[ChristyGH]

Has anyone else lost their pets because of Science Diet food? I fed my dogs Science Diet for 11 years at the recommendation of my vet. It was costly and vet recommended so I never thought to research it. In the last year, I have lost 2 of my dogs to Anal Cell Carcinoma. They were not blood related but I got them withing a month of each other over 11 years ago. After I put my Bandit down, I thought it was hard to just assume that it was a coincidence. Ive found several web sites and dog food advisory forums that have shown them as the worst dog food due to dangerous ingredients and there were lots of people with sick dogs. Has any one else had to go through this due to Science Diet/Hill’s dog food?

[dendad]

I’m so sorry about your loss. I have lost two dogs this year due to “unknown” causes. My last baby died just a week ago. The Vet ran him through all kinds of tests, but threw up her hands and said she just didn’t know what was wrong. It was related to his digestion system somehow (diarrhea and vomiting). They have both eaten Science Diet their entire lives (12 and 13 years old). Recently, Science Diet changed the formula on their dry (light) food. It was very yellow, which concerned me. I contacted Hills and got a “That’s your problem” type answer. Both my babies were fine until they changed the formula. Of course, now I feel extremely guilty for not changing food immediately, but I’ve always had trouble when I change my dog’s food, even though I’ve done it gradually. I have one more baby left. She’s two. I am so glad I found this site because I’m going to research the food topics very closely and warn as many people as I can about Science Diet. I can’t prove it, but I have a gut feeling, Science Diet killed both my dogs.

[InkedMarie]

DenDad, I’m sorry about your losses. What are you feeding your dog now?

[dendad]

Unfortunately, I’m still feeding her Science Diet because I haven’t had time to get the research done (wrecked my car right before my baby died, so I’m without transportation too). I don’t want to change her to a new food until I know for sure it’s the right thing. I’m so grateful for this site. It has given me the info I need to decide on a new food. I’m leaning towards Blue Buffalo, but need to look into it further. I certainly will take Science Diet out of our lives at the earliest opportunity, possibly tomorrow if at all possible. A friend is going to take me to buy whatever food I decide on.

Thanks for asking. At present, I’m open to any suggestions. I have begged my wife not to get another dog. My little dog misses “Stretch” as much as we do, but I don’t want to go through this but one more time.

[InkedMarie]

Please do research Blue….some dogs have gotten sick on it, so be aware. Tell us about the dog you have: age, any issues such as ear infections, obesity, underweight, skin issues, etc. is there a budget you need to stick to?

[dendad]

The two dogs I lost were Dachshunds. One smooth hair and one wirehair. Both miniature. The one left is a two year old Chihuahua female. I got her at a shelter. I think she was abused for she is very timid around strangers and afraid of any dogs. She loved the dog I just lost. Her health is great. She may have teeth problems later according to my Vet. She is a sweetheart. Budget is not an issue. I would feed her better than myself if it meant I wouldn’t lose another baby.

[dendad]

Sorry if the above post brought anyone “down”. I’m still grieving I guess, so I should stay away from the computer. Last night was the hardest. My five-year-old grandson wanted me to explain why my dog was gone. Tough one indeed. He asked me if I was going to Heaven too. I quickly changed the subject and he forgot about it (Thank God). Again, sorry to be such a sap. I would appreciate some advice for what to buy to feed my two-year-old Chihuahua. Thanks.

[InkedMarie]

We all understand, no need to apologize. I put four dogs down from Feb 2006 til summer 2011. Trust me, I get it. I get the grand kids,too. Our oldest is five today, other will be five next month, other is 15 mos.

[theBCnut]

Kids have an amazing knack for asking the one question you don’t want to deal with at the worst possible time.

[DieselJunki]

I have never fed Science Diet and luckily become dog food savvy before getting sucked into the “My vet knows everything” deal. I do know the ingredients are crap, however.

Dendad, have you looked up all the 4 and 5 star foods here? I personally would stay away from Blue Buffalo and anything Diamond has had their hands in making. Here is a link to the Diamond (people who make blue buffalo among others!) recalls
/dog-food-recall/diamond-dog-food-recall-expands-again/

I know some people here feed Nature’s Variety, Orijen, Fromms, Annamaet, Brothers, just to name a few. I know some people on here are have found a decent brand at their Costco that is pretty budget friendly but I have forgotten the name. If you want to know of more 4 and 5 star foods on this website just click “Home” at the top and on the left there will be a link “Dry Dog Food.” click that and from there you have the option to click how many stars.

