There are so many options when it comes to purchasing your dog’s food. Some of you may even be able to buy your dog’s food from your veterinarian’s office, and the question may have crossed your mind; Does my dog need a prescription diet that I need to purchase from my veterinarian?
Well, let’s address the first part of this question. Does my dog need a prescription diet?
When searching for dog food, there are a plethora of options available and a myriad of locations to make your purchase. Therefore, buying dog food can quickly become a tall order, instead of a simple task.
I highly recommend on your first veterinary visit with your dog, and every subsequent visit, discussing your dog’s food requirements and any potential changes you are considering. Different stages of life can require different supplements and nutrition, therefore changing your dog’s food throughout their life may be necessary. Secondly, certain medical conditions can be improved using specific prescriptions diets.
For example, Rooney suffers from inhaled and food allergy, like many other dogs here in the Bay Area. Therefore he needs to be on certain types of diets (non-prescription). His diet is not prescription, but its made of certain ingredients that reduce allergies, and its the food my vet uses for her own dogs.
Additionally, there are prescription diets available that can improve your pet’s urinary health, skin health, oral health, weight, and allergies. I recommend never purchasing these health specific diets without a diagnosis from your veterinarian (and sometimes you can’t). If your pet requires a complete diet, you will definitely want them to have one.
Many veterinarians I have worked for, have carried prescription diets, and many people aren’t sure if they should get them at the veterinary office or not.
Firstly, I will say that many of the veterinarians I worked for, did not mark up the prescription diets by much, and therefore were a financially responsible option for purchasing your dog’s food.
Secondly, I will say that I have worked for veterinarians who honor price matches if your find the food cheaper in another location.
Lastly, I will say that many veterinary prescription diets are not available anywhere except veterinary offices (as it should be). This further reinforces my point, that no one should be giving their pet a prescription diet without a proper diagnosis from their veterinarian.
Therefore, I would highly recommend that you speak with your veterinarian about your dog’s food options, their price matching possibilities, and certainly buy your prescription dog food from your veterinarians office.
When it comes to other dog food options, i.e. non-prescription dog food, feel free to purchase these at your local pet food store.
HOWEVER, please do not ask employees in the pet store about your dog’s medical issues in order to find the appropriate dog food to treat those issues.
One day, my best friend the veterinarian and myself were in a pet food store when we overheard the pet store employee telling pet owners that their dog was probably urinating in their home because she was angry and that she should be on a specific brand of dog food in order to prevent this issue.
Not once did this employee recommend seeing their veterinarian since their dog’s urinary issues were probably not be behavioral, but medical.
Please, under no circumstances, change your dog’s food for medical reasons without speaking to your veterinarian. I even recommend not changing your pet’s food at all without speaking to your veterinarian. It may not seem like a big deal, but think about it in terms of your nutrition. If you completely changed your diet every 3 to 4 month, this might not bode well for your health in the long term. The same is true for your dog.
In summary, if you think your dog needs a prescription diet, please seek out the advice of your veterinarian.
If your pet does need a prescription diet, please purchase it at your veterinary office, and ask about price matching.
If your pet does not need a prescription diet ask your veterinarian about dog food recommendations.
Lastly, many pet store employees are very knowledgable about pet food, but please don’t ask for medical advice, especially when no medical history is available.
For Carol’s Mom perspective on Fidose of Reality, please click here.
Kismet
March 22, 2015 at 8:14 pmYeah, we bought the food from the vet for Kyla. We probably overpaid but the vet didn’t charge (labor, only materials) for her once every 25 day injection for Addison’s.
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fredrieka SweetPaws
March 23, 2015 at 2:44 amgood advice thank you
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Rachel
March 25, 2015 at 3:56 pmThank you for stopping by!
Ruth Cox
March 23, 2015 at 6:43 amThis is good advice. I have always wondered if vets are “pushing” the dog food they carry on their shelf for a “kickback” of sorts. Fortunately, I personally have not had that happen. The right dog food is a worrisome thing for us dog owners for sure.
