that is the stupidest thing i've ever heard!!

what's even more screwed up, is that if you get such a prescription from your vet, then petsmart STILL won't sell you the food until you go through THEIR vet clinic to get a secondary prescription for it

and the regular vet said no prescription was necessary, that she sends all her clients to petsmart to buy it and no prescription is needed - WRONG!! my fiance's dog might die tonight b/c of this shit...

5/19/2009 8:51:55 PM

you need to rob petsmart.

5/19/2009 8:52:56 PM

what the fuck is prescription-only dogfood? just go to petco.

5/19/2009 8:54:05 PM

Try a different PetSmart. A lot of PetSmarts will give it to you. All depends on how the manager feels like running the place.

What is the dog food?

5/19/2009 8:54:10 PM

i hope the dog turns out ok!

we had our 4yr old chocolate lab fixed a couple of weeks ago. she came home and got realllllly sick and almost died. 2 other dogs with her symptons had to be put down while she was there. Lost 12 lbs in 3 days, etc etc. She was sent home with 3 or 4 meds and some vet-issued Science Diet.

5/19/2009 8:54:12 PM

yeah i had never heard of prescription-only dog food until tonight

it's by hills science diet (which i've bought before) but it's a special "prescription" line they apparently have. the one he needs is the i/d canned food for digestive problems. the vet gave my fiance 2 cans of it (at $4 a can!!) and told me he could buy more at petsmart.

i would try another store, but it's 9pm and their all closed. no petco around here either.

poor Little Bit

5/19/2009 8:57:03 PM

my cat has the same fuckin food, they give you a card to take with you into the store, you show it and you can buy the damn hundred fuckin dollar bag of food

5/19/2009 8:58:26 PM

can you call the vet and get more? just until you can get back to petsmart?


or find an emergency vet and explain your situation?

5/19/2009 8:59:06 PM

they told my fiance that even if he got the card from his vet, that he'd still have to take it to the petsmart vet clinic to get another "ok" before he could actually buy it

ugh this is so frustrating!!!

5/19/2009 9:00:17 PM

does your vet not sell it? or is it more expensive there or something?

yea, if you need some ton call an emergency vet. a lot of vets sell the science diet food.

[Edited on May 19, 2009 at 9:01 PM. Reason : .]

5/19/2009 9:00:47 PM

regular vet is closed at this hour

he and his grandmother have already spent $texas at the emergency vet clinic when he got sick on mother's day. neither of them can afford another vet bill. besides, even if he did go back to the emergency vet, all the stores that sell it are closed for the night...

^ the regular vet does sell it, and he got 2 cans there the other day, but it's twice as expensive there as at petsmart, so she told him to go to petsmart and that he'd have no problem buying it there.

[Edited on May 19, 2009 at 9:03 PM. Reason : ]

5/19/2009 9:02:28 PM

Does your dog need I/D? 1/4 boiled chicken/hamburger to 3/4 white rice. Feed in small amounts until the vomiting/diarrhea stops. I doubt your dog would die from a diet need that would need I/D. If they would die tonight, I'm sure the veterinarian would've suggested hospitalization.

Prescription-only dog food is not stupid. Don't you think that a dog in kidney failure needs different food than a healthy dog? C'mon.

[Edited on May 19, 2009 at 9:08 PM. Reason : ]

5/19/2009 9:06:08 PM

well, he did stay overnight at the vets for a couple nights when he got sick. they gave him fluids and meds until he wasn't as sick and sent him home with directions to feed him the i/d.

apparently the dog has an adrenal glad disorder (basically a canine version of cushings syndrome) and he has dangerously low albumin (blood protein level) and will no longer eat unless it's the i/d food. and when he doesn't eat, he ends up lying in the floor shaking (seizing?) and is totally lethargic and unable to stand up.

^ i TOTALLY agree that a dog with a condition needs special food. that's pretty much my point. i think it's stupid that you have to have a prescription to buy said food.

[Edited on May 19, 2009 at 9:12 PM. Reason : ]

5/19/2009 9:10:18 PM

If his problem is inappetance (secondary to the Cushing's), he should've been put on A/D for a couple of days. That is exactly what that food is for. What type of Cushing's does the dog have?

If you're having trouble getting him to eat, try the boiled chicken/rice mixture. It's really easy on the digestive system (be sure to remove any fat from the chicken) and it's more palatable than the I/D.

Quote :

"i think it's stupid that you have to have a prescription to buy said food. "

It affects the animal a lot more than you think it would (some foods even alter gene expression) and you can't trust most pet owners to buy that type of food. So many animals would become extremely ill because their owners read some shit on the internet and thought their dog had kidney failure or something.

[Edited on May 19, 2009 at 9:22 PM. Reason : ]

5/19/2009 9:13:59 PM

yeah, that make sense...

thanks for the meat/rice suggestion. we'll give that a try and see how it goes...

5/19/2009 9:19:15 PM

Quote :

"he ends up lying in the floor shaking"

Sounds like hypoglycemia. Do you have a glucometer?

