It’s common for veterinarians to recommend prescription diets for cats with any type of health problem. These foods are sold at almost every vet office. If prescription diets don’t contain any medications, then why do they call them “prescription”? And why are they so expensive?
To be clear, prescription diets do not have any medicinal properties within them. Rather, they use the term “prescription” for marketing reasons. By making the foods sound like they are medicinal, consumers are more apt to purchase.
The Scoop On Prescription Diets For Cats
Because veterinarians are not required to thoroughly study nutrition in vet school, large conglomerate pet food companies capitalize on this lack of knowledge. This is done when their representatives approach veterinarians with an educational sales pitch. They teach conventional vets about how their foods help pets with specific ailments. While this is a clever marketing tactic, it’s also uniformed, opportunistic and (in our opinion) unethical.
In addition to this sale pitch, companies like Hills, Royal Canin and Purina are successful at convincing their clients that their foods are also the healthiest option available. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Prescription diets for cats are often high in corn, wheat and soy which are absolutely unhealthy for our kitties. The dry food prescription diets are also high in carbohydrates, which is a leading cause of diabetes, obesity, urinary and kidney problems in cats. Seems like it’s rather counter productive, huh?
It is.
But not if you’re just trying to make money. If money is the goal then it makes sense to create a prescription diet that helps create and sustain the very problem the prescription diet is marketed to help.
Most – if not all – prescription diets sold in vet offices are not what we would recommend for your cat facing an illness. We agree that diet is the key to health, but a fresh food healthy diet is a better option. There are natural supplements you can add to a healthy diet that won’t leave your kitty lacking in nutrients. Feed your cat a species appropriate fresh diet and contact us if you have questions on how to help your cat naturally.
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