It breaks my heart thinking about my last dog that passed from liver disease. I was told he needed all these meds for his joint pain and prescription food for the kidney issues that popped up afterwards. I was scared and didn't know better. I didn't have the confidence or resources then that I do now. In his honor, I cannot ever take traditional recommendations for issues like this again. Thank you for making this content so I can give my next fur baby a better life and health outcomes.
Islander, you'll never believe me but I was a Hills vet rep for 34 years, trained by the best board certified vet nutritionists in the country and trained vets and their team on wellness and therapeutic nutrition. It breaks my heart to read comments on fb and TH-cam of people feeling guilt and shame, believing everything you read on social media.I must confess I know nothing about meds and their effect but I firmly believe meds help but almost always have consequences. And if those consequences caused renal issues, you did indeed do the best trusting your vet and using a renal diet. there is nothing with more proof of efficacy. But to watch videos of people who know nothing about nutrition and pushing their agenda, I'm sure you think you did the worst. So for what its worth, you did the best for your beloved pet. that's all any of us can do. just remember there's two sides to every story and social media is a horrible place to try and find unbiased truth.
My dog suffers from chronic ear infections. Yesterday my vet recommended that I start my dog on Science Diet Z/D. I just looked up the ingredients and the first ingredient is CORN STARCH!!!?? This is shocking to me and now I understand that the vet is most likely receiving some sort of financial benefit for sales of this product. I can't imagine feeding my dog cornstarch. The only decent pet food store in my small rural town just closed (retiring). I am now in search of a decent priced food for my 54 lb. goldendoodle. I'm retired and live on a very tight budget. Thanks for your continued support and education for our doggies!
Good and informative, I have had my last Sheltie die of CKD; Vet Prescriptions were for sure all a failure- the various companies CKD foods did nothing for my Sheltie- many other issues were involved- food was killing him from the beginning.
@@RachelFusaromy chihuahua has a lipoma on lower back most likely caused by her dog food, it’s with salmon and peas instead of grain with decent ratios. I was horrified when my vet told me to switch any to grain dog food like Purina because the peas leech taurine. I’m just going to reduce the kibble and add meats instead hoping she will lose weight and shrink it 😎🚬
I would love to see research that proves that the 4D meats in kibbles improves health and reduces inflammatory markers. For every study people "require" for fresh/raw/gently cooked/freeze dried - I want to see another study proving to me that I'm better off giving my fur baby kibble. Next time someone in my circle pushes me to cite a study, I will ask them the same for their Hills/RC in order to gracefully exit the conversation.
4D meat would never show up in a healthy dry diet from a reputable company. Thats easy! There are about 75 years of studies showing the effects of nutrients on health and managing disease in dogs and cats, done by Hills, RC, Purina, MN Urolith Center, just about every vet university, etc. if you choose to feed fresh cooked, dry, canned, raw, freeze dried, the challenge is how do we deliver optimal nutrients to the pet. each method comes with its own benefits and challenge's. I spent 34 years seeing how board certified nutritionists could formulate dry and canned diets to do some amazing things. Studies are great and some are even interesting, though reading them will put you to sleep. and some are quality stuides and others have issues, but the real test is the countless pet across the country that get fed these diets and the vets see the results. Thats why even vets who don't want to learn much about nutrition will use them. They work! Theres no need to exit the conversation. Limiting the info you are willing to hear is not the way to gain knowledge. I continue to learn on my TH-cam channel, having great discussion with raw and fresh proponents.
I can't believe I didn't know about Dr. Bessent and all her blogs and products and information, and I want to learn everything she has to teach and am so thankful for your channel. My dog has bouts of bloody diarrhea (since I adopted her at 4 years old), and I've been on a mission to help her, and that led me to you, and now to Dr. Bessent. Thank you!
Thank you for your dedication to your pet. I hope you find resolution very soon. And yes, Dr. Bessent is a true pet health hero ❤️ It was an honor to share her knowledge!
I really want to feed my dogs a diet like the Medicus food, but right now I pay $95 for a 400oz (25 pound bag) that lasts a month for two dogs. If I put them both on Medicus, I would need to buy 25 16oz bags for a months supply which is $1,000 per month! Obviously can’t afford that :( thank you for this video though it’s so informative and really educational!
Don't never pay that much for you pets food just do alot of research and make your own there is a lot of animal nutrition books out there that can help you out . We do It with our dogs it's the best thing we did but it requires a lot of research
I'm switching my cats to a raw homemade diet. For two cats, it's actually cheaper than decent canned food. Dogs don't have as many food restrictions as cats. Pretty much anything healthy you eat, a dog can eat. There are lots of videos on how to do it. Rachel has several.
Thanks, Rachel, for making us aware of The Simple Food Project and for doing these streams. There's been a lot of talk about kibble, I wonder what are some of your thoughts on canned dog foods?
Before I was aware of the awfulness of kibble and when my dog was on RX food, I was giving her kibble and tried giving her the rx canned also. Ber tummy didn't tolerate that. That was for gi rx food. Now she has Cushings and had calcium crystals in her urine at last check. I am currently researching how to make her food as 1. Kibble is garbage anyway, and 2, Cushings dogs shouldn't be on kibble. It was ironic to me that the gi rx food made her sick!!😢🤦
Thank you for this video. I have been using Steve’s Real frozen for 2 years and it is a great food too. I just ordered a sample pack of your food My daughter uses kibble and I have been looking for a diet like this for her as a topper. She is not comfortable with the frozen raw like so many people including my vet. I like the idea of using it in the crunch stage like a kibble or as a treat.
I know you are talking about dog food but I wanted to ask you a question about my feline prescription food. My cat is 3 years old. He got blocked and could not urinate anymore. He was diagnosed with UTI issues and he had a PU surgery and a revision after a year of his first surgery. He was prescribed Royal canin SO Calm. He does okay with it and it helps his urethra not to stress where he ends up bleeding urine a little bit. After the PU revision surgery. His Vet Dr. said he would not block again. I've try to feed him this food and keep him from stress so he can he thrive and feel better. You are so right, after reading the ingredients on the Royal Canin So Calm or the moderate and regular prescription food. They all have by-products meat ingredients and other ingredients that have no nutritional value. I been trying to find a better food to give my kitty without compromising the condition he has. A food where he can tolerate it well. Please help.