Remember though variety is key! Choose a couple different brands and rotate at the end of every bag, or every couple months. Change the protein source, if the source in the food you are feeding is beef, choose chicken next time, so on and so forth. And remember to rotate SLOWLY, especially if you know your dog gets an upset tummy when you switch to fast.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by DieselJunki.

[dendad]

DieselJunki, you apparently are a lot smarter than I. I’m 68 years old and have had many, many dogs. Some have lived to be as old as 19! Guess I was just lucky, or dog food has changed over the years. Anyway, thanks for the tips. I’ll try to digest it all and come up with a solution for my little girl. She’ll be the last one I have and I have already willed her to my grandson, so I want her to be strong and healthy like he is. Thanks again.

[theBCnut]

Dog food has changed, but even more what we do to food animals has changed and corporate greed has outpaced all of it. It continually amazes me the things they will put in dog food because they can, not because it is good for dogs to eat.

[dendad]

Silly question…why not make my own dog food? I’m retired, have the time and don’t care how much it costs. Go for it?

[theBCnut]

Go for it!! There are all kinds of recipes out there and even a few here. That is the best way to know you have as much control as possible over the quality of the ingredients. You can even make big batches and freeze it.

[DieselJunki]

Dendad that is a wonderful idea. And I am proud to say that my “smarts” all started with this website! I was once in the same boat as you not just a few months back! I have really gotten into dog nutrition since then and pretty much spend all my time after work reading about something to deal with that! This site helped open my eyes that’s for sure.

[dendad]

Update: My little Chihuahua continues to eat only Science Diet. It’s all she wants. I still believe that my late Dachshund’s problems may have been caused by Science Diet, but if my Chihuahua won’t eat anything else, what am I to do? I spent a bunch of money on various flavors of Merrick after reading about that brand on this forum. She hated it. Duck, Chicken, Pork, Beef, etc. She’d try. She’d put a bite in her mouth, walk across the room, then spit it out. Yes, I just gave her a little at a time along with the Science Diet, but to no avail. I also gave up on the making my own dog food. Too many risks there too. If anyone has any suggestions, I’d appreciate it. I really can’t afford to experiment much longer. I thought I’d try her on Bil-Jac? Thanks.

[GizmoMom]

Have you consider switching to raw or pre-made raw? My picky dog ate it right up. When he was on kibble, he was very picky and refuses to eat. Now that’s he on raw, he eats everything. Even when I switch him to new brands of pre-made raw, he doesn’t hesitate to eat.

Go through this list and see which one you might want to try.
/dog-food-reviews/raw/5-star/

[dendad]

No I haven’t considered raw. I guess it sounded unhealthy to me, but it looks like I have nothing to worry about. Thanks for the link. I’ll check it out.

[mah4angel]

Hi! I’d like to start out by saying to ChristyGH and dendad, I am SO SO sorry for your losses! I know it’s easy to feel bad about your choice of diet for your babies but it is absolutely NOT your fault!! We all can see how much love you had for your babies and all of us have been there! You had every reason to believe that you were doing the best for your babies and no one should ever begrudge you for it, including yourself <3

I’m on my way to feeding my Louie (a 10-pound Silky) 100% raw and had a few suggestions myself.

His previous owners had him on pretty much whatever was on sale at the grocery store/whatever they decided to pick up from Costco that day (Pedigree, Purina etc.). The one he was on when we took him home was Purina Puppy Chow (we got him four months ago and he’s three, not a puppy anymore).

I’ve personally found that it was easier to transition him from the CRAP he was eating before slowly up the ladder of great-quality foods. I would buy small batches of each new food (5-10 pounds if available) which would last him for a month or so and then move on to a higher quality kibble. Every time I’ve upgraded his food, he’s picked out the old one from his bowl! ^_^

It’s important to mention how to transition a dog. You have to transition SLOWLY, very very slowly. You’re going to keep a certain ratio of new food to old food for a week OR if her bowel movements change, wait until they turn to normal to move onto the next ratio. At first, have 25% of the new food, and 75% of the old food. Then (once everything is normal) do 50% new 50% old. Finally, 75% new, 25% old until it’s 100% new food.

