What Do Your Vets Recommend?

[prairiepanda]

Most of the vets I've dealt with have asked at every appointment what is being fed (in case it may be relevant to any problems that are found), but don't comment on the food unless they believe it is having a tangible negative impact on the cat's health. All of them have been quick to promote prescription foods for medical conditions, such as kidney disease or urinary crystals where results are pretty well-documented. The more gimmicky foods such as dental kibble only really came up when there were free samples available, but never really pushed.

One clinic I went to employed a feline nutritionist, who provided consultations to those who did not want or were unable to use prescription foods for whatever reason. They usually tried to find commercial foods to suit the needs of the cat, but would also help develop home-cooked recipes if needed. No raw, though.

I've only met one vet who supports raw (my current vet), but she is weary of home-made raw due to concerns of nutritional completeness. She doesn't trust internet recipes, even those developed by vets, and is very adamant about meeting AAFCO standards. For the most part, her attitude towards food is to feed whatever works for both the owner and cat and is nutritionally complete. She doesn't seem concerned about ingredients, except where there are specific health concerns. She sells prescription diets, of course, but only prescribes them when no other food can offer the same benefits.

 

[laura mae]

My vets just want the cats to eat wet food. They carry the Hills Vet diets but that is for special needs. They aren't fond of raw for the legitimate risks of bacteria. As for brands, they don't seem too concerned about which ones. The vet practice has several vets and the owner has no issue with meat by products. A newer vet there doesn't want the cats to have foods with Carrageenan in it. (By newer she is new to the practice but is not a new vet).

When Jeffery the cat wasn't eating very well, after his hospital stay, he got a bag of Hills i/D which he enjoyed. He hadn't been feeling good and the wet food was not appetizing to him. The I/D was an unexpected relief. It kept him eating at least.

I have kibble on hand for supplementation mainly to keep the other cats from eating the constipated cat's Royal Canin Gastro food...they see it as a treat/snack.

The vet diets don't even have the primary protein as the number one ingredient. I had some Hills prescription canned (forget which one now) and it honestly smelled like chicken poop.