Dr. Fusaro, I am becoming so educated! My dog is 15, has been on Royal Canin digestive kibble & canned for years. She hasn’t wanted to eat it since she became depressed over losing our 17 year old dog, six weeks ago, they were together 13 years. I started feeding her white rice & boiled chicken breast so she would eat & she has been eating that. But I’m fearful she is losing weight & energy because of not getting proper nutrition. When I tried to transition back to the Royal Canin, she got diarrhea from a small amount of kibble added to her rice & chicken. I tried Farmers Dog & she loved it, but after 2 days she got bloody diarrhea. So we’re back to the chicken & rice & a probiotic & she finally had a mostly solid healthy appearing poop this morning, no blood. I don’t know what to try next. I’ve watched several of your videos, I’ve signed up on your website & I don’t ever want to go back to the Royal Canin. Fresh food for vitality & optimum health for her age is what I pray for! I wish I had discovered fresh food years ago!! I’d prefer freeze dried so as not to have to be concerned with the delivery & storage of frozen food. I wonder if I should try Medicus for sensitive stomachs & then switch to another freeze dried option & mix in fresh boiled chicken or other meat. I’m concerned about all the changes & how to transition the foods without causing further stomach problems. Please help!
Really great video, and I thank you for not just this one, but all of them. I wanted to ask about phosphorus levels. does this include free phosphate levels ?
Blessings and yes I use canidae salmon and sweet potatoes 🍠 my dogo loves it, but looking to switch and looking 👀 to switch even more after that video, cause she did had some stomach issues but I think she might have eaten a sock 🧦 lol she has a thing for socks gloves hats and underwear she’s so different but that’s my princess. Idk not sure what food to try and switch to, I was looking at open farms but the freeze dried is a lil pricey cause my dogo eat eat eats, not sure, wanna go full raw but afraid of salmonella and stuff cause of all the stuffy they put in the meats now, also she has a sensitive stomach, any suggestions will be appreciated, thank you much and God Bless
The risk of salmonella with fresh meat for dogs is the same as with your own piece of meat, which you eat yourself. Just practice good hygiene while preparing, and wash your hands afterwards. A healthy dog is even immune to salmonella. So don't worry about it.
@whiteeagle8140 absolutely correct. Feral dogs eat spoiled meats, and anything else they can safely consume. By safely, I mean, anything that can be eaten. Wild dogs eat anything they can catch and none of them get bloat. Kibble is only for our convenience and for those whom know nothing about barf.
Tried to get Medicus through my vet who prescribed me hills science for my cat with bladder stones. Wouldn’t do it due to not ‘enough science research’. I am so eager to try this brand. Except these generic vets won’t prescribe it!!
There’s also Copper Storage Disease that affects dogs because of the copper that dog food companies add as a necessary ingredient. Copper proteinate and copper sulphate are man made ingredients that can literally destroy a dogs’ liver. Only copper from natural ingredients (like mushrooms) are tolerable and necessary for a healthy liver in dogs. When checking the ingredient list on any dog food always look for copper proteinate or copper sulphate because if you see it on the ingredient list that is a definite Indicator that that dog food is not all natural.
I really need advice my dog is going through some issues and her vet had me put her on science diet prescription food z/d dogs with sensitives but I believe it makes her more thirsty so she pees more I thought she had a uti so I brought a sample into the vet now iam told her urine is to clear she just had a full chemistry done 3 and a half months ago and it all all good then in december she had a cbc done and it was good now her urine is to clear So now the vet is thinking ckd or cushions disease she had the bloodwork done again today and I will get the results tomorrow but again my dog was fine until she went on this food going on 5 weeks her issue got better but now this possibly? I don't know what to do next and iam afraid I trust my vet but in a sense not with dog food any suggestions I would greatly appreciate it please iam so lost and stressed out she is only 6 yrs old and has always been healthy!
@@tonimeme5046 I’m sorry to hear that your precious baby is having issues, my brothers’ dog (a dachshund) was having issues with his liver, and my brother discovered this when he had some blood work done for a health concern. The vet immediately prescribed science diet canned food for his liver issues and when my brother took his dog back for follow up blood tests his liver enzymes were even higher! This caused my brother to start researching liver disease in dogs when he found out about Copper Storage Disease and that is caused by copper that is man made - copper proteinate, copper sulfate are man made. So,since a dogs liver cannot metabolize the man made copper, it stores up in the liver causing life threatening issues. Only copper that comes from natural ingredients is better. Needless to say my brother immediately stopped feeding the science diet which turned out to have the man made copper added in the ingredients and started to feed him a special dog food made specifically for Copper Storage Disease called “The Scoop” and also taking away any beef treats like bully sticks and freeze dried beef tripe treats because all this extra protein from the beef was also causing the liver to work overtime trying to metabolize the protein. I hope this information helps you with your baby’s heath concerns. I am not a doctor or anything like that but a loving concerned mama who loves her own fur baby very much! Good luck and God bless! 🙏🏼❤️🐶
thank you for sharing this information!! I wanted to look up her brand a little more outside of her website but I don’t see any advertising, blogs or reviews so it makes me nervous. Could you elaborate on why that is? If you know. Just in search for a good dog food for my goldendoodle with a sensitive belly.
My dog has AHDS.. I am at my wits end with how/what to feed her to try to prevent another episode and hospitalization. I am overwhelmed with what to do … about trying to heal her gut and what she needs to eat … Any ideas?
Thank you so much Rachel for all the work and amazing videos you post, they go a long way and help many pet parents like us to learn about pet nutrition. I have been with you for quite some time and have learnt way more than I would have just from my vet who is very traditional and loves kibble. I was feeding my mixed lab Hill's D/D for about a year (from 1 year old to 2 years old) because he had liver inflammation that hopefully was overcome and the doctor wanted me to stay with it forever. After a lot of research I decided to change the kibble to Belcando mastercraft but again I am not entirely satisfied. If you find some time, my question is, Do you think Belcando Mastercraft is a good enough option? Or should I look into cooked food. My only issue is when he gets sick, I would like to have the option to cook to entice him to eat. If he eats cooked everyday then I wont have anything better to give. Thank you so much for the amazing work.