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Rachel
March 25, 2015 at 3:57 pmIt is a difficult choice, there are so many options and so many good foods out there, but it is an individual decision.
Jana Rade
March 23, 2015 at 7:07 amIt doesn’t matter who the food comes from, matters what’s in it.
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Rachel
March 25, 2015 at 3:57 pmVery good point.
Jessica Shipman | Beagles and Bargains
March 23, 2015 at 10:53 amLuna doesn’t have any food allergies that we have encountered, so we haven’t had a need for prescription food, but as she ages this is great to keep in mind!
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Rachel
March 25, 2015 at 4:00 pmYes, as dogs age, their food requirements may change, and so its a great option to be aware of 🙂
Ryan
March 23, 2015 at 10:58 amGreat topic. One of my dogs has been on a prescription diet in the past, but once his health improved, we went back to his normal food.
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Rachel
March 25, 2015 at 4:01 pmRyan, thank you for sharing! I am so glad to heard your dog no longer needs a prescription diet!
Kristen–well minded
March 23, 2015 at 1:05 pmGreat information and sound advice. Do you know how much nutrition training vets typically have?
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Rachel
March 25, 2015 at 4:02 pmKristen, this is an excellent question. Nutrition was a requirement for my undergrad education, and I know vets take another course in vet school, but nutrition is a complicated topic and I believe some vets can specialize in it.
M. K. Clinton
March 23, 2015 at 1:06 pmGreat information and something that I wonder about often. I used to buy Hill’s at the vet years ago, because it was the only place to buy it. How did you discover Rooney’s allergies?
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Rachel
March 25, 2015 at 4:05 pmHi Melissa,
He became very very itchy and it usually happened during the changing seasons (Spring/Fall) he would chew on his feet and itch his back a lot. There is also some speculation that you can tell if your dog has food allergy based on the number of poops they have every day. We never did a diet trial, but he definitely seems to have better formed poops and less itching on certain foods.
The Island Cats
March 23, 2015 at 2:07 pmWe have eaten prescription foods on occasion and we usually buy them from our vet. The prices are pretty much the same as at stores like PetSmart. However, we do eat a prescription food that our vet no longer carries, so she gives us a script so we can purchase it elsewhere.
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Rachel
March 25, 2015 at 4:06 pmThank you for sharing Island Cats!
Jen
March 23, 2015 at 7:32 pmWe ran into a situation with Leroy where the vet didn’t carry the prescription diet he needed to be on so we get it online for a pretty decent price with a prescription of course. It’s pretty convenient to have it automatically ship to our house! I know when I worked at a vet clinic we kept only a small amount of RX diets on hand because the demand was pretty low except for pets just starting off on the diet.
Rachel
March 25, 2015 at 4:08 pmJen, I had the same experience. We kept one or two extra of every diet, but we did order for our regulars who would always buy bags from us. Many owners preferred buying from the vet hospital because other locations to buy were so few and far between.
Christine & Riley
March 23, 2015 at 10:34 pmI don’t believe in Rx food from the vet, and my vet and I have had discussions on this. He knows my history of researching foods etc and with his consultation I have created diets to help my pets, he knows he is not a nutritionist, but also respects my view of feeding. I’m lucky I have such a great vet that I can work with 🙂
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Rachel
March 25, 2015 at 4:09 pmChristine that is awesome! I did know some veterinarians who didn’t like the prescription diets either, and they were always looking for a better food. I am so glad to hear that your vet works with you.
MattieDog
March 24, 2015 at 5:04 amGreat information – I’ve enjoyed reading and learning more about the link of good nutrition and vets!
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Rachel
March 25, 2015 at 4:10 pmThanks for stopping by Mattie!
bryan flake
August 6, 2015 at 2:39 pmThat seems like a very good idea to buy your dog food from a veterinarian. They are animal experts and they know your dog so much better than anyone else. If I can trust my personal doctor with my health care, why not trust the vet.
