The truth about prescription dog foods and their manufacturers

What are prescription diets, and why don’t they work as expected?

What is a prescription dog food diet?

Prescription dog foods are specially formulated and sold, typically by traditional kibble manufacturers, to aid a dog’s recovery after a surgery or serious illness. Prescription diets are only available via prescription from your veterinarian. They’re custom-designed to target a very specific problem, directing all of its nutrition to that very specific part of the body — and thereby neglecting all the other systems and support necessary for your dog’s long-term wellbeing.

This means prescription diets are not suitable as your dog’s primary source of long-term nutrition — and what’s more, they’re not the prescriptive cure you may be led to think they are in the first place.

Over the years, veterinarians and dog owners alike have learned that prescription diets are not what they’re marketed to be.

Prescription dog foods do require a veterinarian’s prescription, so it’d be entirely reasonable for you to think you’re receiving a prescription-based, medically-assisted diet alternative for your dog. Don’t be fooled: you’re not. In reality, prescription dog foods do not include medicine at all, and are often just derivatives of existing kibble products (which are highly inadequate for your dog’s nutritional needs).

If prescription dog food isn’t actually prescription-based, what’s in them?

While prescription dog foods are formulated and nutrient-picked to target certain ailments and illnesses, their ingredient labels often read far too similarly to the kibble brands they’re derived from.

Because many are manufactured from the same producers as commercial kibble, prescription dog foods are formulated with the same low-quality filler ingredients as well. And just like with regular kibble, the highly-processed and overcooked nature of prescription foods ultimately neutralizes any potentially-positive health benefits.

Prescription dog food is not a prescriptive cure, and does not help prevent future ailments or illnesses.

Prescription diets are most commonly prescribed for post-surgery recovery and/or mild-to-chronic ailments like gastrointestinal issues, allergies, diabetes, arthritis, weight management, and dental issues, amongst others. In some cases, particularly with more severe ailments that require veterinary intervention, these diets can help target and alleviate pain — but they are not designed to support your dog’s long-term health.

On the other hand, many more-common ailments can just as easily be countered, or even more successfully targeted, through holistically-formulated dog foods — which cover more nutritional bases than just the singular source of pain.

For example, if your dog has chronically suffered from allergies or gastrointestinal issues, it is likely not effective to just treat the trauma region itself (like the stomach). These chronic ailments stem from untreated, compounded inflammation that’s made its way through your dog’s full-body system.

Unlike prescription diets, Maev Raw Food and other canine-specific diets are formulated for your dog’s complete and balanced nutrition, based on their biological nutrition needs. The high-protein, vitamin-supplemented formulations not only neutralize visibly urgent pains (like those caused by long-term ailments), but dig deep internally to refill nutrient deficiencies before they can fester into larger problems.

In the end, this raw-food nutrition provides your dog with the fuel they need to fight existent ailments while protecting them from future problems.

Want a personal consult on your dog’s diet? Schedule time with our team here.