Veterinary diets are foods that are developed with specific nutrients for pets with certain conditions and health issues. You must have a prescription from your veterinarian to purchase them though they can be bought from a vet or online. They are also known as prescription diets.
Our quick take
A veterinary (therapeutic or prescription) diet is a complete food formulated to help manage a specific, diagnosed condition such as kidney disease, urinary stones, food allergy or digestive disease. You need your vet’s authorization to buy one, and it works best when your vet chooses the formula and rechecks your dog over time. Don’t move your dog onto, or off, a prescription diet without talking to your vet first. If your dog has no diagnosed condition, a good-quality regular food is usually the better value: see our picks of vet-recommended dog foods.
There are also diets for dogs with skin problems, gastrointestinal problems, urinary tract issues, weight problems, metabolism issues, renal health issues, liver problems, heart problems, joint and mobility problems, and other things.
There are only a few companies that make prescription diets – Hill’s, Royal Canin, and Purina make most veterinary formulas, and Blue Buffalo also sells a Natural Veterinary Diet line. Hill’s pioneered this field and they probably make more of these diets than any other company.
These are all large companies that can afford to invest in the nutritional research required for veterinary diets. Some of the research used for developing prescription diets does end up being used for their commercial foods so it benefits other pets.
The companies that make these foods also have labs and facilities that allow them to test the foods. They can make the foods in facilities under precise conditions which is not true of every pet food plant.
Veterinary diets are often criticized for having low quality ingredients such as grains. They are often high in carbohydrates and they often use by-products. Most pet food review sites won’t review these foods because it’s counterproductive.
Even if the foods get a low grade based on their ingredients, they may still be helpful for pets who need a specific formula for a health problem. Many dog lovers report that these diets do help their dogs.
You can usually find research on PubMed and other sites for scientific papers to back up the claims made by the companies for their veterinary foods. If you visit the company web sites, they often provide links to some of their research.
Legally, a food that claims to treat or prevent a disease counts as a drug. The FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) does not pre-approve therapeutic diets, but under its 2016 compliance policy guide it generally allows them to be sold without drug approval as long as they meet a real disease need, are sold through or under the direction of a veterinarian, and their detailed claims and labeling are aimed at vets rather than pet owners.
That means most of the research behind each diet comes from the manufacturers themselves. The larger brands publish much of it, so it’s worth asking your vet what evidence supports the formula they recommend. The FDA can still act against diets that are marketed straight to owners or that make claims it considers unsafe or misleading.
Prescription diets are very expensive. They made the news in 2016 because of a class-action lawsuit that charged that pet food companies had conspired to fix prices for prescription foods.
The companies named in the suit are Mars Petcare (parent company for Royal Canin), Nestle Purina, and Hill’s Pet Nutrition. PetSmart and veterinary service providers Banfield and Blue Pearl are also named in the class action suit. (Mars and PetSmart own Banfield, while Mars owns Blue Pearl.)
A spokesperson for Mars Petcare/Royal Canin said, “While we do not otherwise comment on pending litigation, we believe the allegations to be without merit and will defend ourselves accordingly.”
The plaintiffs in the case claim that the defendants overcharged consumers by making the foods prescription-only. According to the plaintiffs, these veterinary diets do not contain any drugs or ingredients that are not found in ordinary pet foods.
Documents in the case state “a prescription requirement implies that a substance is medically necessary, contains a drug, medicine or controlled ingredient, has been FDA evaluated, and legally requires a prescription. The plaintiffs allege that the prescription pet foods do not meet these criteria.”
In July 2017 a federal judge in California dismissed the price-fixing claims, finding that the plaintiffs had not sufficiently shown a conspiracy, although related false-advertising claims about the prescription requirement went on in court for years. Prescription diets are still sold today, and you still need your vet’s authorization to buy them.
For some problems, such as mild food sensitivities or weight control, a good-quality non-prescription food can work. For others, such as kidney disease, urinary stones or liver disease, the nutrient levels in a prescription diet are hard to match with a regular food, so ask your vet before you swap. The cost will probably be less than a veterinary diet although premium quality dog foods with novel proteins or other specialized nutrients are not cheap.
It may take some research on your part to find the right food but it can often be done. Non-prescription dog foods are not allowed to make the same kind of health claims that veterinary diets can make but they may make some general claims about how they can improve your dog’s health or benefit him. (The FDA will force companies to remove health claims from these regular dog food labels if they do not have the research to back up their claims.)
Read their labels carefully and check their ingredients and dry matter percentages. Contact the company for exact nutrient percentages so you can find the information you need to know for your dog’s health.
You may also wish to consider making a homemade diet for your dog. If you choose this option, work with a board-certified veterinary nutritionist. A 2013 study in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association found that only 5 of 200 published homemade dog food recipes provided all essential nutrients, and a dog with a medical condition has even less room for error. Be careful about taking the advice of friends or random people online.
Many people mean well but they may not be experts. We recommend visiting the Dogaware.com site for more information about homemade diets and foods for specific health problems.
If you do feed your dog a veterinary diet, remember that these foods are formulated for specific health issues. You need to work with your veterinarian when you feed these foods. Make sure that your dog’s health is frequently monitored.
You may need to change foods at some point. It’s possible that you could safely switch to a non-prescription diet at some time in the future if your dog’s issues resolve, but make that change with your vet.
Veterinary therapeutic diets are used to manage a variety of health related issues and diseases in cats and dogs. They are available through veterinarians and made to be fed under their supervision because of one or more variations in nutrient content from typical balanced diets.
What is prescription diet dog food?
Veterinary foods are available only from veterinarians. In theory, a dog would receive a prescription for one of the foods following a specific diagnosis, and the vet would monitor the effect the diet had on the dog.
Why do vets not like raw diets?
The American Kennel Club (AKC), American Veterinary Medical Association and other groups discourage pet owners from feeding dogs raw or unprocessed meat, eggs and milk. Raw meat and dairy can carry pathogens, like E. coli, listeria and salmonella, which can make pets and people sick or even cause death.
Why are peas bad for dogs?
Garden peas, of course, must always be shelled. But be cautious with pods, because they can get stuck in your dog's throat and cause choking. And as with any new food, watch for adverse reactions, such as diarrhea or vomiting. Peas are a good source of vitamins, including A, K, and the B vitamins.
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An individual with a profound affection for animals, who was brought up in an environment surrounded by dogs, cats, and chickens. A self-taught enthusiast in the realm of pet care. At present, the proud caretaker of two rescued felines and two lovely mixed-breed canines.
We watch the FDA and every major brand so you don’t have to. The moment a dog food is recalled, you’ll get an email with the brand, the lots affected, and what to do. Nothing else, no spam.
