Hill's Science Diet Prescription Diet Feline c/d Dry~Practically Saved My Cats Life
Written: Mar 20 '07 (Updated Apr 02 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: The cats really seem to like it and eat every nugget I put out.
Cons: Expensive but worth it if it keeps them healthy
The Bottom Line: High in nutrients... Though I'm not too thrilled with some of the first ingredients listed the whole combination seems to work in preventing those dreaded crystals
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| ifif1938's Full Review: Hill's Science Diet Prescription Diet Feline c/d D... |
I can’t express how dismayed I am at this horrible news about the recall of pet food and the consequences to those poor dogs and cats whose loving owners fed them these foods only to have them get so sick that many of those prized pets couldn’t recover and have passed away or now are being treated with only a slight chance of getting well&#my heart gets heavy each time I see a news story about it or hear one of these people blaming themselves for feeding their family pets these foods…Of course it’s not their fault but I imagine the guilt they feel, that I would feel if it was me.
Fortunately none of my 3 cats eat any of the foods listed on the recall list, though at one time, just recently, I did toy with the idea of feeding my cat Misha the Iams food but, due to the fact that she does seem to enjoy certain flavors of the food I already give her I decided against it...My other two cats are on special diets and I have to buy their food in the Veterinarians office.
Last year my big boy, Luke, suddenly started acting strange when he went into his litter box, he would sit there and stare out at me or the wall then get out, only to go back in within a few minutes…this happened continuously all day and I noticed he only would produce a tiny bit of urine…since this started on a Saturday night I couldn’t call the Vet..all day Sunday this went on..I pulled out a book I have about cats and found this chapter about Kidney problems,urinary blockages and crystals that can cause this problem, this article described what Luke was doing to a T..Not only that, but the book said how serious this condition is and could cause death in just a short time…
Monday morning, bright and early, we were at the Vets office …He took us right in and did a few tests, one of them practically squeezing some urine out of him…under the microscope he saw, and I did too, those dreaded crystals that cause this kind of blockage. We caught it in time before much damage but, for the rest of his life, he would have to be on a special diet for what he called, FLUTD, (feline lower urinary tract disease), a condition that is caused by these crystals, Struvite and Oxalate , this causes a lot of pain in cats as they try to urinate… too much magnesium and phosphorus in the food can be a problem as well.
He told me Luke would do well on a food called, Hill’s Prescription Diet Feline c/d “For the Nutritional Management of Cats with Struvite Related Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease” It came in a dry nugget form sold only at the veterinarians offices.. I bought a small 4 lb bag to see just how Luke would like it… he did, and, my other two cats went right for that food too…at first there was a big problem since I tried to keep his food separate from the other cats who I was feeding another Hills product, Science Diet that I could buy in the stores, it was a special formula for skin and hair and worked well for all three of them lowering the dandruff on Luke and preventing hairballs but Luke couldn‘t eat that anymore. I did continue feeding it to the other two but Luke was alright with that since he did seem to like this cd formula…though he did seem to miss his nightly dish of canned food that I used to give him.
Another problem arose when my cat Socks started displaying the same behavior as Luke when she was in the litter box…very strange, I thought, how could I have two cats with urinary problems at the same time..I’ve had a multiple cat household my whole life and never had this happen before...now, two at one time? But her problem was due to some strange infection she must have picked up before I found her, a skinny feral cat who lived outside… the Dr. said sometimes they can get this from eating Chameleons…and other little critters.
Well, anyway, now both of them were on this Prescription c/d dry food…Problem is, they were used to sharing a can of wet food a day, and the only wet food he would let me feed them was the Science Diet sold in the pet stores that was formulated for lower urinary tract disease. I bought a few cans and Luke hated it…he would stare at it then walk away in disgust...at the same time my cat Misha could eat her regular food which I had to put out in separate dishes in another part of the house…it was turning out to be a nightmare…then I was told about a canned food made by Purina for this condition that they could eat, also sold at the Vets office..it too was expensive but they liked it better then the canned food made by Hills.
So now this is the food they eat in my household. And things seem to be going well.
They do seem to enjoy this Prescription Diet Feline c/d and since it is formulated to provide all the nutritional needs of cats with struvite-related FLUTD. I guess they will be eating it for the rest of their lives…this formula contains reduced building blocks of struvite and produces an acid urine pH, lowering the chance that struvite crystals will form. They say that the nutritional formulation of Prescription Diet c/d may also be useful for pets with a variety of other conditions and can be eaten by any cats as well, so Misha is fine eating it. I’m not supposed to feed Luke or Socks any table scraps and absolutely keep them away from any seafood...So, when I feed Misha I sort of have to stand guard to keep the food separate until she finishs...yes, Luke still would like to eat anything that is out.
This food is sold only in Veterinarians offices or with a prescription at some on-line stores, but then, you would have to pay postage and that doesn't make sense to me.... Available in in 4 - 10 and 20 pound bags...I usually buy the 10 pound bag for about $24...the 20 pound sells for about $40....I notice the price changes every so often. I also noted that there are some very good vitamins and nutrients in the ingredients, a big plus in my book!
Yes, it's expensive, but one 10 pound bag lasts quite a while and it certainly is worth it if this CD formula helps keep my furry felines around for a very long time as well.
The ingredients and breakdown:
Crude Protein: 30% min.
Crude Fat: 13% min.
Crude Fiber: 1.0% max.
Moisture: 10% max.
Ash: 6.5% max.
0.5% calcium, no more than 0.4% phosphorus and 0.08% magnesium, and 0.1% taurine
Brewers Rice, Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Pork Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Chicken Liver Flavor, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Calcium Sulfate, Iodized Salt, Vitamin E Supplement, vitamins (L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Taurine, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), preserved with BHT and BHA, Beta-Carotene.
Another good food for cats with dandruff or other skin ailments:
Science Diet for Sensitive Skin
Update; April 2nd...After one of the Prescription Diets foods was recalled yesterday, I called my Veteriarian's office and was told not to worry about this formula, that is doesn't contain wheat gluten which the other one did. so for now everything seems to be ok with this formula..
Recommended:
Yes
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