Pondering Prescription Diets: Science or Scam?

As our pets age (sometimes even in youth) it is a sad reality that they may develop chronic health conditions requiring long-term management. Luckily, as modern medicine marches forward, the treatment options available continually expand. Astute pet owners may take notice of the ever-growing array of dietary solutions marketed for disease management in companion animals. These diets, available both online with a prescription or directly through veterinarians, provide tailored nutritional support for conditions of the skin, gut, liver, kidneys, urinary bladder, and even brain. Par for the course of nutrition information available online, however, misconceptions and misplaced criticism abound. A common allegation states that these diets are scams, because they don’t contain specific medications, they use ingredients similar to those of traditional diets, and they’re often expensive. This has led some pet owners to question why a prescription is even necessary! Like with most pet food misconceptions, a bit of background information readily remedies these concerns.