Best Dog Food

Lately, we researched the explosion at the amounts and types of puppy industrial foods geared toward catching consumers on the grounds of the dogs' age, size, and strain (see"A distinctive Food for Each Dog" However, as we'll see, even"medical" diets appear to have multiplied like rabbits!

 

Medical diets are those formulated for dogs with health issues, from vexing but garden-variety conditions like itchy skin or gastrointestinal difficulties to more severe health issues like cancer or kidney disorder. Some of those foods are what we will call"veterinary diets" (accessible only from veterinarians); the remainder are over-the-counter (OTC) products, available in almost any pet supply store.

 

The amount of goods offered in both kinds of health care categories has radically improved. OTC foods promising to"encourage" healthy coats or"support" digestive role are omnipresent in pet supply stores and even grocery stores. Hill's Pet Nutrition was formerly the sole maker of meals which are offered only with a vet's prescription; there are currently several significant manufacturers offering rival product lines, such as Eukanuba, Innovative Veterinary Diets (IVD), Purina, and Waltham.

 

Vet-Prescribed and OTC Dog Foods: What is the Difference?

 

While most of these healthcare diets promise to help dogs with specific health requirements, there are a number of substantial differences between veterinary and OTC products.

 

Exotic foods can be found only from veterinarians. In theory, a dog could obtain a"prescription" for among those foods after a particular identification, and the vet could track the impact the diet needed on the dog. If a producer wishes to assert that its product can prevent or cure illness, the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), a branch of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), necessitates research which demonstrates this. The manufacturer must supply extensive documentation which the food is equally safe and efficacious -- which it does exactly what it states.

 

They can not state their merchandise"stop" or"treat" anything; these are medical claims. Rather they use obscure verbs such as"service" or"promote." Since they don't make health claims, the manufacturers of those foods aren't required to show that their products really do what they say they perform.

 

Another distinction is that while the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) sets the criteria for OTC pet meals, and the patient state feed control officials control the producers in their own nations, veterinary diets are exclusively within the purview of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine. The labels on veterinary meals should comply with AAFCO's general instructions, however, the CVM manages and enforces the healthcare claims.

 

Below we analyze the goods -- both veterinary and OTC -- aimed at every significant category of health care ailments. Remember the gaps among foods at each one of these categories -- notably the goods produced from the five large veterinary diet manufacturers -- are somewhat more subtle than the differences we've noticed between goods made for dogs according to size, age, or strain. The parameters for traditional treatment of a specific disorder are normally narrow, necessarily producing these diets similar in content and theory.

 

Vet-Prescribed Kidney Diets

 

Hill's creator Mark Morris pioneered the idea of"pharmaceutical diets," as well as Hill's method of naming its goods with lowercase letters (so bothersome to editors!) .

 

Nowadays, there are at least eight different foods promoted for dogs suffering from chronic renal failure. The thing to notice here is these diets are valuable only to dogs that have already been diagnosed with this illness. There is no proven advantage to feeding such a diet to older dogs which have normal kidney function; those diets don't prevent kidney disorder and therefore are so reduced in protein which they might actually be damaging to healthy dogs.

 

That said, these diets are great for managing the signs of kidney failure, and at least one study claims that life expectancy is increased in dogs fed these diets. According to agents from Hill's, its h/d (heart diet) formula can also be used for chronic renal failure, because it is also comparatively low in protein and phosphorus as well as sodium. One competitor asserts that Hill's l/d (liver diet) also falls into this category, although Hill's does not -- l/d is low in protein but not limited in calcium.

 

Eukanuba creates two kidney formulations, Early Stage (which contains less protein than its normal foods, at 18 percent as fed), and Advanced Stage (comprising 13 percent protein as fed). IVD's offering in this class is Select Care Modified, which may do double duty for both kidney and cardiovascular disease. Waltham has just one kidney formula, Low Phosphorus Moderate Protein, which is known in its advertising since"Restricted Protein," perhaps just to confuse us.

 

There are no OTC foods designed to tackle kidney failure, though some weight loss or senior formulations may contain lower protein compared to many foods.

 

Vet-Prescribed Urinary Tract Diets

 

While we are on this particular track (sorry!), we ought to also mention there are a number of veterinary diets developed to minimize, prevent, dissolve, or otherwise have an influence on the formation of bladder stones. Interestingly, this theory has not yet been accomplished in the OTC marketplace for dogs, though there are lots of such diets for cats on your grocery store shelves.

