Rejecting Hills pet foods politely

[moggiegirl]

As we know many veterinarians push Hills pet foods and with my cats dental issues it is very likely that Hills T/D a corn based high carbohydrate, low meat and high in indigestible fiber dental diet will be prescribed. I understand veterinarians who sell these products believe in them but those of us who have read the writings of Dr Lisa Pierson and Dr Elizabeth Hodgkins who are also vets but with more knowledge on feline nutrition understand that this type of diet even if it is good for the teeth is not healthy for the rest of the cat’s body. I want to find a polite way to tell my vet “No, I do not want to feed this product without insulting her.” I actually did end up telling her that I had a cat who ate Hills T/D and although it kept his teeth in better shape he ended up getting inflammatory bowel disease on this diet and her response was that most cats eventually get IBD. That response is just unacceptable to me. They’re going to get it anyway so I might as well feed this unhealthy product???. My response to that is a strong NO.

 

[Mr. Meow]

If that's a response a vet would give after voicing your concerns, I'd say it's time to find a different vet.
Bottom line, if you say "I don't want this specific product" and they don't give you an alternative, then I believe there are other vets out there who would be happy to love and take care of your pet.

 

[Talien]

I have to agree, if a vet says "most cats get IBD anyway" without ever thinking "hmm, maybe it's because most cats eat garbage like this?" then you need to find a new vet.

 

[moggiegirl]

Unfortunately it’s not that easy to find a new vet as most of them are traditional vets who sell Hills products. Holistic vets are expensive. Mickey already has a dental cleaning scheduled. His teeth are in such bad shape that they’re going to have to remove 10 of his teeth. Maybe he won’t be able to bite through large kibble anyway and I will have another reason to say no thanks.

 

[moggiegirl]

I’m just going to to tell her I don’t feel comfortable feeding it. If I have to I will say “well... I read this book by Dr Elizabeth Hodgkins and this article by Dr Lisa Pierson and both these sources say this food will ruin my cats health and I experienced it with my previous cat.” I will bring the book with me if I have to and I will tell her I’m just afraid to feed this food. That’s polite. That’s not argumentative. And she certainly can’t dispute my feelings. I’ll go with that.

 

[Talien]

I’m just going to to tell her I don’t feel comfortable feeding it. If I have to I will say “well... I read this book by Dr Elizabeth Hodgkins and this article by Dr Lisa Pierson and both these sources say this food will ruin my cats health and I experienced it with my previous cat.” I will bring the book with me if I have to and I will tell her I’m just afraid to feed this food. That’s polite. That’s not argumentative. And she certainly can’t dispute my feelings. I’ll go with that.

Yeah, that's a good way of handling it. There's also this, if you want more info.

 

[Norachan]

Just an FYI....

Lisa Pierson is a self-styled nutritional expert without the degrees to back up that claim; she's a DVM who sells "(nutritional) consultations" online and has made claims about health issues and raw feeding that are pure bunk, e.g. about bacterial loads.

It is an excellent idea to question your vet's suggestions if you think they are just pushing a prescription diet that doesn't suit your cat. But it's also a good idea to keep an open mind about what others recommend.

Here are some links that might be worth a look.

Feline Health Topics

Feline | School of Veterinary Medicine

https://www.merckvetmanual.com

Fact sheets and ABCD Tools |

It's best to look for sources that aren't out to sell their products or services, IMO.

 

[Maurey]

Definitely tell them that you’re happy with your cat’s current diet, and you don’t want to change it — if their concerns are about your cat’s teeth, switching to a Hills dry food won’t really help, anyway. According to most of Jum’s vets, including her vet dentist, whom I trust implicitly, dry food is too soft to provide any mechanical cleaning of the teeth, and they’ve personally seen minimal to no improvement in pets fed the diet. Your best bet is either introducing chicken neck into your kitty’s diet (if he has enough molars left post extraction), brushing his teeth with enzymatic pet toothpaste, or both.

Also, not all non-holistic vets will have such a strong opinion about feeding Hills or whatever other vet food. Where I live, vet foods are only prescribed as a temporary measure as treatment, rather than a long-term dietary solution (e.g. a high carb high fiber vet food might be prescribed to a cat who’s constipated), which is the way it should be, imo. Of course, ive met some vets that will push purina or what have you regardless, but ive not found that to be the norm here. Might be worth asking around locally if they have any vet recommendations.