My suggestion (after going through this whole process) would be to do this (remember to ALWAYS properly transition your pup between each step and add probiotics/digestive enzymes and fiber):

-Change from Science Diet to a four-star kibble (something like Nature’s Domain: http://www.naturesdomainpetfood.com/ which is sold at Costco in HUGE bags so it might not be the best for a little one like yours)

-Then from a four-star kibble to a five-star kibble (like Innova Prime: http://www.petco.com/product/118780/Innova-Prime-Grain-Free-Beef-And-Lamb-Adult-Dry-Dog-Food.aspx?CoreCat=OnSiteSearch, or Earthborn Holistic: http://www.petflow.com/product/earthborn-holistic/earthborn-holistic-primitive-natural-grain-free-dry-dog-food). I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend Earthborn Holistic products, they are GREAT quality and my Louie adores the Primitive Natural kibble.

-Then start SLOWLY adding in wet food to the kibble (like the Earthborn dinners: http://www.petflow.com/product/earthborn-holistic/earthborn-holistic-duke-s-din-din-gourmet-dinner-wet-dog-food).

-Then, switch from the five-star kibble to something that has raw in it like Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Boost food (which has bits of freeze-dried raw in it): http://www.petflow.com/product/natures-variety/nature-s-variety-instinct-grain-free-raw-boost-venison-meal-lamb-meal-dry-dog-food. Continue to add in the wet food.

-Then go to a 100% raw kibble like DNA (air-dried raw, stands for Dried N Alive): http://www.dnapetfood.com/node/20, or something similar. At first, I would continue to add in the wet food to this, but then I would transition her to 100% DNA (or whatever food you decide to use).

-And then transition from that to a pre-made frozen raw OR you could totally cut costs and make your own (which is what I’m doing), and then you’ll have 100% control over what she’s eating 😀

• This reply was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by mah4angel.

[dendad]

mah4angel, thank you so much for taking the time to reply with such great information. And thanks for your condolences. I’m still having trouble dealing with losing my little buddy, but I’ve been through this so many times in my life I know it will get easier. If dogs go to heaven, I’m going to have a great reunion with about 25 babies someday. You’ve given me a lot to think about and I’m so grateful for nice people like you. If you’d care to share your recipe for homemade dog food I’d love it.

[mah4angel]

Yes! I do believe that we are always reunited with those we love; animal and human. Whether it be in Heaven or in another lifetime, whatever you happen to believe in ^_^

There’s a whole forum topic dedicated to raw dog food menus here: /forums/topic/menus/. I’m totally no raw dog food genie haha and you can see all of my ramblings and questions on there and my current future recipe is the last comment on the thread hehe. I don’t have everything I need to actually feed him his raw diet yet so that’s why I’m not feeding him 100% raw as of yet but I will be soon!

Here is a thread for help with starting a dog on raw dog food: /forums/topic/help-with-starting-my-dog-on-a-raw-diet/ BUT it will take a few months to transition her all the way up the ladder to raw food, so I wouldn’t be super worried about it quite yet 😀 I think the most important thing is to just get her off of Science Diet food. And if you have any of the Science Diet left, PLEASE donate it to a local shelter! I know that Science Diet is not at all optimal for our wonderful furry friends but shelters need all that they can get 🙂

I also wanted to add something that I forgot to my original comment, which is to start feeding raw meaty bones and organ meat (livers, hearts, etc.) when she is fully transitioned to DNA (or another freeze or air-dried raw). RMB’s as we call them are GREAT for dental health! And it’ll be a great introduction to real, raw meat. Pork necks, chicken necks, ox tails, chicken backs, chicken feet, pork feet, etc. are all RMB’s (as opposed to recreational bones like thigh bones, etc.) that are recommended. And the organ meats will supply extra nutrients. Just make sure to freeze them for two weeks just to be on the safe side 🙂

RMB’s and organs (and any table scraps, etc.) should make up no more than 20% of her daily diet (because it will throw off the balance supplied in the pre-made food), so you’ll want to give her maybe one pork neck one day and maybe one chicken heart the next day, and so on and so forth. BUT like I said, this is all a long way off so I wouldn’t focus too much on this portion of the feeding.

