Should I switch to Hill's Prescription?

I understand what you are saying, but does that mean you wouldn't even give it to him for 6 weeks and then start adding other food to it? Is it normal for dogs to scratch ears and bite paws occasionaly? How do I know if he is scratching from an allergy or if he's just scratching?

 
   It would be fine to feed the Hill's long enough to see if your dog has food allergies; 8 weeks may be better than 6. This is a prescription diet and as such is very carefully researched and will provide your dog with the nutrition he needs. "Hydrolyzed" means the chicken liver has been specially processed to prevent allergic reactions.

If you do switch to Hills, why not use D/D? It's most similar to what you're feeding, now.

There's also IVD's Simple Diets, and Eukanuba's allergy formulas, if you want RX foods. IVD's is great, because they use a dedicated factory. The only ingredients that go into the factory are ingredients that go into the Simple Diet formulas. They even have light versions of their kibble.

It's really a shame that Vets no very little about animal nutrition. If they did, they wouldn't recommend anything made by Hills. 

  She needs a special diet to see if her dog's scratching is caused by food allergies; this is what Hill's z/d is designed for; dogs can't have an allergic reaction to the ingredients. The d/d's meat sources are not hydrolyzed.

ORIGINAL: jessies_mom

It would be fine to feed the Hill's long enough to see if your dog has food allergies; 8 weeks may be better than 6. This is a prescription diet and as such is very carefully researched and will provide your dog with the nutrition he needs. "Hydrolyzed" means the chicken liver has been specially processed to prevent allergic reactions.

I totally agree. That 8 weeks isn't going to hurt anything and it might just save you, and Jake, from a lot of problems. Once you get him stable on this, you can add in foods one by one so you know what *exactly* he reacts too, if anything. All in all it will probably be much quicker and easier than trying to eliminate things on your own.

My feeling is that the Hill's prescription diets might work, but that doesn't mean they're healthy. For example, there are hardly any actual foods in the ingredient list below to be allergic to. The only actual food that I see is chicken liver...

Water, Hydrolyzed Chicken Liver, Corn Starch, Powdered Cellulose, Soybean Oil, Dicalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Citrate, DL-Methionine, Choline Chloride, Iodized Salt, Vitamin E Supplement, Taurine, Ascorbic Acid (source of vitamin C), L-Threonine, Zinc Oxide, Ferrous Sulfate, L-Tryptophan, Beta-Carotene, Thiamine Mononitrate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Ocide, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Calcium Iodate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin, Sodium Selenite, Folic Acid.

W/D helps a dog lose weight because it's basically peanut hulls and other fillers that are just bulk and not nutrition.

My opinion is that there's a much healthier alternative for every prescription diet.

[Deleted by Admins]

, there are hardly any actual foods in the ingredient list below to be allergic to. The only actual food that I see is chicken liver

 
   That's because it's a hypoallergenic food; it is formulated to prevent allergic reactions to foods. It is nutritionally balanced.
 

, W/D helps a dog lose weight because it's basically peanut hulls and other fillers that are just bulk and not nutrition.

 
   The dog will lose weight and remain healthy because it has all the supplements a dog needs..

That's because it's a hypoallergenic food; it is formulated to prevent allergic reactions to foods. It is nutritionally balanced.

I agree with Jessie's mom, The Hillz z/d is made in a way to minimize antigenic stimulation for dogs with severe unidentified food allergies. After you are on it for the two months and the symptoms subside, then you can slowly add back the most common antigens to see if you can identify the source. Regardless of what anyone says or thinks, statistically the most common antigens that cause food allergy are meat protein/milk/wheat in that order.

