Heart disease, diabetes, renal disease, obesity, osteoarthritis, cancer, allergies, colitis—just a few of the conditions that dog food is now specially formulated to combat. Known as prescription or therapeutic dog foods and available only through veterinarians, these diets are at the forefront of the fight to keep our dogs healthy, happy, and by our sides for as long as possible.
Dr. Mark Morris Sr., DVM, developed the first veterinary prescription diet in 1940 while treating a patient suffering from renal failure. He believed that nutritional therapy could be as effective, if not more so, than the drug treatments of the time. By reducing the strain on the kidneys in processing nutrients, he felt that the dog would live longer with a better quality of life. By lowering the protein levels in the food, his patient indeed lived longer than anyone expected, and the first Prescription Diet® was born. Since then, Hill’s Pet Nutrition™ has developed dozens of these specialty foods, and as new information is discovered about treating disease through diet, they will continue to introduce innovative products and therapies to help our pets live longer after diagnosis.
Eukanuba/Iams runs a strong second in developing these specialty diets, along with Medi-cal/Royal Canin Veterinary Diets® and Purina, both of which offer prescription-formulated foods. The variety of companies making therapeutic diets for the same condition is a significant benefit for pet owners. If one brand of Rx food does not agree with your dog, there are others to choose from without diminishing the chances of successful treatment through diet.
Why Feed Prescription Dog Foods
Prescription dog foods are only available through a veterinarian, much like any other conventional prescription therapy. Nutritional therapy is a crucial part of treating all diseases, whether in humans or animals. Take the treatment and maintenance of diabetes; nutritional therapy is imperative for managing and even preventing the disease. The same applies to dogs, as their genetic makeup is strikingly similar to that of humans.
Some prescription diets are intended for short-term use only to assist in recovery from a specific disease or condition. However, more often than not, a therapeutic diet is prescribed for the remainder of the animal’s life—and hopefully, that life is long and happy.
While these diets tend to be more expensive per meal, the savings on vet bills make the extra cost worthwhile. The significant improvement in controlling diseases such as colitis and diabetes through diet far surpasses any medication, as nutritional therapy typically has few side effects when the food is prescribed correctly.
Are Prescription Diets Dangerous? Prescription diets are formulated for specific conditions, which often require the increase, decrease, or elimination of certain nutrients. This can lead to deficiencies or toxic levels that put an already healthy pet at risk. For cats or dogs that free-feed (having a bowl of kibble always available) and live in multi-pet households, this can be particularly challenging. Talk to your vet about alternatives or slowly train the pets to eat only when the dish is put down for them, making it easier to monitor who eats which food.
What if I Feed a Homemade Diet but My Vet Wants Fluffy on an Rx Diet?
Some prescription diets can be replicated at home. For example, a gastro diet for colitis, acute, and chronic diarrhea can consist of boiled chicken and white rice, well supplemented to avoid nutritional deficiencies. However, many more complicated diets, such as the cancer diet, brain diet, and urinary tract diets, are nearly impossible to replicate at home due to the precise nutrients added to the base product. If your vet believes that Fluffy will be happier and healthier on a prescription diet, there is a good reason for it, and you should heed their advice for Fluffy’s sake.
The Cost Behind Prescription Diets The unfortunate aspect of these high-end prescription diets is their cost. Many people hesitate at the price yet willingly pay for medication without a second thought. This seems backward, as many conditions are not treatable with medication, or if they are, the drugs come with negative side effects. Food is the most natural treatment and can be incredibly effective for many conditions. Nutritional therapy and drug therapy often work hand in hand to combat a condition from all angles. If your doctor recommends a specific food, take that recommendation as seriously as you would if it were a drug. These foods are more expensive because of the years of research behind them, much like medications, and the quality of ingredients used. In almost every case, however, vet bills are lower than they would be without the food, so the costs balance out in the end.
Consider it this way: if you or someone you loved developed cancer, a heart condition, colitis, kidney disease, or began to show signs of cognitive decline, and a doctor said that eating certain foods could lessen or even reverse the symptoms, wouldn’t it make perfect sense to eat that food? Would it then make sense to deny your dog the nutritional support it needs to combat the illness? Food for thought.
