# is prescription sicience diet dog food worth it health wise?



## corgigirl (Aug 22, 2012)

My 14 year old corgi is showing signs of kidney function decline according to her blood work. The vet recommends I switch her to the science diet prescription brand he sells. Says she needs a low protein dog food. Is this just to sell me his dog food or is this really something I should do? Currently, she is on Blue Buffalo. Anyone have any experience in this area? 

Thanks


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

The protein itself isn't the issue, its the quality of protein (meat vs plant) as well as moisture content. I personally would not touch science diet with a 10 foot pole, if your dog does well on BB, I would stick with it and maybe consider adding some grain free canned food or green tripe to increase water content. 

DogAware.com Kidney Disease: Is a Low-Protein Diet Desirable or Necessary?

DogAware.com Health: Diet for Dogs with Kidney Disease


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

I agree with Unosmom. Science Diet is one of the worst you can feed. Moisture content is important with kidney issues so adding some canned with the Buffalo is a good idea. Of course the vet is going to suggest SD, that's part of how he makes his money.


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## corgigirl (Aug 22, 2012)

Thanks Unosmom, I just got back form the vets where I read the ingredients of the K/D dog food the vet is pushing. First ingredient is corn, followed by pork fat, chicken by products and chicken meal, no mention of just chicken alone, so I passed on the vets advise, even though he said extensive research has shown Science Diet to be far superior to other food. I am switching her to the grain free dry Blue Buffalo, and will look into the canned version as well . Restricting her protein just made no sense to me as protein is the building block of our bodies, why should the dog's body be any different?? God created dogs to eat meat, not grains, so I'm sticking to BB.


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## InkedMarie (Sep 9, 2011)

I agree, if you want to stick with kibble, don't use the vet stuff. Adding canned and warm water, to make a nice stew, will be very helpful. Unosmom gave you great links to read.


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## corgigirl (Aug 22, 2012)

What is green tripe and what is it's benefits?
Thanks!


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

tripe is basically the stomach of a ruminant animal that contains a lot of essential vitamins, enzymes and probiotics from digested grass and other plant matter(obviously if the animal is grass fed). It's pretty hard to find raw green tripe since it's illegal to sell it for human consumption and the one you'll see at grocery stores are usually bleached which removes all those nutrients and makes it worthless. 

You can probably order tripe online or find a retailer that sells it (I buy blue ridge beef brand thats preground and comes in a frozen roll) or get the canned kind, Solid Gold and Trippet makes it. I prefer trippet since it doesn't have as many fillers as solid gold. 
Tripett

one warning: it's a bit smelly, but dogs love it.


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## DaViking (Sep 27, 2011)

You'r vet might be a little out of date. That being said, I would go with a formula with moderate/high (24 -32) levels of proteins and of high quality. As one of the quotes states, you want less nitrogen coming from the protein fed. Not sure I would trust BB with that. From the top of my head; Anything Fromm chicken meal based, Pro Pac High Performance, Dr. Tim's or Native. These are companies known to use high quality protein sources with little waste.

I would pay attention to these quotes. 



> Now we often put them on a diet that is not necessarily very low in protein but contains protein that is more digestible so there are fewer nitrogen by-products.





> These dogs did better on moderate-protein diets than on low-protein diets.





> it is not recommended in dogs which are not uraemic.





> When the BUN is greater than 75mg/dl [26.8 mmol/L] and/or signs of uremia develop, moderate protein restriction is indicated to decrease the BUN and the clinical signs. Phosphorus restriction is also indicated at this time."


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## corgigirl (Aug 22, 2012)

The vet said all her kidney functions numbers were elevated, but not in the severe danger zones, and he expected to see elevated levels in an older dog, but with that said, recommended the science diet food. The Blue Buffalo grain free food is 24% protein with Deboned chicken as first ingredient, 0.9%min Phosphorous, 14% crude fat, 0.25%min omega 3 fatty acid, 2.5%min omega 6 fatty acid. If add warm water and or canned food to the mix, is this a good diet for my dog?
Thanks for all your help.


