Hills science diet

Veterinary Science Graduate Certificate from UofI
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Hi guys,


I'm stopping over from the med student forms. I have fed my dog pro-plan her entire life (puppy, then adult, then sr or weight management) since that's what her breeder started her on.

Recently, she was diagnosed with kidney disease (she's almost 12 and a large breed dog) and the vet put her on science diet prescription for renal health. She seems to tolerate it well, which is huge b/c she has a ridiculously sensitive stomach, but it sounds like from this thread that it's a crappy food. Do you guys recommend I get another vet's opinion to see if she should switch to something else? Also, I read a few studies online that mentioned that low-protein isn't necessarily super good for new-onset kidney disease to such an extreme that science diet takes it. Science diet is 14% protein content, while other prescription brands are 18-20%. (Pro-plan was 30%). I could call my vet from home (we're out in Wisconsin now for med school) and see what they recommend, but I don't think that would do any good b/c I know they also sell science diet. So, I would need to go to another vet out here in Wisconsin to see what they say.
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Science Diet is one of the few brands that makes prescription diets for animals with (food related) health problems. My dog has bladder and kidney stones and had one surgery before I got her. She's been on S/D or C/D the entire time since then, and we don't give her treats or anything. I don't think that any other companies make special food like that.

If this thread goes on long enough, the Hill's supporters will come out of the woodwork. There is some dissention about whether it is good or not, so don't feel like every vet despises Science Diet food. It's a debate.
 
Zarika said:
Hi guys,


I'm stopping over from the med student forms. I have fed my dog pro-plan her entire life (puppy, then adult, then sr or weight management) since that's what her breeder started her on.

Recently, she was diagnosed with kidney disease (she's almost 12 and a large breed dog) and the vet put her on science diet prescription for renal health. She seems to tolerate it well, which is huge b/c she has a ridiculously sensitive stomach, but it sounds like from this thread that it's a crappy food. Do you guys recommend I get another vet's opinion to see if she should switch to something else? Also, I read a few studies online that mentioned that low-protein isn't necessarily super good for new-onset kidney disease to such an extreme that science diet takes it. Science diet is 14% protein content, while other prescription brands are 18-20%. (Pro-plan was 30%). I could call my vet from home (we're out in Wisconsin now for med school) and see what they recommend, but I don't think that would do any good b/c I know they also sell science diet. So, I would need to go to another vet out here in Wisconsin to see what they say.
Click to expand...

Listen to your vet's advice, and if you're skeptical, go to get a second opinion at another vet. If you don't like Hills, you can even ask your vet to recommend a renal diet from a different company and I'm sure your vet would be happy to let you give that a try. If you're concerned about protein content, ask specifically about that. Just because they sell Hills DOES NOT mean that the vet will only prescribe Hills.

But whatever you do, don't listen to a bunch of google researched junk from lay people that may/may not harm your pet. This forum is not a place for you to get medical advice about your pet. I think there's a good discussion going on here, and I'd hate to have this thread closed.
 
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EllieGirl89 said:
I don't really like to see by-products in the food at all. Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal,
First two ingredients are high-quality meat sources of protein.
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I believe that chicken meal = chicken by-products
 
Minnerbelle said:
Listen to your vet's advice, and if you're skeptical, go to get a second opinion at another vet. If you don't like Hills, you can even ask your vet to recommend a renal diet from a different company and I'm sure your vet would be happy to let you give that a try. If you're concerned about protein content, ask specifically about that. Just because they sell Hills DOES NOT mean that the vet will only prescribe Hills.

But whatever you do, don't listen to a bunch of google researched junk from lay people that may/may not harm your pet. This forum is not a place for you to get medical advice about your pet. I think there's a good discussion going on here, and I'd hate to have this thread closed.
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Yeah, I know it's not a place to get medical advice. That's why I specifically asked "Do you guys recommend I get another vet's opinion to see if she should switch to something else?"

It's expensive to go to the vet's on a med student budget, especially for a food consultation, and I was just looking for opinions of people who sound like they have significantly more animal experience than I do if it was worth the investment.

From the previous poster, it sounds like there aren't that many other options anyways, so I'll probably just wait until her 3 month blood-work check-up.
 
I've heard a bunch of anecdotes from people that have had their pets on the more common foods, Hill's, Purina, Pedigree, etc. and had many medical problems that completely reversed themselves when they went onto a homemade cooked diet. I'm not recommending that to anyone without seeing a veterinary nutritionist first, but it does make for some interesting debate. I'm not sure how I personally feel about raw foods.
 
