i keep chicken stock and pedialyte and beef stock for that very reason.
It does have a higher sodium level to encourage water intake, which is fine in a healthy animal. Healthy animals are able to excrete excesses of sodium very effectively, by increasing water intake and increasing urine output (achieving the goal of diluting the urine), it's only when there is a health condition that requires lower sodium levels that you need to be careful. It doesn't have "additives" to change pH etc, but it is formulated to decrease the amount of crystal precursors that are excreted in the urine. The nutrient profile is adjusted through manipulation of ingredients....This is confirmed by RSS (Relative Supersaturation) data, which collects urine over a number of days and looks at specific gravity, pH, mineral content, etc... (it is explained much better in the veterinary product guide if you're interested in learning more about that, I am not great at explaining it because I only need a base understanding in order to do my job as a vet). Depending on the crystal type you're dealing with, other diets may be a viable option, especially dealing with struvite which is associated with infection. But, if you're dealing with something like calcium oxalate, these are stones that the body is constantly trying to form and they are not dissolvable (is that a word...?). In that case, Urinary SO is the most aggressive diet for crystal and stone prevention, and is absolutely my first recommendation in an otherwise healthy animal.
Again, depending on the crystal or stone you're dealing with, but pH is not the only parameter that you need to be concerned about. Lots of 'fresh foods' are high in oxalates, and increase the risk of stone reformation. SO is not a low quality diet, nor are the ingredients low quality. People believe RC diets to be lower quality because of misconceptions being spread on the internet, it doesn't make it true.
I'm curious how the ingredients do this? What ingredient(s) do this? I would like to look into this more....as I'm not sold that the ingredients in these prescription diets are all they are cracked up to be.
I am coming from the perspective of urate crystals, which is what my BRT has (hyperuricosuria). I do realize that pH is not the only parameter. Trust me. My BRTs pH at this point is the least of my worries. So, I can't really speak on any other stones or proper diets for those dogs. However, I do know from personal experience that dogs with urate crystals/stones can do just fine on a diet other then a prescription diet. A diet low in purines and high in water intake is key.
It’s not one specific ingredient... It’s the combination of ingredients and nutrients that accomplish this. Remember; an ingredient is a vehicle to provide nutrients to the body, example, chicken provides protein, vitamin B3, phosphorus, tryptophan, selenium. Corn provides protein (rich in sulfur amino acids... good for skin and coat), carbohydrates, fibre, vitamin C, vitamin B3, manganese, leutine, zeaxanthine, beta-carotene, etc..... By combining different ingredients, it is possible to produce diets with very specific nutrient profiles, and in this way manage and treat diseases, predispositions, etc......
Urate formers generally have one of two issues: 1) an inborn error in protein (specifically purine) metabolism which leads to excess uric acid in the bladder, or 2) liver failure, which by a different pathway leads to the same thing.
how many antioxidants can you find in animal products? carbohydrates provide energy. you can get energy from carbs, fat or protein, from an energy standpoint, you can use any of them as an energy source, and I personally wouldn't recommend any one source exclusively.
Fish oils provide some antioxidants like selenium and zinc, but I don't know that I would say it provides plenty. I like my dogs to have a range of antioxidants... including vitamin C, lutein, etc...... you can't get them all from fish oil, and there are different qualities of fish oil out there.... you have to be pretty careful to be sure you get what you think you're getting. Also, fish oil, being a fat, is prone to oxidation... so it actually depletes the amount of vitamin E in the body. Some fish oil supplements actually have vitamin E added to combat this. You know where vitamin E comes from? Grains and vegetables.
well, I look further than protein and carb amounts, and looking at the first five ingredients is no different than looking at the first one ingredient. The ingredient source doesn't matter. The nutrients it provides do. I look at nutrient parameters, who formulates the diet, clinical trials, quality control measures, and how tailored a diet is to a specific patient's nutritional needs. so let's agree to disagree.
which is part of the reason i no longer 'go' by studies. one day coffee is good. next day it's bad. eggs have been vilified and glorified.
but we shall also have to agree to disagree about which form of food is fed, especially the quality control part.
Thank you for taking the time to reply. Very interesting. I understand what your saying, but I'm just not sold yet. Will need to research it a bit more. I still believe that there is no need for corn, fillers, etc. in some of the prescription diets. One of the ingredients in Science Diet is the equivalent of saw dust. How does that play a part in the food besides being a filler to make stools hard? I'd prefer to skip the sawdust and feed my dog whole, fresh foods modified for his specific needs as opposed to processed kibble.
I'm glad it was helpful
i recognise the importance of cellulose for humans....and now that vegetables and whole grains are so expensive, i can now comfortably eat sawdust for fibre. and, i can feed it to my dogs to give their stools bulk and keep that peristalsis going....I'm glad it was helpful
A filler, by definition, has no nutritional value. Corn is full of beneficial nutrients, and is highly digestible, not a filler.
As for sawdust, I'm assuming you're talking about cellulose. It's true, cellulose comes from a plant cell wall, which may (or may not, depending on the company) include wood, but again, it's not a filler, it's an insoluble fibre broken down into teeny tiny bits. It doesn't supply energy or vitamins or minerals, but insoluble fibre is important for digestive health, someone in another thread was talking about how important it insoluble fibre is for natural exfoliation of intestinal cells, it also promotes peristalsis, and can help 'bulk up' stools if there is fibre responsive colitis, anal gland issues, or if you have an animal on a weight loss program and they're hungry, it can help to make them feel more full. There are lots of different sources of insoluble fibre, cellulose is just one of them.
uh, I didn't say you should put sawdust in food. I think you misinterpreted what I said, and looking back at what I wrote maybe I stated it unclearly......cellulose is an insoluble fibre that is sourced from a plant cell wall. Because sawdust comes from wood, the cells that make up sawdust CONTAIN cellulose. Just like the cells of every plant material on the planet. So companies that don't use cellulose started spreading rumors that companies that DO use cellulose are putting sawdust in their food. Using cellulose in a diet is not the same as putting sawdust in a diet.
