science diet feline prescription food

[GailC]

Does anyone have to feed their kitty science diet prescription food? My cat just spend a few days at the vet with bladder trouble and has to be on this stuff the rest of his life. I'm wondering if there is other brands or is the science diet as good as its supposed to be?

 

[Brad Ramsey]

We have had great success with Science Diet and our cats.
Male w/ crystalizing issues and female with chronic urinary tract infections.
Both have been successfully controlled on SD prescription diets.

-Brad

 

[arachnophoria]

I worked as a tech at a vet clinic and these diets are great.It does not always solve the problem and depending on the problen there are alternatives.There is a Hills science diet available OTC,that may be cheaper,but you really should ask your vet which is best.If you think they just want t make money off of you buying the food,then seek a second opinion from another vet...I find most vets honest and resonable,even if not all that bright

 

[arachnocat]

My male kitty got crystals in his bladder last year and almost died. I've been feeding him Science Diet C/D multicare (dry food) ever since and he hasn't had any more problems.
There's another kind you can try called Royal Canin Urinary SO. It's a little more expensive. I was giving it to my cats for a while but they both threw it up sometimes. They don't do that with the Science Diet. I think it may be a little easier to digest.

 

[cacoseraph]

i took my cat to the hospital new year's day for FUS/FLUTD

poor bastard.

i use this
http://www.purinaone.com/Products/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=8A6060B1-D5D4-415A-A1C8-274567B0ECE5

i think it is ~$20/16lbs


he got cathetered to flush crystals 1/1/08. so far his bladder has been able to drain itself w/o my help... but i am supposed to check his bladder from time to time and make sure he is going pee regularily. i even had to trim *my* claws so i could do the abdominal palpitations w/o hurting him. heh


poor bastard.

 

[arachnocat]

I guess it's a pretty common problem. I'm glad I know what to look for if he ever gets sick again. We thought he was just constipated. We took him to one vet who said he just had a bladder infection and gave us antibiotics. They worked for a while but eventually it got so bad I had to take him to the emergency clinic. The vet said it was the worst case of crystals she's seen. Poor little guy. He made a full recovery though. I figure the extra cost of his food is better than having to pay another $1600 vet bill :wall: And putting mr kitty through all that again.
I would suggest shopping around a little bit once you decide what kind to of food to get. I picked up my cat's food from a new vet near my work instead of his usual vet and discovered it was way cheaper there.

 

[tigger_my_T.]

If you want a natural alternative cranberry works really well just put some cranberry powder in you cats food and it works or there is some food that uses cranberry Ill find the name later

 

[GailC]

My guy had the crystals too, a bad case that nearly killed him. He's still pretty sick but he did come home today. I was feeding the purina one, vet said its not good enough for his problem.
I'm not concerned that the vet is trying to make a buck off me, I just don't care for science diet food, I think it could be a better quality for the price. I'll have to check around for price at different offices. Right now he is on s/d at $14 for 4 pounds. Once he switches to c/d it will be $48 for 30 pounds.

 

[cacoseraph]

If you want a natural alternative cranberry works really well just put some cranberry powder in you cats food and it works or there is some food that uses cranberry Ill find the name later

i don't know about all that


my cats problem is that he forms crystals in his urine from improperly metabolizing his food. an excess of magnesium and too acidic a urinary system cause these crystals too grow faster than the cat can eliminate them. i would most certainly not want to bet cranberries are going to do the job of a specially formulated diet!

i will experiment on my bugs all day... but not my feeling, thinking cat

 

[cacoseraph]

i feel a spreadsheet comparison coming on =P

SD Multicare Feline http://www.hillspet.com/hillspet/products/productDetails.hjsp?PRODUCT<>prd_id=845524441783039
SD Multicare with Chicken Feline http://www.hillspet.com/hillspet/products/productDetails.hjsp?PRODUCT<>prd_id=845524441783038
PO Urinary Tract Health Formula http://www.purinaone.com/Products/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=8A6060B1-D5D4-415A-A1C8-274567B0ECE5
RC Veterinary Diet™ feline URINARY SO 30™ http://www.royalcanin.us/vetdiet/felineurinary.html


love how it parses urls sometimes

 

