Medi-Cal Dog Food

Natural preservatives and good ingredients (even corn). Corn is an excellent source of energy, protein (essential amino acids such as methionine that supports skin and coat health), which is highly digestible, omega-6 essential fatty acids (linoleic acid), B-complex vitamins, minerals and antioxidants (lutein, zeaxanthein and beta-carotene). Corn is a whole grain which includes bran, protein (gluten), starch (energy) and germ (omega-6 essential fatty acids). Starch from the corn provides structure and texture to the kibble and is also highly digestible. (fr. the Royal Canin Website) I Have done hours of additional research including seminars and found similar info. When corn is ground down (not whole) an animals body is able to digest and utilize the nutrional benefits. I have fed my dog and cat MediCal Dental and Mobility for some time and have seen the benefits. Both animals have great teeth and healthy skin coat and gastro intestinal tract. My cat with arthritis (18yrs) has g... Read more

My sheltie suffered with bouts of diarrhea from time to time. She had a very sensitive tummy. All the vets that I asked highly recommended Medi-cal Gastro Formula. This gave her the vitamins she needed and was very gentle on her tummy. She stayed on Gastro formula for many years and I thank the company for making it. I highly recommend this food.

We thought my 9-year-old min pin X was diabetic and have been treating him appropriately for a year. Now we find out he has Cushings which has very similar symptoms. Our vet keeps pushing Medi-cal for weight loss. The first ingredient is corn which I understand at some point breaks down into a poor-quality protein but my questions is: at what point is corn good for diabetes or weight loss for that matter? There is no actual protein source listed on the package. And according to what I've read about Cushings, you should avoid corn at all costs. My mom kept asking why I was letting the vet talk me into buying this crap until she went with me one day. There are SO many good quality natural dog foods out there nowadays. Why are the vets so afraid to break away from this other stuff and try something new? Get with it you, guys. Step outside the box and you'll be surprised at what's out there. I now have him on a top quality all-natural food with REAL protein and REAL carbs. I g... Read more

When I got my 6 month old presa canario I noticed that her stool wasn't just runny, it was more a cow pie than a dog stool. It also stank terribly from quite a distance away. The previous owner, who owns the father was feeding them Iam's formula and recommended I stay on it. I didn't think it was that great a food and switched over to Blue mountain, which I found had better sources of protien, less grain etc.. Still the bad diahrea continued and she was very picky about eating it, even though I was mixing it with a top quality canned food. I almost had to feed her by hand to get her to eat. I also noticed that she had an enourmous thirst and the previous owner warned me that she would drink as much as I gave her so I couldn't leave a water bowl down or she would finish it every time and would look for more. She would also gas out really fast at the dog park when playing with other dogs and while they were still running around she's be lying down after a couple of bursts of energy. Af... Read more

I'm taking a veterinary course and although the course material is jam packed with Medi-Cal marketing tools, I have researched diets myself and found that this brand truly can help some dogs and cats who need a special diet. Although it is true, wolves are carnivores, dogs are actually omnivores and can benefit and thrive from the nutritive qualities of non-meat products, as long and the diet includes some form of healthy protein. If your dog is young and healthy, there are plenty of diets that work just fine (Pure Gold, Acana, etc..) but Medi-Cal is produced in a very different way than most dog foods. Their main factory in Guelph is a patented design that makes sure each step in the food making process is separated from the last to avoid all the commonly associated problems with food contamination (like the Boxer story someone posted above). This factory is quite new but the food being produced now on the shelves is also guaranteed to last longer than most grocery stores due to a pat... Read more

Our dog suffered for 7 years from recurring bouts of misdiagnosed pancreatitis. Instead, they were treating her for back pain. Once the bloodwork came back as definitely pancreatitis, we switched her food to some other vet prescribed diet that shall remain nameless. Our dog, who is not a fussy eater, would not touch it. The second option was Medi-Cal Gastro in the cans and not only does she love it, within one week we saw dramatic improvement in her condition. We will continue feeding this food to her and we have also switched our other dog over to the dry version. It is expensive but if it prevents the recurring vet visits, I guess it's worth it. Time will tell.

