My dog likes z/d. Is there a cheaper Hill's alternative at Petco?

Without a full diet history it is impossible to prescribe a diet. Hills z/d is a hydrolyzed formula where all the proteins have been broken down (akin to being pre-digested) into small pieces so the immune system should not react to them and so should resolve the food intolerance symptoms, it is easily digested and highly absorbable by even the most sensitive bowel. A similar, hydrolyzed option is royal canin hypoallergenic or anallergenic and many pets find these extremely palatable. Some cases can do well on a 'novel protein diet' of home prepared food based on a protein source which she has never eaten before. This should be formulated only by a specialist nutritionist - tufts university clinical nutrition team are available by phone or appointment to help with this but it can be extremely expensive and time consuming to feed such a specific and strict diet and commercial brands are often more successful in resolving symptoms in the long term

Hill's i/d is an intestinal diet that is easy for a dog to digest. There are other intestinal diets that might be less expensive, like Science Diet sensitive stomach. Ask your vet for his/her recommendation for a more affordable diet before deciding to change. Also, ask your vet if you could just add extra fiber to your dogs diet, like some canned pumpkin.

If you have been feeding the Hills prescription food, you can always talk to your doctor about continuing this food. Yes, there is a difference between the prescription diets and regular food, but the regular Science Diet food is high quality. It will be less expensive to feed Science Diet sensitive stomach formula than to continue on the prescription food. You could always try a small bag of the regular food, and if Spartacus does not do as well, you could switch back to the prescription diet. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Theoretically Trixie could do any of the hydrolyzed diets. Royal Canin carries a hydrolyzed protein diet very similar to the Hill’s diet. Purina also carries a formula as well called HA. Most likely Trixie would do fine on any of these. Make sure any diet transition is slow over the course of 5 to 7 days. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions!

Unfortunately there is not a comparable diet that would be less expensive. You could ask your vet about trying an over the counter weight loss diet if you haven't already, but the prescription diets are by far the lowest in calories and have other nutrients that promote weight loss.

And thank you for your question! Hills Z/D is a great allergy diet. The way it works is that it is a hydrolyzed protein diet meaning that the proteins that normally cause allergies are too small to trigger the allergy with the hydrolyzed formula. Hill's Derm defense is a great food as well. The way that Derm defense works is that it strengthens the Skin Barrier and it has multiple antioxidants and phytonutrients period before switching to Derm defense I would suggest speaking with your veterinarian who previously placed Louie on Z/D to see if this would be a good switch. Some other things that help with allergies would include omega-3 fish oil supplements and essential 6 Spot On by dermoscent. Help this guide you in the right direction. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any further questions or concerns you may have

I would try hills z/d ultra or royal canin anallergenic (an even more restricted version). Ensure also she is not receiving any additional treats, flavored tablets, bones, table scraps or raiding any garbage bins. She may also require prescription medication to resolve the current flare up. A home prepared diet may be an option but would have to be formulated with the help of an expert nutritionalist and can only comprise of novel ingredients (foods she has never eaten before such as kangaroo/venison/sweet potato etc - these are very difficult to supplement sufficiently and are very expensive to maintain in the long term)