We used Simple Food Project for years but issues developed when the krill was added. One dog had a sensitivity. Hard to find a good quality equivalent to this food…
My vet gave us Hills prescription kibble and canned. It definitely helped cure her 3 month bout of diarrhea but she hates it. Refuses to eat it. So instead of going through the merry go round of natural (expensive) dog foods for her to reject, I just started giving her a beef or Turkey Patty and veggies she likes. She used to love carrots and cucumbers but now won’t eat them but will eat lettuce. I am sure I am probably missing some nutrients and hoping it won’t cause any harm. Any suggestions on what you would add?
My dog has been given hills to recuperate after a bland diet of rice and chicken for his bouts of bloody stools but I’m scared to feed it to him now or any kibble so I’m gonna go with fresh food bone broth has helped and gonna get a good mix of meat and veg
Rachel, my pup has multiple allergies. He's eating freeze dried orijen tundra right now.. but still has 2 possible allergens in it. I simply ran out of food labels to check. I tried primal raw, but he didn't seem to care for it.. maybe because it was cold? I'm in Arkansas and can't find human grade food to offer. Please help. Of course, they want him on Rx food for allergies. The label petrified me (I'm an RN, this is my service dog) Rachel, I can't feed him that trash. He's allergic to beef, pork, chicken, milk, peanuts, oats, corn, and peas.
I am so, so sorry to hear this about your pup. And firstly, thank you for going the extra mile. You have a lucky dog. ALSO, thank you for your work as an RN. I have many nurses in my family, and you are all heroes. So legally, of course, I cannot give any medical advice but I can share what I would personally do in this situation. First, I'd find an integrative/holistic vet - AHVMA.org has an amazing "find a vet" section. From there, I'd look into a limited ingredient raw or gently cooked synthetic free food with my vet. Example: www.raisedrightpets.com/FUSARO - probably the highest, or at least one of the highest, quality gently cooked foods right now. And because it has no fillers - it might be perfect for your pup. I LOVE that they have pork, because sensitive dogs often do well with it. Hope this helps!!!
You also have raw fresh frozen meat that only consists of 1 animal species, and does not contain anything else. Then you can take duck, deer, rabbit and other meats for which she is not allergic. And then you buy a good multivitamin for dogs, if no vitamins and minerals have been added to the raw fresh frozen meat. And then you cook your own vegetables without salt, then you can also give them to your dog if you want. And you can put salt on your vegetables, on your plate, if you want.
Really really sad how much these bags are priced at. I get that they are great quality, but if I have to pay as much as my car payment, I’ll have to pass. No way I can do this, I’m not rich
I'm trying to buy the medicus bladder food for my cat, she's been on Hill's CD since she was 1, she's now 8. I'm trying to buy it on the website but it won't let me, what can I do to be able to purchase this? It says you must be logged in and only gives me an option to opt in with an email and my phone number which I did but I haven't gone an email or anything. 🤷 How do you go about buying the food?
Brilliant idea - will get this scheduled right away. I know a few that can speak to this. I'll email out the live date once scheduled here: www.rachelfusaro.com/contactme
To the rise in issues in the last five years.. theres been a huge market swing in fresher kibble with new brands all the time, more meat, more everything..obviously more is not the answer. I like the idea of good quality ingredients, love my dogs but they eat alot.$$ 1. The focus should be regulating these companies to ensure good ingredients. 2. Provide the right nutrient levels for each life stage. NOT all life stages, as we see everywhere in the market. - a 12 year old dog or cat needs different nutrients than a growing kitten. If the studies have been published buy whoever, example, small clinical animal nutrition. This should be the aim for nutrition and owners can pay more for sourcing and free range, etc. Just my vision, feeding fresh sounds great, but i would never know if I was doing them a disservice in the long run, taxing kidneys with access proteins.
I appreciated this interview. I am very interested in the Medicus product, but there is not a low protein version for dogs with liver conditions. What is the alternative for an Rx food in this case? My dog has a genetic liver condition and the only treatment is to limit protein to less than 20%. I would love a healthier, whole food option, but right now I am not seeing this on the market. Curious if the vet has any suggestions. Thanks!
I just recently switched to The Honest Kitchen, for my Chihuahua. The chicken and oat recipe clusters is only 24% protein. The vet recommended Royal Canin hepatic last year which is garbage ingredients but only bought it 2 times. Liver numbers improved so now started her on Honest Kitchen. Minimally processed. Also add teaspoon cottage cheese to bowl every other day. Breakstone's 2% is not salty.
I would look into Darwin’s Intelligent design veterinary formula for liver support. There are cookbooks out there but Darwin’s is formulated specifically for liver issues and it’s shipped as a commercially prepared frozen meal. It’s raw but they say you can gently cook it too.
The wet prescription foods are not that bad. I stopped kibble and immediately my dogs stopped having urinary issues. My one dog is on prescription wet food she seems to be doing ok. If her numbers are not better in a month I will take her off.
Do you seriously think any vet will recommend a food to their pet parents that costs $40 a pound? And in the lawsuit against hills prescription diets, it was mentioned that it was so expensive at $4.95 a pound with no medicine in it?? Seriously. People are struggling to live day to day right now, they cannot pay that for dog food when there are other options
I would think that formulating a diet for cats is rather straight forward (I don't even own a cat), but I would start with Pottenger's work. but well, , , ,I guess I'm just too naif to believe that the people working for food companies would know about Pottenger or care enough about the end result (healing cats) (I guess people don't get hired for brains anymore and they get paid by the hour and grant money). Many Many thanks for the video. Dr Jason Fung is a nephrologist who heavily favors eating LOTS of meat to help rebuild severely damaged kidneys. BUT, only meat., nothing else (meat and it's associated fat, butter, I'm sure a few other carnivore items that are readily available. I firmly believe that humans are carnivores, our stomach pH is 1.5. One stomach, no cecum, no gizzard, short intestines, , , yeah, we're carnivores
Kibble food has synthetics even RX diet. It’s all bad food for your dog. Go raw which will fix alot of your dogs problems. Primal or small batch are all natural best 2 on the market.