Zarika said:
Yeah, I know it's not a place to get medical advice. That's why I specifically asked "Do you guys recommend I get another vet's opinion to see if she should switch to something else?"

It's expensive to go to the vet's on a med student budget, especially for a food consultation, and I was just looking for opinions of people who sound like they have significantly more animal experience than I do if it was worth the investment.

From the previous poster, it sounds like there aren't that many other options anyways, so I'll probably just wait until her 3 month blood-work check-up.
Click to expand...

Hills prescription diets are formulated for the specific reason they are made. They do extensive testing on their prescription diets. If your cat eats it and it was recommended by the veterinarian who you take your cat to, then don't pay attention to this thread which is basically people saying why they feed "x" to their animal instead of "y". There are no mention of medical histories in the mix.

If in doubt, yes go to get a second opinion.
 
NStarz said:
I've heard a bunch of anecdotes from people that have had their pets on the more common foods, Hill's, Purina, Pedigree, etc. and had many medical problems that completely reversed themselves when they went onto a homemade cooked diet. I'm not recommending that to anyone without seeing a veterinary nutritionist first, but it does make for some interesting debate. I'm not sure how I personally feel about raw foods.
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Renal failure will not be reversed by diet. Diet is focused on not doing more damage, not curative.
 
chris03333 said:
Renal failure will not be reversed by diet. Diet is focused on not doing more damage, not curative.
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I was not talking about renal failure. I was talking about allergies, some cases of diabetes, etc. Obviously there are certain ailments that cannot be altered by a shift in diet (I was not referring to those in my post and nor did I pretend to).
 
chris03333 said:
good to know, but why the beep would anyone render flesh and skin together, that doesn't make sense...well the with bone part does.
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Because it costs money to separate them?
 
ATX00 said:
Because it costs money to separate them?
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That makes sense with bone, but without, you are going to lose a ton of weight in the form of water by rendering flesh.
 
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NStarz said:
I was not talking about renal failure. I was talking about allergies, some cases of diabetes, etc. Obviously there are certain ailments that cannot be altered by a shift in diet (I was not referring to those in my post and nor did I pretend to).
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Allergies are not cured either, you are just excluding the allergen, you do not cure the allergy.

Again you are not curing diabetes either...
 
chris03333 said:
Allergies are not cured either, you are just excluding the allergen, you do not cure the allergy.

Again you are not curing diabetes either...
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If you'd like to nitpick my wording, feel free. However, there are problems that have been ALLEVIATED by a change in diet. I'm done with this conversation. I was trying to offer some input, but it seems as though you are trying to merely nitpick my posts rather than think of what they are actually trying to say. I'll make sure to choose my words more carefully around you in the future.
 
I think the fact that there is a debate makes me not want to buy the food... and the fact that it contains gross nasty by-products and is mostly composed of grains. You don't see people at all saying that brands like Wellness is bad for your pet.

When we got our new cat, she was being fed Science diet prescription crap. It came to $54 for a 8lb bag. We had already bought Felidae and a bag half that size was only $19.99 + tax. The prices are comparable... and there is a ton less crap in the Felidae.

I met a man who was feeding his dog Pedigree I believe it is. The breed of dog he had was prone to a certain type of cancer (he had some kind of bull dog... a valley bull dog perhaps?). The vet told the man that the grain in the cheap food would increase the risk of the dog getting cancer later in life. He suggested that the man switch to Science Diet. Ten years later, the man has to have his dog euthanized because of cancer. After the fact, he realized that this expensive brand of Science Diet has the exact same crap in it as the Pedigree. He was not happy.
 
Hello,

I was wondering if anyone has ever tried a brand of food called Evo. I put my 1 year old boxer on it a few weeks ago because he was on the thin side. He loves this food and is putting on healthy muscle from what I can tell. Interested in hearing if anyone has had their dog on this brand and what they found good/ bad about it.

