*sigh* Veterinarians and food

I took my pets to the vet today for their check up and vaccinations. My cat has lost half a kilogram since our last visit. So we chatted about the food i was giving him, and i explained that it was Eagle pack Hairball formula, i had a huge brain block and couldnt remember the mixture he was eating. So the vet secretary said that they have good food there (hill prescription) and that they would give me some samples to try. She said my food probably didnt have enough protien in it and all that other crap like blueberries or whatever that cats wouldn't ever eat since they were carnivores.

I chose the hairball formula for him, since he is a long haired cat and doesn't let me brush him very well very often (he never mats! its amazing)... but i did notice myself that he was starting to feel a little boney. So i bought him the holistic chicken and brown rice mixture. This was a week ago.

I brought the samples home and a small bag of the dental formula Hills Prescription.... I compared the ingredients....


Hills prescription T/D Formula:

Chicken by-product meal, brewers rice, corn gluten meal, corn meal, powdered cellulose 10% (a source of fiber), pork fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), chicken liver flavor, vegetable oil, DL-methionine, taurine, preserved with BHT and BHA, minerals (calcium sulfate, potassium chloride, salt, calcium carbonate, ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, calcium iodate, sodium selenite), beta-carotene, rosemary extract, vitamins (choline chloride, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, niacin, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphophate(a source of vitamin C), thiamine mononitrate, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement).


Hairball formula Eagle Pack:

Ingredients: Chicken Meal, Ground Brown Rice, Ground Corn, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Oat Fiber, Dried Beet Pulp, Chicken, Flaxseed, Pork Meal*, Anchovy & Sardine Meal, Brewers Dried Yeast, Chicken Liver Digest, Tomato Pomace, Wheat Germ Meal, Dried Egg Product, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Canola Oil, Taurine, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Choline Chloride, Calcium Pantothenate, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine, Mononitrate, Biotin, Rosemary Extract, Ascorbic Acid, dl-Methionine, Inositol, Polysaccharide Complexes (sequestered) Zinc, Iron, Manganese, Copper and Cobalt, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Carbonate, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Enterococcus faecium, B. Subtillus, Bacillus lichenformis, Bacillus coagulins, Aspergillus oryzae and Aspergillus niger.


Holistic Chicken and Brown Rice formula:

Ingredients: Chicken Meal, Ground Brown Rice, Ground Corn, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Oat Fiber, Dried Beet Pulp, Chicken, Flaxseed, Pork Meal*, Anchovy & Sardine Meal, Brewers Dried Yeast, Chicken Liver Digest, Tomato Pomace, Wheat Germ Meal, Dried Egg Product, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Canola Oil, Taurine, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Choline Chloride, Calcium Pantothenate, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine, Mononitrate, Biotin, Rosemary Extract, Ascorbic Acid, dl-Methionine, Inositol, Polysaccharide Complexes (sequestered) Zinc, Iron, Manganese, Copper and Cobalt, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Carbonate, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Enterococcus faecium, B. Subtillus, Bacillus lichenformis, Bacillus coagulins, Aspergillus oryzae and Aspergillus niger.


I'm thinking the chicken and brown rice is the best of the three.... hehe i felt kind of disillusioned when i left.

the Veterinarian himself was actually really good. it was his Tech or whoever she was who made me feel kind of unsure... I'm not very well read on the whole topic, but i do know about ethoxyquin, bha and bht. That and By-products, corn... and that i read somewhere that Hill's and Science Diet company tests on animals.

Somehow that seems wrong to me.

anyway, any comments or advice would be welcomed and appreciated greatly!

Cats in the wild are more likely to pick up a blueberry now and then than open up an ear of corn, IMO.... Corn is so unnatural for them to be eating. The other two you posted also seem to have a lot of corn. Corn is probably the first ingredient if you combine the "ground corn" and the "corn gluten meal". When they break down ingredients like that it's because there's a lot of that particular ingredient in the food. I also don't like the beet pulp (see thread on stool hardeners...).

I don't see what is in these foods that makes them better for hairballs. Do you know what it is in them that helps? Are they higher fiber?