 

In dogs, stones are usually either struvite or calcium oxalate, though there are a few other more peculiar stones such as urate and cystine, and stones may contain combinations of mineral types. This really is a case where a vet's reading of your dog's test (urinalysis) results could be critical for effective prescribing. Some breeds are more likely to one or more types of stones (for instance, urate in Dalmatians, struvite and calcium oxalate in Schnauzers). Hill's makes three kinds of rock diets: s/d (meant to dissolve struvite stones by extreme acidification of the urine), c/d (also acidifying but meant for avoidance ), and u/d (for urate and cystine).

 

IVD's Select Care provides Control (such as struvite), Modified (for calcium oxalate), and Vegetarian (for the"metabolic" stones, urate and cystine). Oddly, Purina only makes a struvite diet (UR) just for cats, and Waltham has only one struvite diet, S/O Lower Urinary Tract. Maybe Hill's is so entrenched in this market that its main competitors don't think it's well worth trying to steal its own market share.

 

Vet-Prescribed Cardiac Diets

 

Yet again, Hill's has been the first entry in this area with its h/d. Eukanuba's contribution to this group is its Advanced Stage kidney diet; IVD's offering is its own Select Care Modified kidney diet. Purina does have its CV formula but allows that its NF formulation can also be utilized. Waltham has just come out with an"Early Cardiac Support" diet.

 

The main quality of cardiac diets is reduced sodium -- even though there has never been any real evidence that sodium has any effect on hypertension or cardiovascular disease in dogs. Even for human health, the most recent study indicates that unless you're allergic to sodium, salt may not increase blood pressure -- and salt sensitivity is rare, even among individuals with high blood pressure.

 

But, manufacturers are turning to the link, long known in felines, involving taurine, carnitine, and heart disease. Early Cardiac Support is a rice and fish-based food using menhaden (a kind of herring) meal, which is a fantastic supply of Omega 3 fatty acids. Foods with more carnitine and taurine may be better for a dog with heart problems, along with the antioxidant and other health-promoting attributes of Omega 3 fatty acids might also be helpful.

 

We've not seen any OTC entries in the cardiac care class.

 

Joint Health Diets for Dogs

 

Numerous studies have shown glucosamine and chondroitin to be beneficial supplements for individuals with arthritis for relieving joint pain and improving mobility. Numerous OTC adult and senior dog foods, in addition to a few large breed dog foods, today consist of glucosamine and chondroitin with the advertised goal of encouraging joint health, implying (but not asserting ) that they could stop arthritis.

 

From the veterinary diet arena, Eukanuba has released Senior Plus, including glucosamine and chondroitin in addition to added antioxidants, Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, carnitine, and chromium.

 

Waltham additionally has a multi-vitamin (Joint Support) which includes Perna mussel powder from the New Zealand green-lipped mussel, Perna canaliculus. This shellfish contains considerable quantities of glycosaminoglycans very similar to glucosamine and chondroitin as well as the Omega 3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. At least one study showed remarkable improvement in arthritis in people taking Perna mussel nonetheless, there's no evidence it will protect against arthritis.

 

While glucosamine and chondroitin (and likely green-lipped mussels) appear to be safe in the several studies examining them, few dog foods include them at an amount that could reasonably be expected to have any effect at all, and few makers of those foods even tell you just how much is present in their merchandise.

 

Also, believe it or not, the inclusion of these ingredients has never been approved for use in animals and is currently considered illegal by the FDA and AAFCO, although just a few states have tried to stop the sale of foods containing them. A petition was lately introduced to AAFCO to approve a definition of glucosamine, but no action has been taken as yet.

 

The most critical issue with these"joint aid" foods is that there's never been any scientific evidence that supplemental glucosamine or chondroitin will avoid arthritis. Nearly all studies of these ingredients were done in humans who had arthritis. Also, we are not aware of any evidence showing that these supplements arrive in your dog's bowl (or in her belly ( let alone her joints) in a form or at a level that has been proven to be beneficial to prevent or cure arthritis.

 

Hill's Science Diet and Nutro are currently the primary makers of OTC dental care formulas. Hill's really makes yet another, more convincingly proven dental formulation called"t/d," which can be found only through veterinarians. Hill's claims that its OTC"oral care" formula will really remove tartar from the teeth.

 

In case the lack of visible tartar on the teeth gives you a false sense of safety to the point of not brushing your dog's teeth, or not seeing a veterinarian at least a year, these foods may ultimately do more damage than good. Another scientific study on the subject suggests that some"oral health" dog foods merely produce less tartar than other dry foods, certainly not zero tartar. In 1 study comparing an unspecified oral health diet to regular dog foods plus a special chew, dogs on the oral health diet had more tartar, and worse, lost weight and condition.