[cacoseraph]

from what vet and web say, lower Mg and acid (which means Ph approaching 7.0, which is neutral) are better for piss crystal prevention

 

[cacoseraph]

Mg (MAX)
0.08% SD Multicare Feline
0.08% SD Multicare with Chicken Feline
0.08% PO Urinary Tract Health Formula
0.07g* RC Veterinary Diet™ feline URINARY SO 30™

p.s. i hate the RC site. you can't select/highlight correctly

* "per 100g as fed"



so, purely from Mg consideration, S/D and Purina are the same and Royal Canin is like 13% better



i can only find a ph for RC
plus from more reading it seems like there are many things that can be added to help eliminate or reduce the crystal formation

i need a damned study

 

[arachnophoria]

Hills is a superior quality pet food.What quality issues are you having?It is gaurenteed through the vet.Like another poster suggested,get a script from your vet and try to order online or buy at another clinic for less money.You can also try canned versions of the same diet.The thought is that the moisture in moist food is better for cats that eat a high protien diet and don't drink enough water.The old thoughts that wet food contributed to tooth decay have been disproven to some degree,b/c cats don't really chew the hard food much anyway,b/c thier teeth aren't designed for it.

 

[bugmankeith]

I had a cat live on Science Diet Light dry food it's entire life and water, with the occasional crunchy dental treats. The vet said he was allergic to other foods and canned foods, and at one point he was 35 pounds, which is why he was on the Light formula.

This was some years ago so i'm thinking there could have been other foods he could have eaten, but the food seemed good quality.

 

[edesign]

I have only fed my cat Science Diet since I got her two years ago...she was on it before I adopted her too. I started her off on the kitten, then the indoor cat...then the adult light which she has been on for a year or so. Everyone who pets her comments on her ultrasoft fur and the vet had told my gf it's probably because of the cat food. *shrugs* maybe true, maybe not...I dunno, but I have no bad experiences with it and will continue to use it. I don't find it that expensive, not sure how much yours is though.

 

[Lorgakor]

I believe that many cats get urinary tract problems because of the food they are fed, including prescription diets like Science Diet. Cats are not meant to eat grain products. At all. Science Diet contains these products, as do most other commercial cat foods. After researching cat foods I put my cats on a food that contains zero grain products, only meat and some vegetables. The ratio should be 75/25/0 (meat/veg,fruit/grains). I feed my cats Orijen now, their coats are shinier, their breath doesn't smell, and they go to the bathroom less.

I have read many reviews of cat owners who have switched their cats who had crystals or other urinary tract problems to a healthy food such as Orijen, and their cats no longer have those problems. Now Orijen is made in Canada so I doubt that you Americans could get it, but a little research and you should be able to find a similar food near you.


These are the ingredients on Science Diet Multicare Feline, the prescription food for urinary tract problems. As you can see from the first two ingredients this is a crappy food. If the first ingredient isn't meat, then it's pretty bad. In fact Chicken By-Product Meal is the only meat product on the whole list!

Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken By-Product Meal, Pork Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Chicken Liver Flavor, Fish Oil, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Sulfate, Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Iodized Salt, Potassium Citrate, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Taurine, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), preserved with BHT and BHA, Beta-Carotene.


This is the ingredient list for Orijen (again, I'm not preaching about Orijen, just high quality grain free cat food in general). See the difference? The first three ingredients are meat products, and there are zero grain products.

Deboned chicken, chicken meal, turkey meal, russet potato, lake whitefish, chicken fat, sweet potato, whole eggs,deboned turkey, salmon meal, salmon and anchovy oils, salmon, natural chicken flavour, sunflower oil, sun-cured alfalfa, dried brown kelp, carrots, spinach, peas, tomatoes, apples, psyllium, dulse, glucosamine Hcl, cranberries, black currants, rosemary extract, chondroitin sulfate, sea salt.TONIC HERBS AND BOTANICALS Chicory root, licorice root, tumeric root, funugreek, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, zea mays, peppermint leaf, chamomile flowers, dandelion, summer savory, rosehips. ORGANIC MINERALS Iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate. PROBIOTIC MICROORGANISMS Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product. PREMIUM VITAMINS Mixed tocopherols (source of vitamin E), choline chloride, vitamin A, vitamin D3, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin B12, folic acid, biotin.


