Vet pushing Science Diet

matts mom

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My vet keeps trying to push Science diet on me, though I've explained that Matt cannot tolerate HILLS foods. So he switched to pushing a $60/3lb bag of Royal Canin.

I have no objection to giving my cats good foods, but $60 for a bag of food that will only last 2weeks with my multi-cat household is not reasonable to a 5-person, single-income family.

He sites that urinary crystals are common in neutered male cats, and he is trying to avoid this problem.   I Feed Wellness dry, because it is grain-free and Matt does not tolerate corn, and certain varieties of Friskies wet . Is there anything wrong with that?
 

chwx

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If he has urinary problems then you shouldn't feed ANY dry food. He should be on wet only with added water to his meals. Even a cheap brand of canned would be better than the highest priced/quality of kibble. There are a few cases where foods like SO are the only thing that work but I would try canned only with brands/flavors you know he likes and tolerates before I gave him any sort of dry, prescription or not. JM2C.
 

chwx

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Also, I wonder why the SO for cats is so freaking expensive compared to dogs?? I got 6.5lb bags for like $27 when the vet put my dog on it.....Which did nothing but turn her into a bloody mess from her chewing up her skin because she's allergic to just about everything in it. Even the 17lb bags were just under $50! Though I ended up doing homemade crockpot stuff and blend it into a pate consistency in the blender with extra water and make meal times into "soup" with even more water to warm up the food from the fridge. No reoccurring stones or crystals! But if you can't make food (Which for a cat especially, you need to do research on.) then go for canned only first.
 
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matts mom

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He's never had Urinary problems at all.....I'm not use what the vet's concerned about, except that he says that urinary crystals are common  in neutered cats......he drinks a ton, pees so much that I have to keep three inches of clay litter in his box to absorb it, and never goes outside the box. 

His current diet is about 50% wet food, and would be all wet if it weren't for the fact that an all wet diet leaves him crying for more an hour after feeding time, and all day long. There just isn't a wet food on the shelf that can fill him up- and I've tried most everything. He does best on canned friskies, wellness or california naturals, but if I don't give him a little dry, he won't make it till the next feeding-I can feel his belly rumble.
 

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My vet keeps trying to push Science diet on me, though I've explained that Matt cannot tolerate HILLS foods. So he switched to pushing a $60/3lb bag of Royal Canin.

He sites that urinary crystals are common in neutered male cats, and he is trying to avoid this problem.   I Feed Wellness dry, because it is grain-free and Matt does not tolerate corn, and certain varieties of Friskies wet . Is there anything wrong with that?
Just keep telling the vet that you are not willing to feed Science Diet (or whatever brand) for XYZ reasons. Be firm but polite about it. Remember - it's YOUR cat and you make all the decisions on how to care for your cat in your own home.

I've heard that Wellness can actually cause urinary issues in some cats. There might be some discussions about that here on TCS.

For urinary health, feed only canned food if possible. The high water content in canned food will help keep the urinary system healthy and keep the urine diluted. Here's some info: http://catinfo.org/?link=urinarytracthealth Dry foods keep the body too dehydrated which leads to very concentrated urine where minerals clump up in and bacteria love to grow in.
 

furmonster mom

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I have nothing positive to say about any Hills/SD food and have let my vet know in no uncertain terms that I will never feed it.

There are plenty of alternative foods and methods of feeding.  A high protein, high moisture diet is perfectly fine.

Stick to your guns.
 

bigperm20

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He's never had Urinary problems at all.....I'm not use what the vet's concerned about, except that he says that urinary crystals are common  in neutered cats......he drinks a ton, pees so much that I have to keep three inches of clay litter in his box to absorb it, and never goes outside the box. 



His current diet is about 50% wet food, and would be all wet if it weren't for the fact that an all wet diet leaves him crying for more an hour after feeding time, and all day long. There just isn't a wet food on the shelf that can fill him up- and I've tried most everything. He does best on canned friskies, wellness or california naturals, but if I don't give him a little dry, he won't make it till the next feeding-I can feel his belly rumble.
It sounds to me like he's doing fine. 50% wet and plenty of water to drink should keep him healthy.

Some cats just drink more water than others. Maybe it's genetic, idk?
 

marzekiel

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My cat never had any symptoms of urinary problems or blockage or FLUTD.  Until he did.

Once that starts, it's hard to get under control. 

After a few thousand dollars of treatment, he finally had to have a PU (perineal urethrostomy--removal of the penis) which was very painful for him for a few weeks.  The vet wanted me to get one of the so-called safe dry foods, but every time he had any dry food, the chemical used as a muldicide (to control mold) and to prevent mites etc. that grow in dry food, OR the food (no matter how natural) would block him.

