Hill's Prescription Diet

[JenP333]

One of my dogs was recently put on HIll's Prescription Diet C/D.  My question is, can I give my other dog the C/D as well?  He does not need the prescription diet, and he is in good health, it's just easier to feed them the same food.  My vet said it wouldn't hurt him, but does the C/D provide the correct nutrients etc. for a healthy dog?  Would it be better to continue him on his normal food, or is there no harm in feeding him the C/D?  Thanks!

[JenP333]

Thanks for the info!  I'll go ahead and order it!  

[peekawho]

I just saw it!  This will be quite helpful in monitoring Jake and his UTI situations.  Perhaps it will show something even if he seems well, and prevent it from getting so bad.  

[Jaybay]

I'm so glad you discussed the petcheckup site.  I stumbled across that one a few months ago and wondered if it was really beneficial.  I sent it to a cousin who does dog rescue work in a very rural area.  She now uses the kit on a regular basis for all her dogs and is really happy with it.  She's been able to detect more than one problem early enough to avoid even higher vet bills and even more discomfort for the dogs.  So - there's at least one happy customer I know of!  :-)

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., C.V.A]

I viewed the petcheckup.com website.  I noticed that it is endorsed by one of my professors: Dr. Allen Schoen!  

I think that it would be helpful, and I recommend it!  And, it is not expensive.  

It seems to be the "dip-stick" portion of our veterinary tests.  It does not tell you whether there are any crystals in the urine though, so you will still have to bring a urine sample to the vet for those additional tests.

This is another good tool for your dog's health.  

[JenP333]

Thanks for the info!  We take our dogs in every 6 months for check-ups which includes a urinalysis, so we'll keep an eye on them.  Our "healthy" dog has had a couple of UTIs in the past, so perhaps this is a better diet for him anyways.  While we're on the topic of UTIs, I found a product called the pet check up that sends a kit to pet owners which lets them test their own dog's urine monthly for various problems and diseases, including UTIs.  Have you heard anything about this?  UTIs are so hard to catch sometimes because of the lack of symptoms, I thought this would be a great addition to our semi-annual check-ups (if it works)!  Here is the website:   http://www.thepetcheckup.com/
Thanks!

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., C.V.A]

There should be no problem, especially if you monitor both of your dog's urine's by performing yearly urinalysis's. Hill's C/D is used to prevent struvite crystalluria and urinary tract infections that develop in basic pH.  Hill's C/D acidifies the urine.  The only very rare potential problem is that by acidifying the urine,  Hills C/D could set up the possibility of crystals that can form in acidic urine.  This can be curtained by frequent urinalysis's, which I recommend yearly in dogs anywho.

[ibizan]

i've had dogs on hills RX for a medical problem...thats what its for..if ur other dog doesn't have a problem and is doing well on his regular food i wouldn't change his diet...unecessary change to his digestive sytem thats not medically warranted.i didn't switch my healthy dog to it...have that situation right now!