5/19/2009 9:26:36 PM

i think they tested his blood glucose several times. all i know for sure is that his albumin was dangerously low (1.1)

5/19/2009 9:29:58 PM

wow, you've never heard of prescription pet food??

yeah, hill's & royal canin (which is owned by waltham, who owns banfield) make prescription foods.

hill's prescription diet != hill's science diet...so make sure you're not picking up the wrong one.

none of the petsmarts i've been in sell hill's prescription diet, only royal canin.

[Edited on May 19, 2009 at 9:35 PM. Reason : ]

5/19/2009 9:33:59 PM

Mars owns both Royal Canin and Ol' Roy, in addition to some other shitty pet foods.

5/19/2009 9:42:03 PM

yes, i realize now that there's a difference between hill's science and hill's precription. prior to this ordeal i had never heard of the prescription line, just the science line, and then still didn't know until tonight that the prescription line was actually prescription-only and not just a name for the "special" food.

and petsmart does sell it b/c my fiance had it in his cart and was up at the register when he was told he couldn't buy it w/out a prescription

5/19/2009 9:42:09 PM

that's great that your petsmart carries it. i wasn't arguing with you, just stating what i had noticed in the past.

Quote :

"Mars owns both Royal Canin and Ol' Roy, in addition to some other shitty pet foods."

yeah, whiskas, pedigree, banfield, royal canin, sheba, cesar, greenies, whole meals, the goodlife, nutro...

most of those are shit, but a couple aren't. just b/c a large company owns a bunch of brands doesn't mean everything they make is crap.

5/19/2009 9:52:43 PM

I just wouldn't trust the makers of candy products with the health of my pet. The by-products that they use aren't Grade A, which are optimal.

5/19/2009 9:58:18 PM

while we are on the subject of food, not to hijack the thread, what (if anyone has cats) is a good food (dry & wet) to feed a 3 year old female cat who is slightly (but not hugely, according to the vet) overweight (she weighs 12.5 but she is also a BIG cat. i mean she prob needs to lose a pound or so)?

she used to have problems (TMI time) with hemorrhoids (poor baby) from straining. so i started buying foods with more fiber (per the vet). but i still don't really know what good kinds are to get, since i know a lot of them (like mentioned above, are shit). i usually feed her purina indoor weight control formula (i don't know if this is a good kind or not). what about wet food? i feel like that is what makes her a fatty.



[Edited on May 19, 2009 at 10:02 PM. Reason : .]

5/19/2009 10:01:27 PM

W/D: great for weight management/obese prone pets. Has a great amount of fiber.

How much should she weigh? Did your vet do a calorie count? R/D might be better for initial weight loss, then switch to W/D.

[Edited on May 19, 2009 at 10:04 PM. Reason : ]

5/19/2009 10:02:59 PM

sweet. that is what we fed my doggy (she was a mini schnauzer and had like a lipid build up or some crazy thing that apparently isn't that rare in schnauzers) for like the last 7 years of her life. she loved it.

i guess i never thought about it for cats

^ well she weighed closer to 13 when she last got weighed and the vet said probably between 10.5 and 12 would be better. she was having some trouble feeling her ribcage

but she is doing better and i'm trying not to overfeed her! no calorie count done. she also has a heart murmur but while it wasn't the lowest grade (or whatever, the vet used a scale to rank it) it wasn't the worst either. poor baby.

[Edited on May 19, 2009 at 10:07 PM. Reason : .]

5/19/2009 10:05:22 PM

omg bitchplease, you're a lifesaver!!!!! i'm on the phone with my fiance and he just gave little bit the meat/rice mixture and he's eating it!!! he's chowing down on it (about 1/4 cup portion of the mixture). my fiance and i both say thank you thank you thank you!!!

5/19/2009 10:11:27 PM

^^10.5-12 lbs is a pretty large discrepancy

I would get the bag of W/D and feed for a 10-11 pound cat. She might really hungry initially but you can add a teaspoon of canned pumpkin for a bit to make her feel fuller (+ added fiber). I'd ask your vet, but that shouldn't interfere with her heart murmur. Pets that are on restrictive-diets (fed a teeny bit under their ideal weight) live on average 2 years longer than those that don't. I'd be happy to look through my notes tomorrow and give you the names of the studies that provided that information.

^You are welcome! Just be sure to get a second opinion

[Edited on May 19, 2009 at 10:20 PM. Reason : ^]

5/19/2009 10:19:17 PM

my cat is on prescription cat food for urinary tract health. she's 100% normal on it but when i try to give her some meow mix shit she has problems.

its not that big of a deal and it eliminates a problem

5/19/2009 10:22:28 PM

^^ oops haha...maybe it was 11.5 to 12. i don't remember. i should probably call. i mean when i went in they were like "oh she's a little overweight but you just need to really measure out her food and not overfeed her and it should be fine"

but then we had to go back in for the hemorrhoids. which haven't been a problem since, thankfully. she was tres uncomfortable.

she is due for updated vaccines soon so i will ask when i take her in about the weight and then put her on the correct food. i def want her to be healthy.

5/19/2009 10:33:57 PM

bitchplease, my fiance said the dog ate some of the meat/rice but now seems like he might throw up. he's trying to give him his anti-vomit pill, but the dog won't take the pill. any suggestions for getting him to take the pill??

