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Perhaps you can find another food with the same ingredients as the one you're feeding now? Buying from a feed store is usually cheaper, too.
You can easily find that at a feed store. I was buying my dog some pretty expensive food and he would eat it, but slowly. Went to the feed store and saw a rancher buy 300lbs of one dog food so I figured his dog is a working dog, so he isnt going to feed it crap food so I bought it and my dog loves it. And its a third of the price too.
Perhaps you can find another food with the same ingredients as the one you're feeding now? Buying from a feed store is usually cheaper, too.
A Heads-up: You'd have to go to wal-mart or a Dollar Store General to get comparable ingredients -- just see the ingredients of the cheapest foods on the market: they're all right here -- WITH the C/D in the "1 Star" foods; : Dog Food Reviews - Main Index - Powered by ReviewPost
Here are the ingredients of the C/D for, what, $75.00?!
Ingredients:
Just check out and research those ingredients and see for yourself. Corn, Soy, and wheat are proven allergens, for starters. Veterinarians should NOT be selling food because they don't know about nutrition (but that's another post, and probably a good one for a lawyer because there is NO medicine in there to justify the price for cheap fillers, either.)
Everything's coming out about what's actually in these foods since the recalls. Just do a search.
PetSmart & stores like that have been stocking up big-time on decent foods now (we couldn't find them so easily before the recalls.) You DON'T NEED to feed as much good food, as you do all the cheap fillers which they only poop out (naturally).
As long as the proteins and ingredients are GOOD, you won't have to worry about stones and other issues recurring.
PS We learned all this the hard way -- before the 2007 recall stuff happened.
A Heads-up: You'd have to go to wal-mart or a Dollar Store General to get comparable ingredients -- just see the ingredients of the cheapest foods on the market: they're all right here -- WITH the C/D in the "1 Star" foods; : Dog Food Reviews - Main Index - Powered by ReviewPost
Here are the ingredients of the C/D for, what, $75.00?!
Ingredients:
PetSmart & stores like that have been stocking up big-time on decent foods now (we couldn't find them so easily before the recalls.) You DON'T NEED to feed as much good food, as you do all the cheap fillers which they only poop out (naturally).
As long as the proteins and ingredients are GOOD, you won't have to worry about stones and other issues recurring.
PS We learned all this the hard way -- before the 2007 recall stuff happened.
OMG! Those ARE crappy ingredients! I've never looked at what's in the prescription diets. No way would I feed that. When I was feeding kibble, I went with a much higher quality product. But now I feed raw, and will never go back.
It is SO much cheaper to feed raw than commercial, and I would agree that Hill's is not the quality food it is touted as.
Go to your vet and explain the financial concerns. I'm not super familiar with urinary tract disease in dogs so I can't offer any hard advice. However, your vet may have some coupons for a discount if you are bent on feeding that. If s/he doesn't have any and you are amenable to change, talk with your vet about changing to another food (quality this time) or helping you transition to a raw diet that will still keep the magnesium and phosphorus levels down to prevent crystal formation. You will also need to find a low sodium and lower protein food. I will say that the quality of protein is very important as well - but you can't feed a super high protein diet. No treats, they are notoriously loaded with everything you don't want your dog to have. Finely ground egg shells are an excellent source of calcium without the phosphates. I think you can buy them commercially as well. You can feed whole eggs run through the food processor, but be careful on the egg whites and don't feed too much.
You could try cutting your current food in half and supplementing with yogurt or other dairy, fatty meat including tripe (yuck - greeen tripe is best if you can find a real butcher to help supply you - nasty looking, but dogs usually like it), white rice, pasta, sweet potatoes, or other carbs that are low phosphorus. I wouldn't add much grain or vegetables, though, since that's primarily what the prescription diets are made of. You might look at this site:
Please talk to your vet or a holistic vet before starting anything, though. I will say this, and nothing against vets - they really are not super educated in diet unless they are a think-outside-the-box vet. A holistic vet may be more so. There are few commercial grade dog foods on the market for kidney problems and they are expensive, mostly because they have that "special" label. If you can find someone to work with you on a total diet for your dog with the base in human foods, it may be much cheaper for you in the long run.
I agree that the price of quality dog food is becoming very expensive. A few years ago, with the dog food scare, I started making a homemade dog food which had all the good things and none of the bad things. At first I thought it was more expensive but when I actually priced it out I found that it was cheaper than any quality dog food. I can make a 3-4 day batch in about 30 minutes.
Don
I agree that the price of quality dog food is becoming very expensive. A few years ago, with the dog food scare, I started making a homemade dog food which had all the good things and none of the bad things. At first I thought it was more expensive but when I actually priced it out I found that it was cheaper than any quality dog food. I can make a 3-4 day batch in about 30 minutes.
Don
I agree with Sam, the place to start is with your vet. Your dog is on C/D for a reason and you want to be sure you understand your options for your dog.
I know Science Diet isn't the greatest, but we had one of our dogs on W/D at our vet's request because that dog had some issues and it helped him. When he passed away, I decided it was time to switch dog foods (I had been feeding everyone the same food to keep things *even* between them...no food jealousy).
I didn't choose the foods my vet suggested, but he pointed me in the right direction anyway. In my case, my vet said my remaining 2 dogs could be on any regular maintenance food since they are completely healthy. I ended up going with Sold Gold's WolfKing (though I'm in search again for something better). I pay $46+tax for a 33lb bag.
Exactly. I wouldnt jump from c/d to another food w/o the vet's OK - while the ingredients are not great, it's helping do what it's supposed to do (prevent crystals/stones) which another food may not do. There are also c/d compatible treats by Sc. Diet which are fairly reasonable, I believe (1 bag for about $3 and change) - lasts longer when broken in half.
My dog eats hill's prescription science diet canine c/d. It's usually $50+. Today I went to buy more and it's now $75!! I don't know how long I can afford that! I read a thread about this back in August 08'. My dog has had very large stones removed but I don't know what type of crystals they found in it. Does anyone know of a book or a way to make food for my dog that would not increase her ph levels? I just don't know if I can continue to afford this food, these prices are out of control! I've looked at many websites, but the prices are the same. One website had it for $53 but shipping was over $20, so it came out to be the same as the vets office. Any help/advice is much appreciated!
It is atrocious that they advertize that dog food as helpful for urinary tract disease. Kidney stones have been linked with the consumption of oxalates, which can be found in soy.
You're best choice for feeding is raw, or at least a mixture of raw and cooked or canned food. Or at the very least get all natural/holistic dry food. (Make sure it has no soy, corn, or wheat ingredients.) It will save you money on vet bills in the future. I am not a fan of dry kibble though because I have seen my dogs have so much digestive difficulty with it.
Hint: never buy brands sold in supermarkets or by veternarians, as they are usually made with cheap fillers and are way overpriced. With holistic brands you will pay a little more than commercial but the quality is 10X better..but for you it should be cheaper!
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