# Hills Z/D Prescription Food



## SupaSweet777 (Aug 22, 2009)

Jhazmyn went to the vet today because her her allergies again. Her yeast is out of control and she was covered in hives again. She's on benedryl and steroids again. 

Currently Jhazmyn is on raw (chicken leg quarters mainly) and the vet suggested putting her on Hill's Z/D. I was wondering what everyone's thoughts were. Anyone use it?

Jhazmyn has severe allergies. The vet suggested an allergy test also, which has to wait until I get my taxes. She said it will be around $300 - $400. She also suggested putting her on an allergy regimen of shots if the food doesn't take care of it. I want to do what is best for my baby and I just need help now. Any suggestions from anyone would be greatly appreciated.


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## Leroy&Lucy'sMom (Mar 2, 2009)

I'm sorry to hear about Jhazmyn.
I would either do an elimination diet at home to rule out what she is allergic to or else get the allergy test. 
The elimination diet takes a long time and is tedious..

Hill's Z/D is basically expensive crap food, but the biggest thing is that it WORKS. 
Lucy has IBD and has been eating it for 4 years. She does really well on it... I hate how expensive it is and don't like the ingredients, but you're basically paying for the science to hydrolyze the protein so the body doesn't react to the food. 

Leroy had a short stint on it when I was trying to figure out a food he could be on and did well on it also. 

Prescription diet is worth the money if it means a happy/healthier pet... I would definitely give it to her for now while you figure out what she is allergic to. 
Good luck and hope she feels better.


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## SupaSweet777 (Aug 22, 2009)

That's what bothers me is that it is crap ingredients. But I was told it does work amazingly. It's gonna cost me about $85 for a 25lb bag but I'm willing to do what I have to do for my baby.


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## dieterherzog (Sep 28, 2009)

Hills' Prescription Z/D is just hydrolyzed protein - it contains hydrolyzed chicken liver and chicken (in minute amounts). Hydrolyzed protein can be achieved by using enzymes. You might want to try adding a digestive enzyme that has a huge amount of protease (to break down protein into amino acids) and see if that works for you. 

Add enzymes and try different meat sources, sticking only to ONE meat source at a time. Digestive enzymes can be really expensive, but in my opinion, I would rather try that than feed something with soybean oil preserved with BHA and propyl gallate (heck I even try to avoid it in my face cream much less consume it!)


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

According to some people who know far more about this than I do like Monica Segal and Dr. Donald Strombeck when allergies cause digestive upset the gut will allow large molecules to go into the blood stream and sensitize the body to that protein. If things have gone that far the dog will develop allergies to anything you feed when things are in an uproar. In that case it might be a good idea to use Z/D until things have calmed down and then try with a clean slate. Treat it as medicine, she will not be eating it forever and ever. If the chicken has been a problem maybe try pork next. Once she is fine then try a new to her protein like pork and feed only pork until she is eating a complete pork diet complete with organs. Then try the chicken again. If she reacts then drop it. When things are calm try another meat.

I don't know about Z/D but many script diets aren't designed to be forever diets. They are medicines and should be moved away from as soon as whatever the issue was is gone.

Good luck.


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## winniec777 (Apr 20, 2008)

Leroy&Lucy'sMom said:


> I'm sorry to hear about Jhazmyn.
> I would either do an elimination diet at home to rule out what she is allergic to or else get the allergy test.
> The elimination diet takes a long time and is tedious..
> 
> ...


^^^^^This. Our dog has been on zd for 1.5 years. We also recently started her on daily low doses of Tylan. Her bouts with IBD occur way less frequently than before and she finally (!) has an appetite. We went through umpteen foods to get to this one and while I'm not crazy about it, esp. the price, it seems to be working for now and that's all I care about.

If it was my dog I would put her on the zd and get the allergy test when you can. If that can help you figure out the source of the problem and find a better food later on, great. The main thing is to get the condition under control while you figure out a long-term treatment. That could mean zd for life and if it does, don't listen to all the people who will tell you that it's bad food that vets only push because they make money on it. They push it because it works. And it's better than having a starving/ill dog.


