Alternatives to Veterinary Foods, etc.

We have two cats and one dog. The dog and one cat are elderly. As a result, the vet has put them on a variety of special foods and dietary supplements to help with their various conditions. All of these items are sold .... by the vet.

I believe that there are (nearly) equivalent substitutes available through pet stores, and sometimes even drugstores and grocery stores, for these items, and at significantly lower cost. I feel that the situation is different for food and additive items than, say, antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals (where I would certainly want them administered by the vet).

So perhaps you might be able to advise me on ways to learn good "substitutions". Web sites that provide this type of info, or maybe you guys have already been down this road.

Anyway, here's what my guys are using:

* Wolfie (12 yr chocolate labe with arthritic hips and begining kidney problems):

Glyco-flex
Purina Canine NF (Kidney Failure) food - dry and canned
Cosequin DS - Glucosamine / Chondroitin chewable tablets

* Max (14yr feline w/ diabetes and minor hyperthyroid):

Insulin (already pharmacy bought)
Purina Feline DM (Diabetes Management) food

* Donovan (6yr feline w/ urinary crystals):

Purina Feline UR (Urinary Formula) food

Thanks!! [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

<font color="purple"> Cosequin DS </font color>

My wife buys her cosequin (and many other supplies) from
K-V Vet. I cannot offer help on the remainder of your list.

Or Puritan's Pride vitamins.. www.puritan.com. They often have specials on the glucosamine/chondritan tablets.

As far as the cosequin goes glucosamine products can be bought at a human pharmacy. Just go to the supplement isle and get glucosamine chondritin sulfate and get the same mg strength as the cosequin. The difference between this and the cosequin is that cosequin is a brand name approved for veterinary use...the human equivalent is not but it works just as well in most patients. The prescription diets are another issue. These are like they state on the package prescription diets...they are not available at a pet store for this reason...there is no equivalent food for any of those conditions that you can get "over the counter". If you dont want to continue buying from your vet and want to go through an online source i recommend Vetcentric.com. It is a veterinary pharmacy with doctors on their staff. They have contracts with the makers of the medications and food and get their supplies directly from them...at a much lower price. They are far more reputable than a place like petmeds or others....those places have been known to do some shady dealings and they do not have contracts with the drug manufacturers. I know vet centric carries purina food products and with an ok from your vet you can have the items shipped to you at home. I have had a lot of clients use them and are very satisfied with the service. They also do rx drugs and you might find cosequin and insulin there as well. Hope this long babble was helpful in some way, and good luck!