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81 A special section to Today's Veterinary Practice | May/June guidelines came about because such diets were historically distributed only through veterinarians; however, some of these diets are now available to consumers through Internet or store purchase with a veterinary prescription. VTD are usually considered for managing specific medical conditions, such as kidney disease or osteoarthritis. 1,2 Their ingredients and/or composition differ from OTC pet foods for a specific purpose, but this does not always preclude recommending these diets for healthy patients. Additionally, the quality control of their manufacture is often more stringent than that of OTC diets. Although some may carry statement reading "use under supervision of a veterinarian," many VTD have AAFCO nutritional adequacy statements for adult and sometimes growth life stages (TABLE 1) . For these reasons, we often recommend VTD for healthy pets to provide better nutrition and to aid in prevention of common disease states. BENEFITS OF VTD VTD are formulated to assist in managing medical conditions based on known physiologic and nutritional differences between healthy individuals and those with a disease, or to contain nutrients that may have a functional role in managing a particular medical condition. For instance, VTD used for gastrointestinal (GI) disease PREVENTION The Food and Drug Administration has guidelines for the labeling and marketing of canine and feline diets intended to diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat, or prevent diseases. American College of Veterinary Nutrition ( acvn.org ) Food and Drug Administration: FDA's Regulation of Pet Food ( fda.gov/animalveterinary/ resourcesforyou/ucm047111.htm ) BOX 1 Online Resources AAFCO Statements for VTD A AFCO ADULT MAINTENANCE A AFCO GROWTH CANINE DRY VTD Hill's i/d Yes Yes Purina EN Yes Yes Purina DRM Yes Yes Purina HA Vegetarian Yes Yes Purina JM Yes Yes Royal Canin GI Puppy No Yes Royal Canin HP Yes Yes Royal Canin Select Protein PV Yes Yes Blue Buffalo GI Yes Yes FELINE DRY VTD Hill's i/d Yes Yes Purina EN Yes Yes Purina HA Yes Yes Royal Canin High Energy GI Yes Yes Royal Canin Select Protein PV Yes Yes *According to current product guides. TABLE 1 Select Nutritional Profiles for Select Canine VTD and OTC Diets* CRUDE PROTEIN CRUDE FAT CRUDE FIBER CALCIUM PHOSPHORUS CA:P RATIO CANINE GI VTD Hill's i/d 26.5 14.8 2.3 1.18 0.9 1.3:1 Blue Buffalo Natural GI 27.17 15.22 2.72 1.52 1.2 1.3:1 Royal Canin Mod Calorie GI 23.3 10 3.8 0.8 0.68 1.2:1 Purina EN 27.67 13.09 1.02 1.45 1 1.5:1 CANINE OTC DIETS Orijen 43 20.4 4.5 2.16 1.23 1.8:1 Nature's Variety 42 22 4.4 2.56 0.91 2.8:1 Wellness 37.8 17.8 4.4 2.22 1.59 1.4:1 Ziwi 44 34 2 2.41 1.56 1.5:1 Solid Gold 45.6 22.2 4.4 NA 1.4 NA Taste of the Wild 32 16.7 5 NA 1.2 NA AVERAGES VTD 26.16 13.28 2.46 1.24 0.95 1.3:1 OTC Diet 40.73 22.18 4.12 2.34 1.32 1.8:1 *All amounts are given on a percentage dry matter basis. TABLE 2