5/19/2009 10:34:27 PM

open mouth, put pill in mouth way back on the back of the tongue, close mouth

5/19/2009 10:35:50 PM

tried that - he spits it up

5/19/2009 10:39:59 PM

My dog had the same problem about 2 weeks ago. The vet gave me the pills for vomiting, Purina EN, and flora packets to put in her food. Three days later the vet called me and said my dog needed to be put on perscription food that would cost $66 for a 20 lbs bag. Me being the hard head, I didn't fill the perscriptiong for the food and fed he the Nutro natural Choice food. Since then, she has stopped getting sick, she has put all her weight and then some, and is acting like her normal self.

5/19/2009 10:45:42 PM

How much was the dog fed? He needs to be fed very small amounts at a time.

Did he vomit the pill up, or spit it back out? If he spits it back out, throw the pill down as far as you can (this involves you putting most of your hand in the dog's mouth if they are medium-sized) and keeping the dog's mouth shuts until he swallows. If he is being stubborn, try gently blowing in his nose or rubbing his throat to make him swallow.

5/19/2009 10:48:27 PM

he was given a little less than 1/4 cup and he didn't eat all of it.

i'll pass on the pill-giving suggestions to my fiance...
i think he's just spitting it up

[Edited on May 19, 2009 at 10:52 PM. Reason : ]

5/19/2009 10:50:41 PM

If 1/4 cup is making him sick, try a tablespoon or two every 20-30 minutes.

I would still contact an emergency veterinarian just in case, given his condition.

[Edited on May 19, 2009 at 10:53 PM. Reason : ]

5/19/2009 10:52:46 PM

update: explosive diarrhea

5/19/2009 10:56:26 PM

um, vet. now.

5/19/2009 10:56:53 PM

i wouldn't even call an emergency vet. just go.

he obviously needs something to help his body absorb nutrients.

[Edited on May 19, 2009 at 10:58 PM. Reason : ]

5/19/2009 10:57:46 PM

just wait till the AM - no need to flip that er bill - there's a level 10 of overreaction in this thread

5/19/2009 11:37:32 PM

^ probably not an overreaction if he was just hospitalized.

5/19/2009 11:41:12 PM

Cushing's isn't something to mess with.

5/19/2009 11:42:11 PM

This is like an episode of House. M.D. except none of you know what you're talking about.

5/20/2009 12:09:51 AM

it's a fucking dog

let it die!

now if it were a kitty cat then it's be a completely different story...

5/20/2009 12:48:27 AM

^^ haha

5/20/2009 12:51:59 AM

Wow, a hundred bucks for a bag? Its really going to suck when my wife can't get food cheap through the vet school... pay like $18 for a 40lb. bag of fish & potato food for dogs and $10 for a 20lb. bag of senior k/d food for cats.

5/20/2009 2:01:02 AM

^ my gf gets free california naturals food for the dog and the cats from the vet school. I think it may be through the holistic club if you want to have your wife look into it.

5/20/2009 2:05:55 AM

Quote :

"I just wouldn't trust the makers of candy products with the health of my pet. The by-products that they use aren't Grade A, which are optimal."

this is the last time i will hijack this thread and the last time i'll post in here unless it's about the sick doggy.

i accidentally closed the tab after i had typed all this shit out and now i'm mad so i'm not retyping it all.

my point was that nutro isn't so bad. hill's is shit and almost all, if not all, of their formulas contain corn, corn meal, or corn gluten meal. it is a cheap low quality filler that i would never and do not feed my dogs any food containing that. or chicken. the 2 most common ingredients that cause allergies.

oh and i'm in rocky mount and we're very much limited in our selection of dog/cat foods. we have no small/specialty pet stores so i have to get what i can from our mini petsmart & mini petco. my super allergy dog eats blue buffalo, fish & sweet potato, with fish oil supplements & a zyrtec daily (BAD seasonal allergies). my other eats nutro natural choice lite. she has no allergies and LOVES all food too much. she's only 4 lbs overweight but has minor joint probs.

/rant

[Edited on May 20, 2009 at 9:05 AM. Reason : ]

5/20/2009 9:01:41 AM

Quote :

"and he has dangerously low albumin (blood protein level) and will no longer eat unless it's the i/d food. and when he doesn't eat, he ends up lying in the floor shaking (seizing?) and is totally lethargic and unable to stand up."

Sounds like you dogs needs a quality protein diet. I know its a little more expensive, but I talked to breeders and nutritionists and they say that a holistic diet is the best. I put Jaeda on California Natural because even though her protein levels are normal to high, quality protein diet is different than quantity. But both of my dogs seem to really like it. I got the herring and sweet potato because of the fatty acids in fish. There are no corn products or animal by products...

I will pray for your pup :-( I am sorry

5/20/2009 9:14:04 AM

Quote :

"This is like an episode of House. M.D. except none of you know what you're talking about."

I lol'd... but I guess you would know what you were talking about (not being sarcastic, either)

5/20/2009 10:10:36 AM