In pet nutrition, addressing specific health concerns like pancreatitis, skin allergies, diabetes, kidney disease, gastrointestinal disorders, etc. has become paramount for conscientious pet owners seeking optimal care for their pets. Certain nutrient parameters will be required to help sick animals, so “prescription” or veterinary-authorized pet foods are used. For example, in kidney disease, low protein and low phosphorus diets are recommended to slow the progression of the disease. Veterinarians play a crucial role in diagnosing these conditions and recommending appropriate dietary interventions.
“Prescription” pet foods are often formulated to address specific health conditions that may not be adequately met by standard commercial pet foods. So, veterinarians may “prescribe” specific pet foods but unfortunately, you are only able to purchase them exclusively from your veterinarian usually at significantly higher prices than traditional pet foods.
Many pet parents mistakenly believe that the food requires a prescription or contains prescription medicine. This is not true. Some foods will have lower amounts of certain nutrients or additional nonprescription ingredients to benefit your pet but do not legally require a prescription. If your vet has made recommendations for a specific type of pet food, you can consider buying a lower-cost alternative with better-quality ingredients. Alternatives from SquarePet have emerged as a viable option, offering unique benefits and advantages.
Many of the Renal Support or Kidney Care pet foods from big brand name companies add corn or corn gluten meal, chicken by-product meal, wheat gluten, sugar, etc. which are cheaper poor-quality ingredients that may contribute to ill health in the long term. When limiting the protein it should be of high quality, contain all of the essential amino acids, and be digestible. Eggs are nature’s perfect protein and are what is used as a benchmark when comparing other protein sources. Whole egg and turkey, not protein by-products or meals are used in SquarePet’s Low Phosphorus Formula.
SquarePet’s Low Fat Formula is used for dogs with pancreatitis because fat may cause the digestive enzymes to be activated before they get to the stomach or intestines and cause irritation and inflammation.
SquarePet’s Skin & Digestive Support Formula is used for dogs with food allergies and intolerances. It contains hydrolyzed pork, brown rice, cold-pressed sunflower oil, and pork fat and NOT corn starch, hydrogenated canola oil, soybean oil, or soy protein found in other Veterinary Diet formulas.
SquarePet also has a formula for dogs with sensitive stomachs and low-glycemic pet foods for diabetes. Veterinarians are trained to assess and monitor the responses to dietary interventions so if your veterinarian recommends a particular food, consider the veterinarian-formulated higher-quality ingredient options by SquarePet, because animals that eat well, heal well.
Lyle Sunada is a pharmacist specializing in veterinary medicine and alternative medicine at Cloverdale Pharmasave. Lyle has helped small and large animal owners for over 30 years and believes in looking at the root cause of health conditions.
