Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Prescription diets, be they made by Purina, Royal Canin or Hills, are not sold without a prescription. Go to any pet supply on line store and you will find that those foods require a prescription from the vet before the store will sell them.
<<<<edit> It seems I am mistaken. Apparently these foods can now be purchased via Amazon.com stores without a prescription. That is too bad, in my opinion. They shouldn't be fed to cats who don't need them. Even so, buying them on Amazon, you're going to pay about double what you would going through the vet. And I can't help wondering about issues such as....boot leg...counterfeit....outdated product...which is the risk one takes when buying prescription items from someone who doesn't require a prescription.>>>>>
Yes, the ingredients are horrible. But the fact remains, that in some cases, they are the only food that keeps the cat prone to crystal formation healthy. I have one such cat. I have, repeatedly, attempted to feed her an all canned grain free premium diet. The crystals, and urinary tract infections to follow if I was to let it go, always come back. The urine pH always climbs to 7.5.
Kept on the c/d, her urine pH remains at 6.4, and she does not get crystals or urinary tract infections, or inflammations. No other -non prescription commercial-diet does this for her. I hate this fact, but it is fact. Commercial foods do not keep her healthy. Hills Prescription c/d does.
The food does what it is made to do. Prevents crystal formation in her urine. And it is available only by prescription. My vet would be perfectly willing to write me a prescription, should I be able to find it cheaper on line. However it is less expensive at my vet, than it is on every on line store I have checked. The vet carries it as a convenience to their clients who have pets on it, and to encourage compliance, so the kitty can recover.
I am not uneducated about feline nutrition. All my other cats are on premium canned (mostly) grain free diets. I would love for the fourth cat to be on those diets too. But when she is, the crystals, pain, elevated urine pH, all come back.
Last edited by catsmom21; 11-13-2011 at 04:47 PM..
Wow, go away for a couple of days, come back to an argument! :P I had no idea that you could by CD without a prescription. Ah well, live and learn, I guess.
I don't free feed my cats, we worked with our vet to figure out how many calories they would need and how much that works out to be in CD. But, the newest one still gained weight, and I can't make my cats exercise if they don't want to.
Thanks for the site. I think I'm going to try to get them moved over to more wet food over dry.
*edit: @catsmom, you're lucky that your vet carries it at a lower price. I finally got them to write out a prescription so I could get the food at Petsmart, and it is the same price in both places.
My apologies catsmom. I am well aware of your background of course and your specific food situation with this variety. I was getting hung up on the technicalities of comparing the vet diets vs something like a human prescription medication. In basic practical terms, though, there really isn't a big difference in the processes involved in purchasing.
It is good to know, actually, that at least sometimes these products do what they are supposed to, despite the content of the food. The regulation on pet food doing what it says is effectively nil from what I understand, including these special diets.
Hill's requiring a prescription for their food, ...is a Hill's gimmick that mannnnny have abided by for a very loooong time.
The food isn't medicine. The food doesn't contain medicine. Hill's owns the copyright for the use of the term "Prescription" on their pet food labels...bottom line.
IMHO if Hill's wasn't using the prescription gimmick, the average person wouldn't pay through the nose for their products. There are toooooo many other foods available (with the similar inferior ingredients) for a LOT less money. The TRUTH is in the ingredients label.
Hostess could just as easily copyright and manufacture "Prescription Twinkies."
PS
I'm not trying to change anyone's mind. If you are feeding Hill's and are happy with it...go for it. I just feel the truth needs to be told.
For many years, I have purchased Hill's Prescription Diet c/d at the vet's office. Perhaps the very first time (lost in the mists of antiquity), the vet actually did "prescribe" it for a particular cat I had, but I don't think so. In any case, I've had several other cats since than and have certainly not needed a prescription for any of them. I'm not taking sides, just telling it like it is.
Here's the thing about Hill's.. some of the varieties can be bought OTC in the stores, but some for specific medical conditions (like diabeties, urinary, colitis, overweight mgt....) are considered 'prescriptive' and can only be bought from a vet. and depending on the state, they can only be bought from the vet who is overseeing that animal!
When Magnus was first dx'd with colitis and we thought he was going to be on the I/d for a long time (since it's about the same as Purina One's sensitive stomach we were mixing them) - we figured we'd buy extra bags when we were up in NH at the vet they will be switching to in 13 months because there's no sales tax there. I was quite surprised that they wouldn't sell it to me because he's not their patient (yet)! they actually called my vet in MD to get permission to sell it to me, and could only do it that one time.
so, silly as it is (and my vet thinks it is silly), some of the types are actually classed as 'prescriptive'.
I can't imagine buying Hill's Prescription Diet k/d unless there were a pressing medical reason, but the c/d is more for maintenance, although they are both called "Prescription Diet". I always buy the c/d at the vet's office, and it may be that one can't buy it except from a vet. It says so on the bag/container, if I'm not mistaken. Hill's Science Diet is another matter and is available elsewhere. Perhaps therein lies the root of the confusion.
These urinary Vet/Prescription diet formulations try to reduce the acidity by reducing Phosphorous and Magnesium and increasing the 'salts' like sodium, potassium and calcium to make the cat thirsty. Thirsty cats drink more water and flush their urinary tract more often. Lower acidity helps to dissolve Struvite crystals while oxalate crystals can only be flushed. These foods also contain fewer or no ingredients that contain oxalates. Some ingredients high in Oxalates: grits, wheat germ, nuts, soy products, blueberries, beets, beet greens, kale, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes and others. RC SO is extremely high in Sodium (possible high blood pressure problems). I believe the manufacturers are pricing these formulations based on the perceived value rather than on a cost plus margin basis. I also believe that it costs no more to make these formulations than their standard over-the-counter line. Hills told me that the prescription is required per the FDA. Royal Canin told me that the FDA has nothing to do with the prescription requirement??
I think they used to require the "prescription" but they lost the patent on the food and no longer can require it. But don't put me in front of the firing range if that's not correct Sort of like what happened with Advantage in the last year or so....
Anyhow regardless of how you can or cannot acquire the food - the ingredients are pretty crappy. And most of the time if you are treating for "crystals in the urine" you are treating for a type of crystals that are not controlled in that manner anyway - it's all crap.
Do some research about urinary crystals and you'll be amazed. Only struvite crystals are affected by certain diet crystals in cats that are oxalate are affected by another diet - so the one size fits all mass market prescription are a money grab. You need to know what type of crystals your kitty has to tailor a diet for him. You can also monitor your cat's urine PH at home (with a bit of effort) if you have a desire to really keep on top of things. Mid day is best. It's not terribly hard just pop a regular ph strip under the stream when they go to the box! Keep the water intake up!!!
In just found this while researching this brand, I can't vouch for it's information, but it is a new resource.
Do you make prescription-type foods?
Although many of our foods meet the parameters required and work well for various medical issues, we do not make specific prescription diets. If your pet has a specific medial concern and you're wondering which food might be best, we encourage you to call our Health and Nutrition Specialist toll-free at 1.866.864.6112. We'll help you find the food that's right for your dog or cat, even if it isn't our own.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Even so, buying them on Amazon, you're going to pay about double what you would going through the vet. And I can't help wondering about issues such as....boot leg...counterfeit....outdated product...which is the risk one takes when buying prescription items from someone who doesn't require a prescription.>>>>>
Sort of like what happened with Advantage in the last year or so....