This company Simple Food Project lies about their return policy. If you are a first-time customer, think twice before buying. Because if your cats and dogs don't like the food, they will not refund your money, despite their website saying that they will. The cat food I bought smelled like a pumpkin pie it was so sweet and strong. My cats wouldn't even go within a few inches of it. When I asked for a refund, they said they only refund unopened bags. Well, how in the world are you supposed to try it if you don't open it? ...So no returns ever. What an awful practice, they are not geared towards making it right with the customer. I had a bunch of people in my cat and dog group waiting for me to review this food. They wouldn't even try because its pricey. So, I said I'd be the guinea pig and look what happens. They bait you to buy, guaranteeing a return then turn around and say the policy is subject to change? I could never in good conscious recommend Simple Food Project based on their lying return policy practices.
Well looking at the ingredients I don't like that food either beef is a known allergies protein,rice is hard to digest for any animal especially dogs with gut issues.its still a grain.to me this food is still to high in carbs.i wouldn't feed it.
That's why I feed only food made by me.cats and dogs.no kibbles.i have never had a uti,allergies or any heath issues with our pets much.thyroid in cats yes.hardly need dentals.they get bones and bully sticks
Why is Meticus so expensive? It’s wonderful that you have this food but it’s expensive and unattainable. That’s the frustrating issue I have is that we talk about how kibble is awful and food is being developed that is much better like Meticus, but is isn’t reasonably priced!
Kidney Disease doesn't get better; only worse until death. It may be slowed down. Accute kidney disease may be healed with aggressive treatment if caught early enough. My five year young dog was diagnosed at 30 points blood value with dilute urin (a month & a half before treatment) in tests that lapsed between eachother by one month. They're putting her under "For Free" January 25 2024 to take a tooth out, and take blood. Taking more blood may or may not be free. They know I have a fat credit card coming, and they said, I'll be needing it for a work-up, if numbers are not down by January. If they discover fat credit card did not come through, what happens on the 25th?
Many will! Otherwise you (as the pet parent) can have them write a script for it and send to Medicus! Also, only a few of the diets require veterinarian prescription.
I will check out this line of therapeutic food but much of what both of you are saying is your philosophical beliefs, not science. I was a veterinary rep for Hills for 34 years. Her opinion of Prescription Diet k/d is so inaccurate and misleading. I have seen the miraculous results with k/d. Instead of looking at peer reviewed studies with this diet and especially the newer innovations in the last five years, you choose to talk about ingredients that look good or make you feel good. You misrepresented corn and corn gluten meal, and also powered cellulose. I expect that from pet food marketers, not a veterinarian. With all due respect, you only know to restrict phosphorus because of the millions of dollars Hills has spent on researching renal nutrition. I am interested in the nutrient of that diet the vet is selling but from the comments, what good is a great diet if people can’t afford it. I respect your passion but I am very much in disagreement. Nutrition is delivering nutrients, not choosing ingredients that make you feel good.
I think kd is great for some cats and there certainly is no one diet for every individual. My cat began losing weight drastically on a mix of kd canned food and royal canin pouches. An e tube was suggested after just 10 weeks of the prescription diet. I instead decided to do 50% of a low Phosphorus food and 50% Hill's/Royal Canin. It's been a massive improvement both in lab results and her overall energy and condition.
@@theunown1912that’s great you’re getting good results. To be honest, having trained vets on kd and RC renal diet I have no experience mixing them. Not sure that’s the best protocol but it’s results that matter! Curious what low phi’s diet you’re adding.
I'd think I'd rather listen and learn from holistic vets than to listen and learn from any reps from any commercial kibble company. Regular vets don't know better than to listen to kibble company reps. Basically Regular vets have little education about dog foods. The only education they get is from reps from kibble companies. I don't believe in kibble or canned and from experience, I believe that raw is far superior to any kibble. It fulfills their nutritional requirements and raw is biologically appropriate. Kibble does not make or keep dogs or cats healthy. I don't like zoos, but from the little I've seen, they feed canines and felines biologically appropriate foods. We need to feed our pets the same way.
Corn, wheat, and cellulose is not biologically appropriate and I refuse to feed my dog junk. Just ordered 50lbs of raw from BJ's raw pet food. They're amazing and his food gets here in just 2 days and it's biologically appropriate.
Links from Video!
✔ Medicus (Code FUSARO): medicusveterinarydiets.com/shop/ref/24/
✔ Simple Food Project (Code: FUSARO): simplefoodproject.com/ref/214/
✔ Herbsmith (Code: FUSARO): www.herbsmithinc.com/ref/24/
It breaks my heart thinking about my last dog that passed from liver disease. I was told he needed all these meds for his joint pain and prescription food for the kidney issues that popped up afterwards. I was scared and didn't know better. I didn't have the confidence or resources then that I do now. In his honor, I cannot ever take traditional recommendations for issues like this again. Thank you for making this content so I can give my next fur baby a better life and health outcomes.
Islander, you'll never believe me but I was a Hills vet rep for 34 years, trained by the best board certified vet nutritionists in the country and trained vets and their team on wellness and therapeutic nutrition. It breaks my heart to read comments on fb and TH-cam of people feeling guilt and shame, believing everything you read on social media.I must confess I know nothing about meds and their effect but I firmly believe meds help but almost always have consequences. And if those consequences caused renal issues, you did indeed do the best trusting your vet and using a renal diet. there is nothing with more proof of efficacy. But to watch videos of people who know nothing about nutrition and pushing their agenda, I'm sure you think you did the worst. So for what its worth, you did the best for your beloved pet. that's all any of us can do. just remember there's two sides to every story and social media is a horrible place to try and find unbiased truth.
My dog suffers from chronic ear infections. Yesterday my vet recommended that I start my dog on Science Diet Z/D. I just looked up the ingredients and the first ingredient is CORN STARCH!!!?? This is shocking to me and now I understand that the vet is most likely receiving some sort of financial benefit for sales of this product. I can't imagine feeding my dog cornstarch. The only decent pet food store in my small rural town just closed (retiring). I am now in search of a decent priced food for my 54 lb. goldendoodle. I'm retired and live on a very tight budget. Thanks for your continued support and education for our doggies!