Thanks
 
NStarz said:
If you'd like to nitpick my wording, feel free. However, there are problems that have been ALLEVIATED by a change in diet. I'm done with this conversation. I was trying to offer some input, but it seems as though you are trying to merely nitpick my posts rather than think of what they are actually trying to say. I'll make sure to choose my words more carefully around you in the future.
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I was not trying to nitpick. One of my peeves is when medical advice comes out (even when not meaning to). You have to remember that there are many people who read these forums but don't post, so if you say 'This' cures (completely reverses, etc) 'that' it may be taken literally.

once you go through legal in vet school you will understand.
 
chris03333 said:
I was not trying to nitpick. One of my peeves is when medical advice comes out (even when not meaning to). You have to remember that there are many people who read these forums but don't post, so if you say 'This' cures 'that' it may be taken literally.

once you go through legal in vet school you will understand.
Click to expand...


Okay, I'll give you that, but my status clearly indicates that I am a pre-vet student. I have not tried to say that I am an expert in this area. In fact, my post clearly indicates the opposite (please don't do this without consulting a vet, etc.). If someone chooses to pop in on here and take the advice from a pre-vet student over their vet, that's their choice. There are lots of people parading things on the internet, claiming to be experts, and aren't even half truths. I am neither claiming to be an expert nor claiming that people should try this over their own vet's advice. I was offering anecdotal support in favor of one position, and stated that it was anecdotal and that I had no experience in the area.
 
NStarz said:
Okay, I'll give you that, but my status clearly indicates that I am a pre-vet student. I have not tried to say that I am an expert in this area. In fact, my post clearly indicates the opposite (please don't do this without consulting a vet, etc.). If someone chooses to pop in on here and take the advice from a pre-vet student over their vet, that's their choice. There are lots of people parading things on the internet, claiming to be experts, and aren't even half truths. I am neither claiming to be an expert nor claiming that people should try this over their own vet's advice. I was offering anecdotal support in favor of one position, and stated that it was anecdotal and that I had no experience in the area.
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You know how many people ask pre-vets for advice (I am sure you do)...even posting on the pre-vet forums is typical.

Also people skim. I was not trying to pick on you:). Like I said you will understand once you learn legal in vet school.
 
Zarika said:
Hi guys,


I'm stopping over from the med student forms. I have fed my dog pro-plan her entire life (puppy, then adult, then sr or weight management) since that's what her breeder started her on.

Recently, she was diagnosed with kidney disease (she's almost 12 and a large breed dog) and the vet put her on science diet prescription for renal health. She seems to tolerate it well, which is huge b/c she has a ridiculously sensitive stomach, but it sounds like from this thread that it's a crappy food. Do you guys recommend I get another vet's opinion to see if she should switch to something else? Also, I read a few studies online that mentioned that low-protein isn't necessarily super good for new-onset kidney disease to such an extreme that science diet takes it. Science diet is 14% protein content, while other prescription brands are 18-20%. (Pro-plan was 30%). I could call my vet from home (we're out in Wisconsin now for med school) and see what they recommend, but I don't think that would do any good b/c I know they also sell science diet. So, I would need to go to another vet out here in Wisconsin to see what they say.
Click to expand...

There are other prescription renal foods other than Science Diet (Royal Canin has one, for example, and I'm sure there are others). For example, I have a dog with urinary crystals who did horribly on Science Diet and wonderfully on Royal Canin. It just depends on the specific dog. You could ask your vet about a switch, or get a second opinion like you were thinking about. It may be worth a telephone call to your vet though, to see if there's another food s/he recommends. SD may not be the only thing they sell/recommend.

In my opinion, the whole debate about the quality of ingredients, byproducts, etc is definitely important, but in some cases, when the pet needs a prescription diet, you may not have much choice (ie, just going grain free might not help for renal failure like it might for allergies).

You could always ask your vet about the option of home cooking, though, if you can't find a food you like.
 
I'd think you all would know better than to spout a bunch of anecdotal tales off the internet and take them as fact. Good times making my head explode.
 
Zarika said:
Yeah, I know it's not a place to get medical advice. That's why I specifically asked "Do you guys recommend I get another vet's opinion to see if she should switch to something else?"

It's expensive to go to the vet's on a med student budget, especially for a food consultation, and I was just looking for opinions of people who sound like they have significantly more animal experience than I do if it was worth the investment.

From the previous poster, it sounds like there aren't that many other options anyways, so I'll probably just wait until her 3 month blood-work check-up.
Click to expand...