In reality, the longest transition time will more than likely be right now, switching from Science Diet to whatever 4-star GRAIN-FREE food (totally forgot to mention that the four-star food should be grain-free) you choose, whether it be Nature’s Domain or something else. This is because her tummy isn’t used to the lack of grains. It’s almost like a detox process. So, that transition will most likely take the longest to complete; probably a month or so.

This is why adding fiber (with things like pureed pumpkin, hemp, chia, and flax seed, etc.) and probiotics/digestive enzymes (with things like yogurt, etc.) is important because it helps to nourish the balance of good and bad bacteria in the gut as well as balancing out any other digestive problems.

I’m trying to pack in a lot of information into one comment so that you won’t have to do too too much fishing for information. It’s stressful, I know! The most important thing is to just pull the trigger and do it. I second-guessed myself and I waited until I felt I had found the perfect food, but no food is 100% perfect. There is no supplementing a wolf’s primitive diet with just one food, try as we might hehe ^_^

[Melissaandcrew]

One food that my extremelly picky mill rescue Iggy loved right away was Hi Tek. Both grainfree and grain inclusive. Its also very reasonable in pricing.

[dendad]

Thank you. I don’t see Hi Tek in the review list here in anything but dry. Do you know if it comes wet? Thanks again.

[mah4angel]

I think Melissaandcrew is suggesting to use Hi-Tek as your five-star dry food ^_^ I would say, though, that Hi-Tek’s grain-free formula (and I would suggest using a grain-free kibble, period) is pretty high in carbohydrates. However, it might be a good alternative to Earthborn if you can get a smaller bag of it given that Earthborn only comes in 15 lb bags.

[dendad]

Thank you Mah4angel. I wished my little one liked dry food for many reasons, but she just spits it out. Even the small bites versions. My next attempt at finding a five star food she will eat is Freshpet. Wish me luck!

[mah4angel]

Even better!! That should make the transition easier and much MUCH shorter, actually ^_^ Wet food is, in general, healthier than dry food! Now that I know that your baby is already eating wet food and doesn’t need to be transitioned from dry to wet, I can offer you a whole new (shorter) transition plan (if you don’t mind), I just copied and pasted my old plan and deleted and reworded some stuff haha. All I can say is remember to transition properly! It’s very important!!

-Change from Science Diet to a four-star wet food (something like the Nature’s Domain wet food-which is sold at Costco and is not yet listed on this site but that I’m positive would receive a four-star mark: http://www.naturesdomainpetfood.com/about-natures-domain/natures-domain-grain-free-turkey-and-pea-stew-for-dogs, or Artemis Fresh Mix canned food: /dog-food-reviews/artemis-fresh-mix-dog-food-canned/).
I’ve selected these because they have decent fat-to-protein ratios. The fat-to-protein ratio should be around 50% (Hill’s Science Diet Adult Canned Dog Food has an average fat-to-protein ratio of 68% so we’re trying to start to reduce the fat-to-protein ratio with these four-star foods).

-Then from a four-star wet food to a five-star wet food (like the Earthborn dinners: http://www.petflow.com/product/earthborn-holistic/earthborn-holistic-duke-s-din-din-gourmet-dinner-wet-dog-food).
These tubs have an average fat-to-protein ratio of about 47%, pretty much perfect. Like I said before, I HIGHLY recommend Earthborn products!! These come in great, easy to re-seal tubs in a variety of flavors. I used them for Louie to get him used to a higher moisture content.

-Then go to a 100% raw kibble (these raw kibbles come “dry” BUT they need to be re-hydrated with water so it really is more of a wet food than anything) like DNA (air-dried raw, stands for Dried N Alive): http://www.dnapetfood.com/node/20, or something similar.

-And then transition from that to a pre-made frozen raw OR you could totally cut costs and make your own (which is what I’m doing), and then you’ll have 100% control over what she’s eating 😀

• This reply was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by mah4angel.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by mah4angel.

