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Science Diet Z/D

4K views 19 replies 12 participants last post by  K9POPPY 
#1 ·
I took my, 13 month old Jackson to a specialist last week. He's been having issues with urination. As part of the consult we discussed, what I thought was a largely resolved issue he had had for months with very loose stool and a recent ear infection. They ran a GI panel. The test came back saying that his folate levels are elevated and this indicated a bacterial overgrowth in his small intestines. The gave me a prescription for metronidazole. Great. Then they recommended that I switch him to Science Diet Z/D. I don't really have an issue with the cost. In order to resolve the his earlier loose stools I had him on much more expensive food. My issue is that I keep seeing reviews about the low quality of Science Diet foods. However, I've spent time and money taking him to a specialist, I feel like I should do what they say.

Most recently he was on Orijen adult dry. He had some occasional loose stools, but seemed to be doing fine mostly, but he did get his first ear infection while on this.

What is the deal on Science Diet is it as bad as the reviews indicate?
 
#9 ·
Main ingredients in the z/d formula:



Not something I would feed MY dogs.
z/d purposefully has broken down ingredients to help dogs with food allergies...I know they are big words and all, but don't be so quick to knock it down when you may not know so much about it. The point of OP posting here is to get decent opinions, not regurgitation of poor nutritional information that is so common among dog owners.

As for OP?

I hope your dog is feeling better soon. If your VET thinks the dog has a food allergy, discuss it further with them (or get a referral). They are probably suggesting z/d to sort of level the playing field so you can introduce novel proteins and basically do a process of elimination. There are also fancy allergy tests you can have done to rule out an allergy.
 
#5 ·
Most people on this site will advise you strongly to stay away from Science Diet. Yes, the ingredients in most of their foods seem far less appealing than even mid-grade dog foods. For the most part, I wouldn't recommend anyone feed Science Diet, Purina, etc. HOWEVER, I do think that the veterinary formulas serve a purpose. They are specially formulated to address specific medical concerns, and they work for that purpose. The ingredients may not seem great to us, but if it helps your dog get better, isn't that worth it? Keep in mind that you also won't likely have to feed it long-term.

It might be worth trying it. Do what works best for your dog. There are thousands of dogs out there that have benefited from eating veterinary formulas. In some cases, veterinary formulas are the only thing that help. Although I imagine most people on the boards will disagree with me, I'd suggest you go with the advice of the specialist and try it.
 
#7 ·
I had it prescribed for a dog with an allergy and it gave me time to isolate his allergies by feeding the food then introducing novel proteins but........this was a dog who clearly had bowel issues and skin and ear issues for several years.........but it is not a food I would want to feed any dog longterm.
 
#10 ·
Z/D

OP, your question is about Z/D. There are a lot of experts here that will tell you about foods. Some good/ some BAD information here. I will just tell you that We were suggested Ultra Z/D for our female GSD for a problem by our vet. To make along story short, I will tell you that using Ultra Z/D has been GREAT for her, she is 8 now, and thrives on it. Just reading ingredients doesn't tell the whole story on foods.If you don't like the results that Z/D provides, then you can switch to another food. But if your vet recommends it, then give it a chance to work. Prescription diets are MUCH different than Hill's regular foods. IMHO, Bob:):):)
 
#11 ·
Thank you, Tank & Zero for your opinion regarding Ultra Z/D. To the original OP, I will also add that Ultra Z/D was the only food that helped our male GSD with EPI live a normal life- if you need more info on Z/D, go to Hill's website and read the testimonials. And yes, our female GSD has thrived on Ultra Z/D for 7 years- We don't question the ingredients or the price, it just works- IMHO, BOB
 
#12 · (Edited)
My pup had the same thing. The vet tried to give me some of that Royal food and I laughed at him.

Prescription dogs foods do not have any active ingredients that make it a prescription. If you read the labels on Science Diet some of the SD varieties have the exact same formulas. This is what vets sell so they are inclined to put dogs on that or Royal Scamine.

