Dog Diet Food
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If you are looking for a prescription diet, you've probably had some concerning news about your dog's health, or maybe your veterinarian suggested you try to slim them down with low-fat dog food.
If your dog is suffering from a chronic illness, your veterinarian will probably prescribe a special dog food formulation to support their health during recovery or help control their chronic illness. They may prescribe diet dog food to help manage your dog's weight or low-fat dog food if they are prone to pancreatitis. These are just a few conditions that often require prescription diets.
What Conditions Require Special Diets?
A special diet dog food can help manage your dog's health issues. A wide range of illnesses and chronic conditions require special or prescription diets, such as:
- Arthritis/Pain
- Degenerative Joint
- Dental Disease
- Digestive
- Gingivitis
- Inflammation
- Kidney Disease
- Overweight
- Weight Management
Each prescription dog diet food is formulated specifically to meet the dietary requirements of each illness. They may include extra nutritional support or exclude nutrients that may make a medical condition worse. Do not feed your dog a prescription diet dog food unless your veterinarian instructs you to do so.
These special diets can be purchased at your veterinarian's office, or you can order them online with a prescription and generally find them for less. They become a part of your pet's overall health plan, guided by your veterinarian.
Unless your veterinarian advises differently, you can choose between wet or dry prescription food. Depending on your dog's condition, you may even need prescription treats for your dog. Non-prescription dog food, on the other hand, is made for dogs that are generally in good overall health. However, some non-prescription food is formulated for weight loss, and as long as your dog has no other conditions, it will give them all the nutrition they need while helping them shed some pounds.
Each prescription dry and canned dog food is formulated by veterinarians to help treat a specific health condition and has been clinically tested with proven results. The ingredients are selected with their therapeutic properties and flavor in mind and then carefully combined to formulate the best possible dry veterinary dog diet.
How Prescription Diet Dog Food Is Different
Prescription dog food is considered medication for your dog. But what does that really mean? The companies that produce prescription food research the ingredients and develop the formulas. When a veterinarian diagnoses your dog and prescribes a food tailored to their condition, they monitor how it affects your dog's condition.
When a dog food manufacturer claims that their prescription diets are effective for a specific disease or condition, they must submit their research to the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) for review. The CMV examines the research to ensure that the food does what it claims to do.
The dog food company must present complete documentation to prove the product is safe and that it is effective. It must meet both these requirements. The food also has to meet the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) general labeling guidelines for prescription pet food diets and over-the-counter products. This means that if the product says it can treat or prevent a disease, the research must back up these claims.
By contrast, non-prescription dog food cannot claim that their products treat or prevent any conditions – those are considered medical claims.
How to Tell If Your Dog Needs Prescription Diet Dog Food
Once your dog has been diagnosed, your veterinarian will discuss the options for prescription diet food to help manage their health and wellness. Once you've gone over all the options, you and your veterinarian will decide which prescription diet is right for your dog, according to the overall treatment plan. Armed with a prescription from your veterinarian, you can order your diet dog food only and have it delivered to your door. You can get a refill prescription from your veterinarian.
When you start your pet on their new prescription diet, follow your veterinarian's instructions or the directions on the back of the bag or can to get the best results. Each prescription dog food is developed for a specific issue, so they are not interchangeable. Stay with the prescribed diet without giving them other types of food, especially human food or treats. Check with your veterinarian to see if there are any treat options for your pet.
Do Prescription Dog Diets Work?
When prescribed for your dog's condition, these special dog diets can help treat your dog's condition. They are specially formulated to have the precise ratio of fat, fiber, protein, and other nutrients. Sometimes the prescription food will contain an unusual ingredient not usually found in dog food.
For instance, if your dog has bladder stones, the prescription dog diet food for that issue will have a special ingredient to help dissolve the stones and prevent new ones from forming.
A prescription food with a different formulation will help dissolve cysteine and urate stones. Non-prescription dog foods will not produce the same result that a prescription one will.
The bottom line is that these diets are required to be backed by studies to attest to their efficacy. They often contain specific ingredients in the amounts that make them effective. It may be difficult for pet parents to get these ingredients and to add them in the correct amount. In prescription food, everything is measured and balanced.
How Long to Use Prescription Diet Dog Food
Non-prescription dog food is formulated to meet the needs of pets that are healthy at various life stages. Prescription diets provide targeted nutrition based on your dog's specific issue. How much and what you feed your dog may change depending on how they are responding to the diet and other factors.
For example, if you are feeding low-fat dog food the amount you give them will change over time. As they lose weight, you'll shift to maintenance rather than loss. This may simply mean feeding less of the same food, or it may mean switching to a different prescription more appropriate for maintenance. Or it may even mean feeding them non-prescription food.
It is best to follow your veterinarian's advice on how long to give your dog a prescription diet.