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I can't remember the last time I was in a vet's office where there was not a prominent display of the prescription food.
My (admittedly) jaded mind is telling me that this would not be the case if people were not making a lot of money off of it. If it was truly such a great thing, wouldn't it sell itself?
Have you spoken to anyone who is impartial (i.e. not making money off of this food)?
Yes and every time you walk into a pet store or grocery store there is a huge display of pet food brands. How often do people go to the vet in comparison to the pet store or grocery store? How much exposure do most people have to regular pet foods as compared to prescription on an overall level? How much commercials are on tv or internet about the benefits of holistic food in comparison to prescription diets? To go along with what you said if non-prescription was the best way to go then why all the marketing?
I'm not saying that one is better than the other. In fact I see the benefits in both and I have tried various non-prescription foods in the past. What I am saying is that it all depends on the needs of your pet for the stage in their life and that's it. I have talked with both holistic vets, regular vets, reps for Taste of the wild, Orijen, Royal Canin, Hills Prescription Diet, Purina, raw food avocates, etc. There are a lot of great food out there and I'm not going to sit here and make someone feel bad for their choices when I don't know the whole story about their pets health or needs. I'm not saying that's what your doing but I just want you to see where I'm coming from.
If you feel that you are uncomfortable talking to your vet about other diets or feel like your are being pushed into something you don't feel right about then you need to find another vet. In my experience there are great doctors and veterinary technicians out there that want nothing more than to help your furry bud live the healthiest, longest life possible whether you buy prescription or not.
All you need to do is look at the ingredients list on the bag of Royal Canin to understand how inappropriate it is for cats. The canned is slightly better, at least it is canned, so contains moisture, but it is still poor quality. Many people are fooled by marketing, including vets, most of whom have very little, if any, understanding of feline nutrition.. It's a powerful thing.
Dry "food" does not clean teeth or prevent gum disease. It's not possible. Your cats just have good dental genes. But it's their digestions that are going to suffer, from this dry "food".
No of course I'm not trying to make you feel bad. I'm trying to get you started on the path to learning about feline nutrition so you won't be taken in by these pet food scams.
Many people have believed as you do about these "foods" even I once did. But in the years since I've learned. You can too.
I'm not saying that one is better than the other. In fact I see the benefits in both and I have tried various non-prescription foods in the past. What I am saying is that it all depends on the needs of your pet for the stage in their life and that's it. I have talked with both holistic vets, regular vets, reps for Taste of the wild, Orijen, Royal Canin, Hills Prescription Diet, Purina, raw food avocates, etc. There are a lot of great food out there and I'm not going to sit here and make someone feel bad for their choices when I don't know the whole story about their pets health or needs. I'm not saying that's what your doing but I just want you to see where I'm coming from.
I would hope that people who have animals make the best choices for them with all of the information that they have at the time.
With that being said, I would also hope that people don't make decisions solely based on the "opinion" of people who make their living off the sale of a product. Certainly not to make people "feel bad for their choices", but come on. What the heck is a rep for any food going to say?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Logix-TD
In my experience there are great doctors and veterinary technicians out there that want nothing more than to help your furry bud live the healthiest, longest life possible whether you buy prescription or not.
Of course there are, I don't think anyone would argue with that.
Again you are assuming. Actually they don't have good dental genes. They both have had teeth extraction prior to eating a dental diet.
People are definitely fooled by marketing on both prescription diets or non. I'm not advocating either one. In fact I'm pretty open minded to both types of foods and I am pretty knowledgeable of both approaches. I'm just saying what works for my cats and answering the initial question of this thread. I've never pushed any products and never said "Royal Canin is the best and everyone needs to be on this", I'm simply stating what works for my cats. I'm also not going to defend Royal Canin or any other food company or get into a debate of whats better.
When I mentioned I've talked to food reps, vets, nutritionalist was just to say that I do my research. I'm not stupid into thinking that a food rep is going to say anything bad about their company but at the same time by talking to everyone with an open mind you can take bits of information and learn from it. Like I'm learning new things by being on this forum.
