Can sombody please explain the difference

Chester was recently hospitalized with a urinary blockage.

The E-vet sent him home with Purina UR St/Ox both wet and dry. He likes the dry but not the wet.

The regular vet prescribed Hill's Prescription Diet S/D wet. This he refused to eat. Hates it won't even sniff it. He went almost two days without eating.

After I called and pleaded she gave me the dry. He is eating very little of this.

Someone suggested Royal Canin I found a place on line and would like to order Royal Canin Urinary SO 33 - 24 Cans ( 3 oz) - Morsels & Gravey Flavor

They also have Royal Canin Dissolution Formula. This looks like it is the same as the Hills S/D but there is no place that explains what it is actually for.

I know that he hates the pate type wet food. He prefers the bits and gravy type. Before I call the vet and ask about this (demand a prescription) I want to know what I am talking about.

I've been looking on line and can't find anywhere that tells me what the difference is in the formulas between brands.

What the heck is the difference between these foods?

There are more people here than I who are better versed in nutrition. But I would say, don't change foods without your vets blessing. This crystal deal is too dangerous to take any chances with.

I know that I should be following the vets recommendations about food. And I am.

But he is not eating. He hates the wet and is barely nibbling the dry.

This morning he finally pooped. It's been four days!

He went into the box three times. The first time he walked out with poop sticking out of his butt. The second time was just a little bit.

I checked after the third time and there was a lot there. Hopefully he was just plugged and it has passed.

I've got another call into the vet and I'm waiting for a call back.

Just got off the phone with the vet. She said it would be OK to try the Royal Canin SO

She thinks it is more important for him to be eating some kind of wet even if it's not the Hills wet. Unfortunately they do not have any in stock.

So I just placed an order on line and paid extra for two day shipping.

Basically the differences are they are all different manufacturers... which can be a flavor change or a BIG change like a % of protein , fat or micro nutrients...

I am so glad you checked with vet and they okayed a new food

Originally Posted by sharky

Basically the differences are they are all different manufacturers... which can be a flavor change or a BIG change like a % of protein , fat or micro nutrients...

I am so glad you checked with vet and they okayed a new food

Click to expand...

That's the part that really confuses me. They have different letter codes for each type that vary by manufacturer.

No where can I find where it says "this formula" of one brand is equal to or similar to "this formula" of another brand.

Even if I follow strict orders it is no good if he will not eat it.

Today she also told me that it would be OK to try and mix the two different dry formulas (one is S/O the other U/R) and see if he will eat more.

Each brand has their own version of diets for specific medical conditions. A lot of times two companies formulas may be similar because they are used for the same condition, but they won't be identical because each company has their own ideas of what should be used and their own recipes etc...

I was wondering - maybe ask the vet about Hills C/D - that's what my cat is on for crystals. I think the S/D is more for dissolving, and both are prescription foods so you can't just swap anyway, but I wonder if it's worth a try in the vet's mind. C/D wet comes in regular and a fishy flavor as I recall - my boy had stool issues with the fishy version, so I don't get that any more. I was thinking about it since she probably has CD in stock so you could try a can or two before a larger investment.

Poor baby - and it's hard to keep transitioning them to find one they like.

Originally Posted by darlili

I was wondering - maybe ask the vet about Hills C/D - that's what my cat is on for crystals. I think the S/D is more for dissolving, and both are prescription foods so you can't just swap anyway, but I wonder if it's worth a try in the vet's mind. C/D wet comes in regular and a fishy flavor as I recall - my boy had stool issues with the fishy version, so I don't get that any more. I was thinking about it since she probably has CD in stock so you could try a can or two before a larger investment.

Poor baby - and it's hard to keep transitioning them to find one they like.

Click to expand...

They took an x-ray at the E-vet and thought that they saw a small stone in the bladder. This was not clear so the regular vet is being cautious and wants to treat him as if it were an actual stone.

The first 30 days with the S/D then a C/D as maintenance.

Neither vet had any variety of flavors. Just different brands. Both kinds of wet food that I got were just plain brown mush and had no flavor listed.

Also, the only brand that the regular vet seems to stock in Hills.

A lot of the prescription foods don't have different flavors/varieties, they just have one type for each medical condition so they don't list flavors. The only exception I can think of off-hand is the limited ingredient formulas for allergies, like Royal Canin.

Most of the urinary prescription foods have medication that helps to balance the PH in their urine. I have a boy that is on prescription wet and dry and I've tried all of the wet varieties. The only one he'll touch is the Purina UR (go figure). Most vets around here don't carry it, and in the rare occasion that my vet is out of it, I'm forced to feed normal wet food until they can order it for me. During those times, I have a prescription for Urikare that I understand has the same medication that is in the prescription food.

If everything else fails and you can't get him to eat prescription wet, you might ask your vet to research Urikare for you to see if it would work in your case. I can get away with giving those meds with normal wet food in a pinch. I know I can't get away with it long term.

I'm just giving up! This food issue is driving me crazy.

After a mix up with shipping and re-ordering I finally got the prescription food.

I put it in his dish and he pounced on it. My first thought was to cry from sheer joy that he was finally eating. He took one lick and walked away.

Do not give up ...