Author Topic: The Paradox of Prescription Diets  (Read 4264 times)

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Offline Lola

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The Paradox of Prescription Diets
« on: September 08, 2017, 07:26:11 PM »
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The pet food manufacturers are well aware that dry, grain-based foods promote alkaline urine and in order to “fix” their foods that are primarily corn, wheat and soy, they need to artificially acidify it by adding products such as DL Methionin and potassium citrate. It is a sad paradox to label any water-depleted dry food as a "urinary tract diet." It makes no sense to put our blocked cats on this kind of food when Mother Nature provides a diet that promotes excellent urinary health, naturally. A diet cats evolved to eat over thousands of years.

Read full article here:  http://feline-nutrition.org/answers/answers-the-paradox-of-prescription-diets
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Offline DeeDee

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Re: The Paradox of Prescription Diets
« Reply #1 on: September 08, 2017, 07:56:24 PM »
 thumbsup1
"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." Edward Hoagland
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Offline Catgirl64

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Re: The Paradox of Prescription Diets
« Reply #2 on: December 12, 2017, 05:25:40 AM »
Oh, boy...prescription diets.  This is where my journey began.

One of my cats had a severe bout of FLUTD a couple of years ago.  This cat is so gentle, good-natured, and uncomplaining that I had no idea what was happening until it was critical.  He never even peed outside the litter box.  I discovered the problem when he growled at me for touching his lower belly.  This cat had never growled in his life.  I took him to the vet immediately, and he was there for a week. 

I left with a prescription for Science Diet, and instructions that the cat should be drinking plenty of water (4 cups a day!!!), as well as a strong suggestion that I feed this to all of my cats, so I didn't have to keep him totally isolated.

I hate Science Diet.  I have always hated Science Diet, but I fed it anyway, for too long.  Fat cats got fatter, and normal weight cats started gaining, too, as well as puking.  I started looking for other kibbles that were "safe" for FLUTD cats.  Tried another brand which, while it did not cause more blockages, was very expensive and gave my cats loose stools that I was assured were "normal."  No thanks.  Cat poo is not supposed to look like pudding.

Switched to Wysong Uretic.  Still no blockages, but cats still getting fatter.  At least they weren't puking anymore.  Started cautiously mixing in Wysong Epigen, all the while obsessively checking the litter box every time anyone used it, to make sure they were peeing.

The only good thing I have to say about that is that some of the fat cats started slimming down a bit.  They undoubtedly would have done so on wet food, too, but when I had offered it before, they didn't like it, and I tried more than once.

Then, wonder of wonders, about a week ago, they ALL decided they didn't want to eat that stuff anymore, and only nibbled or sniffed at it before walking away.  I still had some canned food, which I offered to them when I realized what was going on.  They devoured it, and have only wanted canned since that day.

And that is the backstory behind my marvelous, self-transitioning cats, AND my hatred for prescription diets. 

A nice fringe benefit is that I have not had to wash my Pomeranian's bottom for several days now.  Stupid kibble was giving him the squirts at least every two or three days, no matter what kind I tried. 
« Last Edit: December 12, 2017, 05:37:52 AM by Catgirl64 »

Offline Middle Child

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Re: The Paradox of Prescription Diets
« Reply #3 on: December 12, 2017, 05:30:06 AM »
I am really happy it happened that way for you.

 Mazy cat was on that disgusting toxic Hills garbage for 6 1/2 years.  It destroyed her digestive system.

Unfortunately most people don't believe how bad this stuff is, until they experience the horrors for themselves. And even then they refuse to see.  "He's been on this food for years and always been fine, it can't be the food" is what you see most often.  :'(

Offline Pookie

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Re: The Paradox of Prescription Diets
« Reply #4 on: December 12, 2017, 06:10:08 AM »
I'm also glad you're pets self-transitioned to wet.  One of these days I'll have to post about my (sarcasmalert) lovely experience with "prescription" diets.  Then again, it may be on the forum already, somewhere.  And yes, there is a reason why I use quotes around the word "prescription."  When there's no medication in it, and there isn't, it's "prescription" in name (and cost) only.   >:D

Edit:  I went to my site (https://www.kittyshark.net/my-story) to pull the background . . .

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I free-fed kibble and gave them some canned food in the morning and when I got home from work. I’d had them less than a year before one would leave me some regurgitated or vomited food now and then. Over the next 5 years, it got worse, to the point where one or the other was bringing up their food several times a day and night, every day and night. I went to multiple vets, tried medications, "prescription” foods (that did nothing but make them gain weight, increase the amount of stool in the litter box, and made one of them lethargic), and one of them, my Sweetie Girl, even had an endoscopy.

I am 99.99% sure that Sweetie Girl was becoming diabetic on that "prescription" garbage.  I was reading Dr. Hodgkins' book at the time, and seeing my little girl get so out-of-it, plus what I was reading, scared me so much that I FINALLY pulled the dry.  Never, never again will I feed dry, "prescription" or otherwise.  Not unless it's a choice between that or starvation, and even then . . . I'd have to be REALLY desperate.
« Last Edit: December 12, 2017, 06:15:00 AM by Pookie »
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Offline Catgirl64

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Re: The Paradox of Prescription Diets
« Reply #5 on: December 12, 2017, 08:13:47 AM »
I am really happy it happened that way for you.

