Why You Should Say "NO" When Your Vet Recommends Rx Dog Food

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I've been doing a lot of research on feeding dogs for some time now, and people often ask me to help them find a good quality commercial food. Lately, I've had a few people whose vets recommended Hill's "prescription" diets (or similar foods like Purina EN) which can only be purchased by vet prescription. These foods are usually sold directly by the vet and are very expensive.
People can sense by looking at the labels or reading on-line that these foods don't seem all that healthy, and they would like to feed something better, not to mention cheaper. But they have been told that their dogs need these foods because of allergies, chronic diarrhea or other gastrointestinal problems, and they don't know what a good alternative might be.
You may already know that most vets don't know very much about nutrition or dog food. That may seem strange to you, but it isn't much different than medical doctors. In each case, they take a rudimentary course in college, the same course that nurses & exercise instructors (or vet techs) take.
In fact, the veterinary colleges have no required nutrition curriculum.  What information is provided comes in the form of seminars conducts by Hills, Purina and Mars, makers of the Rx foods your vet sells. The textbooks are written and published by people who work for these companies, and their advertising is all over the walls. They also give a commission to the vets for selling their foods. Can you say "conflict of interest"? The vets are taught to "prescribe" these foods as if they're medicine. "Dog has diarrhea? Recommend this!", the salesman tells them, and then launches into the sales pitch about how great the food is.
If you brought your child to the doctor because he had chronic diarrhea or was vomiting, and the doctor said, "Here, feed him this", would you accept that? Or would you want to know what was wrong, why the child is ill, what is causing it? Wouldn't you expect some tests? Wouldn't you want a diagnosis, a prognosis, and an explanation of how the food (medicine) will help?
We need to learn to do the same thing with our dogs. Let's take a look at some of these foods the vets are recommending.

[Stella]

I am currently volunteering at a vet clinic, and often work with a vet I really like. Sadly, she has totally "drunk the Kool-Aid" when it comes to Rx dog food. I have to bite my tongue all the time when I am there, and I really really want to take her aside and suggest she visits the DK food group!! I have seen her recommend Rx dog food to almost every dog that comes into the clinic - for their teeth, to lose weight, to gain weight, for puppies, for allergies, for crystals, for thyroid issues etc etc. I have seen her explain to people that Rx food is stringently tested, has never had recalls, is all sourced and made in Canada (talking about Royal Canin Rx food), and here's the best one - that by-products are just the same as meat meal and that these by-products don't contain anything that we wouldn't eat!! It is so hard, because I like her, she has been good to my dogs, and I know she is under pressure from the clinic owner to sell. But, vets are smart people, they are educated people who are taught how to research in school. I don't understand why they all just accept what the food companies teach them in school. Why aren't they doing their own reading and research into pet food, just like they read and research medical conditions.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I hate to say it, but in addition to being "indoctrinated" by the dog food companies, there is BIG money in selling Rx foods. The retail mark-up at the vet's office is the same as it is in a retail store. Again, I refer you to Chapter 24 of Marion Nestle's Feed Your Dog Right, titled "Do Pet Food Companies Influence Veterinarians":

" Pet food is so important to some practices that it’s come to affect even the fundamentals of hospital design and pricing. New hospitals are physically planned for food retail and storage. It’s my opinion that even the pricing of vet services is often artificially reduced so that hospitals can compete on service price while making up the difference in food and drug sales."

[Camilla and Darwin]

:-( 

This is shocking yet not shocking at the same time.

[Stella]

Yep, my vet clinic has "puppy and annual packages" to make things "cheaper", they all include two bags of dog food and discount vouchers for the next two bags. Needless to say, I refuse every year to sign up!!