Sorry for misunderstanding. In your original post, you said you compared the protein content of a bunch of "prescription diets" and I'd assumed you were specifically looking at renal diets... which didn't make much sense to me since they should all have low protein content. I wasn't really thinking and for some reason I just assumed from there that you were one of those people who were getting misinformed specifically about the evils of prescription diets. There are a lot of wackos out there who are. Now that I've thought about it a lil, it sounds like you were comparing renal vs sensitive stomach vs etc... Renal formulas have low protein content to slow down kidney damage, with the idea that an animal with kidney disease is going to die much faster from damage due to high protein content, than suffer from lowering the protein content optimal for a healthy animal. Or at least that's what I remember from a feline kidney disease lecture.

There's really only 3 commonly prescribed renal diets (Hills, Purina, and Royal Canin). If Hills specifically bugs you, and you're a regular client, I'm pretty sure you can give your vet a call and ask about switching brands without making an appointment.
 
quantized said:
I'd think you all would know better than to spout a bunch of anecdotal tales off the internet and take them as fact. Good times making my head explode.
Click to expand...

:claps::lol::poke:
 
I guess I'm curious why there is so much opposition to pets consuming by-products? It's not like animals in the wild selectively eat only the choicest parts of the carcass- they consume everything.
 
turnandburn said:
I guess I'm curious why there is so much opposition to pets consuming by-products? It's not like animals in the wild selectively eat only the choicest parts of the carcass- they consume everything.
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I have absolutely no axe on either side of this debate. I rarely see any good science on either side of this (endless) discussion.

But... the "in the wild" question doesn't really seem to apply either. My dogs wouldn't last 5 minutes in the wild. They have been so changed by domestication that they can hardly be expected to thrive as a wild animal does. They don't have the same teeth, the same sized organs, skin, coat etc. They have been adapted to live with humans and have changed accordingly.

Besides, what is the lifespan for a animal in the wild vs domesticated. They have different needs. One is survival. Personally I am looking for a thriving long life.
 
turnandburn said:
I guess I'm curious why there is so much opposition to pets consuming by-products? It's not like animals in the wild selectively eat only the choicest parts of the carcass- they consume everything.
Click to expand...

I'm not actually opposed to it, and I feed by-products fairly regularly (green tripe most often). My issue with it in pet food is that I don't know exactly what those by-products are and in what amounts.
 
I bring it up because it seems that is often raw proponents that are opposed to commercial diets because it not what their dogs' "wild" ancestors ate. They cite meat by products as an example of why pets should not eat commercial food, which is hypocritical.

But to play devil's advocate... have domesticated dogs really changed that much physiologically? I haven't seen much evidence to support that, aside from minor anatomical differences (I'm obviously not talking about comparing an English bulldog to a gray wolf).

I definitely agree that the needs of a wild animal differ from your average domesticated pet (survival to reproduce vs longevity).

I personally feed a commercial diet and will always do so. There is a lack of empirical evidence to support that grain free, wet, home cooked, or raw diets are superior over a commercial diet. There is much anecdotal evidence to support both. I'd love to see a large, independently funded, well designed study to test this, but who would fund it?
 
turnandburn said:
There is a lack of empirical evidence to support that grain free, wet, home cooked, or raw diets are superior over a commercial diet. There is much anecdotal evidence to support both. I'd love to see a large, independently funded, well designed study to test this, but who would fund it?
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Completely agree. Would love more empirical evidence! Too many claims backed up with anecdotal evidence (or worse).

As for differences between dogs and wild ancestors, I have heard previously (although not investigated it much) of a number of changes in their digestion due to evolving with humans. A quick search came up with this quote...

"The differences between dogs and wolves are larger than between any domestic animal and its wild ancestor. Dogs have 30% smaller relative brain size, noticeable differences in dentition, adaptations to an omnivorous diet in their digestive tract, and numerous other anatomical differences; even their gait and tracks are different. There are very significant behavioral differences: for example, dogs can't feed their puppies by regurgitating food. Adult dogs display many neotenic behaviors, such as tail wagging and barking (Dinets & Rotshild, 1998)."
 
Coquette22 said:
I'm not actually opposed to it, and I feed by-products fairly regularly (green tripe most often). My issue with it in pet food is that I don't know exactly what those by-products are and in what amounts.
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The veterinary nutritionists that work for Hills know exactly what those by products are, and in what amounts. And that is a big reason why I have no issues with the byproducts in the diet.
 
hunterjumper12 said:
From what I have heard, it's because Hill's Science Diet has a lot of fillers, especially things such as corn, I think. I feed my dog Proplan, and she loves it :D And it's not supposed to have any fillers in it either.
Click to expand...

