Purina Veterinary Diet?

Question:
 I brought Tetley to the vet for the first time today because he was having some tummy issues which I mentioned in the thread 'Tetley's Tummy Troubles' in the sick & injured section. I was super happy with the vet I chose - he didn't charge me for the visit (complimentary!), just the testing fee for the sample I brought in ($30), PLUS he gave me a huge bag of food to try for free.
We had a very long discussion, the vet and I, about the different foods available on the market and the pros and cons of each (I quoted you guys a lot ;) ) I told him I'm weaning Tetley off the Eukanuba and getting him on Canidae. The vet's response to that was that he could neither confirm nor deny whether canidae was a good food because they don't publish papers or research. He said a big reason why vets recommend the brands they do is because part of the $$ from the sale of the dog food goes back into research - that's why vets recommend the big names, and apparently Purina is the top research company. I hadn't thought of it that way. I thought they were just getting a kickback.
Anyway, in the end he said I was free to feed Tetley whatever I wanted, but offered to give me a bag of food to try that he feeds his own dogs. It's called Purina Veterinary Diet (Paediatric Formula). He gave me a 8 lb bag of it! I thought this was a clever way to get Tetley hooked on an expensive brand of food but the receptionist said it was only $13 a bag.
So has anyone tried this brand? Any comments?

Answer:
 My vet also said that is why she carries and recommends the Science Diet brand. However, she knows I know a little more than the average bear about what is quality and what is not........so she is proud and very happy with what my furkids eat. She also does not feed her own dogs what she sells...........very interesting, nonetheless.
I am not sure as to the purina..........can you top 10-15 ingridients?

Answer:
 After too many vet visits with our first vet and trying a variety of foods & other ideas to help with all of Magic's tummy troubles....I switched vets and the first thing he did was change Magic's food to Purina Veterinary Diet DCO which treats colitis.....and it has worked wonders with Magic's tummy troubles. While I am not really a fan of the ingredients ....Magic needs alot of fiber because of the way her body breaks down food and this food has alot of fiber....so now that she has been stable for awhile, I am going to start adding some supplements and she how she does.
Hang in there and hopefully this food will help your pup!

Answer:
 After too many vet visits with our first vet and trying a variety of foods & other ideas to help with all of Magic's tummy troubles....I switched vets and the first thing he did was change Magic's food to Purina Veterinary Diet DCO which treats colitis.....and it has worked wonders with Magic's tummy troubles. While I am not really a fan of the ingredients ....Magic needs alot of fiber because of the way her body breaks down food and this food has alot of fiber....so now that she has been stable for awhile, I am going to start adding some supplements and she how she does.
Hang in there and hopefully this food will help your pup! I think the missing link has fiber in it. It is supposed to help with digetion. I just started it 2 days ago so I haven't seen any changes yet.

Answer:
 I think the missing link has fiber in it. It is supposed to help with digetion. I just started it 2 days ago so I haven't seen any changes yet. YES! It's absolutely chock full of fiber, that's why it can produce a lot of gas if they're not slowly introduced to it. It takes a while to see results, about a month for us. But I wouldn't go without giving it to my dogs now. It has so many good things in it.
I hope that the food helps Tetley! Have you thought about giving him a teaspoon of plain full-fat yogurt daily? They love it, and the live cultures help with digestion:thumbup:

Answer:
 YES! It's absolutely chock full of fiber, that's why it can produce a lot of gas if they're not slowly introduced to it. It takes a while to see results, about a month for us. But I wouldn't go without giving it to my dogs now. It has so many good things in it.
I hope that the food helps Tetley! Have you thought about giving him a teaspoon of plain full-fat yogurt daily? They love it, and the live cultures help with digestion:thumbup: Great suggestion.....Both our girls get yogurt!

Answer:
 Vets simply don't know about nutrition. Sorry, but just read the ingredients on that bag. Corn, corn and more corn... and other junk. Canidae is an awesome food. And a 6lb bag is less than $8. Just read the ingredients... Loki had major tummy troubles and has not had diarrhea in a year - since he's been on the Canidae.