 

[LTS3]

Just tell the vet, no you will not feed the Hills because you have done your research in what proper cat nutrition is and don't feel that Hills is a suitable quality diet to feed. Dental diets are useless to feed. Only regular home dental care through brushing or other means will keep teeth clean.

The vet shouldn't make a blanket statement that all cats get IBD. IBD is caused by many things. The Hills T /D may or not have caused IBD in your cat. My IBD cat has eaten raw food since he was a kitten and yet still developed the disease for some reason. My other cat has also eaten the exact same raw food since a kitten an does not have IBD. Genetics and breed may play a role in some cats.

My vet is a traditional one and generally tells clients to feed X brand or another. He knows I feed raw and has no problem with it.

 

[moggiegirl]

Just an FYI....

Lisa Pierson is a self-styled nutritional expert without the degrees to back up that claim; she's a DVM who sells "(nutritional) consultations" online and has made claims about health issues and raw feeding that are pure bunk, e.g. about bacterial loads.

It is an excellent idea to question your vet's suggestions if you think they are just pushing a prescription diet that doesn't suit your cat. But it's also a good idea to keep an open mind about what others recommend.

Here are some links that might be worth a look.

Feline Health Topics

Feline | School of Veterinary Medicine

https://www.merckvetmanual.com

Fact sheets and ABCD Tools |

It's best to look for sources that aren't out to sell their products or services, IMO.

There is also Dr Elizabeth Hodgkins, Dr Jean Hofve and Dr Karen Becker among others. A lot more vets who have gone deeper into the subject of nutrition understand that dry cat food can be detrimental to a cat’s health.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. When my vet suggested I put Feeby on a specific food for hyperthyroidism, I simply told him that I know she wouldn't eat it. He knows I know my cat, and he said OK, and prescribed meds instead. That's all you need to say - you know your cat and you know they won't eat it. You might want to ask just exactly what ingredient(s) is/are in Hill's T/D that is/are supposed to help with dental health. Your vet ought to know the answer. There are other ways - depending on what those specific ingredients are - to give your cat an equivalent supplement.

However, in your case with the vet's remark about IBD, you probably should be in the process of finding a new vet anyway.

 

[LTS3]

You might want to ask just exactly what ingredient(s) is/are in Hill's T/D that is/are supposed to help with dental health.

It's not any of the ingredients but the larger size and rougher texture of the kibble that supposedly works for dental health.

From the Hill's product web site:

How it works

• Unique kibble shape & size
• Special fiber matrix technology

The ingredients are no different from any other Hills product.

 

[Norachan]

There is also Dr Elizabeth Hodgkins, Dr Jean Hofve and Dr Karen Becker among others

Yes, I know you're very passionate about the ideas these people are pushing. You've mentioned them in a lot of your previous threads.

However, you have to keep their motives in mind. Karen Becker works for Mercola and is primarily interested in pushing their dietary supplements and homeopathic remedies.

Dr. Mercola: Visionary or Quack?

Dr Jean Hofve is also linked to Mercola and regularly publishes articles through their website

Is Your Pet Dog Ready for a Paleo Diet?

Dr. Pierson isn't a nutritionist. A board certified veterinary nutritionist's name is followed by DACVN, meaning Diplomate of the American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition (where she isn't listed) and/or PhD in Nutrition Science, e.g., from Tufts.

If you don't think Hills is a suitable food for your cat then of course tell your vet you don't want to feed that. I'm just not sure why you would push the products of people linked to a man who has been ordered to stop making illegal claims about his products by the FDA.

Dr. Joseph Mercola Ordered to Stop Illegal Claims | Quackwatch

 

[FeebysOwner]

It's not any of the ingredients but the larger size and rougher texture of the kibble that supposedly works for dental health. From the Hill's product web site:
How it works

• Unique kibble shape & size
• Special fiber matrix technology

The ingredients are no different from any other Hills product.

My point exactly...

 

[cataholic07]

Yes its the size and texture that can help but the point is its crap ingredients that can cause other health issues like IBD, and dry food alone can cause UTIs and kidney disease. So yah teeth is good but is it worth the risk? Nothing beats brushing their teeth and some cats its just genetics. I brush my cats teeth daily, they get healthymouth dental addictive and they can still have gingivitis. My boy at one needed a cleaning and his brother is getting a dental cleaning at 2. Pushing expensive vet food isn't ok. IBD can become GI lymphoma, my first cat died from it, it was horrible to see her suffer. I personally dont understand why Hills continues to feed such poor quality food for such an insane price. No dental food is better than just a daily tooth brushing.

 

[Maurey]

I personally dont understand why Hills continues to feed such poor quality food for such an insane price.

It’s the cheapest to produce for a huge profit margin. Since they’re a major WSAVA sponsor (who are one of the major organisations, alongside AAFCO, to establish the standards for pet food) and they have money to fund research that says their high carb, low protein formulations aren’t harmful, why would they change anything?
I work in non-veterinary research, and it’s very much the same situation in the human nutritional industry — it’s why for the longest time research (funded by Coca Cola, mind you) concluded that sugar didn't negatively affect cardiac health, and fats were the one true evil.

 

[zoes]

The idea that kibble helps with dental issues is strange to me, like crunching on hard candy and cookies all day long would leave my teeth clean.

Anyway, I have the same issue with my vet and all vets to a certain degree, except with Royal Canin rather than Hills. All vets seem biased towards them to some extent - my current very is by far the worst, parroting what she was clearly told at some RC-sponsored seminar and having no answers to actual questions I had about the so-called active ingredients of the $50 bag of corn, sawdust and salt she was trying to sell me (ok- I might be biased, too.)

I am very conflict-averse so during her most recent 15-minute rant about the evils of "boutique food" and the miracles of RC, I just sat and nodded. At the end, I said thanks for the info and that I would do some more research. If she brings it up again, I will say the say the same again, and just keep deferring it indefinitely. I expect she'll either forget or read between the lines, eventually.

If your vet brings it up more forcefully, I would say "that's good to know, but I still have concerns about the corn/carb content and potential longterm impacts of dry food. Can you tell me some other ways of addressing the dental issues?" Then when presented with any ideas, say "thanks, I'll look into it!" You can also ask "do you have any literature or studies supporting XYZ claim? I'm reading a lot of conflicting things and want to make the best choices!" Basically, give your vet the opportunity to provide information and then do what you want and what you feel is best.

It's also totally fine to just straight out say that you aren't willing to feed your cat kibble, or that particular kibble, or whatever. She doesn't have to like it. It's clear to me that this is coming up more with vets and clients in recent years - it only took me a moment of silent hesitation at her food recommendation and my vet was ready with about a dozen reasons why corn is great for cats if you process it enough, and why fancy food is bad because "do you even know what's in an apple?"

So, you're in good company, and it certainly won't be the first time she's heard it.

 

[Maurey]

why corn is great for cats if you process it enough

If you meant that literally, mind sharing some? Cuz that’s a new one — I’m morbidly curious as to what could be potentially beneficial, other than fiber and possibly some trace amounts of vitamins.

 

[zoes]

If you meant that literally, mind sharing some? Cuz that’s a new one — I’m morbidly curious as to what could be potentially beneficial, other than fiber and possibly some trace amounts of vitamins.

Well, y’see, you break it down until its core elements of protein, carbs and fats are separated, then you put them back together in the “right” ratio and voila, you have perfectly balanced, healthy cat food.

Minus a little sarcasm, that’s pretty much what she said

 

[Talien]

Well, y’see, you break it down until its core elements of protein, carbs and fats are separated, then you put them back together in the “right” ratio and voila, you have perfectly balanced, healthy cat food.

Minus a little sarcasm, that’s pretty much what she said

Yeah.....my vet once told me, "Ingredients don't matter, it's just the nutrients." when I asked her to explain how something that is mostly corn, rice, and wheat is good for Cats. I raised an eyebrow and said, "How healthy do you think you would be if you ate nothing but white bread with nutritional suppliments?" She did not have a response, and doesn't try to push that garbage on me anymore.