Great interview. Thanks!
Good and informative, I have had my last Sheltie die of CKD; Vet Prescriptions were for sure all a failure- the various companies CKD foods did nothing for my Sheltie- many other issues were involved- food was killing him from the beginning.
Excellent video Rachel, super valuable information all pet owners need to hear and act on😊!
🤜🤛
@@RachelFusaromy chihuahua has a lipoma on lower back most likely caused by her dog food, it’s with salmon and peas instead of grain with decent ratios. I was horrified when my vet told me to switch any to grain dog food like Purina because the peas leech taurine. I’m just going to reduce the kibble and add meats instead hoping she will lose weight and shrink it 😎🚬
I would love to see research that proves that the 4D meats in kibbles improves health and reduces inflammatory markers. For every study people "require" for fresh/raw/gently cooked/freeze dried - I want to see another study proving to me that I'm better off giving my fur baby kibble. Next time someone in my circle pushes me to cite a study, I will ask them the same for their Hills/RC in order to gracefully exit the conversation.
4D meat would never show up in a healthy dry diet from a reputable company. Thats easy! There are about 75 years of studies showing the effects of nutrients on health and managing disease in dogs and cats, done by Hills, RC, Purina, MN Urolith Center, just about every vet university, etc.
if you choose to feed fresh cooked, dry, canned, raw, freeze dried, the challenge is how do we deliver optimal nutrients to the pet. each method comes with its own benefits and challenge's. I spent 34 years seeing how board certified nutritionists could formulate dry and canned diets to do some amazing things. Studies are great and some are even interesting, though reading them will put you to sleep. and some are quality stuides and others have issues, but the real test is the countless pet across the country that get fed these diets and the vets see the results. Thats why even vets who don't want to learn much about nutrition will use them. They work! Theres no need to exit the conversation. Limiting the info you are willing to hear is not the way to gain knowledge. I continue to learn on my TH-cam channel, having great discussion with raw and fresh proponents.
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy cool bro. do you.
Thanks!
Gosh thank you for this. So very appreciated
I can't believe I didn't know about Dr. Bessent and all her blogs and products and information, and I want to learn everything she has to teach and am so thankful for your channel. My dog has bouts of bloody diarrhea (since I adopted her at 4 years old), and I've been on a mission to help her, and that led me to you, and now to Dr. Bessent. Thank you!
Thank you for your dedication to your pet. I hope you find resolution very soon. And yes, Dr. Bessent is a true pet health hero ❤️ It was an honor to share her knowledge!
Great podcasts you are having. thank you. i am learning a lot.
Happy to hear it. This is my purpose! ❤
I really want to feed my dogs a diet like the Medicus food, but right now I pay $95 for a 400oz (25 pound bag) that lasts a month for two dogs. If I put them both on Medicus, I would need to buy 25 16oz bags for a months supply which is $1,000 per month! Obviously can’t afford that :( thank you for this video though it’s so informative and really educational!
Wow!! That’s a huge price difference. It’s sad that trying to feed our dogs the best is the most expensive.
Don't never pay that much for you pets food just do alot of research and make your own there is a lot of animal nutrition books out there that can help you out . We do It with our dogs it's the best thing we did but it requires a lot of research
I'm switching my cats to a raw homemade diet. For two cats, it's actually cheaper than decent canned food. Dogs don't have as many food restrictions as cats. Pretty much anything healthy you eat, a dog can eat. There are lots of videos on how to do it. Rachel has several.
Thanks, Rachel, for making us aware of The Simple Food Project and for doing these streams. There's been a lot of talk about kibble, I wonder what are some of your thoughts on canned dog foods?
Before I was aware of the awfulness of kibble and when my dog was on RX food, I was giving her kibble and tried giving her the rx canned also. Ber tummy didn't tolerate that. That was for gi rx food. Now she has Cushings and had calcium crystals in her urine at last check. I am currently researching how to make her food as 1. Kibble is garbage anyway, and 2, Cushings dogs shouldn't be on kibble. It was ironic to me that the gi rx food made her sick!!😢🤦
Thank you for this video. I have been using Steve’s Real frozen for 2 years and it is a great food too. I just ordered a sample pack of your food My daughter uses kibble and I have been looking for a diet like this for her as a topper. She is not comfortable with the frozen raw like so many people including my vet. I like the idea of using it in the crunch stage like a kibble or as a treat.
I’m referring to the Simple Food Project freeze dried that I learned about watching this video.
Blessings and that was a great video and awesome information thank you much and I appreciate it much RF and Dr, God Bless
Excellent interview!
I know you are talking about dog food but I wanted to ask you a question about my feline prescription food. My cat is 3 years old. He got blocked and could not urinate anymore. He was diagnosed with UTI issues and he had a PU surgery and a revision after a year of his first surgery. He was prescribed Royal canin SO Calm. He does okay with it and it helps his urethra not to stress where he ends up bleeding urine a little bit. After the PU revision surgery. His Vet Dr. said he would not block again. I've try to feed him this food and keep him from stress so he can he thrive and feel better. You are so right, after reading the ingredients on the Royal Canin So Calm or the moderate and regular prescription food. They all have by-products meat ingredients and other ingredients that have no nutritional value. I been trying to find a better food to give my kitty without compromising the condition he has. A food where he can tolerate it well. Please help.
If the food is working, maybe stick to it? Try to improve the quality of fluid intake, maybe have a look at Oralade.
