If your furry friend has ever had a chronic illness or food sensitivity, chances are you’ve gone to the vet and may have been told to start feeding your pet prescription food. According to Dog’s Naturally Magazine, the main difference between over the counter pet food and prescription pet food is how expensive they are. To put it simply, your dog doesn’t need prescription food.
According to Dana Scott, CEO of Dogs Naturally Magazine, the top 5 ingredients in store bought prescription food and prescription food are the same:
- Chicken by-product meal
- Corn meal
- Sorghum
- Barley
- Chicken
So, there’s no reason for the foods to require a prescription, since they contain no drug or other ingredient not commonly found in non-prescription pet diets. There is no reason for veterinarians to hand a written “prescription” for dog food that is taken elsewhere to purchase the food.
Now, you might be thinking this is because the prescription diet was formulated and tested with a specific condition in mind. This is completely false. While an over-the-counter food with a health claim (such as controls weight) is subject to FDA regulations and enforcement, the FDA practices “enforcement discretion” when it comes to veterinary diets.
Put another way, this means the FDA has not reviewed or verified the health claims on any veterinary diet. So, if your vet claims your dog needs to be eating a prescription diet, ask to review the ingredient list. Then ask for hard evidence the foods in the prescription diet are any better than those in regular diets.
The Brookside Barkery’s mission is providing “better health through better nutrition” and we’re dedicated to educating our customers so that they can make better decisions. If you think your pet may require a special diet, top by Brookside Barkery today and let our pet nutrition experts guide you and your four-legged best friend to a healthy and happy life!
Source: Dog’s Naturally Magazine
