Hills precription k/d small bites

[snowbird]

Just wondering if anyone is feeding their baby's this food. My vet suggested I put Bella on it. I find the kibble quite large but she does eat it. They suggest 21 ot 31 pieces a day for a 5 pound dog. That seems like a lot of food to me. Bella is 6 pounds. Her teeth are good, but she has a retained baby tooth, that she thinks she will lose as her other one on the opposite side fell out a couple of weeks ago. She doesn't want to put her under for just one tooth. I find the kibble quite large for being called small bites. If anyone is using this food, I would love to know how your baby is doing on it. Bella is only 10 months old and I brush her teeth, but from what the vet said these baby's are known for bad teeth. If you are feeding your baby this product how old is she, how much does she weigh and how much do you feed. If anyone has had any trouble with this food I would like to know that too. Thanks

[Ellie May]

Do you mean T/D or does your baby have a kidney problem?

I'm told that T/D was tested on Yorkie specifically. They tend to win the breed with the worst teeth award.

I won't say not to feed it because your vet specifically recommended it, and they are right, she will very likely have tooth issues. However, this food is not generally recommended unless there is already a problem. Home care and dentals as needed is the usual route.

[snowbird]

Sorry I made a typo. It is T/D. You sound like you are not very fond of this diet. I read on here all the time about different dog food that according to a lot of members is not a quality brand. Why would a vet carry a brand of food that was not quality. I travel to Florida in the winter and I called a number of vets in my area and most of them carry this particular brand as well as Royal Canine, which I have read on here is not quality also. It is very confusing to me. I can't see vets selling something that may affect the health of our pets. I was also told that the reviews of the top brands most of the time is one person's opinion and not a study that was done. I am still very interested in hearing about any other member's that are using or have used this particular brand

[ArmaniMan]

I am also not fond of Science Diet.

Vets know very little about animal nutrition and often receive kick backs for selling these low end brands. I would only use it if necessary for a prescription diet. I have a very elderly cat who is on a kidney formula, but otherwise I wouldn't feed it.

I brush my dogs teeth everyday, and give the plenty to chew on and so far this is working great.

[Britster]

Vets get very little nutrition education while in school. And the little bit that they do get is sponsored by Hills Science Diet. Just one look at the ingredients and it grosses me out, LOL. I would never put a perfectly healthy dog on any SD food.

Brewers Rice, Whole Grain Corn, Chicken By-Product Meal, Powdered Cellulose, Pork Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Soybean Mill Run, Soybean Oil, Chicken Liver Flavor, Calcium Sulfate, Potassium Chloride, L-Lysine, Iodized Salt, Choline Chloride.....

Alot do get kickbacks but I think it is more so the vet not really knowing any different and they wanna stick with what they know. More and more vets are becoming more educated in nutrition now though, I've found.

Kibble is not going to keep teeth clean, IMO. It's the equivalent of keeping a humans teeth clean by eating hard pretzels. Brushing, dentals and sprays, etc, will help and it depends on an individual dog with teeth issues. Some may never need a dental in their life, others will have to every year. Also, usually the baby teeth come out when they are put under for their spay.

[kkd]

My vet also recommended this kibble for my Yorkie and Yorkie Poo after their first dentals. I give it to them as `treats`, not as a meal. The size of the kibble does seem big for them but they like tossing them around and hiding them from each other before they eat them. I look at it as a low calorie treat that is good for their teeth and give them each a couple each in the evening.

[cj125]

Snowbird - I have 3 Yorkies.

Mia who is 5 yrs old and weighs 7 lbs
Max who is 4 yrs old and weighs 11 lbs
Moe who is almost 2 yrs old and is 13 bs

All are on Science Diet J/D an I/D

I have tried many different brands of dry kibble - a few wet - and even raw... mine just don't tolerate them like they do the Science Diet. I WISH I could say I'm giving them better food but I have to go with what works for my kids. The proof is in the pudding.

