Vet has recommended Hills B/D diet for my elderly Border Terrier , anyone have any experience of this food ?

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Thought I'd ask if anyone had found it made a difference to their dog before I buy any. Thank You.

IMO Hills is overpriced and overhyped, by vets who get a great big chunk of commission when they manage to flog it.

There are better foods on the market - Burns, Arden Grange, Orijen, James Wellbeloved.... it's largely a case of finding the one that agrees with your particular dog.

Actually it really annoys me when vets try to flog you stuff you don't necessarily need. Last time I took my girls, he had a 0.5 second look in their mouths and said "They've got a little bit of tartar" (they've got beautiful teeth and breath) and proceeded to try to sell me some Dentistix. I said no thanks - if I do ever decide to give them Dentistix I'll by them online for probably half of what you're charging. I don't think he was overly impressed but honestly - it was just so BLATANT

BUY, not by

I agree that Hills is overpriced. We bought it for our first puppy on the vets recommendation but she refused to eat it anyway!

We use Burns which a friend suggested to me - They eat it willingly and there seems to be less poo!

Orijin id fab but very expensive. An rich as it's at least 70% meat.

We have our woofers on Jollyes own brand at the moment. Not a bad price and over 25% meat with is much better than some brand out there.

Saw a different vet last time I went with my 2 cats, she recommended Hills & guilt-tripped me into buying a bag (though it had a voucher for your money back so it was free in the end) and making me think I should always buy it. Something to do with their teeth particularly.

Anyway, looking at the numbers, I decided to stick with my mega-bags of Iams, but mix in a small bag of Hills every now and then, the cats seem happy enough.

But i refuse to buy the Hills from the vets, on principle & it's cheaper in the shops.

OP Hills is divided into two section science diet and prescription diet. What the vet is suggesting you are getting is the prescription diet. I do agree with the above posters however BD has been made to help older dogs with cognitive issues. Personally I would not touch Hills BUT with an ageing dog that needs more cognitive support diet can help.

People who say give burns etc above or other brands off the shelf will not help with the health issues your dog has.

Personally I feed BARF and fresh food so would support my dogs health that way however with an ageing dog with "issues" BD had been shown to help.

If you felt up to researching what nutrients you dog would need to help the condition I would as they would get the benefit without the other rubbish that is in hills.

Hi,
I have 8 dogs (and 3 children so a VERY busy household!!)
I recently came across a new dog food which has been developed by a vet but is much cheaper than all the other premium dog foods. All my dogs are on it now - they absolutely love it and what comes out the other end is good too. Their website is pretty basic but I e-mailed them and they sent me a break down of what is in the food and each variety has at least 26% meat or fish in it. It is all hypoallergenic and they even do one that is ultra hypoallergenic that I was able to give to my old dog that suffers with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I was also impressed that it was delivered the very next day after I ordered it! :)
You can see it at www.vetdiets.co.uk

Claire

Thank you everyone. I dont think in this instance the vet is trying to flog me something just for the sake of it. The food she has recommended is supposed to help very specifically with brain deterioration in old dogs. My dog is 15yrs , she has cataracts and is pretty deaf now , so theres quite a lot of sensory deprivation ! She gets quite confused and disorientated , and has started to wee in the house sometimes. Im not sure she even knows where she is half the time ! She is currently on Burns , and occasionally Chappie. I might research whats in the Hills B/D and buy the supplements to add to her normal food. Unless of course someone has used this food for the same symptoms as I have described, with amazing results. Then I will buy it and give it a go. By the way , she eats well , and still loves her walks. Theres life in the old dog yet ! ( I hope).

Tried Hills ona friend's rec; followed gradual intro as a switch from meat and biscs - with disastrous intestinal consequneces which took a while to get right; both dogs are robust diet-wise usually.

They are now on James Wellbeloved and love it.

A few people I know recommend Burns but I don't have a local supplier.