[Nlove]

I have fed my miniature dachshund science diet since she was 5 weeks old (she is 9). I put her on the diet small kibbles since she’s gained weight. This year, she has been getting sick (temporary back leg paralysis overnight 3 times). Beginning in July, she was having back/neck pain and I was scared that I was losing her. Since she kept gaining weight on this food, I changed to Iams. Well, it just got worse. After reading about how bad it is for humans to eat processed food (I started fruit/veggie juicing for myself) I started researching feeding dogs natural food. I have been feeding her a mixture of rice (with chicken stock/greenbeans/boiled eggs. She loves it! She is losing weight, has actually been running, playing with her toys (runs and fetches) and is very happy/loving again. My husband tells her that I saved her life. I will never feed her ANY processed “dog food” again.

[InkedMarie]

Nlove: what meat are you feeding her?

[Nlove]

No meat for now. The boiled eggs are her protein source.

[GSDMajor_2]

I want to say I am so sorry for the loss of your sweet dogs. It’s one of the most heartbreaking experiences we as humans ever go through. We lost one of our GSG’s last OctoberBelieve me I understand your pain. She too was on Science Diet all her life and ended up with many health issuesI never related it to the food until now. In November we rescued another GSD. He was very thin and had quite a rough start but seemed to be thriving /gaining weight on Science Diet although skin issues and things that we couldn’t quite put our finger on. The end of May we started using the “Improved ” Science Diet for Sensitive Skin. It’s been down hill ever since. This is a very large dog who lives for food. He sometimes eats and others not. He is hesitant about eating when he does . I even mixed it with high end canned. He’s lost weight ,gets loose stools, occasionally spits up yellow bile seems depressed at times(a very happy dog). We have been to the vet so many times since we got him I stopped counting. My gut kept telling me it’s the food but had always heard it was “great ” food so continued with it. .He’s also had emotional issues brought on by fire works which started in the beginning of June in our neighborhood and continues every weekend even now so it’s been difficult to isolate the problem. Last night I was searching for answers as I do every night and came across a page with so many complaints about Science Diet. I will include the address but keep in mind it wasn’t written by God( 🙂 ). Come to your own conclusions. I’m boiling boneless/skinless chicken and cooking some rice as I type as he hasn’t eaten since yesterday morning. He eats three smaller meals per day usually due to his large size. I will be going to Petco as soon as it opens. Too many things are happening and too many complaints about Science Diet to not do further research. I do hope Dog food advisor does their own further research . Something is not correct here. I love my dog more than I could ever express and only want him to be happy and healthy. Love,hugs and prayers go out to you.

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/science_diet.html

[Juana]

Hi,
I am very sorry for your loss.
Four of my five girls started eating Hill’s (Science Diet sister brand) by vet prescription for a kidney condition, a digestive condition and overweight. I am a vegan person. Before the prescription they were on the vegan formula by Natural Balance with no problems, according to me. I have always been suspicious about the animal ingredients in pet food. The stories I have read in this forum support my distrust. I just lost my only boy 5 weeks ago due a lung cancer. I hate to think that the food might be related. But if food is a risk factor for human cancer, why wouldn’t it be for pets.
My goal is to be able to make their food at home; a vegan home-made formula. Any advice?
Thank you very much!

[K6RBS]

Hills SD Killed our pug Abigail.

5 years old, history of bladder stones.
Started with a UTI, vet x-rayed her, put her on antibiotics and Hills SD (to dissolve the struvite stones). I gradually weaned her on to the SD (took a week). In the mean time the vet got the urinalysis tests back and the stones turned out to be calcium oxylate (?sp). I had 2 cans of SD left so we decided to leave her on it for a couple more days.
Next morning she is lethargic, vomiting and off her food.
She died a horrible death 5 days later due to pancreatitis followed by other organ failure caused by the fat content in the SD. I pleaded with Hills to put a warning on their cans and send a strong warning to the vets – they refused. Search the web – Abigail is not the first victim of Hills SD Dog food.

https://www.facebook.com/abigail.pugsly

• This reply was modified 11 years, 1 month ago by K6RBS. Reason: Added URL to Abby's FB page
• This reply was modified 11 years, 1 month ago by K6RBS.