 Mazy cat was on that disgusting toxic Hills garbage for 6 1/2 years.  It destroyed her digestive system.

Unfortunately most people don't believe how bad this stuff is, until they experience the horrors for themselves. And even then they refuse to see.  "He's been on this food for years and always been fine, it can't be the food" is what you see most often.  :'(

I haven't read all of your posts about Mazy cat, but I have read enough to know that she was severely damaged, and to be in awe of your devotion and her resilience.   HeadButt  DrLisaPiersonWorthy  HeadButt

Offline Lola

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Re: The Paradox of Prescription Diets
« Reply #6 on: December 12, 2017, 07:44:20 PM »
THANKFULLY when my boy cat blocked, my vet (at the time) had the smarts to recommend an all WET (non-prescription) diet.  I guess PU surgery wasn't his thing... 
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Offline Catgirl64

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Re: The Paradox of Prescription Diets
« Reply #7 on: December 13, 2017, 04:00:17 AM »
THANKFULLY when my boy cat blocked, my vet (at the time) had the smarts to recommend an all WET (non-prescription) diet.  I guess PU surgery wasn't his thing...

Mine did not.  In fact, when I mentioned wanting to try it, he said they needed kibble - you guessed it - to clean their teeth.   Doh1

Offline Middle Child

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Re: The Paradox of Prescription Diets
« Reply #8 on: December 13, 2017, 05:33:12 AM »
Mine did not.  In fact, when I mentioned wanting to try it, he said they needed kibble - you guessed it - to clean their teeth.   Doh1

 bangshead bangshead bangshead

Offline Lola

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Re: The Paradox of Prescription Diets
« Reply #9 on: December 13, 2017, 05:56:20 PM »
Mine did not.  In fact, when I mentioned wanting to try it, he said they needed kibble - you guessed it - to clean their teeth.   Doh1

Don't feel alone.  Unfortunately years later, that SAME vet sent me home with a sample of Hill's "Prescription" t/d... after a dental cleaning.  Yeah, I just paid hundreds of dollars to have my cat's teeth cleaned... and you want me to give her THAT?! 

With that vet, it was often one step forward... two steps back.  It seems just as the Hills and Purina "fog" clears in a vet's head... those two companies have special meetings to re-hypnotize them. 
« Last Edit: December 13, 2017, 06:00:07 PM by Lola »
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Offline DeeDee

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Re: The Paradox of Prescription Diets
« Reply #10 on: December 13, 2017, 06:56:38 PM »

With that vet, it was often one step forward... two steps back.  It seems just as the Hills and Purina "fog" clears in a vet's head... those two companies have special meetings to re-hypnotize them. 


Or, the Hills' rep gets hold of the new vet in the office that just graduated, and he suddenly, a year later, changes from not having any problems with the way you're feeding them to, "I really hate that diet, but. . ."

That "but" is what keeps me going. Knowing he's impressed with the way their coats look and feel. Blood tests are magical things, it gets them to back off if they get good results sent back to them.


"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." Edward Hoagland
"Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog; but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog."

Offline Lola

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Re: The Paradox of Prescription Diets
« Reply #11 on: December 13, 2017, 07:43:58 PM »
Or, the Hills' rep gets hold of the new vet in the office that just graduated, and he suddenly, a year later, changes from not having any problems with the way you're feeding them to, "I really hate that diet, but. . ."

That "but" is what keeps me going. Knowing he's impressed with the way their coats look and feel. Blood tests are magical things, it gets them to back off if they get good results sent back to them.




Don't forget.  The little nutritional info vets are taught in school is provided by Hills and Purina.  Those two companies have a HUGE HUGE HUGE presence at vet schools... and after. 
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Offline Middle Child

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Re: The Paradox of Prescription Diets
« Reply #12 on: December 14, 2017, 05:18:47 AM »
My vet was actually quite supportive, if a bit hesitant, when I started raw feeding.  But that was before the PFI began it's big anti-raw campaign. By the second year she was coming back from her conventions with a fervent glow for all things kibble and many horror stories about raw feeding. She cannot even admit what she sees before her eyes and feels under her hands.

Offline Lola

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Re: The Paradox of Prescription Diets
« Reply #13 on: December 14, 2017, 03:20:32 PM »
My vet was actually quite supportive, if a bit hesitant, when I started raw feeding.  But that was before the PFI began it's big anti-raw campaign. By the second year she was coming back from her conventions with a fervent glow for all things kibble and many horror stories about raw feeding. She cannot even admit what she sees before her eyes and feels under her hands.

BTDT
My one vet started off hesitant... got on board to the point that he was at least open minded... went to a Hills seminar... totally against raw now.  He is a science buff... Hill's has science to back-up their claims.  Their science is BS (6 kittens fed x for 6 months, blah, blah, blah), but apparently very convincing. 

He is now my back-up vet, but he HAS seen the before and after.  No daily barfing.  MASSIVE improvements with teeth and gums.  Roxy (my used to be serial barfer) no longer has to be given Pecid (that he prescribed)...and the list goes on.  He can explain everything away as well, again due to some sort of vet convention/meeting/seminar.  I didn't ask him if Hills or Purina led the meeting.  There is no way I could have asked, without sounding like a jerk.
 
« Last Edit: December 14, 2017, 03:23:37 PM by Lola »
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