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Originally Posted by Ellie May  There are several reasons that people have come up with about why vets "push Hills". Some of them are:
They gets kickbacks.
They learn about the food in school.
They are taught nutrition by Hills.
They barely need one nutrition class, so aren't informed enough to make reasonable dietary decisions.
It is true that they can make money off of any food they sell (this could apply to any brand they choose to stock though). They do have Hills reps at school, but other companies are generally free to do what Hills does if they want to. They don't learn too much about nutrition, but they are generalists, not specialists. And even if they are taught be Hills, part of the reason is that Hills puts tons of money into studies on animal nutrition.
It's a matter of doing what you're comfortable with. A low fat food is not always enough. Low to moderate protein tends to be good for pancreatitis. Rx foods are controlled fairly well so only the ingredients on the label end up in the food. Many foods have stray ingredients in them on accident. And what happens if something that ends up in one of these OTC foods is one of your pup's pancreatitis triggers? Minimum fat is listed on all foods, but how consistent are OTC foods with this %? Are they consistent enough to trust with a pancreatitis dog? And rx gastrointestinal/pancreas foods tend to be highly digestible. Does this apply to the OTC low fat foods out there?
If you want to feed an OTC food, I would talk to your vet about what is best for your pup. |
Vet's are totally dependent on the pet food industry to provide a food for their clients. They just sign up with whatever company they feel comfortable with or with the company rep that gives them the best deal. The pet food company develops a really bland combination of ingredients and adds vitamins and minerals for nutrients.