Answer:
 Vets simply don't know about nutrition. Sorry, but just read the ingredients on that bag. Corn, corn and more corn... and other junk. Canidae is an awesome food. And a 6lb bag is less than $8. Just read the ingredients... Loki had major tummy troubles and has not had diarrhea in a year - since he's been on the Canidae. Erin, I agree with you. I think that they basically just "sell" what they have in the office. Starr's vet had her on Science Diet, because they SELL that in the office. It's basically garbage food, now that I know better and read the ingredients and did some comparing and research on it. I don't know about the Purina food, I've not seen the ingredients, but my guess would be that it's basically junky like their Dog Chow. I'd like to see the bag for myself, though, before totally judging it.

Answer:
 Its almost like what to believe. The breeder had mine on Purina Pro Pal and I stuck with it. My 12 week old loves the Senior food I have my 13 yr old on and she runs everytime I uncrate her right to the senior food bowl. I got some samples of puppy food brand name: Professional and also the Science Diet brand.

Answer:
 Its almost like what to believe. The breeder had mine on Purina Pro Pal and I stuck with it. My 12 week old loves the Senior food I have my 13 yr old on and she runs everytime I uncrate her right to the senior food bowl. I got some samples of puppy food brand name: Professional and also the Science Diet brand. Well, it really isn't a matter of "believing". It's a matter of reading the label and doing research; Puppies, like children, don't KNOW what's good for them and it's up to us to give them the best:D On the other hand, though, if they won't eat a food, then what good is it?!?!:laugh:
Good luck, you will find the perfect food with a little trial and error.

Answer:
 Vets simply don't know about nutrition. Sorry, but just read the ingredients on that bag. Corn, corn and more corn... and other junk. Canidae is an awesome food. And a 6lb bag is less than $8. Just read the ingredients... Loki had major tummy troubles and has not had diarrhea in a year - since he's been on the Canidae. I know...I just read the ingredients. Lots of corn. :thumbdown
I had a discussion with the vet about corn...he said it was a really good source of carbohydrates, but I would personally prefer carbs from rice or other grains.
I think I'll stick with the Canidae, and donate the yukky Eukanuba and questionable Purina to my local animal shelter. :thumbup:

Answer:
 After too many vet visits with our first vet and trying a variety of foods & other ideas to help with all of Magic's tummy troubles....I switched vets and the first thing he did was change Magic's food to Purina Veterinary Diet DCO which treats colitis.....and it has worked wonders with Magic's tummy troubles. While I am not really a fan of the ingredients ....Magic needs alot of fiber because of the way her body breaks down food and this food has alot of fiber....so now that she has been stable for awhile, I am going to start adding some supplements and she how she does.
Hang in there and hopefully this food will help your pup! I also had my dog on this and tried to wean him off and he got really bad again. I say if you have a dog with a a problem such as colitis or IBD and find something that works stick with it. If a dog has to stay on medication as some do for the rest of their life, does more damage then the corn or whatever in the food. I have 3 dogs and 3 diffent diets. One can't get off medication with any food. We tried home cooked, every holistic and veterinary special diet. I have supplied the local animal shelter until expiration dates. He's on medication for life and a home cooked diet high in fiber. I hate to say this but I dream about his messy poop.

Answer:
 I think I'll stick with the Canidae, and donate the yukky Eukanuba and questionable Purina to my local animal shelter.
LOL that's what I did with all of our "Trial and Error" foods:p They must LOVE me:laugh:
Corn is the number one allergen, plus it's a SIMPLE carb. Which means a quick burst of energy, followed by a slump. Look for brown rice or oats as a carb source in the foods you're considering.
I'm so glad that you are doing your homework, it really shows how much you care for your little one:thumbup:

Answer:
 I also had my dog on this and tried to wean him off and he got really bad again. I say if you have a dog with a a problem such as colitis or IBD and find something that works stick with it. If a dog has to stay on medication as some do for the rest of their life, does more damage then the corn or whatever in the food. I have 3 dogs and 3 diffent diets. One can't get off medication with any food. We tried home cooked, every holistic and veterinary special diet. I have supplied the local animal shelter until expiration dates. He's on medication for life and a home cooked diet high in fiber. I hate to say this but I dream about his messy poop. Wow, you sure have been through a lot:( I say if the food is working, then absolutely stick with it. But Tetley doesn't seem to have a severe health issue (at least IMHO, anyway), just needs the "right" food. The vet gave her the Pediatric (puppy, I guess?) formula, not one of the specialized formulas. I would think that IBD or colitis would be irritated by corn, as it's highly indigestible. I wonder?
But hey, whatever works, right?! I feel for you having to make three different meals at feeding time, but I bet you have it down to a science now, huh?:eek: