STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

wetbandit42 · Marc Jacobs

Dog Food Question Part 2

gingembre1 · Kate Spade

Have you checked out Innova (Enova)? I can't remember how it's spelled. I'm not sure where they source from, but it is a very high quality food. It's a bit heavy on the protein, so we usually cut it with another dog food, but we've seen very good results in our dogs.

relrel · Marc Jacobs

Buford gets EVO Red Meat. It's made by Natura which only uses meat from the United States. It's also minimally processed with no preservatives/additives.

This is Natura's website: http://www.naturapet.com/default.asp

And this is a good general information website about pet food. It lists company information and also any recalls or associates with companies involved in recalls. I noticed that the NV listing hasn't been updated since moving to out-sourcing the rabbit so it might not be *that* good of a resource.
http://www.thepetfoodlist.com/index.htm

ETA: The dog food that gingembre1 mentioned is made by Natura. It really is a great company.
ETA: Also want to add that EVO is a really high protein food. Buford gets a lot of exercise and is extremely muscular. For your dog, I wouldn't go with such a high protein count.
-- Edited by relrel on Wednesday 19th of August 2009 02:01:45 PM

-- Edited by relrel on Wednesday 19th of August 2009 02:10:29 PM

wetbandit42 · Marc Jacobs

Thanks! I will be returning the bag of food to the store ASAP. I don't think it's normal for there to be hairs in the food, nor do I want Chinese-sourced meat.

Relrel - right now Izzy is on a grain-free, high-protein food (the aforementioned rabbit), but I think I'll try a lower-protein food. She has consistently been pooping more than usual, and the poop smells awful.

I will continue to research both Innova as well as other brands. I just can't believe they can slap a "Made in the USA" stamp on the bag yet use meat from other countries, esp. those with such a shoddy rap as China.

Thanks for the link to the site, relrel! It's really helpful to see who has a good track record with things like recalls.

wetbandit42 · Marc Jacobs

I emailed NV earlier and this is what they had to say:

Dear wetbandit,

No, no hair is included in any of our products or any by-products for that matter. It could be any number of ingredients in our product. We've highlighted a few below from the formula...

Ingredients
Rabbit Meal, Salmon Meal, Tapioca, Chicken Fat (naturally preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Tomato Pomace, Pumpkinseeds, Sun-Cured Alfalfa Meal, Montmorillonite Clay, Natural Flavor, Sea Salt, Vitamins (Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Niacin Supplement, Biotin, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Acetate, Riboflavin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Iodine Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Carotene, Folic Acid), Peas, Brewers Yeast, Potassium Chloride, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Sodium Selenite), Dried Kelp, Cranberries, Blueberries, Inulin, Freeze Dried Rabbit, Freeze Dried Rabbit Liver, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Rosemary Extract, Freeze Dried Rabbit Lung, Freeze Dried Rabbit Hearts, Freeze Dried Ground Rabbit Bone. Visit the Ingredient Glossary to learn about each ingredient.

Sincerely,

Customer Service
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Either way, it doesn't matter because I'm not going to feed my dog Chinese-sourced meat, but I have a hard time believing the things I saw were pumpkinseeds or dried kelp. They honest to god looked like little hairs.

relrel · Marc Jacobs

Hah, I like that they didn't apologize or anything, they simply said "you're crazy, it was actually this or this or maybe that."

I think the Innova's protein level is about 25%, and the California's Natural is about 20%. I wouldn't honestly go much lower than that for protien. You end up making too much of a trade-off in terms of carbohydrates.

ETA: Dude, I don't work for the company even though I seem to be! I swear! I just really like their ethics/morals. And uh, their dog food.

-- Edited by relrel on Wednesday 19th of August 2009 03:37:14 PM

wetbandit42 · Marc Jacobs

relrel wrote:
Hah, I like that they didn't apologize or anything, they simply said "you're crazy, it was actually this or this or maybe that."

I know, right - it's clearly my crazy vision. Thanks for the info on protein levels too.