I like these three better (but they're not specifically for hairballs...):
Wellness Super5Mix Salmon (http://www.omhpet.com/cats/wellness_detail.asp?pCode=dryCatSup5Salmon)
Wellness Super5Mix Chicken (http://www.omhpet.com/cats/wellness_detail.asp?pCode=dryCatSup5Adult)
Solid Gold Katznflocken Adult (http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/products/showproduct.php?id=4&code=130)

Ask your vet tech how many classes in animal nutrition she took and ask her how much of the information she gave you about the wonders of Hill's came from the Hill's rep.

Vet's offices don't carry dog/cat food because they love your pets - the carry it because the company pays them to. The more they sell, the more they make.

Hill's foods for medical problems are very good. The regular stuff they can keep.

Usually hairball formulas have extra fiber added but some hairball treats seems to have glycerin-type components to 'grease up' the system and make hairballs easier to pass, I guess. Nasty, but I guess as long as it's not harmful??? Seems like that would get your kitty 'hooked' on laxatives though. Not real informed on this topic, sorry.

Corn would naturally be in a cat's diet in whatever quantities it is found in the guts of the rodents they would eat. Some, but not a lot.

From looking around, hairball formulas seem to leave a lot to be desired. About the only one I'd really want to feed my cat is Dick VanPatton's Natural Balance--these foods have pretty good ingredients, and there's a canned hairball formula (called 'indoor management') but no dry formula, if that's what you're looking for. http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/products/UPFcanned.html I think you can get Natural Balance at PetCo and Petsmart. I'd recommend at least including some canned food in kitties' diets though.

Premium Edge makes a dry hairball formula, but unfortunately, while their dog foods are pretty good, their cat food leaves a little to be desired. Still has corn gluten meal and also lists brewer's rice. http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/product_detail.asp?pf%5Fid=301156204&dept%5Fid=5&brand%5Fid=531&Page=&mscssid=653M1N7Q5RLD9NFA2KK4SCBU4CW2BPB8

Flint River Ranch also has a mediocre dry hairball formula.

Have you considered, instead of brushing, trying a grooming glove and just feeding a 'regular' premium food that focuses on coat quality, lots of omegas, etc? My cats won't really put up with brushing either, but I got these gloves and they just turn to mush when I use them. REally keeps the hairy spots on the sofa to a minimum, though we've never really had hairballs around here. http://shopping.msn.com/results/shp/?bCatId=6806,av=2910-4557130

I like these three better (but they're not specifically for hairballs...):
Wellness Super5Mix Salmon (http://www.omhpet.com/cats/wellness_detail.asp?pCode=dryCatSup5Salmon)
Wellness Super5Mix Chicken (http://www.omhpet.com/cats/wellness_detail.asp?pCode=dryCatSup5Adult)
Solid Gold Katznflocken Adult (http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/products/showproduct.php?id=4&code=130)

When i had to take my cat to the vet when he was little they gave me hairball laxative, which was this goey indigestable mess that you had to give the cat... it supposedly foces the hair to follow the digestive tract and be eliminated through the stool rather than vomited. This was a few years back and its highly possible that i have completley forgotten the "real" truth about it. hehehe

Anyway, I am going to see how much improvement is gained in the next couple of weeks with the Holistic Chicken blend. He seems to like it and eats it more readily than the hairball formula.

I've discovered a running theme with vets offices and Hills and it terrifies me. They had me put Simon on Hill's Prescription C/D to no avail other than he hated it, he was shedding more (coat was terrible) and he lost weight. Frankly, because there are kick backs involved, it's what they push, even if it is dreadful food. I hope your kitty starts to gain on the Holistic and enjoys it, at least you know he's getting the best nutrition possible and not just the leftovers :/

Actually, the food companies start brainwashing them while they're in school, I have a friend who went to St-Hyacinthe, and her roommate was paid to be a Hill's rep while gonig through school. The nutrition courses they were given were taught by the food companies. :mad: Any wonder? Most vets actually sincerely believe these are good foods and feed them to their own pets.