[SheSaid]

So sorry for all the loses.. nothing hurts as bad as losing a love one. I too had a fur baby die in June. It was sudden and a rush to the vets where she died with in 12 hours. We were crushed and still suffer the loss. Vet said it was “probably” Addison’s disease and her death was from an Addison crisis .. and he said this without testing her. I researched that disease and it is still a maybe but my thoughts are it could have been food related. I have now transitioned all my other babies to rice and chicken with some vegies. I have recently become mom to a large black lab.. I do give him the rice and chicken mixture but that is much too expensive for me to feed him without mixing in some dry dog food, and of course since reading this I will find a safe dry dog food to give him. My question is that just today I read that rice can contain arsenic… /[‘0’]\ … Is that just the rice in dog food preps or all rice. We eat a lot of rice as a family and now our dogs do too. Is the same true for organic rice as well. I will continue to do some research today on my own but if anyone can fast track me I would appreciate it.

[rogerharris]

Feeling sad about your dog. Fortunately science diet never killed my dog yet.

http://www.compundiapharmacy.com/

[theBCnut]

rogerharris, would you please at least get a website that works, if you must pimp for one.

[geecee]

Pets have many diseases, just as people do. Some are diet related, some are breed related and some are from old age. I have a 13 year jold just diagnosed with Cushings Disease. He is eating Science Diet food and has been for 13 years. His Mother who was a Papillon (he is part Papillon and part bulldog), also died from Cushings at age 9 which is quite common in dogs. I have had 14 and 16 year old dogs die from old age related illnesses (stomach tumor, stroke) that ate plain old dog food from the grocery store. Nothing stops the progression of time. It is so sad that we can’t keep them with us always. I have 8 dogs and 5 cats right now. All on Heartgard and some on Science Diet and some on Beneful and Iams. They are all healthy until they hit that downward spiral towards old age. Just like me. ☺

[Bella]

ChristyGH: I lost my beloved Shi-Tzu 6 days ago. She was fine, just at the Vet’s office 1&1/12 days before the horrible event started. I fed her her dinner about 6pm (ballpark time). She began vomiting within (again ballpark timing) 1-1&1/2 hours, which at first I wasn’t horribly concerned as she always had a very sensitive stomach, and it was all strictly her dog food that she vomited, I checked it (always)! By the 5th time I was getting concerned and sent a text to my Vet to let him know, as he always will advise me, she’s always been his special sweetly in his office. But I didn’t hear back and I continued texting a couple more times, with no answer back( I later found out he was out of the country) I then called the office for the Emergency Hospital number and took her there. Long story short, she passed away hours later. The ER Vet and the Vet at my regular Veterinary Office both looked at her blood work and point to toxicity. All her major organs were in complete failure they had told me at the Animal Hospital. ( to think she and i were playing with her toys that morning and she seemed fine, except after she ate her dinner from a NEW can of Hills Prescription W/D) The Vet is aiming at Hills Prescription WD, as she knew I just bought a case when I was there with her the night before, and it is what I fed her. (She was placed on it by my Vet after a surgery for Bladder stones and a mass of testing to figure out what could help her stone issue)
When the Vet called me Monday morning after reading the Animal Hospitals notes and tests, she wanted the number & letters on the bottom of the can, and all info anywhere on the case packaging. I also took pictures of it all, and as I did I was noticing every can was dented except one, and I NEVER use dented cans and I check them even for myself. Who knows maybe the one I opened was slightly dented and was missed, but a tally NONE should be dented, as it’s a known fact that a slight dent can cause air to get in a can.
The Vet came in the room to talk to me the night I brought her in ( I had her at home as I couldn’t handle not having her with me, she went everywhere possible I went. I miss her terribly, I’m so upset and very sad over her death.) when we talked I brought up doing a necropsy on her, as there was no good reason she died, the Vet said she was going to talk to name about getting permission to do one, so we were both in the same page. I asked if I could stay to observe…it’s very unsettling to know your beloved “little girl” died, and you have no good reasons …yet.
Necropsy was done, tissue samples should be back in about a week and Toxicity should be back in about 2 weeks. Hoping to have answers then….. But this is so unsettling… I’m depressed as can be, she was my little baby girl, she’s all I had, she was the best company anyone could ask for.. I’ll keep updating as I learn more…

If anyone else has had experience with this dog food > Hills Prescription W/D < PLEASE let me know…it’s worth it to sign up and post on here…

Now I need to decide where I’ll have her cremated and have services for her…

#Annie, I love you more than anything and will miss you forever~ love Mommy.many kisses and hugs~

[Bella]

I’d like to add to my recent post a few minutes ago. On top of the necropsy I had done and the labs testing for toxicity and tissue samples we(Vet and I) sent out a can to each, Hills (SD) and the USDA for testing.Im also having my own private testing done on it.

