Food can often be seen as medicine; when visiting a pet store, many options claiming to be “prescription dog foods”.
Prescription diets are tailored specifically to address specific dietary requirements for disease management. They offer nutritional support while excluding ingredients which could exacerbate conditions.
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Digestive Care
If your pup is suffering from digestive health issues such as food allergies or diarrhea, prescription pet foods could provide much-needed relief. They typically include hydrolyzed proteins that have been broken into smaller pieces to bypass immune system detection as well as prebiotic fibers and electrolytes to promote healthy digestion.
Veterinarians frequently recommend diets tailored to specific dietary requirements for dogs. This might involve providing prescription wet or dry food with low protein for kidney and liver diseases or additional glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate supplements to ease arthritis pain.
Some prescription diets are sold under the names “therapeutic diets” or “veterinary diets.” In these instances, veterinarians are responsible for evaluating and treating the patient before providing recommendations to pet owners about which food will best serve their animal’s needs.
Weight Management
Vets frequently suggest prescription diets for dogs with digestive issues. These recipes typically feature complex carbohydrates, fiber and probiotics as well as essential fatty acids and proteins in abundance.
Hill’s Pet Nutrition offers a selection of weight management foods designed to address specific health needs in dogs. Formulated with lysine and carnitine to assist dogs in burning calories more efficiently while supporting lean muscle preservation, these options come with various varieties for every situation.
These foods offer low glycemic index ratings and abundant antioxidants to promote immune health, potentially decreasing diabetes and heart disease risks. Pet insurance providers may cover these foods; in addition, they could potentially be less costly than over-the-counter varieties.
Skin & Coat
Consider inspecting your dog’s skin and coat as an indicator of his overall health, paying particular attention for signs such as itching, flaky skin, shedding or allergies.
Prescription dog food may help soothe itchy and irritated skin with ingredients like antioxidants, fatty acids, probiotics and natural anti-inflammatories. Look for one with lots of protein and antioxidants for maximum skin and coat health.
Hill’s d/d Skin/Food Sensitivities Dry Dog Food has been scientifically shown to reduce itching and scratching within 30 days, thanks to a blend of omega-6 fatty acids, antioxidants and glucosamine-chondroitin that supports overall body health.
Heart Care
Prescription dog food may be necessary in certain instances to manage specific medical conditions in our pets, often incurring higher costs due to mandatory clinical testing requirements for such foods. This extra expense, however, usually stems from mandated clinical testing requirements on them.
These foods are specifically tailored to assist dogs with heart disease, encouraging healthy hearts and decreasing the risk of sudden death through reduced levels of sodium, increased taurine, L-carnitine and magnesium intake. Furthermore, some of these products promote fluid retention to avoid dehydration while replenishing lost nutrients when taking diuretics.
These foods help dogs with kidney diseases to manage their workload by maintaining balanced electrolyte levels and minimizing waste excreted into urine. They usually include controlled levels of sodium and phosphorous as well as hydrolyzed fish protein and omega-3 fatty acids for maximum efficiency.
Urinary & Bladder
When your pup has urinary issues, prescription dog foods can provide the solution. While over-the-counter products might claim they treat conditions, only prescription foods must go through clinical testing before being recommended by veterinarians.
Hill’s Urinary Care dog food, developed by nutritionists and veterinarians, can assist with dissolving struvite and cystine bladder stones to decrease the likelihood of recurrence, while decreasing urine acidity levels to help prevent future stone formation.
Kidney disease in dogs can be managed using specially formulated diets that support weight management and balanced mineral consumption, often featuring ingredients like Cranberry (an all-natural diuretic), Vitamin E, B, Cod Liver Oil and Chitosan to support kidney health.
