Where can I get cheap prescription cat food?I just found out that my beloved old cat has Chronic Renal Failure and needs prescription cat food. It's $ 1.50 - $ 1.80 for a 5oz can when I buy it from the vet! Is there some way that I could get it cheaper? Another source like... online or a payment plan or... some coupon. I'm not sure. Any ideas? It's called "Hill's Prescription Diet" or "Iams Multi-Stage Renal -Veterinary Formula"
Posted by holpet
This is what KD does:
# Prescription Diet® k/d® is formulated with the following benefits:Reduced phosphorus to help maintain healthy kidney function
# Reduced levels of protein to help reduce kidney workload
# Reduced sodium to help maintain normal blood pressure
# Increased levels of omega-3 fatty acids to help blood flow to the kidneys
# Increased levels of B-complex vitamins to compensate urinary losses
# Added antioxidants to control cell oxidation and promote a healthy immune system
The main thing they advertise for their food is a low protein and phosphorus content. You can use any canned food that is low in protein and phosphorus. K/D has .46% phosphorus. Add enough moisture to any food and it will be low in protein and phosphorus. Make sure there that salt is low on the ingredient list (cat's need it, but not a lot). Omega 3s can be found in salmon or flax seed oil or a supplement like Missing Link. Consider using a food that has quinoa in it or adding a little bit to your cat's canned diet. Quinoa has a lot of b-vitamins for a grain. As for the anti-oxidants here's a list:
20. Gala apples
19. Plums
18. Black beans (dried)
17. Russet potatoes (cooked)
16. Black plums
15. Sweet cherries
14. Pecans
13. Granny Smith apples
12. Red delicious apples
11. Strawberries
10. Raspberries
9. Prunes
8. Blackberries
7. Artichokes (cooked)
6. Cranberries
5. Blueberries (cultivated)
4. Pinto beans
3. Red kidney beans
2. Blueberries (wild)
1. Small red beans (dried)
Many high quality canned cat foods use berries in their foods, which means they will fulfill the antioxidant requirement.
So here's a suggestion:
Buy cans of Evanger's vegetarian dog and cat food, which has some of the antioxidant foods listed above. http://www.evangersdogfood.com/dog/20101.html
Add your own boiled meat, or a canned meat made for pets like Wellness 95% cans, Canine Caviar Holistic Cans, Wysong Au Jus, or Merrick B.G. No human canned meat or anything with added salt, seasoning, oil, etc.
I would probably do at least 65% meat to 35% vegetarian food.
Add some water to make it more stew-like and increase your cat's moisture intake.
Add salmon oil or some Missing Link powder for Omega 3s.
http://www.missinglinkproducts.com/productslist16-5/FelineCats
Buy some quinoa, steam it, and add it to the vegetarian portion of the food.
The main things that helped my dog when she started going into kidney failure were whole foods and the added moisture of her diet (I feed her raw, which will be more expensive than what I lined out for you and harder to switch a cat to). She completely recovered from her chronic kidney failure and now her only health problem is caused by her anatomy, not her diet.
This diet will require an initial investment, but once you spend the initial amount of money, the ingredients will last a long time, so it will be more economical in the long run.
Like I said, whole foods and increased moisture helped my dog, so you could also just use Honest Kitchen's Prowl for cats. It is a dehydrated raw food. You just rehydrate and serve. This way your cat is getting whole foods, and you can increase moisture intake by adding more water. In my experience, cats like Prowl better than other raw foods because you can add warm water to it (unlike raw frozen which is served cold). Temperature makes a big difference for cats.
http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/products/prowl.shtml
Raw, whole foods saved my dog's life. If she had been on K/D I don't think she would still be alive and healthy at 15.
You can run this by your vet if you want to, but I wouldn't expect them to be very happy. Vet's don't have a lot of nutrition training (mostly how to prescribe prescription diets), but maybe yours has done his/her homework? If your vet does not approve, keep in mind that it could be the massive profits they make off of prescription diet sales. Try to find an animal nutritionist or holistic vet in your area, and talk to them about your options.
Posted by Jenifer, RVT
Hello!
Working for The Iams Company, this a question we get a lot. I am sorry to hear that your cat is going thru kidney failure- however our kidney diet was formulated by nutritionist and has specific ingredients added to support your cat's renal function. I would only transition your cat to an over the counter diet if you have spoken with your Veterinarian about it first.
Iams Veterinary Formula Renal Multi-Stage/Feline is our veterinary diet that helps nutritionally manage chronic kidney disease in cats. This diet has the following nutritional profile:
•Nitrogen Trap Fiber System increases fecal nitrogen excretion, to reduce reliance on the kidneys, allowing for feeding of moderate protein levels.
•Optimal protein levels to help maintain body condition, muscle mass, glomerular filtration rate, and immune and organ function.
•Omega-6:omega-3 fatty acid ratio targeting 5:1 to help increase glomerular filtration
•Reduced phosphorus level nutritionally manages hyperphosphatemia, which helps slow progression of renal disease.
•Added potassium citrate helps control metabolic acidosis.
For further information on this diet please see this link:
IVF/FelineMulti-Stage Renal Dry
http://www.iams.com/iams/en_US/jsp/IAMS_Page.jsp?pageID=PL&productID=108
If purchasing from your veterinarian is not convenient, you may want to have your veterinarian set up an account for you with Vet Centric. We have partnered with this on-line pharmacy servicing veterinarians in order to provide our consumers a way to have our Iams Veterinary Formula's delivered directly to their homes. Vet Centric's toll-free number is 866-838-2368. The web-site is www.vetcentric.com.
Good luck to you and your kitty!
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