I’ll keep you posted as I know any results.

Thank you,
Bella

[InkedMarie]

Bella, I’m so sorry about your dog.

[losul]

Hi Bella, really so very sorry to hear about Annie.

I assume the cans you used have those pull tops? It seems that all or most of the canned dog foods now have those. The convenience is nice, but I sure wish they would go back to the standard tops (have to be opened with a can opener) for safety reasons. I always worry whether the seal is intact on them and I could see where dents or even something else like a defect could possibly cause the seal to fail unknowingly.

Please do keep us posted on your findings.

[dennis a]

I know this is an old thread but I had to post my comment. My family had Chow Chow dogs since 1980. Most have always lived to around the 10 year mark. My last Chow lived to be 15 years old. She only ate Science Diet Lamb and Rice food. I believed what the Vet told me and used it. Now I am reading this thread on how this food is crap and so forth. But my last Chow never looked her age, was playful and acted like a puppy until this year. Ya’ll can believe what you want to but with the long life of my Chow, I am using it on her replacement. Thanks

[dendad]

The thing is, the Science Diet your buying now isn’t the same as it was when you started using it. Like you, I used Science Diet for all my dogs for many, many years. Dog food companies change their formulas for various reasons, mostly economical reasons. Science Diet changed their formula several times over the years that I used it. I fed my dogs twice a day, so it was very easy to tell when the food looked and smelled different. You can see some info on one of these changes here:

/dog-food-news/hills-science-diet-new-recipes/

Be sure to read the entire article, including the updates.

I truly hope your dog’s “replacement” does fine with Science Diet. For me, I’ve learned my lesson and am still grieving the loss of my best friend.

[dendad]

More about Science Diet and why I’m glad I found out about it before getting more dogs.

/dog-food-recall/hills-science-diet-dog-food-market-withdrawal-november-2015/

[oblivion a]

You could never definitely say it was the cause but yes it is amazingly difficult to choose a balanced dog food in todays world due to every company pitching and marketing their products with fancy words.

[John R]

Has anyone had trouble with Science Diet U D we lost both our dogs in a week after opening a new bag.

[theBCnut]

I’m so sorry for your loss. That must have been horrible.

Unfortunately, there are some things you need to do now. These are the next things you need to consider. Did you save the food? Have you filed a report with the FDA? Have you talked to the company? Did you have a necropsy done on either dog? Has your vet filed a report with the FDA?

[Pat G]

I personally feed my four shelties Acana dog food which I consider to be one of the best foods. I dogsit a fair amount and two shelties I cared for recently were overweight with a small amount of dog food with dry coats and and very dry almost crumbly poop. They drank and had access to plenty of water. I didn’t know what they were getting until they left because the owners brought premeasured meals in ziplock bags. I am trying to get them to feed a better food and they are going to ask their vet first who is probably selling them that crappy Science Diet weight management food. Well I hope I can convince them to upgrade to a better food.

[a c]

I lost my 10 years old dog to lymphoma early this year. I don’t know if it has anything with the dog food. He has been on Hills Science Diet since he was a puppy – Science Diet puppy, active, then senior because that’s what our vets recommended. It never cross my mind that I need to think otherwise.

I wish I knew about dogfoodadvisor.com sooner.

[hilary b]

I have a dog who has been on Hills for two years. However this october she started vomiting.. and having accidents in the house. So far its happened twice. But I took her to the vet who said- her stomach had started to bloat for sone reason. ( Even though she has a slow feeder.. so for the rest of this month shes on observation and I have orders to change her food.

[Christine C]

I too believe Science Diet killed my dog with an intestinal cancer. She was so strong, but the cancer was invasive and I had to put her down because she leeked everywhere. It broke my heart. I now feed my dog Taste of the Wild with added vegetables and organic meat/table scraps. Terrible.

[Author]

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