This is my stance on the Hill's diets as well. It is loaded with fillers. That said I would choose Hill's prescription diet over Purina''s any day.
 
david594 said:
The veterinary nutritionists that work for Hills know exactly what those by products are, and in what amounts. And that is a big reason why I have no issues with the byproducts in the diet.
Click to expand...

And if they listed exactly what those fillers were and in what amounts, I'd have no issue with it. I still wouldn't feed it mind you, because grains totally disagree with my bulldog's digestive tract.
 
What are common fillers? From my (limited) understanding, everything that goes into pet foods is there for a purpose.
 
sumstorm said:
However, I also make my own raw diet. I am one of the very few people I know who does raw 'right' by actually making sure the nutrient content is accurate to my calculations. Even so, I don't actually know bioabsorption.
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I've read a little about the raw diet, and it's something I've found quite interesting. I may try it once I become more knowledgeable about animal nutrition, but now I would be too worried about missing nutrients and raw meat makes me a little nervous. Just wondering if you had any more info you'd be willing to share about the whole raw diet thing? For example, is it a lot cheaper, how time consuming, realistic is it etc.?

thanks!
 
For me, it comes down to poop. My dogs were on Iams, but now that they're on California Natural (which isn't the best food, but the best I can afford on a student budget) there is LESS POOP! Better quality ingredients = better absorption and utilization = less feces!

Before I took two nutrition classes I used to be "zomg, hill's is the devils food" but now I see that it certainly has it's place. It's not a BAD food, but you could certainly do better if you can afford it.

I have my cat's on W/D because the one had chronic diarrhea (we've done every test and no significant results) on everything we tried - novel protein sources, grain free, etc. etc. I'm not thrilled about feeding them that as there is a lotttt of poop in the litter box but at least I'm able to scoop it out with a litter scoop now!
 
turnandburn said:
What are common fillers? From my (limited) understanding, everything that goes into pet foods is there for a purpose.
Click to expand...

Brewers Yeast is a very common filler that many dogs have allergies to. This is commonly added to food for a source of proteins, amino acids, B vits.

Corn is also another very common filler and for many dogs is hard to digest and is another potential potent allergen.

Also various meat by-products (carcase + bones, skin, feathers), added for protein.
 
bbeventer said:
Brewers Yeast is a very common filler that many dogs have allergies to. This is commonly added to food for a source of proteins, amino acids, B vits.
Click to expand...

Brewers yeast or brewers rice?? :confused: I can't imagine brewer's yeast to be cost effective as a filler.

And beet pulp, if used in high amounts is a filler. In small amounts, it's a good source of fibre, but I know there's a few brands (drawing a blank right now, sorry) that use more than should be necessary to add bulk to the food.
 
bbeventer said:
Brewers Yeast is a very common filler that many dogs have allergies to. This is commonly added to food for a source of proteins, amino acids, B vits.

Corn is also another very common filler and for many dogs is hard to digest and is another potential potent allergen.

Also various meat by-products (carcase + bones, skin, feathers), added for protein.
Click to expand...

Actually by your own definitions, none of those are technically fillers since they add something to the nutrient profile of the food. :)

From what I understand, brewers rice is a cheap source of carbohydrate (energy), and is not a common allergen, as the most common allergens are (in order) beef, chicken, eggs, dairy, wheat, corn, and soy.

Raw corn is not not very digestible, but cooked corn (found in commercial food) is highly digestible, and still not considered a very common allergen.

Feathers are also removed and not considered part of poultry by-products.
 
I personally like Science Diet, as well as the "snob" foods. I think it really depends on the animal though. For a long time I was a devote Felidae fan, and I still am, so when I got a new kitten a few months ago, I put her on Felidae immediately. While on Felidae, her poo's weren't as they should be (rather soft and way smellier than reasonable). I kept her on Felidae for a while longer, but she ended up needing to be put on the Science Diet I/D prescription diet for a couple weeks because of diarrhea and she wasn't eating. After that, we put her back on Felidae, but found that her poops went back to being soft and super smelly. So we decided to try the Science Diet kitten dry food and it has dramatically improved her digestion. We still give her Felidae wet because we generally love Felidae, but I think diets should be determined for each individual animal rather than just giving blanket opinions (for the most part). I still love Felidae and was hesitant to switch my kitten over to Science Diet, but she's thriving on it and I couldn't be happier with the switch.
 
turnandburn said:
Actually by your own definitions, none of those are technically fillers since they add something to the nutrient profile of the food. :)

From what I understand, brewers rice is a cheap source of carbohydrate (energy), and is not a common allergen, as the most common allergens are (in order) beef, chicken, eggs, dairy, wheat, corn, and soy.