Yes, I believe the dry kibble is better for dogs compared to giving just wet food. Giving a little wet with dry is fine but I believe they need the dry as the primary food. Just my opinion.

Ask your vet if the food comes in small bites because the kind we buy does come in larger pieces so we have to make sure we get the small bites.

We use the 1/4 cup measuring cup to feed our kids twice a day. Mia doesn't usually eat all of it so I have to pick it up right afterwards or else Moe will finish it off and he's on a strict portion control right now. lol!

All of my kids get a yearly cleaning at the vets, brushing at home probably 3-4 times a week and treats that help to keep the tarter off.

We use the CET toothpaste and dental treats along with Merricks Natural Flossies.

Retaining baby teeth is normal with Yorkies. We had any remaining baby teeth pulled when we had ours spayed/neutered.

[snowbird]

Cj125 I did buy the small bites and I find they are a little large. I too brush Bella's teeth regularly. This food thing drives me crazy. You try your best to do the best for your pup, taking vet's advise and it seems here you never get it right. I have always had larger dogs, golden's,, King Charles cavalier and I never paid much attention to what I fed them. The Golden lived to be 15 and died of old age and the cavalier was 14 and was the same. Both of them were on grocery store dog food. I never had any health problems with neither one. With this little one I thought I would do the right thing and ask the vet and now it seems she doesn't know anything either. I disagree with some of these members saying the vet doesn't know the difference. I do know she would never give any animal anything that would potentially harm them. She has been my vet for over 20 years and regularly goes to all the large conferences and is on the natioal board so I tend to believe she is up to date on all the latest information. So you give your little ones 1/2 cup a day that is less than the recommended amount and that seems to satisfy them. Bella's other food she was only eating a half a cup also. I think that is what I will try. Thanks again for replying

[Britster]

Originally Posted by snowbird

Cj125 I did buy the small bites and I find they are a little large. I too brush Bella's teeth regularly. This food thing drives me crazy. You try your best to do the best for your pup, taking vet's advise and it seems here you never get it right. I have always had larger dogs, golden's,, King Charles cavalier and I never paid much attention to what I fed them. The Golden lived to be 15 and died of old age and the cavalier was 14 and was the same. Both of them were on grocery store dog food. I never had any health problems with neither one. With this little one I thought I would do the right thing and ask the vet and now it seems she doesn't know anything either. I disagree with some of these members saying the vet doesn't know the difference. I do know she would never give any animal anything that would potentially harm them. She has been my vet for over 20 years and regularly goes to all the large conferences and is on the natioal board so I tend to believe she is up to date on all the latest information. So you give your little ones 1/2 cup a day that is less than the recommended amount and that seems to satisfy them. Bella's other food she was only eating a half a cup also. I think that is what I will try. Thanks again for replying

I don't believe that a vet is telling you to buy a food that will purposely harm them.

The way I see it, it's just like with people... you have those who live off TV dinners and McDonald's, and you have those who shop all organic, and eat healthy every single day. People who eat terribly, smoke heavily, etc. can live perfectly normal long lives.

Just like the person who exercises, eats excellent and "does everything right" can drop dead at age 30 from a heart attack. Or a person who never smoked a day in their life can die from lung cancer. That's life.

Just because a dog does "well" on SD, or Kibbles n Bits, doesn't necessarily mean they're eating as good as they could.... but it also doesn't mean they're going to be unhealthy dogs and die young either necessarily. That's not to say Jackson doesn't get to enjoy a little Cesar wet food every now and then, or a Milk Bone, I just do it in moderation... just like people.

You gotta do for your dogs what you personally decide is right... but in the end you can't place blame and say 'this dog didn't live as long as this one because it ate better food.' There's too many other factors out there. Do your research, and feed what you feel works best for your dog.

[smepperson]

Hi ~ IMHO ~ in doing some research before Teddi arrived, this link is very informative about the different types of foods to feed your puppy. It truly is a personal choice after doing some reading.

Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble

Vets would not purposely sell you a diet that is not right for your little one but some are not as experienced with certain breeds and are at times stuck on what they know/have learned.

I personally prefer diets that have human grade ingredients without a lot of preservatives, etc., and the site link above is a great starting point to learn which foods are which.

[ArmaniMan]

Originally Posted by Britster

I don't believe that a vet is telling you to buy a food that will purposely harm them.

The way I see it, it's just like with people... you have those who live off TV dinners and McDonald's, and you have those who shop all organic, and eat healthy every single day. People who eat terribly, smoke heavily, etc. can live perfectly normal long lives.

Just like the person who exercises, eats excellent and "does everything right" can drop dead at age 30 from a heart attack. Or a person who never smoked a day in their life can die from lung cancer. That's life.

Just because a dog does "well" on SD, or Kibbles n Bits, doesn't necessarily mean they're eating as good as they could.... but it also doesn't mean they're going to be unhealthy dogs and die young either necessarily. That's not to say Jackson doesn't get to enjoy a little Cesar wet food every now and then, or a Milk Bone, I just do it in moderation... just like people.

You gotta do for your dogs what you personally decide is right... but in the end you can't place blame and say 'this dog didn't live as long as this one because it ate better food.' There's too many other factors out there. Do your research, and feed what you feel works best for your dog.

well said.

[xoxodoglover89]

Originally Posted by Britster

I don't believe that a vet is telling you to buy a food that will purposely harm them.

The way I see it, it's just like with people... you have those who live off TV dinners and McDonald's, and you have those who shop all organic, and eat healthy every single day. People who eat terribly, smoke heavily, etc. can live perfectly normal long lives.

Just like the person who exercises, eats excellent and "does everything right" can drop dead at age 30 from a heart attack. Or a person who never smoked a day in their life can die from lung cancer. That's life.

Just because a dog does "well" on SD, or Kibbles n Bits, doesn't necessarily mean they're eating as good as they could.... but it also doesn't mean they're going to be unhealthy dogs and die young either necessarily. That's not to say Jackson doesn't get to enjoy a little Cesar wet food every now and then, or a Milk Bone, I just do it in moderation... just like people.

You gotta do for your dogs what you personally decide is right... but in the end you can't place blame and say 'this dog didn't live as long as this one because it ate better food.' There's too many other factors out there. Do your research, and feed what you feel works best for your dog.

:thum bup:


I personally prefer all natural ingredients as well when it comes to dog food. I look for foods without corn, wheat, by-products, soy, artificial preservatives, etc. I just feel more comfortable feeding her a food where I know what over half of the ingredients are.

[Ellie May]

I don't dislike T/D necessarily. I don't dislike Rx foods in general. I've fed them before and I'm about to feed one again. Some of them are truly amazing products and I'm very thankful for all the research that goes into creating them.

Vets make money on things they sell. Yes, some oversell to make a larer profit. Some don't. Some even hate stocking food because they don't get enough return on it.

I highly doubt that T/D would harm your Yorkie. And it almost certainly will help prevent tartar buildup (I believe it's like up to a 39% prevention). There is no doubt that it works.

What I was saying was this. T/D is a prescription diet. You can use it as a preventative and that is fine. I personally would lean toward using it only if my pup actually had a health problem. While the food is fine for adult dogs, I wouldn't be too happy about giving it because I would have to wonder if I'm giving up on good things in a diet for her overall health by only focusing on teeth...

I think if a vet says to feed it, that is fine. It would just be my preference to brush daily and see if there was going to be a problem before making that a permanent diet.

