# Alternative to Hills Prescription Diet?



## loganbean (Dec 3, 2008)

My bc is on Hills Prescription Diet for the next 3 months. I am hoping that he simply has a food allergy (I don't want to spend $1K on allergy testing and meds). OK, so fast forward to 3 months and he is doing great: is there an alternate food that anyone knows of that is similar (ingredient wise) to Hills Prescription Diet? $90 for a 27 lb bag is outsane!  Don't get me wrong- if it works- so be it and I will be happier for it. 
I would like to think that I could purchase something with similar ingredients that would not require me to purchase it at the vet (I hate buying anything at the vet- way overpriced).
Thanks.


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## skelaki (Nov 9, 2006)

Have you considered going with a raw diet?


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## Keechak (Aug 10, 2008)

which kind is it?

Z/D
W/D
T/D
ect.


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## loganbean (Dec 3, 2008)

As for "why not raw?"
What if he is allergic to chicken, beef, eggs, etc...? 
From what the vet said, the Hills contains proteins at a low dose so that the dog doesn't register the protein.?

It is z/d.

Thanks.


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## Keechak (Aug 10, 2008)

Here is an unbiased website called Dog Food reviews. and here is your food scroll down to read their review.

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=1078&cat=all

I would suggest "Taste of the Wild" It has very specific protein sources. You of course will not be able to find out what your dog is allergic to until you try a food with that ingredient as a main ingredient.

There are 4 Taste of the Wild recipes. each one contains a totally different meat source from the others. so if your dog ends up being allergic to beef, feed him the duck formula. if he's allergic to duck feed him the salmon formula.


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## aznricey (Apr 29, 2009)

Same problem here, my dog has prolonged colotist triggered by something from science diet, we've switched to home cooked rice with ground beef ever since.

Problem is I don't know i much i should be giving, and the beef seems to irritate her stomach a little bit too. Mean while i need to figure out the amount i should give her.

Anybody knows of site or information I could calculate calories and such for my 9 year old pomeranian? 

thanks!


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

You could try the Orijen fish formula. It doesn't have a lot of allergens like corn, wheat, grains. It doesn't have chicken or beef either which some dogs can't stand. It contains mostly fish.

I haven't heard of many dogs allergic to fish so it could be worth a shot. I know a dog who has terrible allergies on this food and he's doing great. It was recommended by his vet.

But it's not cheap at all. I pay around $20 for 5.5 lbs. The bigger bags are around $70-75 for 30 lbs.

Taste of the Wild is another good one to try. They have grainless food too. Most dogs are allergic to some sort of grain or chicken.


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## Kina_A (Jun 8, 2009)

You could also try California Natural, Wellness Simple or Natural Balance.

I found out trough a process of illimination that my pup Kina has an intolorance to Chicken. She's doing really well on California Naturals Lambmeal and Rice puppy formula.


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## MafiaPrincess (Jul 1, 2009)

I've known a good number of dogs who were allergic to many meat proteins in kibble, but were not allergic to the same meat sources raw.


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## Pai (Apr 23, 2008)

aznricey said:


> Same problem here, my dog has prolonged colotist triggered by something from science diet, we've switched to home cooked rice with ground beef ever since.
> 
> Problem is I don't know i much i should be giving, and the beef seems to irritate her stomach a little bit too. Mean while i need to figure out the amount i should give her.
> 
> ...


Beef is actually one of the more common dog allergies. That and milk. Try chicken or fish protein foods, if beef is not working out for your pup.


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## Xie (Feb 5, 2009)

We transitioned my mom's dog from Z/D to Wellness Simple Venison and Rice and it has gone very well with no signs of allergies.

The way Z/D works is that the protein is broken down and reformed so that it is completely novel. You can't get that in any non-prescription food and it's why it is so expensive to buy. What you can get is a LID (limited ingredient diet) that consists of one novel protein (meaning a meat source your dog has not likely been exposed to) and one carb. That's what the Wellness Simple line is all about and it has worked very well for us.


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Check out http://www.dogaware.com/ for information on home cooking for dogs. Sassy's allergies improved but didn't go away with a simple home made food. So she itches, she stinks less, anal sacs are healthy and her ears are clean.

Start with making up a recipe at http://www.nutritiondata.com/ so you know what is in the food you are making. Then figure he needs about 20 calories per pound and at least 1 gram of protein daily per pound of dog. If he gets thin feed more, if plumps up feed less. In the meanwhile he won't actually starve anyway!

I love using ground beef, so easy to use. Try ground turkey maybe? I roast chickens, bone and chop in my food processor and can do the same with pork or lamb. More trouble but better than doing it by hand! Sassy can handle the fat so I mix the pan drippings into the chopped meat. I hope you know about calcium. A medium sized dog needs as much calcium as an adult woman. Grind up dried egg shell and add 1/2 tsp of that to a pound of meat. 

Much as the SD stuff sounds nasty it is medicine. Use it until the system has calmed and healed then go to the simple novel protein and carbohydrate food. Some vets seem to feel it is to be used forever, maybe because some pet owners don't take it seriously and put the dog back on the offending kibble.


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## aznricey (Apr 29, 2009)

Thank you very much for all the suggestions and links!!

Im ready to go to the grocery store to try out more home cooked meals. I don't think ill give the kibble any more tries, since my dog is already 9 and there really aren't much flavours to try on, so ill rather try raw meat to cook on, and see what she really is alergic to.

Weird thing though is, she was just doing fine with the new beef and rice meal until this few days, her colitis episodes are coming back once again =(

PS: Does anyone know of a site that could calculate how much my dog should consume (calories volume etc) ?


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