Raw corn is not not very digestible, but cooked corn (found in commercial food) is highly digestible, and still not considered a very common allergen.

Feathers are also removed and not considered part of poultry by-products.
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Just because filler ingredients yield some nutritional support does not mean they can not be considered fillers. I believe that these ingredients are purely to add bulk when much more wholesome ingredients could be selected.
 
I have NO empirical evidence but I just want to say that I much prefer Royal Canin food. My Beagle (with every allergy known to man, as can be attested to by her pruritis, atopy, repeated otitis, etc AND her allergy reflab) has since resolved the majority of all her symptoms when put on the RC Skin Support diet. Also my Cousin's cat blocked, and after he ran out of money ($3000 ER visit for 4 days, 3 sx unblocking) they recommended Euthanizing him. Even I pushed for Euth, because everything seemed hopeless. My cousin refused to give up, transferred the cat to the vet I work for who put him on a massive amt of steroids and Royal Canin S/O and the cat is completely FINE to this day. Which I find amazing.

Now, not saying that RC has magic healing powers :) I have just had some good experience with it.
 
bbeventer said:
Just because filler ingredients yield some nutritional support does not mean they can not be considered fillers. I believe that these ingredients are purely to add bulk when much more wholesome ingredients could be selected.
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*Could* more wholesome ingredients be added? Of course- same goes for human food as well! And there are high end food products available for pets in which only very high quality ingredients are used. More affordable foods contain more affordable ingredients which provide cheaper sources of nutrition, but to make the claim that these ingredients are simply "fillers" would be false and misleading.
 
bbeventer said:
Just because filler ingredients yield some nutritional support does not mean they can not be considered fillers. I believe that these ingredients are purely to add bulk when much more wholesome ingredients could be selected.
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But that's not a scientifically based conclusion. It's a personal conclusion. Back up your arguments with facts and it's more convincing.

Example: Nutrient profile for Brewer's Grains 70% digestible nutrients, with 24% protein and 15.5% fiber, a good amino acid profile, and high palatibility...doesn't look like useless filler to me.
Even something like hydrolyzed feather meal has pretty good nutritional value for animals as it's packed with protein, so that's what it's used for.

I don't understand why people get so worked up over stuff they read on the internet written by laymen about pet food, and then call it fact. It reminds me of vaccine hysteria, and people who know me know how much I hate Jenny McCarthy.
 
Many pet foods provide diets that don't include grain fillers, given these pet foods are more expensive and I don't think they are critical for pet health.

quant, my opinions on pet food arnt random thoughts supported by various statements I have found on the internet but personal observation from hands on experience. The vet clinic I work at routinely does allergen panels and its rather interesting to see what pets react to in their food.

It is funny how some dogs can go their whole life being fit and healthy on 'ol roy while others require food that cost $60 for 20lbs.
 
Totally not a nutrition person, so this might sound ignorant but I have a couple of questions. Given that the diet is nutritionally complete with enough calories, and good biologically available nutrients, what is wrong with having these so called fillers/by-products? And physiologically speaking, what difference does it make?

And I got to thinking about some of these uber expensive foods with fancy meat (e.g. bison). Are there any actual merits to these protein sources other than to make owners feel good about their purchase? These things remind me of a water vending machine I passed by that had regular old spring water for $1, silver fortified water for $3, and platinum fortified water for $5.
 
quantized said:
Yeah the former vp of HSUS. Good one. At least you didn't link the raw meaty bone guy. That one is my favorite.
Click to expand...


Hey, I hate HSUS as much as the next person, but there are some conclusions drawn in that book that are hard to dispute.
 
Minnerbelle said:
And I got to thinking about some of these uber expensive foods with fancy meat (e.g. bison). Are there any actual merits to these protein sources other than to make owners feel good about their purchase? These things remind me of a water vending machine I passed by that had regular old spring water for $1, silver fortified water for $3, and platinum fortified water for $5.
Click to expand...


I also know next to nothing about nutrition, so take this with a grain of salt. I think the different protein sources are valuable when the pet is found to be allergic to other proteins (lamb, beef, chicken, etc.). Other than that, I'm not so sure.
 
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