[cj125]

Originally Posted by snowbird

Cj125 I did buy the small bites and I find they are a little large. I too brush Bella's teeth regularly. This food thing drives me crazy. You try your best to do the best for your pup, taking vet's advise and it seems here you never get it right. I have always had larger dogs, golden's,, King Charles cavalier and I never paid much attention to what I fed them. The Golden lived to be 15 and died of old age and the cavalier was 14 and was the same. Both of them were on grocery store dog food. I never had any health problems with neither one. With this little one I thought I would do the right thing and ask the vet and now it seems she doesn't know anything either. I disagree with some of these members saying the vet doesn't know the difference. I do know she would never give any animal anything that would potentially harm them. She has been my vet for over 20 years and regularly goes to all the large conferences and is on the natioal board so I tend to believe she is up to date on all the latest information. So you give your little ones 1/2 cup a day that is less than the recommended amount and that seems to satisfy them. Bella's other food she was only eating a half a cup also. I think that is what I will try. Thanks again for replying

You know this is one of those subjects that can go on and on so I'm just going to leave my opinion as it is.

Snowbird, sooo funny that you mentioned you had larger breeds because so did we.... Lucky our Blk Lab. Like you, we didn't have the money or the knowledge to feed him anything but store kibble. He ate Wish Bones, regular rawhides and anything that we ate - including GRAPES!!! lol! We didn't know any better and he loved them. Well, Lucky made it to 15 yrs - still had all of his teeth which were in great condition considering we NEVER brushed them! The larger breeds are much more resiliant. These litle ones are truly like babies - but I love them just as much!

[AlicetheYorkie]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

I don't dislike T/D necessarily. I don't dislike Rx foods in general. I've fed them before and I'm about to feed one again. Some of them are truly amazing products and I'm very thankful for all the research that goes into creating them.

Vets make money on things they sell. Yes, some oversell to make a larer profit. Some don't. Some even hate stocking food because they don't get enough return on it.

I highly doubt that T/D would harm your Yorkie. And it almost certainly will help prevent tartar buildup (I believe it's like up to a 39% prevention). There is no doubt that it works.

What I was saying was this. T/D is a prescription diet. You can use it as a preventative and that is fine. I personally would lean toward using it only if my pup actually had a health problem. While the food is fine for adult dogs, I wouldn't be too happy about giving it because I would have to wonder if I'm giving up on good things in a diet for her overall health by only focusing on teeth...

I think if a vet says to feed it, that is fine. It would just be my preference to brush daily and see if there was going to be a problem before making that a permanent diet.

If you decide to go with a higher quality ingredient food (human grade quality ingredients and no fillers) there are chews you can give for treats to aid in dental health (such as CET chews and bully sticks). I like what Britster said too about the way we look at food in general. When I talk to family and friends about their food choices for their dogs and cats, I always put it that way - sure you can do fine on fast food and processed food and most of us eat it once in a while with no ill side effects, but would you feed your child a Happy Meal for every single meal? Not saying Sience Diet is as unhealthy as a happy meal (although I think something like Kibbles n bits is) but it just gives you an idea of how to think about it.

As was also said, most (not all) veterinarians don't give much thought to nutrition. As Ellie Mae said, prescriptions diets absolutely have their use and can be a wonderfull aide if there is a specific heath problem to address (I needed to give my cat s/d after surgery for urinary crystals, but after a month of letting the rx diet do it's thing (which I was really gratefull for), I switched him back to his holistic food (and stopped giving the crappy grocery store treats that the dh picked up which is most likely what threw off his ph balance and caused the problem) and he's been fine since.

If you decide to stick with your vet's advice and use the T/D, you can look into adding a wholefood suppliment to your dog's diet to help fill in any nutritional gaps. I personaly reccomend Missing Link (their site link is below)- it's a great product and in powder form that most pet even enjoy the taste of when it's sprinked on their food. Foster's and Smith seems to sell some good ones too, but I don't have personal experience with using those.
www.missinglinkproducts.com/

Honestly, I trust YT member's and my small local holistic pet store owner's recomendations on food combined with my own research more than my own veterinarian's.