Feeding dog food?

hesster

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As I've mentioned in other threads, I feed my cats Brandon Farms Naturals wet cat food. The cost runs about $1 for a 6.5 ounce can. Their dog food comes in a 13.2 ounce can and costs $1.35. I know that normally dog food isn't good for cats due to different nutritional needs, but the ingredients list on the two cans seems to be almost identical. The dog food even has taurine in it.

95% Chicken Dinner for dogs:

Chicken, Chicken Broth, Chicken Liver, Guar Gum, Cassia Gum, Carrageenan, Salt, Minerals (Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Cobalt Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Sodium Selenite, Potassium Iodide), Inulin, Potassium Chloride, Vitamins (Vitamin E, A, B12, D3 Supplements, Thiamine Mononitrate, Biotin, Riboflavin Supplement), Choline Chloride, Flaxseed Oil, Taurine.


95% Chicken & Chicken Liver EntreÃ[emoji]169[/emoji] for cats:

Chicken, Chicken Broth, Chicken Liver, Guar Gum, Cassia Gum, Carrageenan, Minerals (Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Cobalt Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Sodium Selenite, Potassium Iodide), Inulin, Vitamins (Vitamin E, A, D3, B12 Supplements, Thiamine Mononitrate, Niacin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin), Choline Chloride, Flaxseed Oil, Salt, Taurine.

The only difference I'm seeing is the dog food has potassium chloride and lacks calcium carbonate, d-calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride and niacin. Is there any reason why I couldn't save some money by feeding my cats the dog food instead and adding niacin and calcium in a supplement?
 

maxy24

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check the analysis, that is where the difference usually lies.
 
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hesster

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The cat food is 26 kcals per ounce and the dog food is 22, and the dog food has a slightly higher minimum fat content and doesn't list ash. I can't imagine the ash would be different considering the ingredients are so similar.

Dog food:

Calorie Content
22 kcal/oz.* (calculated)

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein (minimum)
\t \t10.0%
Crude Fat (minimum)
\t \t8.0%
Crude Fiber (maximum)
\t \t1.5%
Moisture (maximum)
\t \t78.0%

Cat food:

26 kcal/oz.* (calculated)

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein (minimum)
\t \t10.0%
Crude Fat (minimum)
\t \t6.0%
Crude Fiber (maximum)
\t \t1.5%
Moisture (maximum)
\t \t78.0%
Ash (maximum)
\t \t3.0%
 

mschauer

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At least as of a few months ago the company that makes EVO confirmed that their 95% meat products for dogs was identical to their 95% meat product for cats. And the 13 oz cans for dogs was much cheaper per oz than the 6 oz cans for cats. My understanding is that a food formulated for cats is also adequate for dogs so they can have one formula and package it for both. You can contact the company and ask if their dog formula is the same as the cat formula. But, of course, you won't know if they change the dog formula so that it is no longer satisfactory for cats..
 
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hesster

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Well, the niacin and pyridoxine hydrochloride are definitely going to have to be supplemented since cats can't manufacture their own. But I was thinking about just buying some of this and grinding it up and putting them in the food:

http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...ductId=2754409

Would there be any issues with over-supplementation?
 

sharky

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It is best to consult a vet about supplementation issues ... as I have consulted mine and found some dog foods okay for my cats but others would have been hard to make without over supplementation
 
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hesster

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What about feeding 100% meat food with a supplement? I found a good deal on Nu-Cat multivitamins. Of course, if I go that route I might just end up going to homemade raw and dispensing with the canned altogether.

The nutritional analysis of Nu-Cat is here:

http://www.vetriscience.com/nucat.php
 

mschauer

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Originally Posted by Hesster

What about feeding 100% meat food with a supplement? I found a good deal on Nu-Cat multivitamins. Of course, if I go that route I might just end up going to homemade raw and dispensing with the canned altogether.

The nutritional analysis of Nu-Cat is here:

http://www.vetriscience.com/nucat.php
I assume you mean a canned 100% meat food? The processing involved with making a canned product destroys nutrients. How would you determine what was destroyed and so what supplements are needed?

If you go raw there are lots of sources you can use to determine the nutrient profile of what you are feeding and so what needs to be added.
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by Hesster

What about feeding 100% meat food with a supplement? I found a good deal on Nu-Cat multivitamins. Of course, if I go that route I might just end up going to homemade raw and dispensing with the canned altogether.