[Gina and Poncho Doodle Dog]

After reading this forum I decided to try and change off the Rx dog food.  I went to a pet store, researched my options and purchased a high end expensive brand of dog food. One that I have seen recommended in this forum and by the pet store.  Well a severe ear infection and several hundred dollars later I have decided to stick with the Rx recommended by my vet. This is not the first time I tried to switch. The Rx food is the only thing I have found that works with my doodle.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Gina, it would be specific ingredients in the food and not the brand or the fact that it is Rx that would cause health issues. It is always possible to find a high-quality food with the right combination of ingredients for any dog. But you have to analyze the specific ingredients in the foods that have caused problems in the past, and not just focus on brand. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

 It sounds like your dog needs an LID food. So if you bought something like Orijen, even though Orijen is highly recommended here, it wouldn't work for your dog. It doesn't work for mine, either. But an LID food like Acana's Pork & Butternut Squash probably would. A grain-free food with a single novel protein source ( one the dog hasn't eaten before) and a single novel carb is often what food-sensitive dogs need.

[Jill, Woody & Maxi]

Like Karen said, it is the ingredients that matters, and in regards to RX food, it is the sourcing of the ingredients where the main problem lies.

[Gina and Poncho Doodle Dog]

My dog is 6 years old and I have tried several times over the years to switch him off RX.  This last time was in March when I did try Orijen.  Each time the result is the same. After about 2 weeks he starts shaking him head and develops a black tarry like substance in his ears (A yeast infection)  Each time they have to put him under, clean out his ears, medication, and a $400 vet bill and a little scolding from my vet LOL!  (Just joking, she's great)  I have all but given up. Would LOVE to have him off the RX and give him something more nutritious but so afraid to go through everything again.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Gina, it's clear that your dog has a sensitivity or allergy to one or more animal proteins. In order for such a sensitivity or allergy to develop, the dog has to have been exposed to those proteins on a regular basis. What this means is that any food, of any type or any brand, that contains those proteins will cause him to have a reaction. But what it also means is that any food that doesn't contain a protein source that he has ever eaten before will not cause him to have a reaction, because you can't be allergic to something to which you have never been exposed. 

The reason that the Rx food works for him is simply that the protein in the food is hydrolyzed. What this means is that the protein molecules are broken down so small, the immune system doesn't recognize them, and therefore doesn't react to them. That's all there is about the Rx food that is beneficial. That's it. There is no medicine, no special "ear infection preventing ingredient", nothing therapeutic.  

When you have tried switching foods in the past, it sounds like you have not looked for LID foods that utilize only protein sources he has never had before. For example, Orijen. Orijen is not a limited ingredient food. It contains lots of different protein sources, including chicken, turkey, and multiple kinds of fish. There is no question that he has eaten chicken in the past, so a food that contains chicken is not going to work for him, regardless of whether it's made by Orijen, Hill's, or anybody else. 

But I'm betting he's never eaten rabbit on a regular basis, if at all. So if you switched to a food that contained no animal proteins other than rabbit, he would not react to it. 

The point is that you need to choose a grain-free food that only contains a single animal protein that he has never eaten before. Chances are that you have not tried a formula like that when you have tried switching in the past. 

I'd be happy to help you find one, we have several on our list. If pork is a novel protein for him, the Acana singles formula I mentioned would be a good one. 

Natural Balance also makes a LOT of LID foods with novel proteins, including rabbit and venison. While we are no longer recommending the company due to a change of ownership, it's still a LOT better choice than Hill's. Not to mention a LOT cheaper and more nutritious. 

[Gina and Poncho Doodle Dog]

Yes, my vet did explain to me about the RX food being hydrolyzed and that is why it works.  I tried Rabbit once and he didn't like it but would be willing to try it again.  It sounds like Acana would be a good choice to try.  I appreciate all the information you have provided. I have long wanted to get him off the RX food.  Let me know if you can thing of any others to try.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Gina, make a list of all of the formulas (not just the brands) that he has eaten in the past that you can remember, and any treats too. We need specific types so we can see what animal proteins he has eaten on a regular basis. 

Then start a new discussion here and we'll find some choices for you to try. :)