The meds will clear up the problem for now. It may take testing to figure it all out further if it continues. The bacteria overgrowth is common. You needed another fecal test to see if it was enough bacteria to cause the problem if you didn't get that. In my pups case it was not.
 
#13 ·
If he has SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth) he'll need to be on antibiotics for at least 4 weeks. I would not give metro for that long because there can be side affects. Usually it's either Tylan (tylosin) or tetracycline. Keefer had SIBO, probably caused by giardia, so he was on 10 days of metro for the giardia, then 4 weeks of tetracycline because that's what my had in stock. That alone was not enough to give him solid stools, and he was on ZD Ultra for a few months. As others have said, the ingredients aren't great and it wasn't something I wanted to keep him on forever, but it totally did the trick - I switched him over a period of a couple of days, and his stools were great on the first full meal of ZD. Once his digestive system had a chance to heal, I slowly switched him back to his regular food and he's been fine ever since. He was around 6 months old when diagnosed, and he'll be 9 years old in August. I also gave him a digestive supplement during treatment and for a period of time afterwards: Berte's Digestion Blend (1 lb.) Berte's Digestion Blend - bacterial pancreatic IBD and GI supplement [04016] - $40.95
 
#14 ·
My statement was lukewarm but if you have a dog with severe allergies this food buys you some time to figure things out because the proteins are broken down to a size smaller than would incite an allergic reaction. The science is valid. Sometimes we focus too much on the food label and not enough on the outcome.

I still took advantage of the time to look for an alternate solution but it bought me several itch free months. Then I wound up feeding a food. Yes, a Purina LID food because that is what actually kept my dog from constant itching and ear infections.
 
#15 ·
I had to raise a pup with bad food allergies on Z/D. He had itchy, scabby skin. It might be good to use the food and the medicine to get the infection under control, then start trying different isolated proteins and starches and see if there's something that the dog can eat.

It was a long process for us... every time he reacted to a food we gave him benadryl (worked for us and was less harsh than the steroid) for a couple days, then tried something else! We did all the proteins first, then all the starches. After about 5 months we were able to switch him to a fish-based food with no issues.
 
#17 ·
I don't support RC or Hills - I cannot stand their marketing or their ingredient reads. I am extremely familiar with their food, as I worked in a veterinarian hospital prior to becoming self employed and had to endure many seminars and workshops put on by those two companies.

I read a marketing poster by Royal Canin (Medi-Cal) at the vet yesterday, which claimed that raw foods and homemade diets were dangerous because they were not scientifically measured for every nutrient required in a lab by professionals.

Well - wolves, lions, bears, fish and every other creature on the planet (except humans and pets, apparently) don't have access to science labs to manufacture their food... even humans don't eat like that all the time (your plate of grilled steak, baked potatoes and steamed broccoli wasn't made in a lab tailored to your nutritional requirements although you do have access to information on the general nutritional value of specific foods).

I digress, sorry. I think it is worth it to investigate those foods, the ingredients they are composed of, and form your own opinion. There is A LOT of information out there for dog owners seeking anything on pet food. Knowledge is power.

I hope your dog feels better soon, good luck with the food stuff!
 
#18 ·
I read a marketing poster by Royal Canin (Medi-Cal) at the vet yesterday, which claimed that raw foods and homemade diets were dangerous because they were not scientifically measured for every nutrient required in a lab by professionals.
We went to the vet a couple days ago and she said the same thing "it's really hard to balance a dog's diet unless you feed kibble" but luckily didn't push the issue with me. :wild:
 
#19 ·
The problem with loose stools is that it can be caused by so many different things. With Keefer we didn't know if it was 100% medical or 100% food intolerance/allergy related, or some combination of both. The Z/D bought us time, just like Nancy and Eiros. We were able to get good stools for the first time since we'd had him, and let his digestive tract heal and mature while we got the giardia and SIBO under control. Once the medical issues were resolved, that's when I tried switching him back to his regular food. Since that went well, it was easy to determine that food wasn't the problem, without having to go through a long involved food trial with a variety of novel proteins.
 
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