Here is some info from their page.

z/d® ULTRA Allergen-Free Canine
For the Nutritional Management of Dogs with Food Allergy and Intolerance
Food allergy and intolerance can be mild to severe and may include painful problems with the skin, ears and digestive tract. These responses, also known as adverse reactions to food, are usually a response to protein in the food. Prescription Diet® z/d® ULTRA Allergen-Free Canine dog food is designed by veterinarians for the diagnosis and nutritional management of food allergy and food intolerance in dogs. Only Prescription Diet® z/d® is formulated with Hill#%92s Hydrolyzed Protein System™, a process that breaks down intact animal proteins and virtually eliminates the possibility of an adverse reaction to food. Most reactions occur because of an allergy to beef, dairy products or wheat. z/d® ULTRA Allergen-Free Canine contains none of these allergens. This product is considered the "Gold Standard" by veterinarians at Hill#%92s to provide the ultimate food in eliminating the chance of adverse food reactions or allergies in dogs. The price is worth the confidence you will have in providing your pet relief. The nutritional formulation of Prescription Diet® z/d® Ultra Allergen-Free may also be useful for pets with a variety of conditions.

Edit: Here is a study to give a little more info about the hydrolyzed diet and evidence that it works in known allergy dogs if anyone is unfamiliar with the concept or clinical trial
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=12895222&query_hl=1&itool=pubmed_docsum

ORIGINAL: chmissgingerisfancy

I just wanted to recommend that if you have a dog with severe allergies as I did with my Goldens, to try Natural Balance Venison and Brown Rice

I would not touch anything made by Hill's with a ten foot leash for many reasons

You wouldn't touch anything by Hill's, but you'd recommend a recalled *allergy* formula that had ingredients in it that weren't listed on the label?

You wouldn't touch anything by Hill's, but you'd recommend a recalled *allergy* formula that had ingredients in it that weren't listed on the label?

 
I thought the same thing, but thought maybe my old memory was failing and that wasn't one of the recalled foods.

You cannot duplicate the prescription diets, you just can't.  You can't homecook and get the same results.  And, you can't try another food and get the same results if what you truly need is the prescription diet. 

I don't think any of us should make someone feel they aren't doing the right thing by using them either.  We don't know who is reading this and what type of condition their dog might have.  And, they may see this and take the dog off a much needed food without even consulting the vet.  Let's not forget they make foods for diabetes, cardiac problems, etc, things much more severe than allergies. 
 
Edited to say---I think what a lot of people don't understand is that when it comes to the point of needing a prescription diet most aren't buying it for the ingredient list.  They are buying it because however it is formulated, whatever combination of things they use, works to control a health issue. 

[Deleted by Admins]

Based on what the OP is experiencing with her dog, it doesn't sound like this is a dire circumstance in which the dog has a severe health issue like some of you are making it out to be. We are talking about some mild itching here!
 

ORIGINAL: Shelley75

Would you stay with the NB duck & potato or switch to this food?  Jake has been on the NB duck & potato since mid January.  He loves it!  He does scratch his ears and bites his paws, but just a little bit.  (Don't all dogs do that)?  Not scratching so bad as to need medication.  But with everything going on with NB, I was wondring is I should switch. I don't know what to do.  Opinions?  I was thinking of putting 1/2 bowl of NB and 1/2 bowl of Hill's Prescription down and see which one he goes to first and let him decide. 

 
And not only that, but the OP had allergy testing done so she knows what food the dog is allergic to.  The mild itching therefore probably has nothing to do with the food and is probably environmental, especially since she has avoided the known food allergens and said the dog eats leaves which are almost always moldy and the dog is allergic to mold.   I'm sorry, but the ingredients list in that z/d stuff doesn't even look edible to me and I can't believe it's being recommended here in a case like this.
 
 

I'm sorry, but the ingredients list in that z/d stuff doesn't even look edible to me and I can't believe it's being recommended here in a case like this.

Oy, look at the study I posted, hydrolized protein is PROVEN to not cause allergic reactions to dogs that are allergic to the non hydrolyzed source protein. I agree that the OP does not sound like she has horrible, unidentified food allergies and probably doesn't need it. I think saying that the Z/D is bad or non life sustaining is uninformed. As Lori already said, ther is NO substitute for many of these prescription diets.