons of dogs off crap like Beneful and on to the good stuff by just crunching numbers for people.  Price per pound of food is so misleading.

Ethoxyquin is a preservative used on Fish Meal, which is fish that has been previously cooked.  It's required by law, though companies can apply for a permit to get around that.  It's not listed on the ingredient list because the fish meal comes with ethoxyquin.  Manufacturers only have to list what they ADD to the kibble.

Anyway, it's banned for human consumption and is linked to a host of illnesses.

EDIT: How is your fella doing Cpt? 

My dogs ate Pedigree...big foul up!!

Ethoxyquin is a type of preservative in foods.  It's believed to be a carcinogen or cancer-causing.  I don't think it is approved for humans because of that but I haven't looked it up recently.  It's also a type of pesticide from what I gather.  It's been awhile since I looked it up, but the dog food review website prompted me to check it out.  All three foods we were feeding had it in there.  I changed them.  Supposedly, there are safe amounts in the foods and we do use some of them in rotation (like Canidae).  I just try to avoid them as much as possible.

Original Post by jewelsmcblah:

It's kinda yucky Lys. 

If you need a sensitive belly formula try California Naturals, Natural Balance LID, or Wellness Simple Solutions.  No mystery meats or grain fragments in any of them.  The California Natural and Wellness formulas use rice as the starch.  The NB LID uses potato.  You should be able to find Natural Balance in the big box stores.  The California Natural is cheaper usually, but still of great quality.  The manufacturer, Natura, uses only their facilities to make the kibble unlike the others who have other companies make the food to their specifications (ie. Natural Balance kibble is made by Diamond).

Hey Augustnkate, I wrote up a dog food primer that includes a formula to figure out cost per calorie of food, and it lists the calorie information for a number of products.  That way people can really compare how much it costs to feed an "expensive" quality brand of food.  You're welcome to use the information with adopters and pet parents if you want.  The download is here Link  If you just want to check out the calorie formula here is the original thread.  I've gotten tons of dogs off crap like Beneful and on to the good stuff by just crunching numbers for people.  Price per pound of food is so misleading.

Thanks for that info!  I will use it.

Oh jeez, more stuff for me to worry about, haha.

I also read frontline is linked to cancer (my dog has been on frontline his entire life... and now has cancer so...). I'm wondering what alternatives are there? Are the other competitors(sp) safe or just the same (sorry if going off topic...)?

Will it only be in foods that contain fish or is it for all dog foods?

Original Post by jewelsmcblah:

It's kinda yucky Lys. 

If you need a sensitive belly formula try California Naturals, Natural Balance LID, or Wellness Simple Solutions.  No mystery meats or grain fragments in any of them.  The California Natural and Wellness formulas use rice as the starch.  The NB LID uses potato.  You should be able to find Natural Balance in the big box stores.  The California Natural is cheaper usually, but still of great quality.  The manufacturer, Natura, uses only their facilities to make the kibble unlike the others who have other companies make the food to their specifications (ie. Natural Balance kibble is made by Diamond).

Hey Augustnkate, I wrote up a dog food primer that includes a formula to figure out cost per calorie of food, and it lists the calorie information for a number of products.  That way people can really compare how much it costs to feed an "expensive" quality brand of food.  You're welcome to use the information with adopters and pet parents if you want.  The download is here Link  If you just want to check out the calorie formula here is the original thread.  I've gotten tons of dogs off crap like Beneful and on to the good stuff by just crunching numbers for people.  Price per pound of food is so misleading.

Ick.  Thanks for the heads up (you too, augustnkate)!

I'm looking at maybe getting a puppy soon.  Haven't had a dog in years, and this stuff was recommended.  Clearly somebody hadn't done their homework!

Original Post by jewelsmcblah:

EDIT: How is your fella doing Cpt? 

He's doing alright. He's got major incontinence going on that came on suddenly, I see the vet next week to see if it's fixable. Other than wearing a super cool diaper, he acts like he's about 5 years old. :D

Original Post by cptbunny:

Oh jeez, more stuff for me to worry about, haha.

I also read frontline is linked to cancer (my dog has been on frontline his entire life... and now has cancer so...). I'm wondering what alternatives are there? Are the other competitors(sp) safe or just the same (sorry if going off topic...)?

Will it only be in foods that contain fish or is it for all dog foods?

I've always used Frontline Plus but we only use it every 75 days during flea season instead of every 30.  I have used Advantage and didn't like it.  Promeris caused bald patches and diarrhea in 9/13 dogs.  I need to do some research on that I guess.

I'm not sure which foods contain the ethoxyquin.  It seems like they would have to have fish in them but I don't know that for a fact.