Chase as an alternative to prescription brands?

Question

I work in a pet store and we learn as much about the choices so we can help our customers choose the best food for their pets, and lately Dr. Tim’s has become of the ones we feel confident about recommending to our customers. I have a question for you. We often have cats with UTI and other symptoms of renal disorders whose owners are tired of paying for the prescription diets, which seem to run counter to today’s findings that a high protein, low carb diet is optimal for such compromised kitties. We usually recommend high protein, low carb wet food, but given Chase kibbles’ low ash in addition high protein, do you feel comfortable offering it as an alternative to the prescription brands? Any caveats?

Laurie

Thank you for the kind words and confidence with our food lines. The Chase cat food is made for the urinary issues that cats can run into, such as the struvite type crystals and FUS issues, but also hairball prevention and aiding in controlling the stress problems an indoor cat undergoes. Kidney or renal issues are still something that the veterinarian of that particular feline should be asked as to the diet that might be best, but the thing that I believe in is lots of water consumption for a kidney problem cat. How to encourage that tends to be more in the canned food department and "moving" water sources (faucet, waterfall, etc. as they drink more with this method of offering water).

So, with a kidney cat, a canned food may have higher protein, but it also brings in a lot of water versus a dry food. So a high protein, low carb dry food is better suited for the diabetic or fat cat versus the kidney cat, in my opinion.

Timothy A. Hunt, DVM