Naturapet-Evo

[MattC]

Save for the boiled chicken when he is sick. Nick has only had Canidae PAWS. It was what the breeder fed him before we got him and to be honest with you I am so scared of having to pick up diarrhea on the street we never experimented with anything else.

[theimagunter]

I have to admit my ignorance of "Canidae", I honestly can say I've never seen it ... that I remember any way ... I'm gonna have to check it out. I know the breeder we got Seel from (mini Doxie) was feeding them Purina Puppy which I didn't know till we got her ... I switched her pretty quick with no "side issues" and where we got Harley was kinda the same thing but the more I learn the more I'm finding out about "Back Yard" breeders who are really in it for the money. Things that bring up red flags to me now didn't 3 years ago ... and I thought I did my research ...
I have to say, I'm really glad I found this site there are a lot of people who are knowledgeable and are willing to share that knowledge.
Thelma

[Michael Romanos]

Grain and cereal in dog's food is absolutely fine and very beneficial. If a dog should happen to have some kind of food allergy it could be meat/protein related as much as cereal or grain related.

[PupsnPonies]

Canidae ALS fans, here, too ! My guys are picky eaters and they eat this very well.

Dog Food Reviews - Dry Dog Foods - Powered by ReviewPost

This is an interesting site. This is what they have to say about Canidae:

"The first, second, fifth and seventh ingredients in the food are all named meat products, and all in meal form. There is a further (fresh) meat ingredient 11th on the ingredient list, though this is too far down to make up a substantive portion of the food.


The main grain in the food is rice (two forms). These are whole grains that are low-allergenic and a good quality source of carbohydrates and additional protein. There are no further grains in the food. Flaxseed is a good quality source of Omega 6 and Omega 3 essential fatty acids as is sunflower oil. There is a good range of probiotics in the food.


This is an excellent looking food with very good meat content. The only grain contained in the food is rice, and there are no grain fragments or other fillers."

[MyPemCharlie]

Originally Posted by PupsnPonies

Canidae ALS fans, here, too ! My guys are picky eaters and they eat this very well.

Dog Food Reviews - Dry Dog Foods - Powered by ReviewPost

This is an interesting site. This is what they have to say about Canidae:

"The first, second, fifth and seventh ingredients in the food are all named meat products, and all in meal form. There is a further (fresh) meat ingredient 11th on the ingredient list, though this is too far down to make up a substantive portion of the food.


The main grain in the food is rice (two forms). These are whole grains that are low-allergenic and a good quality source of carbohydrates and additional protein. There are no further grains in the food. Flaxseed is a good quality source of Omega 6 and Omega 3 essential fatty acids as is sunflower oil. There is a good range of probiotics in the food.


This is an excellent looking food with very good meat content. The only grain contained in the food is rice, and there are no grain fragments or other fillers."

I love that dog food review site you posted. I happened across it when I was deciding on what brand to choose to make the switch from puppy food. The reviews are independent...not run by the dog food company marketeers.

The thing I do usually mention when I post a link to that review site is that most of the "6 star" foods are foods like Evo and CORE which have extremely high levels of protein. Probably not appropriate for puppies or non-athletic dogs, as we've discussed here as being "too hot".

Any of the "5 star" foods look to me like the very best quality foods for most dogs.

[PupsnPonies]

Originally Posted by MyPemCharlie

I love that dog food review site you posted. I happened across it when I was deciding on what brand to choose to make the switch from puppy food. The reviews are independent...not run by the dog food company marketeers.

The thing I do usually mention when I post a link to that review site is that most of the "6 star" foods are foods like Evo and CORE which have extremely high levels of protein. Probably not appropriate for puppies or non-athletic dogs, as we've discussed here as being "too hot".

Any of the "5 star" foods look to me like the very best quality foods for most dogs.

I agree!
The 6 * foods would definitely not be for a puppy or growing dog as they seem to be very protein concentrated.
I know there are plenty of other good foods out there, we've just personally had great luck with Canidae and the price has been very comparable with the Pet Store premium brands. We have a health food store in our town that sells Canidae and Fromm.

[LaRogue]

I have to admit my ignorance of "Canidae", I honestly can say I've never seen it ... that I remember any way ... I'm gonna have to check it out.

It's fairly "newish" in my area, too. Up until about 6 months ago, only one of the independent pet stores I shop at carried it. I think in my area, at least, it was slow to make it's way from the West Coast. Now, all of the local Pet Supplies Plus have started carrying at least the all stage formula. It comes in 4 formulas: All life stage, platinum (reduced calorie, lower protein & fat), and 2 allergy formulas chicken and rice or lamb and rice. Their website should have a store locater, where you could pick up some free samples to check out.

[Michael Romanos]

Dr Jane Bicks is a recognised American holistic vet. She has worked for several major dog food manufacturers and has studied dog food and formulated for more than 15 years.

Her two main points are:

1. Dogs need food that has the quality of ingredients in the right proportion that your dog needs. Nutrient excess and deficiencies can both cause problems.
2. You need a dog food company that you can trust.

Dr Bicks supports AAFCO certification.

She says that the average size dog shoukl live to 27 - nutrition is the most important aspect for this to occur along with genetics.

She admits that Europe has higher standards for dog foods than does the USA.

[glencorgi]

Interesting the comparison of "her" food to one your favorite brands:
Compare Life's Abundance Premium Dog Food to Science Diet Dog Food

Also there isn't a separate puppy food.