Dr. Fusaro, I am becoming so educated! My dog is 15, has been on Royal Canin digestive kibble & canned for years. She hasn’t wanted to eat it since she became depressed over losing our 17 year old dog, six weeks ago, they were together 13 years. I started feeding her white rice & boiled chicken breast so she would eat & she has been eating that. But I’m fearful she is losing weight & energy because of not getting proper nutrition. When I tried to transition back to the Royal Canin, she got diarrhea from a small amount of kibble added to her rice & chicken. I tried Farmers Dog & she loved it, but after 2 days she got bloody diarrhea. So we’re back to the chicken & rice & a probiotic & she finally had a mostly solid healthy appearing poop this morning, no blood. I don’t know what to try next. I’ve watched several of your videos, I’ve signed up on your website & I don’t ever want to go back to the Royal Canin. Fresh food for vitality & optimum health for her age is what I pray for! I wish I had discovered fresh food years ago!! I’d prefer freeze dried so as not to have to be concerned with the delivery & storage of frozen food. I wonder if I should try Medicus for sensitive stomachs & then switch to another freeze dried option & mix in fresh boiled chicken or other meat. I’m concerned about all the changes & how to transition the foods without causing further stomach problems. Please help!
@@elizabethvulcano3162 Yes, I realized that shortly after my question to her. Thank you.
Great video!
What about copper storage diseae when it comes to beef liver?
So sad the simple food project doesn’t ship to Canada!!
Really great video, and I thank you for not just this one, but all of them. I wanted to ask about phosphorus levels. does this include free phosphate levels ?
What about dogs that need to go on an elimination diet (hydrolyzed protein) to determine the cause of their skin, hair, and ear troubles?
My senior chihuahua has kidney disease and I have to feed her Purina NF. How can I get medicus instead?
Wonderful advice! I wonder how your dogs manage with daytime savings time and dinnertime!
My dog gets struvite / urinary stones. She needed surgery to remove them. She needs prescription but what other options are there??
Does the food brand MEDICUS have a Oxalate Crystal formula??? For dogs on prescription diets for that?
Thank you!
I just ordered sample pack of the Simple Dog
My toypoodle have 1 year and the vet put her on Royal canin gastrointestinal low fat. I’m going to try Medicus sensitive stomach
Blessings and yes I use canidae salmon and sweet potatoes 🍠 my dogo loves it, but looking to switch and looking 👀 to switch even more after that video, cause she did had some stomach issues but I think she might have eaten a sock 🧦 lol she has a thing for socks gloves hats and underwear she’s so different but that’s my princess. Idk not sure what food to try and switch to, I was looking at open farms but the freeze dried is a lil pricey cause my dogo eat eat eats, not sure, wanna go full raw but afraid of salmonella and stuff cause of all the stuffy they put in the meats now, also she has a sensitive stomach, any suggestions will be appreciated, thank you much and God Bless
The risk of salmonella with fresh meat for dogs is the same as with your own piece of meat, which you eat yourself.
Just practice good hygiene while preparing, and wash your hands afterwards.
A healthy dog is even immune to salmonella.
So don't worry about it.
@whiteeagle8140 absolutely correct. Feral dogs eat spoiled meats, and anything else they can safely consume. By safely, I mean, anything that can be eaten. Wild dogs eat anything they can catch and none of them get bloat. Kibble is only for our convenience and for those whom know nothing about barf.
I have a weird question - Is it ok to switch between form factors [raw frozen and raw freeze dried] in the same day?
Tried to get Medicus through my vet who prescribed me hills science for my cat with bladder stones. Wouldn’t do it due to not ‘enough science research’. I am so eager to try this brand. Except these generic vets won’t prescribe it!!
There’s also Copper Storage Disease that affects dogs because of the copper that dog food companies add as a necessary ingredient. Copper proteinate and copper sulphate are man made ingredients that can literally destroy a dogs’ liver. Only copper from natural ingredients (like mushrooms) are tolerable and necessary for a healthy liver in dogs. When checking the ingredient list on any dog food always look for copper proteinate or copper sulphate because if you see it on the ingredient list that is a definite Indicator that that dog food is not all natural.
Very interesting! I did not know this
I really need advice
my dog is going through some issues and her vet had me put her on science diet prescription food z/d dogs with sensitives but I believe it makes her more thirsty so she pees more
I thought she had a uti so I brought a sample into the vet now iam told her urine is to clear
she just had a full chemistry done 3 and a half months ago and it all all good then in december she had a cbc done and it was good
now her urine is to clear
So now the vet is thinking ckd or cushions disease
she had the bloodwork done again today and I will get the results tomorrow but again my dog was fine until she went on this food going on 5 weeks
her issue got better but now this possibly?
I don't know what to do next
and iam afraid
I trust my vet but in a sense not with dog food
any suggestions I would greatly appreciate it please
iam so lost and stressed out
she is only 6 yrs old and has always been healthy!
True, and the hepatic vet diet kibble states low copper on the bag, BUT it does say to use as intermittent feeding only... Royal Canin anyway.
@@tonimeme5046 I’m sorry to hear that your precious baby is having issues, my brothers’ dog (a dachshund) was having issues with his liver, and my brother discovered this when he had some blood work done for a health concern. The vet immediately prescribed science diet canned food for his liver issues and when my brother took his dog back for follow up blood tests his liver enzymes were even higher! This caused my brother to start researching liver disease in dogs when he found out about Copper Storage Disease and that is caused by copper that is man made - copper proteinate, copper sulfate are man made. So,since a dogs liver cannot metabolize the man made copper, it stores up in the liver causing life threatening issues. Only copper that comes from natural ingredients is better. Needless to say my brother immediately stopped feeding the science diet which turned out to have the man made copper added in the ingredients and started to feed him a special dog food made specifically for Copper Storage Disease called “The Scoop” and also taking away any beef treats like bully sticks and freeze dried beef tripe treats because all this extra protein from the beef was also causing the liver to work overtime trying to metabolize the protein. I hope this information helps you with your baby’s heath concerns. I am not a doctor or anything like that but a loving concerned mama who loves her own fur baby very much! Good luck and God bless! 🙏🏼❤️🐶
thank you for sharing this information!! I wanted to look up her brand a little more outside of her website but I don’t see any advertising, blogs or reviews so it makes me nervous. Could you elaborate on why that is? If you know. Just in search for a good dog food for my goldendoodle with a sensitive belly.
My dog has AHDS.. I am at my wits end with how/what to feed her to try to prevent another episode and hospitalization. I am overwhelmed with what to do … about trying to heal her gut and what she needs to eat … Any ideas?
How do I get this Medicus cat food in Canada?
