prescription dog food

 Prescription food is a mystery to me. I don't like it but I have to admit that it does what it says it's supposed to do (in most cases). To that end, I think a lot of research and development goes in to prescription food and I would not base my decision to feed on just on the ingredients alone.

My experiences with Dakota and prescription food was successful when other foods, with what I considered better ingredients, didn't work for her.

 i would not want to feed that unless it were an ABSOLUTE last resort. that's just my opinion..

what have you tried before this? have you tried any of the "allergy" foods like natural balance potato and duck? 

Yes, I have tried the NB duck and potatoe and venison.  It seems like he's itchy and has red ears on almost anything.  He doesn't actually get ear infections, just ear inflammation.  I'm thinking of trying the NB duck and potatoe again, since it's been awhile since he had it last and I'm wondering if food allergies go away over time. 

Why wouldn't you feed it unless it's an absolute last resort?

 Thanks,

Michelle

 I found that Hill's z/d ultra was the only food that worked with my Woobie until I transitioned him to homecooked.  It was a godsend when we were trying to find out what he was sensitive to (anything with feathers and rice).  I went through numerous kibbles and he constantly had runny poos, impacted anal glands, and yeasty ears.  He cleared up nicely and had perfect poos and no problems with z/d.  I prefer feeding both of my guys "real food" so they're both on homecooked diets but when I board them or if I'm super busy, I still feed z/d and don't feel bad about it at all.  I think it's excellent for allergic dogs and as an elimination diet while you're sorting things out.

Good luck! 

I also wouldn't feed it on a long term basis except as an absolute last resort. Or as BCmixes mentioned, as a temporary food while trying to pin point allergens. It's a non-food, food and there is no possible way that it's even close to a very healthy food. If the dog couldn't eat anything else, then obviously eating something is better than starving to death. I think hydrolyzing chicken liver is the process that makes the animal proteins too small for the dog to recognize as an allergen.

Do you know for sure that your dog has a food allergy? Did you do a 12 week food trial of feeding NOTHING other than the limited diet food? The same ear inflammation can result from inhalant and/or contact allergies.

   I used z/d for the second elimination diet I did with Jessie; she was 9 years old and I wanted to make sure she had a balanced diet while I was trying to determine what her new food allergies were. I had done an elimination diet a few years earlier, using one protein and one carbohydrate she hadn't had before, and it had shown she's allergic to chicken. She had been having a resurgence of flare ups and the elimination diet with the z/d confirmed several new food allergies. Don't be concerned about your dog getting enough nutrition; Jessie did very well on z/d; her dry coat improved a lot and her dandruff was gone. The ingredients look scary but it's highly digestible. If you want to find out what food(s) your dog's allergic to, try adding ingredients that were in foods she had eaten before, one at a time, to see if they cause her allergies to flare up. For example; one of the foods I tested was salmon. I added 2 ounces of canned salmon a day to the z/d; within 4 days Jessie was chewing 2 of her feet and her ears were very itchy, so I knew she was allergic to it. I waited several days and then tried another food. You said your dog was itchy on the Natural Balance; I learned from the elimination diet that Jessie's allergic to potatoes. Once you learn which foods cause a reaction, you can choose a food that doesn't have those ingredients and get her off the z/d. Jessie was allergic to so many things I had a balanced home cooked diet designed for her, and she's doing great. Good luck; feel free pm me if you have any more questions.

^^^ Yep, yep, yep.  My experience was almost the same.  I (under vet's advice) put Woobs on z/d for 3 mos and made sure there were no allergic symptoms in him.  Then, I introduced one thing at a time.  That's how I figured out that anything with feathers (chicken, turkey, duck) upset him and why the bland diet of hamburger and rice we'd tried originally  as an  elimination diet didn't work (the rice).  It helped me alot and if I wasn't such a fool for homemade diets, I'd still be feeding it.  Just because it's hydrolyzed, doesn't mean it's not as nutritionally balanced as other kibbles that are out there.  It just means the proteins are broken down small enough that the body can't recognize them to react to them.  I no longer view kibble as the best alternative, but if I wasn't in a position to do homemade, I'd feed it to Woobie long term.

If it's working for him - why change it?

I have a cat with allergies - to fish we are pretty sure. She was eating Purina Cat Chow - we tried to switch, and she was at the vets office not a week later. Great quality food? Hardly. But is she happy and comfortable - you betchya!

I know many, many dogs who have done very well on Z/D. If it's working, and the dog is happy - I'd leave it alone.

My dog has contact allergies - he's eating Blue Buffalo now, and is doing great. But it does have a lot of ingrediants, which may not work for your guy.

I often wonder, if a dog is having trouble on something like the limited ingredient Natural Balance formulas, if the dog may be allergic to something as seemingly benign as flaxseed?  If your dog is doing well on Z/D, but you are thinking of trying something new, you may want to look into the Royal Canin IVD limited ingredient diets---I'm pretty sure they don't contain flaxseed, and may be worth a shot.  Otherwise, short of doing a consultation with a nutritionist and diving into homecooking, there's nothing wrong with keeping the dog on the z/d if it's working.

I know a lab who had constant ear infections, to the point that the vet wanted to send him down state for an ablation, constant itching, hot spots, you name it, poor Ollie had it.  He was ON ZD with no improvement.

DS talked to the owner about TRYING Blue.  Within two weeks the ear infections were gone, the skin cleared up, no more itching......and two years later, he's still in great shape.

The ZD has CORN starch and also SOY...both are common allergins.

It's the way they are processed and added to the food - z/d works for MOST allergy dogs - even with the corn and soy.

I would never encourage anyone to switch from a food that is working for their pet- no matter what the 'quality' is.

I guess I'm the only one who thinks that the ingredients below (plus vitamins) are not healthy to feed a dog for its entire life.

Water, Hydrolyzed Chicken Liver, Corn Starch, Powdered Cellulose, Soybean Oil...

erica1989

It's the way they are processed and added to the food - z/d works for MOST allergy dogs - even with the corn and soy.

I would never encourage anyone to switch from a food that is working for their pet- no matter what the 'quality' is.

I'm kind of with you.

If you WANT to try a strict elimination diet to find out *exactly* what your dog is allergic to, then by all means go for it. That way you might be able to offer a higher quality food (as in, less processed, more fresh foods, more meats and veggies) and/or a cheaper food in the future.

But, if food frustration is getting you down (understandably), you've tried a couple of other allergy foods and haven't had any success with the others, why not stick with the prescription diet? People can talk about how it's "bad" until they're blue in the face, but if it's working well for your dog and no other food seems to be doing the trick... the "best" food is the one that works best for you and your dog, right?

Nope, you aren't the only one.

Smokey, the cat, was on CD for years and years and years because of the "sludge" issues in his urinary tract.  It didn't help.  He kept having problems, kept needing to be cath'd and drained, kept needed meds, and finally, had to have his urinary tract rebuilt from male to female.

Ollie (the lab I mentioned) was on ZD and it didn't help him one bit.  The vet wanting to send a young dog for an ablation is NOT a little thing.

If this works for your dog, you have to make a decision, but, MINE would be to find a food as similar as possible and get him off that stuff.