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## SupaSweet777 (Aug 22, 2009)

winniec777 said:


> ^^^^^This. Our dog has been on zd for 1.5 years. We also recently started her on daily low doses of Tylan. Her bouts with IBD occur way less frequently than before and she finally (!) has an appetite. We went through umpteen foods to get to this one and while I'm not crazy about it, esp. the price, it seems to be working for now and that's all I care about.
> 
> If it was my dog I would put her on the zd and get the allergy test when you can. If that can help you figure out the source of the problem and find a better food later on, great. The main thing is to get the condition under control while you figure out a long-term treatment. That could mean zd for life and if it does, don't listen to all the people who will tell you that it's bad food that vets only push because they make money on it. They push it because it works. And it's better than having a starving/ill dog.


That's what I am going to do. I have to get everything under control NOW. I realize the ingredients suck but it's what is best for Jhazmyn. Plus, since i do make the kids help out with her, having her on kibble will be easier too for them. For now, I think z/d is going to be what we do. Then her CCL surgery and allergy test done in Feb. If this dog food works then chances are she is going to stay on it. I'm hoping it does work. Her yeast is out of control on her underside and her hoohoo. I'd post pics but it is kinda disturbing!!

As of today all of her hives are gone. I think she had a reaction to the carpet cleaner from when she got sick. They went away as quick as they came but she is on steroids for a few days.


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## winniec777 (Apr 20, 2008)

Poor thing. It's just the pits when your dog is sick, esp. when it's something recurring like that. I hope she gets better real soon.


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## SupaSweet777 (Aug 22, 2009)

Tomorrow I will be picking up Jhazmyn's insanely overpriced food (lol). They say I have to gradually switch her to it. But since she is on raw and going to kibble, will that upset her? I know they digest differently.


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## ioreks_mom (Oct 1, 2008)

When I just switched my dogs from raw to kibble I just did it cold turkey. They have been eating kibble now for about a month and have not had any problems. I give them probiotics every day so that might be helping. I give them acidophilus for people (Jamieson Super Strain Acidophilus) that I got from a drug store.

I really hope that Jhazmyn feels better soon.


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## josh83 (Jan 26, 2010)

My Dog was on Z\D diet due to vomiting. She did fine on the diet but it is overly priced and crap food. We now have her on Wellness Simple Solutions Salmon + Rice (Dry Food) http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/dog_wellness_simple_food_solutions_salmon.html

It is special food for dogs who have allergys and has been working great. Its not a perscription food and is probbaly much better then the the hills Z\D diet and maybe even less expensive. Also grain Free!

I am not trying to tell you to go against your vets word but I would give this a try. You can get it a global pets foods and there are some other stores that have it.

Good luck


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## SupaSweet777 (Aug 22, 2009)

josh83 said:


> My Dog was on Z\D diet due to vomiting. She did fine on the diet but it is overly priced and crap food. We now have her on Wellness Simple Solutions Salmon + Rice (Dry Food) http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/dog_wellness_simple_food_solutions_salmon.html
> 
> It is special food for dogs who have allergys and has been working great. Its not a perscription food and is probbaly much better then the the hills Z\D diet and maybe even less expensive. Also grain Free!
> 
> ...


I tried the wellness before and it doesn't work well with her. Not knowing what her exact allergy is at the moment I'm going with the z/d. Maybe after she gets her allergy test done I can consider another food but we will see.


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## HersheyPup (May 22, 2008)

josh83 said:


> My Dog was on Z\D diet due to vomiting. She did fine on the diet but it is overly priced and crap food. We now have her on Wellness Simple Solutions Salmon + Rice (Dry Food) http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/dog_wellness_simple_food_solutions_salmon.html
> 
> It is special food for dogs who have allergys and has been working great. Its not a perscription food and is probbaly much better then the the hills Z\D diet and maybe even less expensive. Also grain Free!
> 
> ...


I like the Natural Balance Limited Ingredient formulas, they usually contain just one source of protein and one source of carbohydrate. I have been looking at the Wellness Simple Solutions food, as well, but they are not grain free, the first ingredient is Rice (which is a grain...)


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## RaeRae (Dec 1, 2008)

One of my dogs did Z/D Ultra EXCLUSIVELY for 1 year because he had such severe allergies. He was one big yeast infection, he'd lost most of his hair, his skin was covered in scales and sores, and he lived in a e-cone. He did not even eat a single piece of cheese or a dog bone for a whole year. I adhered to that diet 110%. I bought cans of Z/D and sliced them into little paddies, baked them in the oven until they were hard and dry and he ate that for "treats."