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## DaViking (Sep 27, 2011)

corgigirl said:


> The vet said all her kidney functions numbers were elevated, but not in the severe danger zones, and he expected to see elevated levels in an older dog, but with that said, recommended the science diet food. The Blue Buffalo grain free food is 24% protein with Deboned chicken as first ingredient, 0.9%min Phosphorous, 14% crude fat, 0.25%min omega 3 fatty acid, 2.5%min omega 6 fatty acid. If add warm water and or canned food to the mix, is this a good diet for my dog?
> Thanks for all your help.


I would choose Fromm Gold 24/16 all day long over BB GF 24/14.


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## TTs Towel (Jul 10, 2012)

Taking medical advice from random dog owners on the internet over the advice of a doctor of veterinary medicine regarding a potentially serious medical condition. Someone please explain this line of thinking to me.


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## DaViking (Sep 27, 2011)

TTs Towel said:


> Taking medical advice from random dog owners on the internet over the advice of a doctor of veterinary medicine regarding a potentially serious medical condition. Someone please explain this line of thinking to me.


I'm in the middle on this one. There are some really great veterinarians out there that care and goes the extra mile for your pet's health and they are highly knowledgeable about a diets role for various situations, but sadly there are also vets who are lacking in knowledge and seem to be mailing it in more or less, not only in terms of diet recommendations. Not long ago I had a personal experience with a local vet who was completely in the dark about how heartworm larvae develop and how their life cycle affects administration of preventative medication. Shocking lack of knowledge from someone who is supposed to be the expert and guide the 90% who will never educate themselves much on the topic. I guess vets as a group is just a mirror of the rest of us.


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## Chocx2 (Nov 16, 2009)

Sometimes vets only recommend what they know. I'm sure if she asked him to research some of these questions and give an answer on all of these ideas he wouldn't be so set on the science diet.


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## InkedMarie (Sep 9, 2011)

I take medical advice from my vets but I do not take nutritional advice from them, except my holistic vet.


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## corgigirl (Aug 22, 2012)

TTs Towel said:


> Taking medical advice from random dog owners on the internet over the advice of a doctor of veterinary medicine regarding a potentially serious medical condition. Someone please explain this line of thinking to me.


Unfortunately, not all vets get it right 100% of the time per my experience and since my dogs health is my top priority, I want to be well informed, so I do research and ask questions. 
I had an experience with another vet in the same practice that was treating my dog and she was not getting any better. I saw another vet in the same practice, and guess what, the first vet was treating with the wrong medication, we switched meds, and my dog got better. Another vet in this same practice doesn't believe in using any kibble of any sort. She makes her own dog food for her dogs, meaning there are no simple answers.


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## monster'sdad (Jul 29, 2012)

corgigirl said:


> My 14 year old corgi is showing signs of kidney function decline according to her blood work. The vet recommends I switch her to the science diet prescription brand he sells. Says she needs a low protein dog food. Is this just to sell me his dog food or is this really something I should do? Currently, she is on Blue Buffalo. Anyone have any experience in this area?
> 
> Thanks


Low protein diets often have low phosphorous that is why vets often recommend certain foods. I would listen to your vet but generally what you want to avoid is excessive mineral content, particularly phosphorous. Another term for mineral content is "Ash". 

Look for a food with good quality protein and low ash, particularly phosphorous (manganese too).

Avoid like the plague, Earthborn Primitve, Back to Basics, Nature's Variety, Natures Logic and EVO.

If you have to use a food with more vegetable protein to lower ash then so be it.

Phosphorous should be below 1%. 

Dr. Tim's has the lowest ash per unit of animal protein on the market. He makes a 26/16 with max ash of 5.8% and no vegetable concentrates. It probably tests well below that and the phosphorous level is well below 1%.

However, your dog is up there in age and if you have to use a prescription food, you do what's best for the dog.


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