I am a bit confused (I live in Toronto by the way). Are you looking for a cheaper source than the Hill's k/d that you have to buy from your vet? Are you looking for info on the food (Hill's website will provide you with a number of answers). Or are you looking for an alternative? Hill's is prescription - Science Diet sold in Canada at PetSmart etc. is not prescription. BUT I believe in the U.S. that some Hill's prescription food is sold under the Science Diet name (I could be wrong but I have been told this) - but said SD food is sold only by a vet. However, vet prices and dog food in general tend to be a lot lower in the U.S. so I would be looking at that aspect since you live so close to the border. We just paid $1,500 for a dental for our dog - I know in the U.S. it would have cost about $600. We normally feed our dog Fromm Four Star kibble and it is not cheap in Toronto. The canned varieties are $4.15 each plus our lovely taxes. Our dog has to eat canned food until Feb. 15 when he goes in for a recheck - life is not pretty since he is a serious and brilliant food hoover. We are feeding him Hill's canned I/D - I always keep a couple of cans on hand just in case of a tummy upset. It is working - no doubt not causing cannot butt because of the way it works - which is great considering all of the mashed squash, bananas, soaked kibble he has been getting. I hope your pup is okay. It might also be cheaper to buy the food by the case.

UPDATE: We feed our kitten the highest quality food we can find. For wet we generally use the canned "Hounds and Gatos". (This is the pate form and so each time I mix in water to get my cats extra hydration). For convenience we also do give out dry food but it is the Canadian made "Orijen" which is very highly regarded: Our other cat who is 14 years old had been on the "kidney friendly" Hill's KD food for several years. I decided to stop this and have had him on the same (as the kiten) high quality protein foods for several weeks now. (To keep the older cat from eating the kittens food we have the kitten's food bowl on top of the....dryer (it is high enough up that the older one cant jump up)).

Pet peeve of mine. KIDNEY stones are NOT the same as BLADDER stones. They are 2 completely different anatomical locations, with completely different consequences, and completely different therapies for management and prevention. KD is not made to prevent the formation of BLADDER stones, though it may help in cases of calcium oxalate (due to restricted calcium levels) or cysteine (due to restricted protein levels) stones. KD does help prevent KIDNEY stones in cases of renal failure because it has greatly reduced phosphorus levels, which is a major cause of KIDNEY stones in patients with kidney disease, which then worsens the kidney disease. KD does nothing to manage struvite stones, which are the most common bladder stones in dogs. Struvite stones are NOT managed with diet- they are caused by urinary tract infection. All you have to do to prevent the recurrence of struvite stones is to prevent (or quickly manage) UTIs. My own Max has had struvite stones twice. First time, he blocked and I had to remove the stones surgically. I cultured his urine and put him on ABX. The infection cleared according to culture. Unfortunately I did not check his urine culture on a routine basis and he got struvite stones again. This time, I cultured his urine, used the appropriate Abx, fed him SD to dissolve the stones (he didn't block 2nd time around), and continued to culture urine monthly for 6 months, then every 2 months, now every 6 months. He has been on regular commercial dog food since then and has not had any recurrences, only because when he cultures positive I treat him right away. Max is NOT on a restricted-protein diet; in fact he eats the same as my other dogs. There is no indication for a Rx diet because he had struvite stones. You must ask your vet why the KD was prescribed and ask him/her if there are any other options. Purina makes NF which is comparable to KD as far as protein restriction, reduced sodium, phosphorus, and calcium. I don't think it will be any less expensive than KD though. Sometimes it is less expensive to do homemade diets, but it is time consuming, and you have to get the recipe from your vet or a veterinary nutritionist. Your vet can use BalanceIt to help him/her formulate an appropriate diet if necessary (you can't get an Rx diet from their website, just routine maintenance diets). In any case, I wouldn't switch diets without consulting your vet. S/he needs to know that KD is getting very expensive for you (I know the prices have gone up quite a bit in the last year or so) and you need options.

"Harebell, are you also known as Runsnwalken? Your info is not true at all. Any good vet is VERY familiar with all cat foods, and can ID the problem and suggest the best food with the best nutritional values for that cat. A quick change will produce more diarrhea and loose stools, just introduce it slowly into her diet. Best of luck!" Firstly, no, I have no idea who Runsnwalken might be. I am harebell, plain and simple. I won't argue about gradual changes to foods. One possible reaction to a too-fast change in diet is indeed diarrhea. If you had read my post you would have read that I echoed the need to make any changes gradually. However, your response about feline nutrition is typical of the myths. Once again, veterinarians lack good sources of feline nutrition. Once again, veterinary schools provide feline "nutrition" classes in the form of seminars hosted by the cat food manufacturers. No. Most veterinarians are NOT knowledgeable about feline nutrition. I have provided a link below where you can introduce yourself to some basics about feline nutrition. The writer is a bit overbearing about raw feeding, but her research is sound. I do provide some raw for my cats but it's not a staple. I DO provide foods to which the cat has evolved to metabolise. BTW, this writer is a VETERINARIAN. This writer backed up my own research and study. I do have a problem with her site, though-she does not touch on CRF and that BUGS me, since CRF brings on a set of dietary changes that no one really understands-how does it work, why does it work (or seem to). I hear of CRF cats doing very well on a reduced-protein diet. I am curious about why you would completely discount facts without having performed any research whatsoever? It's not a totally bad thing that vets are mis-led in their feline nutrition education, it forces us, as RESPONSIBLE pet owners, to learn what we put into our companions. I'd much rather have my veterinarians know what they DO know instead-there is so much to know, for a variety of animals, that I wonder how they can possibly know so much. It's MY responsibility to know my cats' nutrition needs. I do have a problem with vets who refuse to listen to sound research and who refuse to acknowledge results of proper feline nutrition. As I stated before, two of the doctors in my practice are open-minded about feline nutrition, and are not just supportive but very excited over the results. The third vet is like you. Closed minded about nutrition. She IS the best out there when it comes to diagnosis of often very difficult or elusive problems. I no longer discuss diet with the last one, but in an emergency I'd love her to be the one handling my cats. She is also the one who I ask for when bringing in a particularly difficult cat-she's the best at handling hissing growling vet-hating cats, I have never seen any better. Your misinformation cannot change FACT. Please spend a little time researching before returning. If you wish, we could carry this on in the appropriate forum. I don't think that this forum is the right place for a possibly heated debate. I'll check in in a day or so, when you've had the chance to read and can provide factual rebuttal. Have fun in your research and we'll meet again in the Animal Debate forum. I know I won't convince you, and you won't convince me, but it is a fun way to introduce others (innocent bystanders, maybe?) into learning new viewpoints. Chat soon. Here is a link that might be useful: KNOW THE BASICS OF FELINE NUTRITION