[Larkspur]

W/D as in Hill's Science Diet? That stuff is absolute garbage.

I cannot imagine that good vets would prescribe a dog food that is inferior in quality and not healthy for dogs.

They prescribe inferior and unhealthy foods because they are paid to do so by the companies that make the food. That's not just conjecture. It has been confirmed over and over by veterinarians both online and those I know personally.

I would appreciate hearing posters' reasons for their objections to Rx diets and why they believe that the W/D is harmful to my dog.

Aside from the prescription being a literal payoff for the vet? Let's take a look at the ingredients...

First three are filler.
Wheat and corn being the first two, very little nutritional value and both huge allergens and both contribute to Colitis and other GI diseases/disorders.

Third ingredient is powdered cellulose, which is plant fiber that not only has zero nutritional value, but is also entirely non-digestible.

Then finally some meat, chicken meal, which is still a potential allergen... but really the only good thing in this food.

All of the other ingredients are literally just filler and vitamins/additives.

Take into account that pet food ingredients labels are read the same as human foods. The first ingredient is what there is the most of in the food, then second, third, etc. So there is a very high quantity of filler and very little actual meat. So... this is a food supposedly meant to help GI issues, and is made up of almost entirely ingredients that cause GI issues...

 

[Larkspur]

@lzrddr Even as a vet, I encourage you to do some more education on dogs' nutritional requirements. Corn is widely known as one of the most common allergens for dogs. It is also, even for humans, nutrient-deficient; it's essentially only good for fiber. The most common protein allergen is chicken. Few dogs are allergic to other proteins and a lot of dogs are allergic to many different grains and other fillers. Any food that is over 80% filler, like Hill's, I cannot see as being balanced. Dogs require protein. They do not require grains, filler, or even produce. You can only speak from your personal experiences. Other people speak from experience and years of research on this specific subject. Hill's is one of the lowest-quality brands of dog food out there...