I haven't gone through this list for the guaranteed analysis, but I thought you might find it helpful if you haven't seen it. In this thread, http://www.thecatsite.com/t/239691/nutritionally-complete-assurances-for-our-pet-food , we were discussing pet food ingredients, AC mentioned this:
....... {snip}
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Speaking of which, after gaining a better understanding of what really goes into pet foods, what can we buy to feed our kitties?
There is, course, the many raw options being explored on other currently active threads (here and here), and this is what I recommend. By law, the meats used to prepare these foods are exactly the same as those we purchase for our own families. Right from the get-go, then, these foods are fresher, more complete and healthier for our kitties.
What if you're not ready for raw?
Not all pet food manufacturers are big-time conglomerates focused only on the bottom line. There is at least one that uses USDA approved meat, I think, and many that avoid some of the most notorious ingredients.
So look for foods that don't contain (pulled from Pet Food Ingredients to Question):
Animal Fat (preserved with BHA/BHT) - Produced through the rendering process; the fat that rises to the top of the pot becomes Animal Fat. FDA testing of pet food linked this ingredient to the discovery of the euthanizing drug pentobarbital (used to end the life of dogs, cats, and horses) in pet food. Any animal including euthanized animals, road kill, diseased animals (per FDA associations) can be the source of this fat.
Canola Oil - A controversial ingredient not tested for safety with pets.
Carrageenan - A seaweed extract used as a thickener; linked to serious illness.
Ethoxyquin - A chemical preservative linked to serious illness. Often used to preserve fish meal pet food ingredients.
BHA/BHT - Chemical preservatives linked to serious illnesses.
TBHQ - A chemical preservative related to BHA. Studies have shown that prolonged use has links to cancer.
Corn, Soy, and Wheat - Allergens. Mycotoxins. The majority of grain products are genetically modified; recent science has linked GM corn to liver and kidney disease in animals. Not needed in a cat's diet!!!
Food Dyes - Linked to everything from tumors to hyperactivity.
All by-product meals (chicken by-product meal, turkey by-product meal, poultry by-product meal, meat by-products) - Could be sourced from healthy internal organs of slaughtered animals OR the from diseased tissues rejected as human grade.
Meat and bone meal - The rendered product from mammal tissues, including bone, exclusive of any added blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents… FDA testing of pet food linked this ingredient to the discovery of the euthanizing drug pentobarbital (used to end the life of dogs, cats, and horses) in pet food. Any animal including euthanized animals, road kill, diseased animals (per FDA associations) can be the source of this ingredient.
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Maybe we can start pulling together a list of pet foods that don't contain these ingredients? Anybody have something in their cupboard right now that could start the list off?
AC
Just found a beautiful example of marketing over transparency that I thought I'd share.
The company NutriSource sells two products called "Chicken, Turkey, Lamb & Fish Kitten formula" and "Chicken, Turkey & Lamb Cat and Kitten formula", and here are their ingredients:
Chicken, Turkey, Lamb & Fish Kitten formula
Chicken, Chicken Broth, Turkey, Chicken Liver, Lamb, Ocean Fish, Brown Rice Flour, Dried Egg, Flaxseed Oil, Dicalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Dried Kelp, Alfalfa Meal, Calcium Sulfate, Salt, Lecithin, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Taurine, Ascorbic Acid, Choline Chloride, Betaine, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Niacin, Vitamin E Supplement, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Ehtylenediamine Dhydriodide, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid.
Chicken, Turkey & Lamb Cat and Kitten formula
Chicken, Chicken Broth, Turkey, Chicken Liver, Lamb, Ocean Fish, Brown Rice Flour, Dried Egg, Flaxseed Oil, Dicalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Dried Kelp, Alfalfa Meal, Calcium Sulfate, Salt, Lecithin, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Taurine, Ascorbic Acid, Choline Chloride, Betaine, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Niacin, Vitamin E Supplement, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Ehtylenediamine Dhydriodide, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid.
Do you see the difference? No? That's because there is none... this is the same formula, one marketed to include the fish and one marketed without it. If you bought both of these cans thinking you were giving your kitties two different flavors, you would be wrong. *facepalm*
Caveat emptor, indeed!!!! (By the way - this formula doesn't include any of the recommended against ingredients. It does, however - obviously - contain fish.)
AC
Found some more products that don't contain any of the offensive ingredients listed above. Unlike the first few products I listed (I forgot to watch for this), all of these foods consist of at least 95% DMB of the named meat protein.
Nature's Logic Pet Food – First Alert Recall Participant!***
Chicken Dinner Cat Food Canned
Rabbit Dinner Cat Food Canned
Raw!! (all raws contain single source proteins)
Rabbit Frozen Cat Food Raw
Chicken Frozen Cat Food Raw
Beef Frozen Cat Food Raw
Nature’s Variety
Instinct Chicken Meal Formula Cat Food Canned
Instinct Beef Meal Formula Cat Food Canned (single source protein)
Instinct Lamb Meal Formula Cat Food Canned (single source protein)
Instinct Duck Meal Formula Cat Food Canned
Instinct Rabbit Meal Formula Cat Food Canned
Instinct Venison Meal Formula Cat Food Canned
Weruva Pet Foods
Paw Lickin' Chicken Canned Cat Food
Grandma's Chicken Soup Canned Cat Food
Steak Frites Canned Cat Food
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And there you go. I've spent the whole day researching this topic; I'm sure there are more canned foods out there that meet these criteria, but this is my contribution.
Best regards!
AC
:dk: Thought it might help, just in case you hadn't seen it.I have been looking too. :lol3: You are not alone in the search. Very tedious and I can't believe most of the big names, EVO, Core, Wellness all contain Carrageenan....
I found the Weruva products you listed above too.
Another one I found
Natural Balance Platefull grain free pouches:
Chicken & Giblets
Chicken & Chicken Liver
Turkey, Salmon & Chicken
Halo Spots Stew varieties
I also found the Instinct canned foods as well.
Will keep looking. yes.... Time consuming at best... But worth it :nod: