Did you know that the Prescription Diet® (Prescription Diet® is a registered trademark of Hills® Pet Nutrition, Inc.®) your veterinarian prescribed for your dog doesn’t really require a prescription in the true sense of the word? I’m willing to bet that most consumers and perhaps even some vets are unaware that there are no special ingredients inside these diets that are NOT regulated by the FDA or DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration), requiring an official prescription.
In the dog food world, the term Prescription Diet® describes an effective marketing agreement between a hundred-million dollar pet food manufacturer and the veterinarian community. This agreement allows for the sale of their foods through licensed veterinarians only. Veterinarians benefit because they can achieve a much higher mark-up on these foods than they would by offering foods widely available without a “prescription.” The pet food manufacturer, in return, gains credibility as a manufacturer of veterinarian-recommended food and uses that as an endorsement, if you will, for the rest of their products.
Prescription diet is an industry-coined term and holds no legal meaning. An informal price survey amongst veterinarians selling 30-pound bags of Prescription Diet® R/D® (weight reduction) found the average price to be $61.00 or $2.03/lb. Alternatively, a 40-pound bag of Hills® Science Diet® Adult Light with similar ingredients and guaranteed analysis statements cost $43.99 or $1.09/lb. From a layperson’s viewpoint, both foods (containing corn, chicken by-products, and cellulose) seem to be used for similar goals, yet the formula available only through licensed veterinarian’s costs nearly twice as much.
Although, both of these food varieties are inferior dog food products. The wide variety of healthy and nutritious products that we stock at Ben’s Bark Ave Bistro far exceed the nutrition that would be achieved from feeding either of these products.
Sophisticated Marketing Guarantee Veterinary Cooperation
In addition to creating pet food to address specific health issues, they also created a detailed and very successful marketing plan to gain credibility within the veterinary community. To disseminate knowledge about K/D®, P/D® (K/D® and P/D® are registered trademarks of Hills® Pet Nutrition, Inc.®) and the foundation among veterinarians, to encourage a favorable image among them and to develop a whole new area of professional and public relations as it may relate to veterinarians.
With the help of a public relations firm, they created the “Student Agent Program,” designed to indoctrinate promising young veterinary medical students to act as liaisons to help educate their young, impressionable classmates about these diets.
Dr. Michael W. Fox, co-author of Not Fit for a Dog! The Truth About Manufactured Dog and Cat Food, explained it this way: “Until recently, vet students in the U.S. and other countries were taught cat and dog nutrition by veterinarians employed by pet-food companies. Now more schools have staff teaching a short course in companion animal nutrition, but only too often their research and lectureships are funded by pet food manufacturers.”
If a veterinarian won’t budge from the idea of a Prescription Diet®, it may be time to locate a holistic veterinarian for a second opinion. Contact the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA) at the vet finder on the group's web site, www.holisticvetlist.com.
The next time your veterinarian suggests a diet for your four-legged friend that you’re not comfortable with, don’t hesitate to ask questions. A good veterinarian, traditional or holistic, will welcome that discussion and encourage you to look at all the options available. At Ben’s Bark Ave Bistro we share our knowledge and expertise for every pet, large or small.
Here is to the health and longevity of your pet!
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