Hills z/d -- has this worked for anyone?

CoolMickster1995

Crazy Disney Lover
Joined
Apr 4, 2006
Messages
78
Just took the dog (3 y.o. Lab) to the vet. He seems convinced she has food allergies and sold us a bag of Hills z/d. Looking at the ingredients, I am not too impressed--the first two indgredients are Starch and Hydrolyzed Chicken Liver. But I am going to try it. Does anyone have any experience with this brand of dog food to share?
 
I don't have any experience with that particular "flavor", but my dog had pancreatitis last year and my vet recommended Hills I/D. I wasn't impressed with the ingredients either...so I went on a mission;)

I checked out the product characteristics/breakdown (%fat, %protein, %carbs, etc.) and found what I felt was a better quality food with a similar breakdown.

In my case it ended up being Wellness Weight Management formula. I showed the vet the ingredients and the breakdown and she agreed that this was a better choice...so that's what I feed my dog now.

Maybe you can do something similar!

ETA: I've also heard that food allergies are not as common as most vets would like us to think. I have also heard that the most common allergies are corn and wheat. You might consider trying something with a fish/potato/rice combination. I have also started using Wellness duck and sweet potato and whitefish and sweet potato for another dog.
 
One of our two dogs has really bad allergies and our vet had us try the Hill's z/d. It's insanely expensive and didn't help at all (we fed it to them for about 1 year.)

We then tried the Raw diet for them, but while the dogs loved it and was really effective for controlling the allergies, it was a big pain to actually make sure they were getting the diet they really need.

We wound up trying one of the Eukanuba products that uses a novel protein -- there was two we tried -- one was fish based the other was kangaroo based. We found these a little more reasonably priced and they do seem to help keep the allergy symptoms at bay. Our dog also takes Tavist everyday.
 
It's hard to know what to do. I've read that corn is a likely allergen, yet this supposedly ultra allergen free food has corn starch . . . The vet said we should see results in six weeks so I guess I will give it that long. If there's no improvement, I probably will do some more research and try to find a better solution.
 
The main symptom now is a lot of licking and scratching, especially her feet and ears. In the past she has had ear infections that the vet thought were allergy-related, but Zymox seems to be keeping that problem in check. And no seasonal pattern.
 
The poster who suggested Wellness had the right idea. I wouldn't pay for prescription food when there are lots of other the counter foods with different protein sources. I would look at Wellness, Natural Balance, Eagle Pack Holistic, Merrick, or even Nutro Max Natural Choice.

Without knowing what the dog was eating to start with I'm not sure where to start but once the vet gets you buying food from him they never want you to stop.
 
I have a cat with allergies and our vet suggested the feline variety and my cats won't eat it, $30 dollars down the drain. Has your dog been allergy tested? Our cat was and it came back that she's allergic to mostly mold and one type of grass. She keeps getting hot spots on her feet and the backs of her legs. I'm ready to lose it. ;) When we get back from vacation I think will have to start Prednisone, which I don't want to do, but we're at our wits end.
 
It worked for us for a while. We had a rottie that was allergic to all forms of meat. The protiens in z/d are broken down so small that his system wasn't able to realize he was allergic to it. It didn't last forever though. I think we used it for about 2 years before he became alleric to it also. Plus it stinks to high heaven. I could not tolerate the smell when I was pregnant. DH had to feed to dog or I would be dry heaving it the sink.
 
The main symptom now is a lot of licking and scratching, especially her feet and ears. In the past she has had ear infections that the vet thought were allergy-related, but Zymox seems to be keeping that problem in check. And no seasonal pattern.

My cockapoo was doing that, licking the tops of her feet and her, um, hind parts. We went to a vet allergist (really) and she gets shots every two weeks for her allergies to various inhalants. It' helps some, but I also have to sproadically give her an anti-fungal pill because the licking turns into something else. That gives her the most relief.
 
My shih-tzu has allergies also, our vet talked us into buying Z/d - I can't really tell that it has helped but he loves it so I keep buying it for him. It is really expensive though.
 
My dog (mixed breed with golden mom) eats the Hills zd low allergen, the one down from zd ultra. He has done well on it. I had him tested and he is allergic to pork, rabbit, fleas and dust mites. He used to take 2 claritan a day, but has not needed this since we took out all carpeting and replaced with flooring. He seems much calmer now too. For him, I think the itchy paws and ear problems were do to the dust mites, and the food allergies made him vomit frequently with occasional diarhea. I do give him raw beef bones, but if he gets dog cookies from somwhere he will eventually vomit. He is so much more comfortable now that I will continue with the food, even though it is very expensive.
Elaine
 
this may help you decide on food. I got this from another list I belong to. Good luck with your furbaby!!