Thank you so much Rachel for all the work and amazing videos you post, they go a long way and help many pet parents like us to learn about pet nutrition. I have been with you for quite some time and have learnt way more than I would have just from my vet who is very traditional and loves kibble. I was feeding my mixed lab Hill's D/D for about a year (from 1 year old to 2 years old) because he had liver inflammation that hopefully was overcome and the doctor wanted me to stay with it forever. After a lot of research I decided to change the kibble to Belcando mastercraft but again I am not entirely satisfied. If you find some time, my question is, Do you think Belcando Mastercraft is a good enough option? Or should I look into cooked food. My only issue is when he gets sick, I would like to have the option to cook to entice him to eat. If he eats cooked everyday then I wont have anything better to give.
Thank you so much for the amazing work.
We used Simple Food Project for years but issues developed when the krill was added. One dog had a sensitivity. Hard to find a good quality equivalent to this food…
My vet gave us Hills prescription kibble and canned. It definitely helped cure her 3 month bout of diarrhea but she hates it. Refuses to eat it. So instead of going through the merry go round of natural (expensive) dog foods for her to reject, I just started giving her a beef or Turkey Patty and veggies she likes. She used to love carrots and cucumbers but now won’t eat them but will eat lettuce. I am sure I am probably missing some nutrients and hoping it won’t cause any harm. Any suggestions on what you would add?
I believe Farmer’s Dog has DIY recipes and they sell a nutrient mix you add to home cooked meals to make it more nutritionally complete for dogs.
Look into topper with organ meats….or buy some organ meats. We need them, too.
My dog has been given hills to recuperate after a bland diet of rice and chicken for his bouts of bloody stools but I’m scared to feed it to him now or any kibble so I’m gonna go with fresh food bone broth has helped and gonna get a good mix of meat and veg
Rachel, my pup has multiple allergies. He's eating freeze dried orijen tundra right now.. but still has 2 possible allergens in it. I simply ran out of food labels to check. I tried primal raw, but he didn't seem to care for it.. maybe because it was cold? I'm in Arkansas and can't find human grade food to offer. Please help. Of course, they want him on Rx food for allergies. The label petrified me (I'm an RN, this is my service dog) Rachel, I can't feed him that trash. He's allergic to beef, pork, chicken, milk, peanuts, oats, corn, and peas.
I am so, so sorry to hear this about your pup. And firstly, thank you for going the extra mile. You have a lucky dog. ALSO, thank you for your work as an RN. I have many nurses in my family, and you are all heroes. So legally, of course, I cannot give any medical advice but I can share what I would personally do in this situation. First, I'd find an integrative/holistic vet - AHVMA.org has an amazing "find a vet" section. From there, I'd look into a limited ingredient raw or gently cooked synthetic free food with my vet. Example: www.raisedrightpets.com/FUSARO - probably the highest, or at least one of the highest, quality gently cooked foods right now. And because it has no fillers - it might be perfect for your pup. I LOVE that they have pork, because sensitive dogs often do well with it. Hope this helps!!!
You also have raw fresh frozen meat that only consists of 1 animal species, and does not contain anything else.
Then you can take duck, deer, rabbit and other meats for which she is not allergic.
And then you buy a good multivitamin for dogs, if no vitamins and minerals have been added to the raw fresh frozen meat.
And then you cook your own vegetables without salt, then you can also give them to your dog if you want.
And you can put salt on your vegetables, on your plate, if you want.
Really really sad how much these bags are priced at. I get that they are great quality, but if I have to pay as much as my car payment, I’ll have to pass. No way I can do this, I’m not rich
Do you have a good food for cats like you do for dogs?
Rachel, where did you get the stats for the slide pertaining to obesity and cancer? Thanks!
I'm trying to buy the medicus bladder food for my cat, she's been on Hill's CD since she was 1, she's now 8. I'm trying to buy it on the website but it won't let me, what can I do to be able to purchase this? It says you must be logged in and only gives me an option to opt in with an email and my phone number which I did but I haven't gone an email or anything. 🤷 How do you go about buying the food?
th-cam.com/video/k1uU0zZZxoo/w-d-xo.html. ❤
Brown rice or white? Or none?
Can we get a video on a professionals opinion on a canine on a vegan diet? I have heard the pros and cons.
would also love a video on this!
Brilliant idea - will get this scheduled right away. I know a few that can speak to this. I'll email out the live date once scheduled here: www.rachelfusaro.com/contactme
To the rise in issues in the last five years.. theres been a huge market swing in fresher kibble with new brands all the time, more meat, more everything..obviously more is not the answer. I like the idea of good quality ingredients, love my dogs but they eat alot.$$
1. The focus should be regulating these companies to ensure good ingredients.
2. Provide the right nutrient levels for each life stage. NOT all life stages, as we see everywhere in the market.
- a 12 year old dog or cat needs different nutrients than a growing kitten. If the studies have been published buy whoever, example, small clinical animal nutrition.
This should be the aim for nutrition and owners can pay more for sourcing and free range, etc.
Just my vision, feeding fresh sounds great, but i would never know if I was doing them a disservice in the long run, taxing kidneys with access proteins.
My dog is allergic to oats. Per a 5 strand test..? So I use a grain free.
I appreciated this interview. I am very interested in the Medicus product, but there is not a low protein version for dogs with liver conditions. What is the alternative for an Rx food in this case? My dog has a genetic liver condition and the only treatment is to limit protein to less than 20%. I would love a healthier, whole food option, but right now I am not seeing this on the market. Curious if the vet has any suggestions. Thanks!
I just recently switched to The Honest Kitchen, for my Chihuahua. The chicken and oat recipe clusters is only 24% protein. The vet recommended Royal Canin hepatic last year which is garbage ingredients but only bought it 2 times. Liver numbers improved so now started her on Honest Kitchen. Minimally processed. Also add teaspoon cottage cheese to bowl every other day. Breakstone's 2% is not salty.
I would look into Darwin’s Intelligent design veterinary formula for liver support. There are cookbooks out there but Darwin’s is formulated specifically for liver issues and it’s shipped as a commercially prepared frozen meal. It’s raw but they say you can gently cook it too.
