Overweight Dogs & Cats

R/d is the Best Way to Shed the Pounds & Prevent Serious Disease

Question:

Is Science diet r/d formula equal to the prescription r/d? Can I buy this r/d food anywhere else besides my vet?

 

Dr. Nichol:

The prescription diets (r/d and others) are made by Hills Science Diet. R/d is the best weight reduction diet I’ve ever known. (Just look at my girlish figure.) R/d’s big difference, compared with “light” diets, is that it’s much higher in fiber and a lot lower in fat. It’s actually fat deficient, requiring overweight pets to use up some of their stored fat. Once they’re back to a healthy weight we switch to w/d to maintain their new svelte figures over the long term. It’s a beautiful thing.

 

Few people realize that an overweight pet is really a vulnerable pet waiting for a serious disease. Heavy wear and tear on the kidneys and heart is only the beginning. Chronically fat cats (I don’t mean politicians) infiltrate their livers with a lot of blubber. Some of these kitties die young from fatty liver disease despite treatment.

 

If you’re a dog reading this, don’t laugh. You chunky monkeys carry far more load on your joints than your maker ever intended. Time is not on your side. With age, hip joints and knee ligaments (ACL) are prone to early breakdown. A huge number of crippled canine seniors would still be pretty spry were it not for appetites run wild.

 

Are you scared now? I am and I hope my pets Peter Rabbit and Raoul are too. There is hope in the form of Hill’s r/d. This prescription diet works great but it’s not for everybody. Why should only veterinarians sell r/d? Our job is to protect your pet’s health. Nutrition is a big part of that. Fat deficiency would be harmful to some pets such as growing babies, expectant or nursing mothers, or pets with cancer. Sorry it costs a bit more but you won’t get the job done with “light” diets. If the pet you love needs two airline seats, you’re doing the right thing to spring for the good stuff.