DOG FOOD GRADES

Dog Food scores:

Alpo Prime Cuts - Score 81 C
Artemis Large/Medium Breed Puppy - Score 114 A+
Authority Harvest Baked - Score 116 A+
Authority Harvest Baked Less Active - Score 93 B
Beowulf Back to Basics - Score 101 A+
Bil-Jac Select - Score 68 F
Blackwood 3000 Lamb and Rice - Score 83 C
Blue Buffalo Chicken and Rice - Score 106 A+
Burns Chicken and Brown Rice - Score 107 A+
Canidae - Score 112A+
Chicken Soup Senior - Score 115 A+
Diamond Maintenance - Score 64 F
Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice - Score 92 B
Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula - Score 99 A
Diamond Performance - Score 85 C
Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium - Score 122 A+
Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Venison & Brown Rice - Score 106 A+
Dick Van Patten's Duck and Potato - Score 106 A+
EaglePack Holistic - Score 102 A+
Eukanuba Adult - Score 81 C
Eukanuba Puppy - Score 79 C
Flint River Senior - Score 101 A+
Foundations - Score 106 A+
Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold - Score 93 B
Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium - Score 73 D
Innova Dog - Score 114 A+
Innova Evo - Score 114 A+
Innova Large Breed Puppy - Score 122 A+
Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, & Vegetables - Score 110 A+
Member's Mark Chicken and Rice - Score 84 C
Merrick Wilderness Blend - Score 127 A+
Nature's Recipe - Score 100 A
Nature's Recipe Healthy Skin Venison & Rice - Score 116 A+
Nature's Variety Raw Instinct - Score 122 A+
Nutra Nuggets Super Premium Lamb Meal and Rice - Score 81C
Nutrience Junior Medium Breed Puppy - Score 101 A+
Nutrisource Lamb and Rice - Score 87 B
Nutro Max Adult - Score 93 B
Nutro Natural Choice Lamb and Rice - Score 98 A
Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy - Score 87B
Nutro Natural Choice Puppy Wheat Free - Score 86 B
Nutro Natural Choice Senior - Score 95 A
Nutro Ultra Adult - Score 104 A+
Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice - Score 23 F
Premium Edge Chicken, Rice & Vegetables Adult dry - Score 109 A+
Pro Nature Puppy - Score 80 C
Pro Plan Sensitive Stomach - Score 94 A
Purina Beniful - Score 17 F
Purina Dog - Score 62 F
Purina Come-n-Get It - Score 16 F
Purina One Large Breed Puppy - Score 62 F
Royal Canin Boxer - Score 103 A+
Royal Canin Bulldog - Score 100 A+
Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult - Score 106 A+
Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ - Score 63 F
Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies - Score 69 F
Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice - Score 97 A
Solid Gold - Score 99 A
Summit - Score 99 A
Timberwolf Organics Wild & Natural Dry - Score 120 A+
Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken - Score 110 A+
Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold - Score 97 A

This is how the grades were determined:

Start with a grade of 100

1) For every listing of "by-product", subtract 10 points

2) For every non-specific animal source ("meat" or poultry", meat,
meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points

3) If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points

4) For every grain "mill run" or non-specific rain source, subtract 5 points

5) If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five
ingredients (i.e. "ground brown rice", brewer's rice", "rice flour" are all
the
same grain), subtract 5 points

6) If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2
meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points

7) If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points

8 ) If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points

9) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points

10) If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract
2 points

11) If lamb is the only animal protein source unless your dog is allergic to
other protein sources), subtract 2 points

12) If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points

13) If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to
wheat), subtract 2 points

14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to
beef), subtract 1 point

15) If it contains salt, subtract 1 point

Extra Credit:

1) If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points

2) If the food is endorsed by any major breed goup or nutritionist, add 5
points

3) If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points

4) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points

5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points

6) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains) add
3 points

7) If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free add
2 points

8 ) If the food contains barley, add 2 points

9) If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds) add 2 points

10) If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point

11) If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point

12) For every different specific animal protein source (other than the first
one; count "chicken" and "chicken meal" as only one protein source, but
"chicken" and "" as 2 different sources) add 1 point

13) If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point

14) If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide
free, add 1 point
 
We've used Hills' for year w/out any difficulty at all. They have worked very well.
 
My vet also recommended various Hills diets for our hybrid bengal cat when he had, ummm..."runny" problems. Just made it worse - and after investigating further, it appears Hills is packed with commonly offensive corn/wheat filler as many commercial varieties. We finally went with a home-made raw diet and saw positive results within 24 hours!

Yeah, it's not easy, and if you can find a higher grade commercial food such as Wellness, etc. that works, go for it. But as a last resort, it's worth it to us for the inconvenience of making pet food every coupla weeks for the results achieved. (Our vet admits are cats are incredibly healthy...just a little fat and spoiled!)
 












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