Should I feed a Prescription Diet or a Premium Quality Dog or Cat Food?
The question we are most often asked “is there an alternative to the very expensive veterinary foods that have been prescribed by my vet for my dog?”
So - what exactly is a prescription food? Any products that are intended for the treatment or prevention of a disease in animals have to be licensed as a medicine. As there is no requirement to licence veterinary or prescription foods, the description is misleading.
Veterinary and Prescription Diets™ were once a rare recommendation from the vet - a last resort to try and help out a very ill dog. In theory the dog would receive a ‘prescription’ for a medical food following a specific diagnosis; the vet would then monitor the effect this new food was having in the dog and his condition.
Better knowledge & extensive research has brought about a revolution in terms of new foods to treat animal illness. However, the majority of those pet owners who telephone us believe that they are paying for a ‘medicine’ within these special diets for the treatment or prevention of his condition. This is not true.
Although Veterinary and Prescription Diets™ are sold primarily through veterinary practices they are not medicines and there are no legal restrictions on their sale. They are just dog foods designed to assist a specific organ system or function. These diets are formulated to address a specific medical concern and are not intended to maintain long-term health in dogs of all ages, sizes and breeds.
The most common Digestible Care Prescription Diet is recommend for all sorts of gastrointestinal disorders from colitis to pancreatitis, IBD to bloat. According to the manufacturers, these diets are ideal for these sorts of problems because of their high digestibility, low fat content and high level of fibre. The foods also contain electrolytes to help replace losses caused by vomiting and diarrhoea and antioxidants to neutralise free radicals.
The marketing of Prescription Diets make it sound as this is the only solution but actually there's really nothing unique about them. All FourFriends foods are highly digestible, some are low fat and high fibre. Electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chloride, and bicarbonate) are found in abundance in the Aloe Vera content of all our premium foods. If you analyse the ingredients of Prescription Diets, many of these foods are certainly not the best quality or value for money.
Most Prescription diets contain ingredients such as Maize, Maize Gluten Meal, Digest, Animal Fats and Salt. Maize has become increasingly associated with dietary intolerance and actually causing digestive upsets.
Dogs are primarily designed for digesting meat. Meat should be listed first within the food composition.
If your dog is eating any of the ingredients most commonly associated with allergens eliminate these first. The common ones are wheat, maize, dairy, soya & beef, so this is a good place to start. All FourFriends foods are naturally healthy and list meat as the primary ingredient and contain Aloe Vera. This is a well known botanical plant, used for centuries around the world. Aloe Vera is crammed full of amino acids, vitamins and minerals making it one of nature’s most effective cleansers. It is especially effective in the cleansing of the dog’s or cat’s intestine. It is also great as an anti-inflammatory. Aloe Vera is rich in minerals like calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, selenium and potassium it is excellent for the skin and coat.
All of the FourFriends Premium Quality foods are based on high meat content, making them a natural dog and cat food. We only use muscle meat.They don’t contain any ingredients that could aggravate an allergy prone dog.
If your pet is using a Prescription Diet™ do give one of the FourFriends team a call for advice. We will advise if there is a alternative suitable natural dog or cat food for your dog or cat.