The nutritional analysis of Nu-Cat is here:

http://www.vetriscience.com/nucat.php
there are many 95% meat cans out there with the right vitamins and minerals...

Homemade food requires different supplements as does raw ( consult the vet who is knowledgeable about said diets ... some on here choose not to with unknown long term results)
 

chris10

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Originally Posted by sharky

( consult the vet who is knowledgeable about said diets ... some on here choose not to with unknown long term results)
Not to say that they shouldn't see a vet. But if we model our diet as close as we can to a mouse then we have a good idea on what the long term results will be. Since cats lived off of prey for many years before kibble and can food came out. We do have access to some nutrient numbers for mice and other critters. Also, many people before us have embarked on the raw food journey and most have reported success with their pets living long and healthy lives.
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by chris10

Not to say that they shouldn't see a vet. But if we model our diet as close as we can to a mouse then we have a good idea on what the long term results will be. Since cats lived off of prey for many years before kibble and can food came out. We do have access to some nutrient numbers for mice and other critters. Also, many people before us have embarked on the raw food journey and most have reported success with their pets living long and healthy lives.

I too embarked on that journey many years ago I have been doing some form of raw for over a decade on my own accord, with a old country vet helping and for over 3 decades with help of a non vet
... it is just a touch more appropriate to consult with the vet as they know far more about micro nutrients ( unless of course you are a vet
) and how much a Domestic needs ... I will gladly share some lovely horror stories about animals whose humans thought they knew it all in regards to feeding


back to cat vs dog ...
 

chris10

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Originally Posted by sharky


it is just a touch more appropriate to consult with the vet as they know far more about micro nutrients ( unless of course you are a vet
) and how much a Domestic needs ...
back to cat vs dog ...
Sorry for the hijack. I understand a bit about the doing of homemade/raw without really knowing what you are getting into or not getting advice from a vet. I myself researched feline nutrition and anatomy for about 8 months before I started feeding raw.

I am not a vet but vets know what the aafco knows as far as nutrients. Here is a paper about some prey animals with macro and some micros http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/zoo/Who...nal02May29.pdf you may have already seen this.

For cat and dogs. Like others have said evo can dog and cat are pretty much the same thing. On the website they are exactly the same right down to the nutrient analysis. In the store they were 97% the same. Not sure if that was a new formula or not. But in the store dog can food had selenium yeast added towards the end of the list(probably because they require a tiny bit more of some certain b vitamins). All the other ingredients were the same and in the same order.
 

katgoddess

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Originally Posted by sharky

I will gladly share some lovely horror stories about animals whose humans thought they knew it all in regards to feeding
A few people I know are doing the home-made thing all wrong. Nothing I say persuades them to be more informed.

I'd love to hear some of your horror stories, seriously.
PM?
 

mschauer

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Originally Posted by chris10

Sorry for the hijack. I understand a bit about the doing of homemade/raw without really knowing what you are getting into or not getting advice from a vet. I myself researched feline nutrition and anatomy for about 8 months before I started feeding raw.

I am not a vet but vets know what the aafco knows as far as nutrients. Here is a paper about some prey animals with macro and some micros http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/zoo/Who...nal02May29.pdf you may have already seen this.
Yup. You don't have to consult a vet to learn and understand how to feed a balanced diet to a cat any more than you need to consult a doctor to know how to feed yourself a balanced diet given that neither you or the cat have special diet needs. It is important however to understand the risk you are taking if you don't consult with a vet. Finding a vet who will give supportive and helpful advice is always preferred.
 

artgecko

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You could consult the company.....Not sure if you've tried or why this hasn't come up before...I was thinking of doing the exact same thing you are saying (subing 95% meat dog food for the same company's cat food) but the nutrients you listed were different in this food as well. I decided to first buy some of the company's cat food and find out if my guys would even eat it before going to the trouble of contacting the company. Now that they've eaten it, I may contact the company, as the 13oz cans are a good bit cheaper than the 6oz. The brand I was looking at is by nature.

I am feeding the EVO 95% meat dog cans to my cats...confirmed w/ the company that they are interchangable....unfortunately, I accidentally notified PFD of them being switchable (or they inferred it from my email) and so now the dog cans are almost as much as the cat cans


You might also want to look into ordering online. I can get 12,13oz cans of the EVO 95% beef variety for ~$19 on PFD...not including shipping of course. I order in bulk and use the 20-22% coupons they send out fairly often and end up saving a lot of $$. Even if it does mean shelling out a good bit of cash at one time.

Art
 
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