Veronica Marks
November 17, 2015 at 2:49 pmIt’s good to read that regular dog food is ok to be purchased at the grocery store, However, I definitely see the benefits of purchasing the specialty diet food from the veterinarian. Like yours, my vet doesn’t mark things up too much, so I feel very comfortable buying from him. Thanks for a great article!
Jenn
November 20, 2015 at 10:26 amWe have to get prescription pet food from the veterinarian. I always wonder just how different it is from the stuff you’d find at PetSmart. I’m sure there are some “prescription” foods that are very comparable to store brands!
Bennett Fischer
December 17, 2015 at 12:47 pmI just barely got a new puppy, and I want to make sure I take proper care of him! I heard that I should consider getting his food from the vet, but I wasn’t too sure about that. This being said, I really appreciate you giving me some insight about this and letting me know that it would be a good idea to get his food from the vet. I definitely think that it would be a good idea, at least for a little bit. Thanks a ton for sharing this with me.
Westly Smith
January 19, 2016 at 2:03 pmI like how you recommend to discuss your dog’s diet with a vet. When I first got my dog, I just fed him whatever was at the store. It’s not until I talked with my vet that I realized that some foods are better for him than others. So, I would definitely agree with that tip!
Angela Waterford
January 20, 2016 at 9:58 amI’m glad you mentioned asking about price matching. My dog needs very specific food, and I’m getting a bit overwhelmed at the price of her food at the vet. I am really hoping that my vet will do at least some sort of discount if we continue buying exclusively from them.
Rachel Finn
January 28, 2016 at 8:55 amI actually just recently noticed that my veterinarian carries dog food. When I saw it in their little store area, I started wondering what the benefits are of buying from him versus the grocery store. I’m definitely willing to buy from him, especially because I feel like the food their office sells is a lot higher quality than what I get at the store.
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Elden Gatley
March 14, 2016 at 6:17 amThanks for the info that a pet’s skin health can be improved through prescribed diets. It’s easy to not think about their skin because it’s generally covered with fur. However, the fur doesn’t make the skin immune from problems.
ML Mamun
April 15, 2016 at 11:21 pmThanks for your valuable advice to choose dog food.
Petunia Evans
May 10, 2016 at 3:43 pmI often have wondered if it’d be better to get my dog’s food from the vet as well, so thank you for clearing things up for me. I never really thought about the necessity of prescription diets for certain pets, but I can see how then you’d want to consult your vet with that. I also like the sound of getting a price lowered due to a vet’s recommendation, I’d like to check with my vet on this now!
William
June 29, 2016 at 5:05 amI think buying food from your vet does not matter much since most vets promote food from companies they have formed a relationship with. I have seen this a few times. What I would say is look for a reputable company and always check the ingredient list
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Silas Knight
July 11, 2016 at 12:17 pmI think you have a good point here. It really is a good idea to at least talk to your vet about your dog’s food options. Vet’s are trained professionals who know what they are doing far better than a pet store employee. I would think that every dog owner should put a lot of thought into what they are feeding their dog.
Abélia
August 8, 2016 at 2:36 pmI would buy pet food from my veterinarian if it weren’t so much more expensive. But I do agree that if your dog is prescribed a certain diet, then it’s best to buy from them. Thank you for providing this unique perspective!
Meil @Best Homemade Dog Food
December 17, 2016 at 1:09 amThat depends, if your dog has an allergy then you need to consult a veterinarian for a dog food prescription. Some dog foods are only bought from a vet.
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John charles
September 28, 2018 at 1:02 amI read the term “real fresh food” several times but I’m not clear on if it’s raw or not. You mentioned cooked one time so I’m thinking not. It does sound very tasty but not sure it would a good fit for our household, but would for many I’m sure. Sandra and Dolly
David Wilson
November 1, 2018 at 12:05 pmThis is very insightful. Being a marketer, am quite skeptical about the whole human grade food for pet out there, I do home made for my Lab which I augment with processed food hence I have to take my time to research on this subject. Thanks for this post.