 

Vet-Prescribed Diabetes Diets

 

Who knew so many dogs were diabetic? There has to be a good deal of them because there are a whole lot of these diets.

 

The mainstay of diabetes treatment in pets has ever been a high-fibre diet, which slows digestion and keeps a steadier blood sugar level. Recent research in cats has radically reversed this believing, with high-protein, high-fat, very low-carbohydrate/fiber diets such as Purina DM as well as canned kitten food supplying the best outcomes in terms of decreased glucose levels, normalization of fat, and symptom control. Canine research has yet to catch on to the concept. Most diets creating a promise for diabetes control are also used for weight reduction.

 

Its Restricted Calorie diet (commonly regarded as a weight reduction diet in 22 percent protein, 5 percent fat, and 7.5 percent fiber as fed) also qualifies.

 

Hill's makes two meals that take the prize for fiber: r/d (reducing diet) at 20 percent protein, 5 per cent fat, and 26 per cent fiber, and w/d (fat diet) with 15 per cent protein, 6 per cent fat, and 20 percent fiber, as cooked, on the theory that if a little is good, a lot must be really great -- but it doesn't appear to leave much space for real food!

 

Purina makes DCO (Diabetic/COlitis diet), which comes in at 23 percent protein, 10 percent fat, and 10 percent fiber, and OM (Obesity Management) diet at 26 percent protein, 4 percent fat, and 16 percent fiber as fed. Waltham offers its High Fiber with 18 percent protein, 6 percent fat, and 5 percent fiber .

 

We are unaware of any OTC diets for diabetic dogs.

 

We talked about OTC"light" foods at"A Special Food for Every Dog? " (June 2002). But the listing of veterinary diets for treating obesity is almost exactly the same as the diabetes diets. This should come as no surprise; most dogs that get diabetes are overweight, and the treatment for the two is traditionally the same.

 

These veterinary foods all provide between 200-300 calories a cup of kibble, in comparison to 300-400 for most maintenance-type meals (including most other veterinary diets). Eukanuba's Restricted Calorie contains 238 calories per cup, and its own Glucose Control has 253 calories per cup, as fed. Hill's r/d includes 220 calories, and w/d 243 calories, per cup as fed. IVD's Hifactor contains 230 calories per cup.

 

Waltham contains two special entries within this category in addition to its High Fiber (227 calories per cup as fed): Low Fat (19 percent protein, 4 per cent fat, 2.5 percent fiber, and 264 calories per cup as fed) and Calorie Control (27 per cent protein, 4.5 percent fat, 3.5 percent fiber, and 212 calories per cup as fed -- the lowest of all).

 

Vet-Prescribed Geriatric Dog Food

 

We discussed OTC"senior" foods at the June 2002 issue. The OTC market in mature and senior foods is booming as our dog population gets bigger and mature over time. Generally, those foods are lower in fat and calories than upkeep foods, but you have to see the tags, as a few makers appear to be inventing their mature dog foods for lanky old dogs, not obese ones.

 

Veterinary diets for obese elderly dogs include Eukanuba's Restricted Calorie and Glucose Control diets; Hill's w/d also falls into this category. IVD has Select Care Mature (289 calories per cup as fed).

 

Hill's g/d (Geriatric Diet) comprises 358 calories per cup as fed, which makes it a much better choice for lanky old dogs. This food is specifically intended for dogs"at-risk" for kidney and heart disease.

 

This is where things really get complicated! If we look at all of the veterinary diets intended to take care of all types of allergies such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), we locate 16 basic diets, with several additional variations on the subject. Some are encouraged to take care of sensitive skin disease, while some address food intolerances, authentic food allergies, along with many different GI ailments, but there's a great deal of crossover in these classes so we will consider them all in this segment.

 

Food intolerances and allergies in dogs have a tendency to manifest in two primary ways: skin disorder and gastrointestinal disease. Allergic skin disorder (for example, rashes, itchiness, ear diseases, and lick granulomas) is most often caused by inhalant allergens (pollen, dust, etc.), but dogs can be really food-allergic. Diarrhoea and other GI signals can be due to a food allergy but are more frequently the result of food intolerance, rather than a genuine immunologic response to a food element, that's the hallmark of a food allergy. Let's consider some of the more distinct syndromes in this class, starting with the gastrointestinal diseases.

 

Not everyone agrees that IBD is a food allergy, but it is certain that diet may play a huge role in its direction. Symptoms of IBD include vomiting and diarrhoea, though not necessarily both, and not always at the same time.

 

Two dog foods fall more in the IBD management category than others, and they're also criticized because of their ability to take care of pancreatitis, colitis, diarrhoea, constipation, obesity, and gastrointestinal disorder generally. These are Eukanuba Low Residue, also Purina EN (ENteric, significance intestinal). Low Residue contains moderate levels of soluble fiber, is total low in fat but with a"balanced" Omega 3 to Omega 6 fatty acid ratio, and is highly digestible. EN is low in fat and fiber, and offers additional medium-chain triglycerides, all of which theoretically make it much easier to digest. IVD's Select Care Neutral, plus a comparatively"hypoallergenic" diet, may function as well.

 

• Pancreatic disease. Pancreatitis in dogs is closely correlated with dietary fat, so the IBD diets may be especially well-suited to treating that condition. Hill's i/d (intestinal diet) is regarded as a fantastic diet for pancreatitis, and is frequently the first choice of veterinarians for just about any digestive issue. Failure of the pancreas to produce sufficient enzymes for digestion can result in incomplete digestion and assimilation of food. IVD's Select Care Neutral, Sensitive, and Vegetarian formulas all contain digestive enzymes which may be helpful. Purina EN can be suggested for all these problems because of its low fiber and high digestibility. Diabetes is sometimes a consequence of primary pancreatic disease, so diabetes diets might also be appropriate.

 

Since these are kind of"opposite" states, you may expect that diets for these two conditions would be completely different. On the other hand, the use of fiber into moderate gastrointestinal motility -- slowing it down at the case of diarrhea, or speeding it up in constipation -- creates the capacity to utilize some of the very same diets to both. Therefore, most of the weight management diets could be used here.

 

Eukanuba's Nutritional Intestinal Formula Low-Residue can be used for each of these as well as other problems like flatulence, nausea, and colitis (inflammation of the colon). Hill's i/d is frequently used for these conditions too. IVD's Select Care Neutral is indicated for chronic GI diseases, small bowel diarrhea (increased quantity, frequency, and water content of stool), and IBD, while its Select Care Sensitive is much more appropriate for acute GI diseases -- viral or bacterial disease, perhaps, or recovery from an incident of"crap gut," in which a dog ate something he shouldn't have eaten. Purina EN and Waltham High Fiber also cover those conditions.

 

• Colitis. Inflammation of the large intestine (colon) can result from a number of causes, including stress, parasites, allergies, or even cancer. While this can result in constipation, it is more frequently related to nausea. The dog needs to go more often, even though the quantity of stool is typically small, and there might be blood or mucus present in or on the stool. Parasitic colitis, of course, must be treated using a suitable dewormer.

 

But for dietary or anxiety colitis, higher fiber is, once again, the most common therapy. (In a few situations, excessive dietary fiber might actually irritate the colon, worsening the issue.)

 

• Skin responses. The main idea behind diets for a contagious skin disorder is that allergies grow to things that the dog has been exposed to for quite a very long time. By feeding ingredients that the dog hasn't had before, the immune system is no more challenged by the original allergens, and things ought to calm down. This is the origin of this"grain and rice" diets. But, so many foods now comprise lamb and rice that these ingredients have become less useful for therapy (though rice still appears to be fairly benign for most dogs). Manufacturers have had to scramble to find other"book" or"alternative" protein and carbohydrate resources.

 

A slightly different concept about food allergies has spawned Hill's z/d and z/d ULTRA, and Purina's HA (Hypo-Allergenic) diets. The idea is that the immune system responds only to large portions (like those found in corn, poultry, or beef) which are absorbed intact. If you chop up all of the proteins into little tiny pieces before the dog eats them they will basically"fly under the radar" of the immune system, not provoke an allergic response. This is a great concept and allows the usage of regular ingredients (chicken, in the case of z/d) as long as they undergo a special process which breaks down the proteins. The dog may fully use the amino acids contained in these proteins, so the food nonetheless provides complete nutrition. Purina HA is actually a vegetarian food utilizing soy protein rather than meat.

 

The one issue with this theory is that it doesn't always work. There have been cases in which an animal has become allergic to z / d or an identical diet. It is uncommon, but it adds credence to the idea that it is sensible to change meals periodically, so the immune system is not bombarded with the very same ingredients year after year. Your dog might be less likely to develop a food allergy in the first place if you follow this advice.