I have a 2 and a half month old Boston Terrier.. At the beggining, I thought she was annorexic, because I couldn't make her eat ANYTHING, whatsoever. I went to the vet, which is a friend of the family. He didn't push the Medi-Cal, but when I said a lot of people recommended this or that brand of food over Royal Canin, he got all insulted and told me; "People need to start understanding that the ingredients aren't the only thing we need to know about. We need to trust the companies who invest a LOT of money in research too, which Royal Canin and a few other companies actually do.".... I would say that I agree with that. But now, when I switched from Wysong (Holistic Growth food), to Nutram (GREAT local company based in Canada), to Medi-Cal...and realize my dog needs to be playing with her food, bit by bit, to be able to eat it (IT SMEEEEEELLS LIKE CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and pukes bile once in a while and should be eating a cup a day, but can only eat 1/4 of a cup, i feel like this Medi-... Read more

Is there an option for 0 stars? Seriously, I work at a vet clinic and I know the kick backs the vets get from selling this food. We have monthly learning hours where the reps come in, and essentially brain wash us about this food and how good it is. We even get talked about how to get the client to 'comply' and buy the food. Basically, they teach us how to lie about the ingredients and get us to sell their food for them. Why is a person with a degree in marketing being the rep for, and the voice for a dog food company? I feed my dogs RAW, and I would never, never use Medi-Cal, even though I can get it for free if I want to. If people want to feed kibble, I secretly try to tell them at work to try Orijen, or Timberwolf or Taste of the Wild. Dogs are not that far separated from the wolf. Do you see wolves in a farmers field, knawing on corn? Dogs are meant to eat meat and bones! Dogs should NOT be having dentals at 3 years old like I see at work. Give them a raw marrow bone once or t... Read more

Our King Charles spaniel loved the developmental and was very healthy looking on it, but now he's no longer a puppy so we've tried to switch him to the preventive. He absolutely will not eat it, not sure if it's the taste or the larger pieces. After 3 days of him completely starving himself, thinking he'd be bound to eat if nothing else was on offer, I'm now looking for a replacement. He's started snatching food out of the children's hands so something has to be done!

We were prescribed Medi-Cal Preventative for one of our dogs due to Kidney Stone formation. Both our dogs have been eating it for about 4 years now. Our dalmation has had no further stones. They both like the taste. It is expensive.

My dog was eating royal canin boxer diet when i first adopted her and I quickly switched her to medi-cal dental. She has one of the best coats at the dog park and everyone always asks what I feed her so I gladly tell them. A lot of dogs with bad coats I have seen are eating orijen which is way more expensive than medi-cal. Also it is way too high in protein and lacks omega fatty acids which increases condition of the skin and coat. Medi-cal does extensive research into their food and it is nonsense about buying expensive bags and wasting money because the dog won't eat it because the food is guaranteed. If the pet doesn't like it return it to your vet for a full refund. Corn is not bad! This is such misconception, high quality corn is very easily digestible. People should do much more research into their food choice. To all those people who feed raw I hope you are grinding up the full bellies and intestines of the chickens and deer you are feeding because that is the only part of the a... Read more

I have been using mediCal hypo allergenic food for my dog for six years. I noticed a change in packaging in October and the food looked different too. I fed my dog it and she initially turned her nose up at it but since that is the only food she gets to eat, she reluctantly ate it. For four days she vomited uncontrollably and eventually had to stay at the vet's. She was put on an IV and the bill was about $600. They sent the food off to get analyzed and I haven't heard anything back. I know it was this food. It was the only thing she eats. It looked different, and had a different consistency when she chewed it. I would like them to pay my vet bill. I have a sample of my old food and the new food and if I don't get satisfaction I will be sending it off for my own analysis. There was something definitely wrong with this food. .

I have to admit that it is alot better then all the other prescription diets out there. I used to think that this food was the healthies and thats why any dog I have seen fed this refused to eat. Then I looked at the ingredients. My dog Daisy had a sensitive tummy and the vet sent me home a small bag of the sensitivity. Well I had to find something else fast as she refused to eat it Rice, Catfish Meal, Powdered Cellulose, Chicken Fat, Rice Gluten, Natural Flavour, Soya Bean Oil, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Taurine, Choline Chloride, Vitamins (DL-Alpha-Tocopherol [Source of Vitamin E], Inositol, Niacin, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate [Source of Vitamin C], D-Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride [Vitamin B6], Riboflavin [Vitamin B2], Thiamine Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Vitamin A Acetate, Folic Acid, Vitamin B12 Supplement and Vitamin D3 Supplement) and Trace Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Oxide, Ferrous Sulphate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Copper Sulphate, ... Read more

not sure what is going on .but noticed a change in the medi-cal hypo-allergetic a couple of months ago also in their packaging.our male boxer has been on it for years due too chicken allergies.know our female is sick all the time..more she eats the more she's sick..any-body else notice this also..