The most important thing for bladder blockage is dilute urine to flush them out before they damage tissue, cause swelling, block the urethra.  I had to syringe him with 15cc water several times a aday.

Just for information, if a cat starts inappropriate peeing, there's a good chance he's beginning to block and at least beginning FLUTD (feline lower urinary tract disease).  If he blocks he can die within 24 hours.

Trust me, this ain't fun, and prevention is so much better.  Even cheap wet food is better than any dry food.

Good luck.
 

keyes

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Had, key word there is had, a vet who did the same thing.  Ya kind of wonder what kind of a kickback they get from the company. 
 

chromium blues

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I've heard whispers about the Wellness, too, but nothing solid...

A new veterinarian at our clinic tried to give me Iams instead of a/d for a foster kitten. I told her I wouldn't feed Iams because of all the recalls. I can't stand how Proctor and Gamble can say how much they love your pet, and then test their cosmetics on unfortunate animals, import the cheapest ingredients from China and oh well if somebody dies. Since then, we've stuck with the Hills and the Medi-Cal when it comes to moggies who need the veterinary diets.
 

marzekiel

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I always assume tthat any vet who is selling a food has a vested interest in pushing it to make a big profit.  I'd never buy from a vet. I'd get a better price somewhere else.
 

chromium blues

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The price difference between Royal Canin and Science Diet and Medi-Cal and Hills is slim these days unless you're feeding something really specialised. What I pay for Peepbean's food is only a little more than I would pay at a pet supply store if he could stomach the more conventional foods, and I know she's got his best interests at heart.
 

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My vet has never tried to push any brand of food on me for either the dog or the cats. The Humane Society that I got all three from did though. When I got the dog (10 years ago), they were sponsored by Iams and recommended that. With the cats (in February of this year), they had switched to a sponsorship from Science Diet and recommended this one more aggressively. The cats were only on the SD dry a couple of weeks before I learned better (here, of course) and transitioned them to wet only. I did discuss this with the vet at their post adoption check up and she said hat she was on board with a wet only diet and to make sure the food I chose was high protein/low carb. She was also happy that they had a fountain to encourage them to drink more water. She did not suggest any particular brand of food.
 

marzekiel

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Yay!  That sounds good to me.  Cats are obligate carnivores, which means corn shouldn't be a staple of their diets (although it is of mine). 

Good for you for finding a good vet! 

Oh, btw, do you all know of catinfo.org (or is it com?)  Good for research.

M
 
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matts mom

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I've got them all back onto friskies wet. I fed Wellness because I heard it was a good food, but I'm not about to take chances with their health. Matt loves his wet food, but he gets hungry. However, I did find that adding water to a pate style food reduces the hunger pains. I give them treats at 'lunch time' to ease the wait tie as well. 

Also, I noticed that Matt's finally regaining his 'figure', with his food intake cut back. I was feeding a can split between the two cats, twice daily, but with the addition of the foster, I put out 1/3can twice daily and they're all doing well on it. Midnight's over a year now, and getting a little pouch, and Matt weighed in at over 16lb so both could use a few less calories. The foster is only 8lb, and I don't know how much she needs, but I'm guessing it's not much.
 

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I had to change to Science Diet for Tiger, too.  I had no choice, due to food allergies.  He vomited after eating it and then wouldn't touch it.  I had to gradually reintroduce him to it by adding a little bit to his "old" food each day.  It took a couple of weeks to transfer to 100% Science Diet, but I am so glad I did it!  Tiger actually has more energy, allergies are under control, and he even looks healthier.  For me, it was worth it!  This is the kind I use:  <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/link?i...l=http://www.1800petmeds.com/all.jsp?SK=60397">
 

emandjee

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Matts mom,

I guess if it were me, I'd more than likely seek another vet that does not push Hills/RC/Purina products to their customers. It's rather hard when a vet tells you certain things, I totally understand, and I don't think I can handle the pressure of their sales tactics, and it would just make me feel uncomfortable at every visit knowing what they promote. I guess I'd seek a holistic vet and one that has feline nutrition but sometimes that is a tall order in itself. Regardless, I applause you
for sticking to your guns. Remember, most of these vets really have limited and biased information regarding nutrition for felines, so though it's not really their fault, your vet acting proactively has good intentions but just probably not going about the proper way of doing it.

I hope you find a good solution on this thread, I'll keep checking here, too. This really is a good thread, especially for us who hate to argue politely or turn down repeated or persistent 'sales vets'.

Good luck! 
 
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