Hills Zd - Cheapest Place To Buy & Sharpening Clipper Blades

[Winterpaws]

I was chatting to an old client of mine this morning and she asked me if it was possible to buy Hills ZD online cheaper. Does anyone know the cheapest place to purchase this? They are payng a bomb at their vet for it

Also she had a clipper blade sharpened and it is still blunt - there is a guy here on DOL but my searches lead me nowhere - can anyone help?

[Flaves]

Winterpaws - i cant help with the ZD price but i have a suggestion.

If the ZD is for sensitive tummys allergies etc then the Royal Canin Hypo allergenic is good

It has no meat proteins in it and it comes in large bags, 12kg i think for about $100 - a lot cheaper than the ZD

Luciens mum is having heaps of success on it after using the ZD for Kayne.

Just a thought anyway.

[Staff'n'Toller]

I've been through Z/d, RC hypo-allergenic and RC Sensitivity Control, I'm now onto RC skin support which is supposedly better for general atopy.

I found the Hypo-allergenic to be not quite as good as the Z/d, the Sensitivity Control is Whitefish and Tapioca.

Skin support is same price as Z/d varieties though.

Z/d costs a bomb because wholesale- it costs a bomb!! Hills have had about 3 price rises in the last 12mths, it's getting to be beyond a joke, we are really embarrassed about some of the food going up 20% in RRP but there's nothing we can do about it.

Mel.

[Winterpaws]

Thanks Flave - I will have to check because I am sure he is on it for a weight issue. He was very obese and was originally on the Hills Fat Ass Dog Formula but it didn;t work for some reason and they mentioned he is now on ZD - he has lost loads of weight and is looking much better.

Mel it's a bugger it costs so much! Is there any difference between the vet supplied formulas and what you can buy in the supermarket?

I've tried to convince them to go raw but they prefer the ease of kibble and I completely understand that

[Flaves]

Good luck!

It is a shame that the 'prescription' foods cost so much.

I think LM said it was $70 for 3kg bag

[4 Paws]

Clipper blade sharpening-nicestman here's Colin's website http://www.freewebs.com/clipperbladesharpe...eningprices.htm

Edited September 27, 2008 by 4 Paws

[Staff'n'Toller]

Yeah there is a huge difference between Z/d and other foods. Are they sure it's food allergy? Rates of actual food allergy is apparently quite low, it's worth having intradermal testing done to see exactly what the dog is allergic to.

The proteins are broken down so that scientifically the molecular weight is very low, thus they can be eaten and the body does not identify them as allergens and produce a histamine release.

I have tried raw with my Stafford as well, but the issue is still that whatever protein source is used- it's large portein molecules in it's complete form.

Z/d Ultra- guaranteed to be less than 3000 daltons in molecular weight.

Z/d Low Allergen- guaranteed to be less than 6000 daltons in molecular weight.

Prescription Diet® z/d® ULTRA Allergen-Free Canine dog food is designed by veterinarians for the diagnosis and nutritional management of food allergy and food intolerance in dogs. Only Prescription Diet® z/d® is formulated with Hill’s Hydrolyzed Protein System™, a process that breaks down intact animal proteins and virtually eliminates the possibility of an adverse reaction to food. Most reactions occur because of an allergy to beef, dairy products or wheat. z/d® ULTRA Allergen-Free Canine contains none of these allergens

Royal Canin Hypo-allergenic:

* Limited, low allergen ingredients- Hydrolyzed soy protein isolate- Single carbohydrate source (rice)

* Highly digestible

* Enriched with omega-3 fatty acids(eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids)

* Enriched with gamma-linoleic acid

* Enriched with FOS and zeolite to optimize intestinal health

* Enriched with antioxidants

* Enriched with niacin, pantothenic acid, histidine, inositol, and choline to help strengthen the skin barrier

Recommended for:

* Adverse food reactions (food hypersensitivity/food allergy) with dermatological and/or gastrointestinal signs

* Inflammatory bowel disease

* Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency

* Elimination diet trial

* Dietary intolerance (lactose intolerance, gluten enteropathy)

* Colitis

* Idiopathic diarrhea

* Appropriate for growing puppies

Royal Canin Sensitive Skin:

ROYAL CANIN Veterinary Diet™ Canine SKIN SUPPORT SS 21™ is a complete and balanced diet for growth and maintenance. It is specifically designed to assist the management of allergic skin diseases by helping control inflammation, reduce pruritus, minimize secondary skin infections, optimize an effective skin barrier and promote skin recovery. Also, to help in the treatment of contact dermatitis, flea bite sensitivity, demodex, carcoptes, skin infections, wounds, burns, and hot spots.

Nutritional benefits (as compared to typical commercial pet foods):

* Skin support: Contains a unique combination of curcumin, aloe vera, vitamin C and taurine to support recovery of the skin

* Skin barrier: Enriched with a special PINCH “blend” of nutrients to strengthen the skin’s natural barrier function

* Limited ingredients: Reduce the risk of food hypersensitivity. Formulated with a unique protein source (fish meal)

* Reduce inflammation: Enriched with long-chain omega-3 fatty acids from fish oils to help reduce inflammation in the skin

* Supplemental antioxidants: Helps prevent free radical damage

* Appropriate for growing puppies.

Edited September 27, 2008 by Staff'n'Toller

[OMD²]

Sorry this is a bit off topic..

But Oscar is currently on ZD as well. He suffers from upset tummy

I'm just a bit confused are you saying Royal Canin Hypo-allergenic is better than the ZD? The ZD is $$$

[Staff'n'Toller]

If it's just IBD you are treating Oscar's Mummy, the RC hypo-allergenic or sensitivity control might work just as well, they are still Vet only Prescription foods.

The RC also has palatability guarantee so you can get your money back if he doesn't eat it or it doesn't work.

Sadly Hill's have put ethoxyquin or BHT back in their Z/d which, whilst it is used in human foods, has been known to cause cancer in mice and I can't consciously feed it to my Stafford who has had an intestinal tumour.

Mel.