Of course the best thing to feed cats is a natural meat diet including bones, but if you must feed a dry diet, at least try to pick a high quality, meat based one.

Good reading,
http://www.acreaturecomfort.com/cathealth.htm

This is a website about dog food reviews, but it is a great resource. Check out the top dry dog foods and why they are the best, then you can research those companies for their cat foods.
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/

 

[GailC]

I agree on you about the quality of hills. When the contaminated pet food scare was going on, I did alot of research on different pet foods. I don't like anything with corn or by products (feet/feathers/guts/hooves) in it. I feed my dogs chicken soup for the pet lovers soul, a very good food, its costs $28 for 30 pounds VS $48 for 30 pounds of hills crappy quality cat food.

I've heard very good things about Orijen. I'm close to the Canadian boarder and I bet I could find it. I'll have to do some research.

 

[cacoseraph]

orijen is avail in usa, looks like
http://www.championpetfoods.com/orijen/storeLocator/OnlineStoreListing.aspx

am researching


http://www.dawggonehealthy.com/

Orijen Cat Food
Weight: 15.40 lbs  
Price: $ 41.00   = $2.66 perlb

Orijen Cat Food
Weight: 5.00 lbs 
Price: $ 17.99   = $3.59 perlb

 

[GailC]

After doing a bit more research on bladder stones in cats, it looks like some are actually caused by a high protien diet. As much as I would like to feed a better food then hills, it looks like I'm stuck with it.

 

[Lorgakor]

You didn't mention stones in your original post, I think that is a little different. But I still don't think a high protein diet would be the cause. A feline is designed to eat protien, with a bit of vegetable matter from prey items. Can you provide a link to your findings? I'm finding it hard to believe that the cats natural diet (protien) would be causing it harm, while something like corn which it would not eat normally is prescribed as a medicinal food.

Bladder stones form when the amount of mineral present in the urine is high enough that the mineral is unable to remain dissolved. Instead, the minerals fall out of solution and become crystals, which, in turn, will coalesce into a stone. Different characteristics of the urine—such as how acidic or basic the pH level is —can make certain minerals more likely to precipitate into bladder stones. Some diseases can cause increased amounts of minerals to accumulate in the urine. Diet can also play a role. In addition, urinary tract infections can lead to struvite stone formation, as can different abnormalities in a cat's anatomy and metabolism. Each bladder stone type has predisposing factors that cause certain cats to form that type repeatedly. Cats who develop cystine bladder stones, for example, usually have a genetic inability to absorb the cystine mineral within the kidney.

That is a quote from googling, it came from the website of an animal hospital. The whole article can be read here,
http://www.westlakeanimalhospital.com/Encyclopedia/Acral_Lick/Addison_s_Disease/Adrenal_Gland_Disease__Ferrets/Anal_Sac_Disease__Canine/bladder_stones__feline.html

Here is another article from Hagen that is pretty good.
http://www.hagen.com/canada/english/cats/info_sheet.cfm?CAT=5&INFO=66

A quote from that article,

In summary, to avoid struvite crystals in cats, keep cats active and at a good weight. Encourage water intake. Avoid treats high in magnesium and/or sugar. Make outdoor cats comfortable with using litter boxes. Offer a highly digestible, all meat based diet that promotes a slightly acid urine and provides optimal calcium, phosphorous and magnesium levels, not simply a "low ash" formula.

The following is a from the Orijen website.

Q: URINARY HEALTH? Does ORIJEN promote urinary health?

A: Yes. Due to the high meat content and low magnesium content, ORIJEN is naturally acidic and helps promote a healthy bladder.

ORIJEN foods have a pH of about 5.5, which is naturally mildly acidic and well suited to the maintenance of healthy bladder function in both cats and dogs.


Q: DOES HIGHER PROTEIN STRESS THE KIDNEYS?

A: NO. There is no study in science to show a higher protein diet has any negative effect on the kidneys of dogs or cats. In fact, scientific studies show quite the opposite; dogs with poor kidney functions or dogs that had only one kidney showed improved health on higher protein diets.

Anyhoo, whatever you decide I hope that your poor kitty feels better soon.