You people are obviously selling other products so you come to this site to diss medical which is royal canine. Check the ingredients out and compare to other dog foods. Some are also promoting grain dog foods. DOGS EAT MEAT. If you want something that eats grains, get a parrot. ///My lab was very sick and vet recommended royal canine gastro and he has litteraly come back from the dead. Great dog food and I don't mind the extra few pennies they charge for a premium food. He's only going around once so he gets the best..jmo

I have an over weight dog and need a good food with a fat burner.

I have been feeding my cats medi-cal (1 cat for 16 years and counting, the other for 15 till he died) and my dog for 10 years. It might taste awful but I have saved tons of money on vet bills over the years because the pets never have had health problems like blocked urinary tracts from crappy pet food.

The first ingredient in this dog food is rice, but the type is not named. The second ingredient is soy protein isolate hydrolysate, a loq quality protein additive. The third ingredient is chicken fat, and although not a bad ingredient, should never be the first meat ingredient.

We have been giving our senior dog (lab/shep) "Medi-Cal" for about 5 years. She has been on "reduced protein" and "preventative." She was showing bad kidney values so we tried the vets recommendation and changed her food, she was previously on an Innova product. Her values improved greatly. She is now almost 13 and recently had an emerg surgery and was sent to a major, unreal animal hospital. They had to internally check many organs and they are all FANTASTIC! They were surprised how great her kidneys were and how great her values were, not reflective of a dog her age. "Medi-Cal" has done well for her and that is all we can comment on. We found ingredients readily available and our vet is helpful in explaining what each one does and why it is right for her. No food is perfect for every dog. I'm sure there is somewhat of a "kickback" and the price is certainly inflated but if you need a specialty food and it works then it is priceless, they are our kids after all. :-) P.S. We trie... Read more

I would suggest to anyone trying to find a good dog food to go to dogfoodanalysis.com. It not only lists all the different foods and their ingredients, but also rates them 1 - 6 stars. The added benefit is that it tells whether they recommend the product or not and why

My vet said my puppy NEEDED this food to be healthy and after one week of letting him starve because he hated the stuff I called her and told her he wasn't eating it and what would be the next best brand to buy him. She said nothing would measure to the nutrition he would recieve from this food. So I stopped paying thirty dollars a bag and started paying thirty dollars a month in little ceasers and a supplement that tastes like beef and he hasn't had a medical problem since and actually eats this stuff. I don't know what MEDI-cal is made of but I don't care how many nutrients are in it, if even a starving puppy won't eat it I will never purchase it ever again.

We have been feeding this for years to our 2 Australian Shepherds with no real issues, but over the last 6 months, one of them has started to refuse to eat it. Plus I have just researched it, and it seems like the quality is not there for the money we are paying. We will be switching to another brand.

This food is crap. He was on the Urinary s/o for Struvite crystals and now has oxylate. hmmm.  In addition he has anemia and terrible yeast infection in is ears. I fed it to my dog for 8 years because I trusted my vet's recommendation.  He never thrived on this food but I didn't know any better.  Recently I have been educating myself on dog food (go to the dogfoodproject.com) and now feel incredibly guilty for feeding my best friend such a low quality food lacking in nutrition.  I encourage everyone to be proactive in your dogs health and educate yourself.  Don't just take your vets recommendation on food as alot of them have such little training when it comes to nutrition and the training they have comes from the companies that make this crappy food.

6 months ago, I would have agreed with those who say that Medi-Cal is a great brand. When we first got our dogs, our vet recommended this brand. We fed it to them and we thought they looked great - our beagle was sleek and shiny, our bichon had some health problems, something our vet attributed to his "puppy mill" start (he was a rescue)...everything seemed great. Then we went on vacation in Alberta and our dog food got left at home. Unable to find a vet in the area that carried the brand (my first sign that something was up), one of the vets recommened that we try Orijen, a BARF-based, Grain free kibble made locally there (they have since increased their distribution.) The difference I have seen in my dogs is nothing short of amazing. Our bichon's coat is the softest it has ever been, all his health problems have cleared up and we have been able to take him off his allergy medications. The puppy has more energy than ever and he seems to be developing leaner muscle than before. ... Read more

medi-cal made my dog's condition worse, I'm sick of vets recommending this low quality food. Most people who say it improved their pets condition were feeding their dog the cosco specials like mainstay and whiskas, anything is better than these. If you want to test the true caliber of this food try feeding him timber wolf (the old formula), orijen or another quality food (not poor foods like iams.) I tested it against both orijen and timberwolf the old formula)which clearly reveiled to me that medi-cal is overpriced low quality trash. It just can't hold its own against the premium brands.

my dog has just started taking medi cal gastro formula can i give him that food for the rest of his life

We inherited 13 yr old labX 1 yr ago who was quite overweight. We fed her Fibre Formula for 9 months and she lost 10 lbs. She started out at 60 lbs and now weighs 50 lbs. We fed her 1 cup in the am and 1 cup in the pm along with a little Science Diet Senior canned food to make it tasty for her. She also got a total of 6 Medi-Treats daily, but nothing else. We have now switched her to Weight Control and she has maintained her weight over the past month since we switched. I did find that while on the Fibre Formula, her coat was dull and dry, but since on the Weight Control, it has improved. She has lots of energy and loves the food! It seems expensive, but when you work it out, it really isn't. An 18 kg bag lasts us a long time. I find that the food is really utilized and stool sizes are quite small (not so with the Fibre Formula as much).

