By-Products

If you look around, you can find healthier alternatives to pretty much all of the Rx diets.

Yes, you can, but they don't always work. 

There are always other, better, long-term options.

No, not always, not if they don't work. 

Anyone who truly cared about their dog would do the research and get the dog off the diet as soon as possible--  

I truly care about my dog, I've done the research, I've tried homecooked, other rx foods, many great commercial diets with similar ingredients, none of them worked for any length of time. 

The other thing people need to understand is it's not just the ingredients that make these foods work, it's the combination of nutrients, salts, fiber, etc that they also add.  Yes, other foods may have similar ingredients but not the other stuff.  

Some of the comments up above are mean and nasty and everything that we are always going on about NOT to speak like on these nutrition forums.  But, I guess there will always be those close minded people who have never lived with a sick dog who will spout off like they know what they are talking about..  I don't feed say, raw meat, but I don't bash those who do and I keep an open mind about what is good for each individual dog.   

I'm glad this thread was started.  I was actually having breakfast with my best friend yesterday, (she's studying to be a vet tech,) and we were discussing nutrition.  She said she's happy that I've been reading about it, because she's burnt out on her nutrition course (that is sponsored by guess who!?  Hills!) and that she's really interested in what I've been learning.

ORIGINAL: mudpuppy

Anyone who truly cared about their dog would do the research and get the dog off the diet as soon as possible--

This statement just rubs me the wrong way.  Don't you think that when someone takes their dog to the vet and they are prescribed a specific food which seems to work wonderfully for the dog and eliminates any allergy issues they were having, that the person in question would feel like they DID the best thing for their dog??  Most people will trust their vet, ESPECIALLY if what they prescribed WORKS.  Saying they don't truly care about their pets is just narrow minded and insensitive. 

Also, I'm not so sure that all dogs with certain issues could be helped by a homecooked diet.  I rememeber on one of the previous threads about  SD RX formulas that they do something to the molecular structure of the food (something that wouldn't occur naturally) so that it doesn't aggravate the allergy.  I can't remember the scientific explanation behind this, unfortunately, but maybe someone can come along and explain it better. 

Now back to by-products:
I think my concern with by-products would be the chemicals that are in the animals that are being rendered.  Is there a way of knowing what rendering plant a company uses, and what type of animals they render?  Do all rendering plants wind up with euthanized dogs and cats or diseased cows?  Can those chemicals and diseases survive the rendering process?  Wysong doesn't believe that the information being spread about rendering plants is true.  So does this mean that this actually isn't fact, but instead conjecture?

ORIGINAL: lexibelle


Also, I'm not so sure that all dogs with certain issues could be helped by a homecooked diet.  I rememeber on one of the previous threads about  SD RX formulas that they do something to the molecular structure of the food (something that wouldn't occur naturally) so that it doesn't aggravate the allergy.  I can't remember the scientific explanation behind this, unfortunately, but maybe someone can come along and explain it better. 

Science Diet ZD allergen free contains hyrdolyzed chicken. Hydrolized protein is completely broken down and there is no intact animal protein. That is, it is down to just the protein chain molecules, amino acids. The most common food allergies or irritants to a sensitive system are beef and wheat. This provides the actual protein pieces needed without all the work to get it and also results in the least amount of allergic reagents.

Thank you, Ron!
 
I'm curious.  Would someone pheasibly be able to replicate this with homecooking?   

Lexi--Probably not, but even if you could that doesn't mean your combination would be exactly like theirs is.  Therefore, it might not work.

In my limited knowledge, I think hydrolized protein means liquified by something that breaks down the cellulose. There may also be a chemical process involve to ensure the break-down to amino acid level, which would be spot checked under a microscope.
 
OTOH, marinades are designed, in part, to breakdown meat. Most marinades have vinegar in them, which breaks down cellulose. You can also boil or crockpot meat until it is absolutely falling apart. Yes, that does involve cooking the meat but it also makes the protein more bioavailable. It's still not as accurate as what SD can accomplish. And, if you use their food and have a problem, you have legal recourse, though you are more likely to get help from them than a legal battle. Something you cook in your home is all on you.
 
Vets may or may not value the nutritional education that they may or may not get from Hills, but they are better than the average bear at determining your dog's blood profile and will probably have had some extensive experience in treating dogs with prescription diets. IOW, they may not be up to date on holistics or raw feeding, but they will be able to recommend a scientifically derived rx formula that they have had loads of acceptable to good experience with.
 
Then, there's some people here who just started feeding their dogs RMBs and veggie mash and the dog lived well, and well past the original prognosis. No cooking involved, letting mother nature take its course, which is no worse than if the dog lived in the wild, and is better than the wild, since the dog has had a steady supply of food, as oppose to the real wild dog diet, which involves weeks of starvation punctuated by eating an old, sickly deer with botfly.
 

That's what I thought.  I think instead of experimenting on my dog and hoping that I finally come up with the right homecooked recipe and causing him to be miserable in the meantime, I would rather use what I know works for the dog.
 
p.s.  - It's sad how every thread with a mention of SD becomes about SD.  I think we should try to address the OP's issues about by-products if we can.

Science Diet RD was the only thing that pulled weight off my KayCee.  My vet has a champion english Setter and she gets nothing but Scince Diet.  But I just didn't like the idea of giving all those peanut hulls to my girl in the RD, thinking it was like 38%.  But then i don't hvae the foggiest idea of the food value in the hulls.  In many cases, the peels, etc are actually containing more nutrienets than the actualy fruit.

Science Diet RD was the only thing that pulled weight off my KayCee.

Did you try any other options,like homecooking,raw,less of a super premium food etc.

You are now feeding purina light arent you?

Yes I did try other food--cheap and high dollar,  even more exercise and less food didn't work. That  Science Diet RD was the only thing that worked.    She is holding her weight at 70 pounds now on Purina Fit & Trim and the cooked meat/fish and veggies i give her...and has done so for a year now.  Honey had also gotten to be a "lard butt" and I put her on fit and trim and got 10 pounds off her and it is staying off.  After losing the 10 pounds, i have upped her feed just a little to maintain her at 70 pounds also.
 
It is important that I keep the weight off KayCee as she had to have both knees operated on for luxating patellas,  a year apart, the last one in 2002.  .  She will be 7 in August.

I did forget to say i didn't do raw..i can't do that as i can't eat any meat myself that isn't very, very well done.. Will try to post a picture of KayCee taken  back in the fall last year.

Why is it that when someone ADMITS to feeding a food that isn't popular everyone has to jump on them like they don't love their dogs enough or aren't willing to spend a few more bucks, or are just a sub-standard human being??

Sandra---She's beautiful!!

Glenda--I don't know but I was particularly upset by the comments today.  I love her like she's my child and she wants for nothing.  It would be SOO much easier if she could just eat whatever I'd like, but that's not the case.  So, I do what I have to do and too bad if people here don't get it. 

Thank you, willowchow.  Right now I am trying to get all that winter undercoat raked out  She has the THICKEST fur and is not near so heavy as she looks in this picture.  Her butt feathers are unreal and takes forever to comb any kind of "yard trash" out .  Same with that "fox tail" as we call her tail.