[Patricia V]

Hello,

I am new to this so not sure how this works but I am hoping someone can help me. My dog just died a couple of days ago and I have a strong suspicion it is due to the prescription food that was given to him. I read consumer reviews online on consumeraffairs.com and a lot of people recently were having same issues w/ their Science Diet prescription food as well. To the best of my knowledge, there hasn’t been a recall on their food yet – most complaints were very recent – within the last month or so.. and so interested in finding out if anyone here has had any bad experiences w/ their food products? If I were to get it tested, any ideas on what to test for? I did a little research, and there are so many different varieties of things that could be tested and I need to narrow it down a bit. My dog died of liver failure and other than being a little underweight he was the happiest pup ever just 2 weeks ago. Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated. I want to find out if this food was the cause of my pup’s death and make sure this company pays for what they have done.

[Luisa P]

First, let me begin by saying how sorry I am for your loss. I know all to well how painful it is to lose a fur baby suddenly and unexpectedly. I don’t know how to answer your question except to say that having necropsy done can prove the actual cause of death and perhaps give you something to go on. Again, I am sorry for your loss and wish you the best of luck.

[Patricia V]

Thanks Luisa, but unfortunately its too late for an autopsy. I didn’t know I would need one and by the time I had requested one, it was too late – his body had been frozen for too long. I am so heartbroken by this and just need answers. I don’t want anyone else to suffer like I am right now.

[Pitlove]

Patricia- Unfortunatly there are a lot of variables here and to be the best of my knowledge it is very hard to connect food to the death of a pet, which is why Purina is most likely going to win the current lawsuit they are going through with Beneful.

I think the first step would be to understand what causes liver failure. Your best bet is finding a specialist to speak to/do a sort of consulation with, who can explain the symptoms of liver failure and what can cause it. I know you probably don’t want to know what Hill’s has to say about liver failure at this point, but they mention weight loss as a symptom.

http://www.hillspet.com/dog-care/dog-disease-liver-disease.html

There is a possiblity that because you didn’t know what to look for this was something that had been developing. There are also breeds that are prediposed to liver disease at birth and age plays a card in liver failure as well.

If your vet is certain that his liver failed and that was his COD, then a necropsy really wouldn’t be needed, IMO.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 2 months ago by Pitlove.

[Susan]

Hi, sorry for your loss, you say pup, how old was your pup? also what health condition did your pup have to be put on the Hills I/d wet tin food in the first place? An autopsy needs to be done on your pup so they can find out what caused the liver failure…but I have just read it was too late for an autopsy to be done… do you still have the can of food so you have the batch numbers….My boy was eating the Hills I/d Low Fat Restore GI wet tin food, last December/January, the first month his poos were firm poos, then after 1 month he had bad diarrhea, the vet or I couldn’t work out what was wrong, then I noticed there was clumps of boiled rice thru the new cans of I/d where the I/d cans I was feeding the month before didn’t have big clumps of boiled rice, the rice was grounded, I rung Hills up & the Hills lady said the I/d restore GI wet tin foods are made at 2 different plants & I must of bought the first I/d tins from 1 plant then the next month, I have bought another batch from the other plant & the mixer didn’t mix the rice thru properly & ground up the rice, that’s why I had big clumps in the new cans, she took down all the batch numbers & use by date of the tins I had left & she said these tins have just been made cause they had 18 months to be used by dates, then she said take back all the full & empty tins & Hills will refund all your money, I said, what about the clumps of rice in the tins, that are still for sale at the vets, the tins were half full of boiled rice she said one of their Reps will come & take them all…..
I think Hills just says whatever sounds good at the time, Hills have an answer for every question I’ve asked, like they are use to receiving complaints & trained in what to say. My boy has never done well on any of the Hills vet kibbles or vet wet tin foods…

[Patricia V]

Susan – he was a stray and the vet estimated he was 1-2 years old. He had blood work done in March that showed no symptoms of anything wrong. We had him fully vaccinated and he was a happy pup. The reason he was put on the food was b/c he was a bit underweight – was kind of a picky eater so the vet put him on the food to help him gain weight. He got sick from it the first two nights. I took him back to the vet. They said to continue giving it to him but in smaller amounts and gave me a prescription for anti-nausea and upset stomach. By the 5th day, he wanted nothing to do w/ it. I called the vet back and they said to mix it in w/ other food but reassured me that there was no way it could be the food that was making him sick. By the 8th day, he started acting strangely.. I called the vet first thing on the 9th day, and he told me to monitor him closely.. I went home early from work and he had had a seizure. I rushed him to the emer vet and his body temp had dropped. They warmed him up, put him on some antibiotics and had hooked him up to an oxygen tank. They kept him there over night and when I called the next morning, they told me he had been doing better throughout the night but then all of a sudden took a turn for the worse. His blood work was now showing high level of enzymes in his liver and they thought his liver was failing. The only thing that had changed was that food we gave him. There is no other scenario or possibility that could explain my dog’s sudden death. I just want answers and to hopefully stop other pups from getting sick. I don’t want any other pet owner to go through what I am going through now. I haven’t stopped crying since I lost him.

[Anonymous]

I am so sorry for your heartbreak. What does your vet think caused his death? Did he have a liver anomaly?

Sometimes there is no explanation for these things…..
The only thing I can think of is, next time, wait till the dog is in perfect health before you give any vaccinations, and then only give what is required by law (rabies)

I lost a beautiful dog to hemangiosarcoma, she had the best diet, exercise, I will never know what caused it, some things are genetic.

Peace

[Pamela S]

Sorry for your loss, but you are not going to win against Hills Company. What I would suggest is use this as a painful learning lesson. Take charge of your dogs health with reading about all these shots that vets insist on giving and how bad they are for your dogs (not saying that is what happened)

Also I am an advocate of food rotation. If they are eating different foods from different vendors all the time, chances of dying from, say a bad batch of food, are greatly reduced. Mine get a different brand and different protein every day.

Educate yourself with this site, Dr. Becker is great for her teachings on line. Dog naturally and of course Whole Dog Journal are all things you should be reading.

I would not feed my dog Science Diet. Your anger may be justified, but you will never be able to prove they did anything wrong.

[InkedMarie]

I’m so sorry for your loss.

[Diana H]

I’m a little scared my Aussies are on J/D RX diet dry because they were born without hip sockets. They are 6 years old and been on it for 5 & 1/2 years?

[Pamela S]

my question is what ingredients in ANY dog food could help a dog born without hip sockets. Here are the ingredients from their web site:

Whole Grain Corn, Chicken By-Product Meal, Flaxseed, Soybean Mill Run, Brewers Rice, Soybean Meal, Pork Fat, Chicken Liver Flavor, Powdered Cellulose, Fish Oil, Lactic Acid, Potassium Chloride, L-Lysine, Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Iodized Salt, DL-Methionine, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Niacin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), L-Threonine, Taurine, Soy Lecithin, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), L-Tryptophan, L-Carnitine, Mixed Tocopherols for freshness, Chondroitin Sulfate, Phosphoric Acid, Beta-Carotene, Natural Flavors.

you could get the same outcome with vitamins. First ingredient is corn, how is that good for your dog. I think most vets are out to make money, they try to give unnecessary shots and scare you into buying science diet from them. Just my two sense.

[Anonymous]

I have used prescription foods over the years when recommended by a veterinarian.
I have never noted any adverse effects, however, the food seems boring and my dogs were never enthusiastic about it.

[Author]

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