Debbie

[Michael Romanos]

I don't necessarily believe in Dr Bicks or everything she expouses. But I do believ in her two main points plus her recommendaion of AAFCO and her estimation that average size dogs could live till 27 (and by inference, many smaller breeds such as Corgis, even longer).

[LaRogue]

But I do believ in her two main points plus her recommendaion of AAFCO and her estimation that average size dogs could live till 27 (and by inference, many smaller breeds such as Corgis, even longer).

I must be missing something here. I don't know of any dog foods, outside of grain free and some 95% or above canned that do NOT meet AAFCO requirements. Atre there many of these foods and I'm just not seeing them?

[MyPemCharlie]

Originally Posted by LaRogue

I must be missing something here. I don't know of any dog foods, outside of grain free and some 95% or above canned that do NOT meet AAFCO requirements. Atre there many of these foods and I'm just not seeing them?

I believe you are correct. There is almost no dog food (sold in the US anyway) which is not AAFCO approved. AAFCO approves the use of chicken beaks, claws, and feathers as chicken by-products, and approves the use of dead mammal carcasses (including euthanized domestic animals) as meat by-products. Cellulose (sawdust) is an approved ingredient. The list goes on and on. When selecting a food to go in your dog, buyer beware!

[glencorgi]

The "catch" more or less about AAFCO is they do NOT actually "approve" foods and there is a copy of a letter from an AAFCO official explaining that in the archives.

AAFCO sets the minimal daily nutritional requirements - that's about it. A dog food made up of rendered animals, the parts and other ingredients Chris mentioned, peanut hulls, etc. can make up a food that will meet the minimal daily nutritional requirements as set forth by AAFCO. When reading labels where AAFCO is mentioned, the wording is usually to this effect: "Animal feeding tests using Association of American Feed Control Officials procedures substantiate the XXXX Brand Formula/Variety provides complete and balanced nutrition for all life stages." That's it - no "Good Housekeeping seal of approval" from them. And yes, walk into to any grocery store or pet supply place and to a bag, they will all have essentially the same reference to AAFCO on them.

Debbie

[MyPemCharlie]

Originally Posted by glencorgi

The "catch" more or less about AAFCO is they do NOT actually "approve" foods and there is a copy of a letter from an AAFCO official explaining that in the archives.

AAFCO sets the minimal daily nutritional requirements - that's about it. A dog food made up of rendered animals, the parts and other ingredients Chris mentioned, peanut hulls, etc. can make up a food that will meet the minimal daily nutritional requirements as set forth by AAFCO. When reading labels where AAFCO is mentioned, the wording is usually to this effect: "Animal feeding tests using Association of American Feed Control Officials procedures substantiate the XXXX Brand Formula/Variety provides complete and balanced nutrition for all life stages." That's it - no "Good Housekeeping seal of approval" from them. And yes, walk into to any grocery store or pet supply place and to a bag, they will all have essentially the same reference to AAFCO on them.

Debbie

Thanks for that clarification. My use of the words "approved" and "approval" in regard to AAFCO was incorrect.

[glencorgi]

Given how often that misinformation has been drilled on here, it is easy to make that mistake. Here are few links pertaining to that very subject.

http://www.gocorgi.com/forums/news/2...ting-find.html
http://www.gocorgi.com/forums/diet-n...not-aafco.html
And, then this statement:
http://www.gocorgi.com/forums/diet-n...statement.html

The below note is from the Chair of AAFCO Pet Food Committee. It has been posted before, however Michael keeps forgetting that AAFCO themselves state they do not approve any products.

Debbie
----------------------

"I want to be real sure that you have the correct understanding of the nutritional adequacy statement. It is not an "approval" of any kind. AAFCO does establish the standard, it is the responsibility of the firm to meet the standard, but AAFCO does not approve any products.

Proper formulation and labeling is a legal requirement that the company must meet. The companies are required, by state laws and regulations, to substantiate that their product meets the requirements for one or more life stages and to label the products in agreement with the substantiation so that the consumer will enough information to compare products and to select appropriate products for their animal.

Since the nutritional adequacy statement is in effect a required guarantee, regulators will test products collected from retail to verify that the nutrients are at the correct level based on the nutritional adequacy statement. There are between 30 and 40 nutrients which much be present at specific levels in order for a product to meet the AAFCO Nutrient Profiles. Regulators will also require that pet food manufacturers provide affidavits that they actually did do the work required to establish the nutritional adequacy of the food.

A bit more on the life stages issues. An "All Life Stages" product is a general use, "one size fits all" product which is formulated so that no nutrient (of the 30-40 required) will be below the minimum for any particular life stage. What this means is that such a product will likely be over-formulated for certain life stages, particularly for maintenance. All Life Stages diets are perfectly safe nutritionally, however, a mature couch potato pet may gain weight on this type of product since it will have higher energy and protein values than what is required for maintenance purposes.

In most consumer situations, growth and maintenance are the life stages of interests and an all life stages product and will work out for a normal and healthy animal if a person watches their adult pet's body condition and avoids overfeeding an older animal. Again, All Life stages is OK for a healthy animal, but, for example, an older animal with kidney issues should not be fed an all life stages/growth/lactation/reproduction diet because the protein levels will add additional loads to the kidneys.

You can certainly post the information to your forum. I would also suggest posting the Minnesota Feed Website Commercial Feed Program so that people can find the pet food references, which will shed a lot of light on product labeling."

Sincerely,

Dave


David Syverson
Chair, AAFCO Pet Food Committee
Located at:
Minnesota Department of Agriculture
Dairy and Food Inspection Division
625 Robert Street North
St. Paul, MN 55155-2538
Web Site** Commercial Feed Program