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Reviews Views Date of last review
1 16859 Tue November 22, 2005
Recommended By Average Price Average Rating
No recommendations None indicated None indicated
1Annamaet32.jpg


Description: Ingredients:
Chicken Meal, Chicken, Rice Flour, Chicken Fat [Preserved with Natural Mixed Tocopherols (Vitamin E)], Ground Corn, Beet Pulp, Corn Gluten Meal, Wheat Flour, Fish Meal, Wheat Germ Meal, Egg Product, Oat Meal, Brewers Yeast, Flax Seed Meal, Lecithin, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, DL Methionine, Potassium Chloride, Ascorbic Acid, Lysine, Propionic Acid, Vitamin E Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Niacin, Vitamin A Acetate, Riboflavin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Menadione Dimethylpyrimidinol Bisulfite (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Citric Acid, D-Activated Animal Sterol (Source of Vitamin D3), Folic Acid, Potassium Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Manganous Oxide, Sodium Selenite, Copper Oxide, Calcium Iodate.

Guaranteed Analysis:
Protein 32%
Fat 20%
Moisture 10%
Fiber 3%



Editors

Registered: October 2005
Posts: 3953
Review Date: Tue November 22, 2005 Would you recommend the product? No | Price you paid?: Not Indicated | Rating: 0 

 
Pros: First two ingredients are named meat products.
Cons: Use of corn, wheat and other low quality grain fragments. Use of controversial filler. Fat in the top four ingredients is a bloat risk factor for large breed dogs.

The first two ingredients are named meat products. Since the second is chicken inclusive of its water content (about 80%) and once that is removed it is likely that this ingredient would be more accurately placed somewhat further down the ingredient list (ingredients are listed in order of weight). Note that this is an example of the practice of “splitting” (see note on main page), but in this case serves to increase our level of confidence in the amount of meat product in the food since the split ingredients still rank ahead of the first grain by weight.


Fish meal is a further meat product 9th on the ingredient list. This is too far down to be considered a substantive portion of the food. We note that the manufacturer does not claim to use ethoxyquin-free sources (ethoxyquin is a chemical preservative commonly added to fish destined for meal, and is believed to be carcinogenic. It is not approved for human use).


The third ingredient and main grain is rice flour. This is a grain fragment we consider to be filler.


It is a concern to see chicken fat as the fourth (third) ingredient. Research at Purdue University has identified a fat in the top four ingredients of a dry dog food as a factor that increases the risk of bloat in large breed dogs. Smaller breeds are untested.


The rest of the ingredient list is low quality products. Corn is the next grain, and a problematic one that is difficult for dogs to digest and thought to be the cause of a great many allergy and yeast infection problems. The AAFCO definition of corn gluten meal is “the dried residue from corn after the removal of the larger part of the starch and germ, and the separation of the bran by the process employed in the wet milling manufacture of corn starch or syrup, or by enzymatic treatment of the endosperm.” In plain English, that which remains after all the nutritious bits have been removed


Wheat flour and wheat germ are both filler. The use of wheat is a significant negative however: wheat is believed to be the number one cause of allergy problems in dog food.


Beet pulp is filler and a controversial ingredient – it is a by-product, being dried residue from sugar beets which has been cleaned and extracted in the process of manufacturing sugar. It is a controversial ingredient in dog food, claimed by some manufacturers to be a good source of fibre, and derided by others as an ingredient added to slow down the transition of rancid animal fats and causing stress to kidney and liver in the process. We note that beet pulp is an ingredient that commonly causes problems for dogs, including allergies and ear infections, and prefer not to see it used in dog food. There are less controversial products around if additional fibre is required.


Overall, this food contains a lot of filler and low quality ingredients and is close to a two-star rating. It is awarded a three-star rating because of the respectable meat content of the food.


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