Does anyone know if you can buy Hills RD diet in pet shops or is it exclusive to vets only, I have been advised to put one of my dogs on this but its so expensive from the vet.

I take it was the vet that recommended this food just remember he gets a % of the sales so it's in his interest to recommended it.  I would ask him if there are any other food that would do the same job after all if he is selling dog food he must know what's in the food so if he is a good vet he will be able to tell you that other diet foods are just as good and a dam site cheaper .also this food contains added salt!!
And lastly why don't you check out www.buav.org and find the truth out about hills and there caring attitude to animals. I have let you have a list of ingredients of hills, do some research of other brands there is nothing special in this food other than fancy marketing -
28% of this food is made up of peanut hulls a  so its not costing hills a bundle to make 
corn meal, peanut hulls 28.2% (a source of fiber), chicken by-product meal, soybean meal, soybean mill run, chicken liver flavor, dried egg product, vegetable oil, taurine, L-carnitine, preserved with BHT, BHA and ethoxyquin, minerals (salt, ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, calcium iodate, sodium selenite), beta-carotene, vitamins (choline chloride, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (a source of vitamin C), niacin, thiamine mononitrate, calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement).

 




 

From what I understand, vets are not qualified dieticians. Find out why the vet has reccomended this food. Then you can research what other foods are availiable :D

My dog is overweight, has been since she was spayed and we are having such problems getting her weight down. Our vet recommended the hills diet but like you say they get a % of the cost.
Can anyone recommend a good low cal dry food for dogs, at the moment she is on Autarky along with my other dogs who are fine.
Sandie.

Why do you need a special formula?

Just feed less exercise more; simple!

Hi Sandie,

You don't need a special diet food.  For a dog to lose weight a rule of thumb is they need to eat 1/3 less.  So my advice would be to cut portion size by 1/3, give raw veg instead of extra treats, and exercise the dog a bit more.

Stacey

I have used Hills for my two Akita's for the last 8 months but I am just in the process of changing them to the BARF diet because one of my boys decided he didn't like Hills anymore. Anyway I used to get mine from a wholesalers, it cost me £33 of a 15kg bag which is a lot cheaper than the vets.