Sometimes I wonder if my stuff gets fewer comments because they come through Advanced Tweets instead of being posted on FriendFeed. I know I'm less likely to comment if I think the original author won't see it on FriendFeed. - Kevin Fox

Which of yours are on prescription food? The Siamese I had was on it for the last 3 years of her bulimic life (she was almost 19 at the end). I fear that Plum will need the tender-tummy formulas one day. - Katy S

Perhaps at times. Also, Rx pet food!? That's probably just what we have to do because companies can't be trusted to put together a decent product for off-the-shelf pet food. I think the upper and lower ends of the pet food industry are both ridiculous. We've taught our animals to hunt on their own with a compound bow... both have shiny coats and a spectacular aim. - SAM

To answer your first comment, I think you might be right. Anything automajically feed in might leave people to wonder. Of course, if it's really interesting people might comment about it anyway. :) - c.a.j.

FIRST! - WoH: Professor MOTHRA

It's easy enough to test. Some of our dogs had skin problems and a special diet was recommended. Sometimes it helped sometimes it didn't, but when it didn't we went back to the old (quality) food. And I don't see tweets unless they have a comment or a like. - Todd Hoff

Indy has a low-carb weight loss food. I just don't understand why I have to have a prescription to buy it. Is it because it's dangerous to feed that food to cats who don't need it? If so, I wish we were allowed a bit more leeway to make smart decisions for our animals. (Is Rx cat food regulated at a federal level, or just an agreement between vets and pet food suppliers?) - Kevin Fox

Do people ever make food for their pets, rather than buy it completely pre-processed? - Brian Johns

They definitely do. There's a whole movement around that, especially for dogs. - Kevin Fox

We have friends who only feed their dog raw chicken every day. I can't imagine how much that costs them. But the dog seems crazy happy about the arrangement. - SAM

Raw chicken? Are they worried about salmonella etc? - WoH: Professor MOTHRA

I know that my vet isn't happy about the fact that he has to prescribe pet food for dietary-restricted pets. It annoys him that this stuff isn't more widely available, and he thinks that simply having a vet advise what to purchase should be good enough. When he had to put my cat Dief on a special diet due to UT issues, I was concerned about my other cats eating the food and he said "If they're perfectly healthy cats, the food won't hurt them." - Hookuh Tinypants

We actually buy the food from our vet. But we secretly hope that one day we'll get the vet's 20th-Anniversary Mac for our antiques collection in the bargain. - Mary B: #TeamMonique from iPhone

WoH I think dog's immune/pro-biotic systems don't get phased by a touch of salmonella as well as lots of other things that would make us sick. They eat cat poop like its a sport after all. - SAM

Oh, I was thinking more of them - having lots of raw chicken around every day. - WoH: Professor MOTHRA

I'll comment on automatic posts like Advanced Tweets if I know the person tends to spend time here. I've actually started purging my feed of people who never post original content and don't seem spend much time on FF. - Kevin (aka ThreadKilla)

Me too. - Kevin Fox

Kevin, you might try finding a small local pet food store that sells the better brands like Wellness or Solid Gold and asking them if they can recommend an equivalent food. Brands like Solid Gold make gluten free or even grain free foods for both dogs and cats. I agree that it's ridiculous that you should have to get an appropriate food from the vet. - Scoble, Alex Scoble

Started? Was there a time when you didn't? - WoH: Professor MOTHRA

Oh, and it might be worth a try to check Amazon or other online outlets to see if the food your vet is selling you can be purchased cheaper online. - Scoble, Alex Scoble

Glad we got that cleared up. - WoH: Professor MOTHRA

We used prescription food for our cats for awhile, but eventually found that careful selection of regular foods was both cheaper and better for them. My wife spent a lot of time researching various manufacturers and the various types of food the produce (i.e. the nutrient balance, protein/carbs/fat, etc), and found certain selections were actually better balanced than the prescription food for controlling diabetes. I remember being super happy to find that the Fancy Feast flaked fish variety pack at Costco was among the best choices for our cats. - Ken Gidley

The SPCA vets here have a lot of low income clients; my mom's dog has skin allergies, & the vet gave her a list of ingredients to look for, and to avoid, and also gave her some recipes to make food. My mom found an affordable brand that meets the requirements at our local Pet Smart. I'd assume our vets would make similar suggestions for low carb, or other special needs diets, too. - Starmama from FFHound(roid)!

Pet Food Express is a great local chain. I've always found the staff very knowledgeable and helpful. When I adopted Charlie, I didn't want to keep feeding him the Costco food (mostly because they only came in 25lb bags and I have no place to store that much food). They got out their binder and looked up which food they stock that would be a good switch for him. You won't find Purina for Fancy Feast, but they do have a large selection of food. - Russian Space Lizard

Also, Simon is on Prescription feline i/d for his intestinal issues. I used to feed him that with other food, but his issues reemerged. He just seems to do best on the i/d, though I am going to ask our vet about other options. - Russian Space Lizard