> Veterinarians must prescribe certain therapeutic diets because, depending on the disease being addressed, these foods may contain levels of nutrients below what is legally allowed to be sold for a healthy pet without that medical condition.
and
> While some are not appropriate for long-term use, as they’re not 100% nutritionally balanced (some low fat or low protein foods fall into this category), all are safe for pets in the short term.
and
> veterinarians believe they might be misused by owners, or worse, implemented in lieu of veterinary care. Neither of these things are good for pets.
HOWEVER, I also found:
> (Prescription Diet® is a registered trademark of Hills® Pet Nutrition, Inc.®)
and
> In the dog food world, the term Prescription Diet® describes an effective marketing agreement between a hundred-million dollar pet food manufacturer and the veterinarian community. This agreement allows for the sale of their foods through licensed veterinarians only. Veterinarians benefit because they can achieve a much higher mark-up on these foods than they would by offering foods widely available without a “prescription.” The pet food manufacturer, in return, gains credibility as a manufacturer of veterinarian-recommended food and uses that as an endorsement, if you will, for the rest of their products.
Add to the data that I’ve heard (from a vet, but that’s not a source you can verify yourself, so take that how you will) Hills is often kind of like a D&D 5e warlock patron for veterinarians, in that they give out a lot of scholarships and grants to people going through vet school, and many vet schools’ only nutrition-based course is taught by people on Hills’s payroll.
A quick google search tells me that:
> Veterinarians must prescribe certain therapeutic diets because, depending on the disease being addressed, these foods may contain levels of nutrients below what is legally allowed to be sold for a healthy pet without that medical condition.
and
> While some are not appropriate for long-term use, as they’re not 100% nutritionally balanced (some low fat or low protein foods fall into this category), all are safe for pets in the short term.
and
> veterinarians believe they might be misused by owners, or worse, implemented in lieu of veterinary care. Neither of these things are good for pets.
HOWEVER, I also found:
> (Prescription Diet® is a registered trademark of Hills® Pet Nutrition, Inc.®)
and
> In the dog food world, the term Prescription Diet® describes an effective marketing agreement between a hundred-million dollar pet food manufacturer and the veterinarian community. This agreement allows for the sale of their foods through licensed veterinarians only. Veterinarians benefit because they can achieve a much higher mark-up on these foods than they would by offering foods widely available without a “prescription.” The pet food manufacturer, in return, gains credibility as a manufacturer of veterinarian-recommended food and uses that as an endorsement, if you will, for the rest of their products.
Add to the data that I’ve heard (from a vet, but that’s not a source you can verify yourself, so take that how you will) Hills is often kind of like a D&D 5e warlock patron for veterinarians, in that they give out a lot of scholarships and grants to people going through vet school, and many vet schools’ only nutrition-based course is taught by people on Hills’s payroll.
Yet another great idea that is spoiled in practice by capitalism.