Again you are assuming. Actually they don't have good dental genes. They both have had teeth extraction prior to eating a dental diet.
People are definitely fooled by marketing on both prescription diets or non. I'm not advocating either one. In fact I'm pretty open minded to both types of foods and I am pretty knowledgeable of both approaches. I'm just saying what works for my cats and answering the initial question of this thread. I've never pushed any products and never said "Royal Canin is the best and everyone needs to be on this", I'm simply stating what works for my cats. I'm also not going to defend Royal Canin or any other food company or get into a debate of whats better.
When I mentioned I've talked to food reps, vets, nutritionalist was just to say that I do my research. I'm not stupid into thinking that a food rep is going to say anything bad about their company but at the same time by talking to everyone with an open mind you can take bits of information and learn from it. Like I'm learning new things by being on this forum.
Dental health IS mostly genetic. It's not an assumption. The only diet that is actually good for a cat's dental health is a prey model raw or whole prey raw diet. Those are the only diets that benefit dental health.
Look at the ingredients in that RC "dental" "prescription" feed:
Six out of the first 9 ingredients are grains, and the 7th is sawdust. It just isn't good for a cat to eat such things. There isn't even any meat in it. "Chicken by-product meal" could be anything. Feathers, beaks and feet.
The carbs turn to sugar which are going to stick to the teeth. The corn and wheat and rice and cellulose are indigestible, creating all sorts of problems in the digestive system.
Cats are strict obligate carnivores. They need meat and moisture to thrive. At the very least, this means a canned diet. Any canned, any, is better than that bag of feed.
I hope you will keep reading and researching. If you do, you will soon realize your mistake.
In midst of cooking dinner today cat trying to eat raw chicken. Cat hasn't ate much decided worth a shot. Cut up tiny strip for the cat of half a chicken breast. He ate everything!
Now is raw bad? I seen raw cat food at Petco in a fridge is that safe? Is it worth it?
A raw diet is wonderful for your cat! But it does have to be balanced. While you are learning, you could try some of the commercial raw diets. I would recommend you start with Rad Cat. It's a great product and they use egg shell calcium instead of bone. Considering your cat's issues you might want to start that way, before adding bone type meals.
However if it's in a refrigerator rather than a freezer it probably isn't raw. Commercial raw comes either freeze dried (no refrigeration needed) or frozen solid.
The ONLY prescription cat food I ever use is the Hills A/D. It is a high-calorie diet for cats who are recovering from serious illness. I keep a couple of cans in the house and use it if one of my old-timers starts refusing food or starts eating way less, because I can get a lot of calories into them with a small amount of that food. But that's it.
me, too. I've fed Hills A/D for one of my cats when he had a surgery this march.
never tried anything other than that.
Hello, I've been reading these and other forums for two weeks straight now. So much info, so many opinions!!
I have read Dr. P's page in full and her charts. I'm still stumped as to the best (and most affordable) wet cat food to feed.
All I know is that I cannot continue on with 40-60 buck a month on canned cat food!! I just can't!
So, about Fancy Feast Classic? I went to the store and of course so many choices, would somebody here please narrow it down for me? Chicken?
Also, same question for Sheba pate.
My 4 year old seemingly very healthy 11 lb kittycat was totally blocked urinary, high pH 8.0, crystals up the wazoo. Took two trips to vet to get him straightened out. Came home with C/D. I've since switched to Blue Wilderness temporarily, but still can't really afford that either. I have a second cat, a female around 9 years old and I want to be able to feed them both the same thing.
I'm looking at something called 'Holistic Select' right now for the 13 oz can, which might be more affordable.
Yes, I add water to the canned foods. Neither of my cats really drink from the water bowl. Before the illness, both were eating dry food. Never again, for either.
Thanks for being here and sharing your stories!
Last edited by sam8th; 12-27-2015 at 03:56 PM..
Reason: Capitalize the first word of a sentence LOL
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me, too