The dog kept getting worse and worse despite being on various steroids and antihistamines along with the Z/D exclusive diet. He ended up on antibiotics and both oral/topical for the yeast. I bought medicated shampoo and conditioner from the vet for around $20 for a teenie little bottle. I soaked him in the tub in an oatmeal bath and nothing I did ever helped. It was the most nightmarish year of my life (and the dog's life!) It was embarassing to walk him because he looked like a mangey junkyard mutt.

Finally I decided - this has to STOP or I'm putting this dog to sleep. I cannot bear to see him lay on his side and scrub his body along the carpet for another day. I can't stand to doctor the bloody raw sores on his head for another day. And I cannot stand the idea of this cheap garbage Science Death for one more day.

I switched him to grain free Fromm and almost immediately he began to improve. He's now on Taste of the Wild mainly, with the ocassional Fromm. I make a pot of hamburger and brown rice about once a week so the dogs get a "special treat." I feed chicken breast jerky and chunks of cheese for treats. We have 4 laying hens so the dogs eat whole cooked eggs also.

*I will never feed a dog Science Death again*. I will keep searching until I find something better. If your dog had all these problems while eating RAW, mostly chicken quarters, I would try a novel source of protein like bison, salmon, venison, pheasant, or duck, along with NO grains or fillers (beet pulp, wheat, corn, byproducts, etc.) My dog had been eating Iams because the vet told me it was a great food. NOW I know that all the corn and byproducts were setting him off! I wish I knew then what I know now and I would have avoided that whole year of Z/D hell.

The problem with doing a prescription diet is that you have to feed it EXCLUSIVELY. After a few weeks my dog started ripping up his kennel and got these insatiable urges to steal people food or try to get into the garbage. The house had to be locked up like Fort Knox to keep him out of stuff. He turned into an real jerk to deal with and the old injury on his hind leg flared up and he become 3 legged lame. He lost weight despite how much I fed of that horrible food. Numerous times I asked the vet if I could take him off and they kept telling me NO. If you take him off this food, he's going to flare up worse than he is now and then you'll have a real problem.

At one point I thought this dog would die of cancer due to all the steroids he'd taken his whole life for allergies but it's now been about 2 years without a single flare up, since switching to a high end grain free food. His coat is shiny and soft, weight is good, no allergies or yeast infections at all. The first 8 years of his life, we managed from one infection or flare up to the next.

Wellness CORE didn't work for my dogs. Some people love it, but all 3 of my dogs hated it. They would back away from the dish and look at me with sad eyes. The food did not even smell appealing to me. 

And yes, rice is technically a "grain" but it doesn't typically cause the allergies that other grains do. I agree though to not use it yet until you get things settled down and then start adding back one food at a time. My dog eats rice without any problem, but it was awhile before I tried it.

It's your choice to feed Z/D, but speaking from someone who lived through Z/D hell, I would not recommend it to anyone.


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## RaeRae (Dec 1, 2008)

SupaSweet777 said:


> That's what I am going to do. I have to get everything under control NOW. I realize the ingredients suck but it's what is best for Jhazmyn. Plus, since i do make the kids help out with her, having her on kibble will be easier too for them. For now, I think z/d is going to be what we do. Then her CCL surgery and allergy test done in Feb. If this dog food works then chances are she is going to stay on it. I'm hoping it does work. Her yeast is out of control on her underside and her hoohoo. I'd post pics but it is kinda disturbing!!
> 
> As of today all of her hives are gone. I think she had a reaction to the carpet cleaner from when she got sick. They went away as quick as they came but she is on steroids for a few days.


Awwww crap. Reading this post brings back the memories of my experience. I thought the same thing - this will be the best for him. I remember feeling SO relieved the first day I bought that bag of $50 food and thinking "Wow, this is it! We're finally home free." Boy I was so wrong. 

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=1079&cat=all

I have horses, and soy has recently become the focus of a lot of horse people due to the allergies it causes in equines. It can cause some really extreme health issues. The Dog Food Analysis site says that soy is a known allergen in dogs. Yet that's the main ingredient in Z/D - how does that make sense?


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