Earlier this week we received a query from a very loving pet owner trying in vain to find the products he'd been recommended by his veterinarian.
The gentleman had been told to look for Purina's "Gentle Snackers" prescription treats, and in a follow-up email he mentioned that the vet had also recommended their "EN" prescription diet for pancreatitis.
The ingredients in EN are virtually all corn, and are highly inflammatory. They also create huge spikes in insulin production, which the pancreas controls. So, you have inflammation of the pancreas, a gland responsible for insulin production, and vets are recommending a diet that's highly inflammatory (grains are full of "anti-nutrients" and promote inflammation) and causes excessive insulin production.
Back to his original question on the treats; here is my reply to his initial email, which should be helpful to anyone dealing with these issues:
I'm not sure if your vet recommended those treats to you, but in our opinion, they're anything but gentle.
The first ingredient is "starch", and it doesn't tell us what kind of starch. Starchy, sugary carbohydrates are the last thing a dog should eat.
The second ingredient is "hydrolyzed soy protein isolate", and some of the most egregious offenders when it comes to allergies are corn, wheat, and soy. Corn oil is also present in the ingredients.
Worse, hydrolyzed soy protein is actually a stealth form of MSG. The process of hydrolyzing protein (basically breaking it down into a slurry or gel) creates MSG.
They also use partially hydrogenated canola oil: both canola oil, and partially hydrogenated oils in general, wreak havoc on our systems, and dogs' systems as well.
That canola oil is preserved with a chemical preservative called TBHQ: a known carcinogen.
I'd like to learn more about what your dog might be allergic to, or what foods you've fed in the past. Has the vet tested your dog for specific allergies? Or did the clinic simply recommend prescription products when you reported an allergy to an over-the-counter food?
We'd love to help you figure this out--and save some money too. There's no reason to use prescription products to avoid allergies.
Thanks!