 

There are a number of OTC dog foods which try to mimic the number of these veterinary diets - without creating certain medical claims. Hill’s makes Sensitive Skin and Sensitive Stomach formula. Hill's skin formula includes egg protein, plus extra Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids and antioxidants compared to its regular adult maintenance food. It is definitely true that these ingredients will help keep your skin and coat in a better state.

 

Oddly enough, Hill's "Sensitive Stomach" food has exactly the same list of components and identical guaranteed analysis. But, as reported by a Hill's customer service agent, the goods have different formulations that will be possible if the proportions of the ingredients are different. For more details visit  Best Dog Food For Sensitive Stomach

 

Both foods maintain relatively (in comparison to other brands) elevated levels of antioxidant vitamins C and E. Those other brands must not have a lot of vitamin C because a dog would need to eat a pound of Hill's kibble simply to receive 100 milligrams of it! Vitamin E content is higher since it is also contained in the preservative system. The majority of Hill's veterinary diets have been maintained using artificial preservatives BHA, BHT, and propyl gallate, so its OTC foods in this category might be a better alternative on that criterion alone.

 

Growing and Recovery Dog Foods

 

There are several veterinary diets offered for animals that are only plain sick, or that are recovering from illness, injury, or operation. This high tech, high protein formulations can be found only in cans. Hill's a / d is common for animals who need a good deal of energy packed into a small amount of food. It is also palatable and easy to digest; its own smooth, pudding-like texture makes it perfect for force-feeding by syringe to administer through an implanted feeding tube. IVD's SC Development and Euka-nuba's Maximum Calorie have somewhat similar characteristics and indications.

 

Hill's p / d (pediatric diet) can also be a high-calorie, easily digested meals designed for puppies but suitable for older dogs who require big-time nourishment fast. It comes in both canned and dry versions.

 

Hill's Pet Nutrition, the long leader in veterinary diet inventions, has three distinctive formula that are worthy of mention, and have not (yet) been imitated.

 

Hill's l / d (liver diet) is designed for animals with liver disease such as canine hepatitis. It includes low copper and can be used in dogs (mainly Bedlington Terriers) with metabolic storage disease. It contains a mixture of amino acids designed to maximize liver function and high levels of antioxidants to defend the liver.

 

It seems that cancer cells are particularly fond of carbs. Dry dog ​​foods are generally made up of half or more carbohydrates, and even most canned dog foods have a reasonable amount of starch. Feeding pet cancer sufferers lots of carbohydrate-based foods could well be feeding their cancers.

 

To deal with this, Hill's developed n / d, a low-carb, very high-fat diet with minimal carbs. Cancer patients benefit from additional protein and fat that can help prevent muscle wasting and fat and protein by the tumor. The n / d formula also features very high levels of Omega 3 fatty acids, which have anti-cancer properties, and elevated levels of the amino acid arginine, which helps in immune function. Studies show that after the tumor was surgically removed or killed by chemotherapy or radiation, cancer-induced alterations in metabolism persist, so n / d should be fed "permanently" to dogs who have experienced cancer.

 

Hill's latest entry in the field of veterinary diets is b / d (brain diet). According to Hill's promotional literature, b / d has been shown to "improve endurance, boost attentiveness to problem-solving tasks, and improve excitement, so that they feel younger." Just exactly how they asked the dogs just how old they felt, but that's the claim. This food includes high levels of carbohydrates. Oxygen-free radicals are considered as a significant contributor to human ageing, therefore antioxidants must lower the symptoms of ageing. This appears to be the mechanics of b / d. This food also includes some nice veggies such as carrots and spinach, to appeal to people searching for more "natural" food than is generally associated with Hill's.

 

Conclusions

 

While Hill's probably not thrilled by sharing a marketplace that was Hill's alone, rivalry in both veterinary and OTC diets is good news for dogs whose medical conditions improve with nutritional adjustments. If your vet prescribes a certain diet to your dog, but your dog does not enjoy the food or does not do well on it, or else his illness does not improve as much or as fast as anticipated, try one of the other formulae in the exact same category.

 

Bear in mind that OTC foods cannot be expected to produce the same effects as veterinary diets; they are not rigorously researched and therefore are allowed on the market without evidence that they work like their labels say they do.

 

And finally, keep in mind that medical diets have been formulated to address specific medical concerns, not to keep long-term wellbeing in dogs of all ages, sizes, and strains. These foods seldom meet WDJ's normal selection criteria for top-quality foods (see "Pick the Best Dry Food," WDJ January 2016). As a rule, smaller, independent food manufacturers who create the types of meals we regard as ultimate in calibre do not provide diets for medical problems.