# Hills?



## LucyD (Nov 20, 2008)

Sooooo I took Lucy to the vet on saturday, they did a skin scrape thankfully she has nothing but some type of allergy we need to figure out what... my next step is to the allergy test which is 300$$$$ Oh well anything for my baby I love her too much. Anyways the vet told me the best food for dogs with such allergies is canine hills. What do you guys think about this food, is it really as great as vets make it out to be or should I look for something else. I'm currently feeding her blue buffalo basics with salmon and sweet potatoes, she likes it a lot but her skin is still dry and itchy. Hills is a lot more expensive that blue but before I switch her to hills I want to know if i ts a good idea like the vet says it is or is he just trying to jip me! :uhoh:


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## CarolinaCasey (Jun 1, 2007)

Z/D has been very well received by the dogs that I've seen. For me, I would either make the switch to the food now. If the allergies clear up, I would postpone the allergy testing. OR... I would make no food changes and wait to see what the allergy testing reveals. The Z/D has one carb and one protein source. In the event that she is allergic to one of them, and since the food is pretty expensive, you could wait to see what the testing shows.


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## LucyD (Nov 20, 2008)

CarolinaCasey said:


> Z/D has been very well received by the dogs that I've seen. For me, I would either make the switch to the food now. If the allergies clear up, I would postpone the allergy testing. OR... I would make no food changes and wait to see what the allergy testing reveals. The Z/D has one carb and one protein source. In the event that she is allergic to one of them, and since the food is pretty expensive, you could wait to see what the testing shows.


Thank you. Yea... that food is pretty darn expensive! lol Everything is these days I'm pretty poor right now, everything is for Lucy nothing for momma... haha But it's all worth it.


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## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

My Bentley had significant skin and ear problems in his earlier years and we spent lots of money at the vet. Vet was going to put him on prednisone, but I decided on my own to transition him from Nutro and Eukanuba to a limited ingredient kibble. I tried the Natural Balance Fish and Sweet Potato (at that time fish was actually the 1st ingredient compared to now). I could not believe the great results seen within a few weeks. 

I can't tell you what to do of course and don't know all of your dog's issues. My experience is to show that expensive testing or "prescription foods" aren't always needed. Maybe I got lucky in this case, but I was eager to give my dog a few weeks trial on a simple store bought food before resorting to drugs or a "prescription" food that has ingredients I just couldn't feel good about. We each have our own comfort level with different routes.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

Personally I'd try the canine caviar special needs (Special Needs) or Natural Balance (http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dogformulas/allergy.html) before agreeing to the Hills. I can't get my head around those ingredients. From what I've read, many dogs find Blue Buff too rich for their systems. Like Bentley said, each dog is different and we certainly can't take the place of your vet.


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## MILLIESMOM (Aug 13, 2006)

Millie had problems with constant ear infections, her feet would itch, and her girly parts would get red and inflamed. The vet told me it could be a food allergy. He put her on Purina HA. Prescription diet. It was very expensive. Once things cleared up he suggested California Natural Herring and Sweet Potato. She never had anymore problems unless she got a treat with corn or wheat in it.


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## maquignon (Dec 23, 2009)

I think the Hills prescriptions are the biggest rippoff there is. The most common food allergens are corn, wheat, soy, gluten, yeast, chicken, beef, eggs and dairy products. The Blue Buffalo Basics that you are feeding has none of the most common allergens and has a high level of Omega 3 fatty acids which is also very good for the skin and coat. Those allergy tests, besides being very expensive are not very reliable. How long have you been feeding the Basics? It can take 6-8 weeks for all of the toxins to be expelled from the body, depending on how long a dog has been eating the offending ingredient.


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## Bender (Dec 30, 2008)

The blue buffalo does have rice, barley, oatmeal, flax, alfalfa and canola - even if it's in oil or grass form, it's still a grain and can still cause issues. I know some dogs who get itchy with even flax oil added to an otherwise grain free diet!

The hills zd has 'starch' - not sure where it's from, chicken (a common meat allergen), soybean oil (another common allergen), cellulose (sawdust maybe?) in it. Not worth the cost.

What about California Natural Venision grain free? Unless peas, potatoes or sunflower oil are the issue, it looks much better (and is likely less cost). 

Barring that I'd suggest getting a hold of some raw that doesn't have any additives in it - whole ground animal or even just changing to raw often makes a huge difference, and you don't have to guess what the ingredients are that are the issue. Bender for example became 'allergic' to chicken based kibble long, long ago, it would cause digestive issues. Raw chicken is a main part of her diet and she's doing quite well on it still - 13 and still going.


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## gillsmithy (Dec 2, 2007)

I think vets must get a good kickback from Hills and there are other less expensive kibbles that are just as good. Our Frodo had allergy problems, he's now on a Gluten free food and is doing fine. I would try that before an allergy test. Good luck


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## Rainheart (Nov 28, 2010)

Z/D is a great food. The protein sources are ones that have been degraded enough that it has nothing to do with the original source (meaning if it was from a chicken or cow, the dog still won't react even if they are allergic to one of those). It's a bit hard to explain.

Anyway, if the dog improves in the 2 months that she was on it, that means that it is a food allergy and you can slowly start weaning back onto different protein sources and ingredients to find out what she is allergic to. It's a great trial and if your dog doesn't like the food, it's 100% guaranteed.


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## Summer's Mom (Oct 20, 2010)

I used to be of the view that Hill's was but an expensive gimmick with HORRENDOUS ingredients. 

BUT Summer had a recent bout of colitis (about a month long) and all she could tolerate (and produce good poops even!) was Hill's I/D. It was wayyy too expensive for the long run so we've weaned onto a different cheaper kibble with homecooked brown rice. 

If you're desperate for some relief, I'd say get 1 bag of Z/D and go from there. You'll likely seem some nice improvements! For allergies though, one of the Natural Balance limited ingredient flavours may work as well. Some vets recommend doing food trials using those foods.


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