My dog lately has been vomitting bile 2 days a week from eating Nutro Natural Choice. My vet recommended me to switch to a "higher" quality brand of dog food. They told me to put him on the Gastro Preventative. I did, it was quite expensive for something that doesn't list the ingredients properly... The recommended feeding guide for my dog (45lbs) was 4 cups a day... WHAT IN THE WORLD..... I have been feeding him at most 2.5 cups a day from other brands. Why does he need to eat so much of it?? Well anyhow. My dog didn't like the food. He had to be hand fed to be able to eat it. Personally I tried it myself lol... AND IT TASTED AWFUL. His other dog food didn't taste quite as bad. My dog usually is a very easy easter. I am disappointed my vet has recommended me to waste so much money on a bag that my dog won't even go near. And I try to find the ingredients... they are certainly hiding something.

I have had severe problems with Royal Canin dog food, who also owns Medical. The ingredients are not top quality and I was told that the Medi-cal preventative is one of the lesser quality foods that they sell(from the food rep.) Then why on earth would a vet endorse it??? Ask your vet if dog food companies donate any money to vet colleges.... MMMMMMmmmmmm. The problems are actually my own fault because I didn't do my research...

This food looks like garbage on par with Hills science diet.It is the only dog food I've seen where you canonot find the ingredients listed anywhere.  Not even on their website.To access their ingrecients you have to be a vet and type in a password!What poor quality ingreds are they trying to hide?Even Science diet with there byproduct and corn diets show their ingredients.(even though if you ever looked at their bags and cans of food you need a magnifying glass to read the miniscule fonts they print them with)Stay away from this food and if your vet reccomends this trash change vets.

I have two Chihuahuas that do not eat very much so I buy the more expensive food, however my dogs are healthy and happy and I would not change even if I had a large dog. In fact my youngest dog was very picky as as puppy and would not eat very much at all. Since we have been feeding her medi cal wieght control she eats regular and the proper amount.

I been giving my two black labs medi-cal for the past 6 years. Their coats are beautiful, their teeth are clean and healthy. I would recommend this over other products, especially with the recent recalls of other brands. Yes, my Vet recommended it, but dogs love it. I occasionaly supplement the Medi-cal with chicken or turkey pieces when we have it. Their weight is ideal and they have enough energy to keep me exercised daily.

I just had my two small dog's teeth cleaned at the vet. The vet recommended that we use the Medi-Cal dental diet from now on. I looked at the package and saw that corn is the main ingredient, along with chicken meal and wheat flour. We've been using Organix brand dog food (kibble) for a couple of years and our dogs really like it when we add a little protein to it. Organix formula's main ingedient is organic chicken. I'm not sure how the dental formaula helps stop plaque, and why vets promote this product with so much corn in it.

Medi-cal is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a quality commercial diet for their pet(s). All of their foods are tested by third parties and regularly analyzed for quality. Please keep in mind that ingredient lists can be confusing. For example by-products are in some medi-cal products, however, if you ask the company they will tell you that these by-products are spleen. They do not use feathers, hooves etc like cheap pet food companies do. Corn is another ingredient people tend to avoid. Again good quality whole corn is used to acidify the urine ph to prevent crystal formation. It is only sold in vet clinics so that the clients are properly educated on the products.

Medi-cal is a perscrition veterinary diet that is only available through veterinarians. If your dog has a true medical need, then go for it. However, any of the maintenance diets can be easily replaced by something of better quality. Their nutrients are not always derived from the best ingrediants. Here is their website: http://www.medi-cal.ca

Hi, I have been searching for information on Medi-Cal dog food. I can only find this site to rate it but I can't find info on the food. Our Vet suggests feeding it to my Newfoundland. But I have three large Newfoundlands which eat free choice & it is awfully expensive at our Vet Clinic. Can anyone point me to a website telling about the food? Also is there somewhere cheaper to buy it than our Vet clinic in BC, Canada? Thank you. Sincerely, Joanne Seabloom