The wet prescription foods are not that bad. I stopped kibble and immediately my dogs stopped having urinary issues. My one dog is on prescription wet food she seems to be doing ok. If her numbers are not better in a month I will take her off.
Do you seriously think any vet will recommend a food to their pet parents that costs $40 a pound? And in the lawsuit against hills prescription diets, it was mentioned that it was so expensive at $4.95 a pound with no medicine in it?? Seriously. People are struggling to live day to day right now, they cannot pay that for dog food when there are other options
What about puppies
I would think that formulating a diet for cats is rather straight forward (I don't even own a cat), but I would start with Pottenger's work. but well, , , ,I guess I'm just too naif to believe that the people working for food companies would know about Pottenger or care enough about the end result (healing cats) (I guess people don't get hired for brains anymore and they get paid by the hour and grant money). Many Many thanks for the video. Dr Jason Fung is a nephrologist who heavily favors eating LOTS of meat to help rebuild severely damaged kidneys. BUT, only meat., nothing else (meat and it's associated fat, butter, I'm sure a few other carnivore items that are readily available. I firmly believe that humans are carnivores, our stomach pH is 1.5. One stomach, no cecum, no gizzard, short intestines, , , yeah, we're carnivores
Kibble food has synthetics even RX diet. It’s all bad food for your dog. Go raw which will fix alot of your dogs problems. Primal or small batch are all natural best 2 on the market.
How can dogs get folic acid from a real food
This company Simple Food Project lies about their return policy. If you are a first-time customer, think twice before buying. Because if your cats and dogs don't like the food, they will not refund your money, despite their website saying that they will. The cat food I bought smelled like a pumpkin pie it was so sweet and strong. My cats wouldn't even go within a few inches of it. When I asked for a refund, they said they only refund unopened bags. Well, how in the world are you supposed to try it if you don't open it? ...So no returns ever. What an awful practice, they are not geared towards making it right with the customer. I had a bunch of people in my cat and dog group waiting for me to review this food. They wouldn't even try because its pricey. So, I said I'd be the guinea pig and look what happens. They bait you to buy, guaranteeing a return then turn around and say the policy is subject to change? I could never in good conscious recommend Simple Food Project based on their lying return policy practices.
I would never buy prescription pet food is pricey. I think combination dry wet and boiled meat is good with mix you can buy online
Well looking at the ingredients I don't like that food either beef is a known allergies protein,rice is hard to digest for any animal especially dogs with gut issues.its still a grain.to me this food is still to high in carbs.i wouldn't feed it.
That's why I feed only food made by me.cats and dogs.no kibbles.i have never had a uti,allergies or any heath issues with our pets much.thyroid in cats yes.hardly need dentals.they get bones and bully sticks
Why is Meticus so expensive? It’s wonderful that you have this food but it’s expensive and unattainable. That’s the frustrating issue I have is that we talk about how kibble is awful and food is being developed that is much better like Meticus, but is isn’t reasonably priced!
Even human food is bad for us so basically no matter what we aint safe
$40 for one pound of medicus dog food! No thank you
Kidney Disease doesn't get better; only worse until death. It may be slowed down. Accute kidney disease may be healed with aggressive treatment if caught early enough. My five year young dog was diagnosed at 30 points blood value with dilute urin (a month & a half before treatment) in tests that lapsed between eachother by one month. They're putting her under "For Free" January 25 2024 to take a tooth out, and take blood. Taking more blood may or may not be free. They know I have a fat credit card coming, and they said, I'll be needing it for a work-up, if numbers are not down by January. If they discover fat credit card did not come through, what happens on the 25th?
Are all the veterinarians going to start carrying this? Otherwise how do you get it?
Many will! Otherwise you (as the pet parent) can have them write a script for it and send to Medicus!
Also, only a few of the diets require veterinarian prescription.
Propaganda exists: ignorant comments from this retired salesman is very sad- come in to 2024 era of education and quit being a Putz
I will check out this line of therapeutic food but much of what both of you are saying is your philosophical beliefs, not science. I was a veterinary rep for Hills for 34 years. Her opinion of Prescription Diet k/d is so inaccurate and misleading. I have seen the miraculous results with k/d. Instead of looking at peer reviewed studies with this diet and especially the newer innovations in the last five years, you choose to talk about ingredients that look good or make you feel good. You misrepresented corn and corn gluten meal, and also powered cellulose. I expect that from pet food marketers, not a veterinarian. With all due respect, you only know to restrict phosphorus because of the millions of dollars Hills has spent on researching renal nutrition. I am interested in the nutrient of that diet the vet is selling but from the comments, what good is a great diet if people can’t afford it. I respect your passion but I am very much in disagreement. Nutrition is delivering nutrients, not choosing ingredients that make you feel good.
I think kd is great for some cats and there certainly is no one diet for every individual. My cat began losing weight drastically on a mix of kd canned food and royal canin pouches. An e tube was suggested after just 10 weeks of the prescription diet. I instead decided to do 50% of a low Phosphorus food and 50% Hill's/Royal Canin. It's been a massive improvement both in lab results and her overall energy and condition.
@@theunown1912that’s great you’re getting good results. To be honest, having trained vets on kd and RC renal diet I have no experience mixing them. Not sure that’s the best protocol but it’s results that matter! Curious what low phi’s diet you’re adding.
I'd think I'd rather listen and learn from holistic vets than to listen and learn from any reps from any commercial kibble company. Regular vets don't know better than to listen to kibble company reps. Basically Regular vets have little education about dog foods. The only education they get is from reps from kibble companies. I don't believe in kibble or canned and from experience, I believe that raw is far superior to any kibble. It fulfills their nutritional requirements and raw is biologically appropriate. Kibble does not make or keep dogs or cats healthy. I don't like zoos, but from the little I've seen, they feed canines and felines biologically appropriate foods. We need to feed our pets the same way.
Corn, wheat, and cellulose is not biologically appropriate and I refuse to feed my dog junk. Just ordered 50lbs of raw from BJ's raw pet food. They're amazing and his food gets here in just 2 days and it's biologically appropriate.
Just remember that when fed raw, you pay less at the vets since less visits are required
All my cats ( 5) of them died of hypothyroidism all were on hills Rx CD DIET!