Why Does Expensive #weruva Have #kidney #kidneystone Causing #dicalcium Phosphate

[remmiebrandt]

Be careful of Dicalcium phosphate - especially for male cats as it is known to cause kidney stones. Why do so-called premium brand $2 a can cat foods insist on making our felines sick? Do they just think we are all too lazy to do our research.? It can also interfere with medications your pet is on.

Avoid Dicalcium Phosphate Products (DCP) for Your Pet

Urinary Tract / Kidney Stones (Calcium Phosphate) in Cats | petMD

5 Harmful Ingredients That Might be Hiding in Your Pet’s Food

 

[Summercats]

Thanks for the information

 

[Gizmobius]

I don’t see that ingredient listed in either of the two Weruva canned foods that I feed.

 

[Ardina]

Dicalcium phosphate is simply the formal name for two atoms of calcium bound to a phosphate ion. Calcium and phosphate are the building blocks of bone and are critical for other processes including signal conduction through the nervous system.

Of course, anything in excess is problematic - too much means the kidneys have to work harder to excrete it, leading to urinary tract stones. But too little is bad too - not enough calcium and phosphate leads to weak and brittle bones. It's important to keep calcium to phosphate ratios in the correct range, and cat food manufacturers do so if they follow AAFCO regulations.

While I'm no fan of commercial foods (I feed homemade raw), this is one ingredient that is actually necessary and perfectly safe if in the correct amounts.

 

[remmiebrandt]

I don’t see that ingredient listed in either of the two Weruva canned foods that I feed.

Its in the Nine Liver and the Grandma's chicken stew - at least those two because are the two I happened to check. Its in a few of them. You have to be really careful with all Wellness products. Each ingredient list is different for each brand of Wellness and each flavor within each brand.

 

[remmiebrandt]

Dicalcium phosphate is simply the formal name for two atoms of calcium bound to a phosphate ion. Calcium and phosphate are the building blocks of bone and are critical for other processes including signal conduction through the nervous system.

Of course, anything in excess is problematic - too much means the kidneys have to work harder to excrete it, leading to urinary tract stones. But too little is bad too - not enough calcium and phosphate leads to weak and brittle bones. It's important to keep calcium to phosphate ratios in the correct range, and cat food manufacturers do so if they follow AAFCO regulations.

While I'm no fan of commercial foods (I feed homemade raw), this is one ingredient that is actually necessary and perfectly safe if in the correct amounts.

I know what it is - I googled it to. I also read a lot of the other reports and if you feed this to your cat multiple times daily or weekly - it is INSOLUBLE. If you understand that means it piles up like an unclean cat litter box inside the cat. So if you feed a few cans a few times a month - it might take 6 months before your cat starts to have a problem. AAFCO regs are outdated - the people working there are untrustworthy - it is a private organization that has nothing to do with the government and that's the big problem. They are open to kickbacks, bribes and lobbyist - every time a crop needs a place to go - it winds up in cat food. Cranberries was a big thing years ago - then people rebelled because they figured out it contained toxic benzoic acid. AAFCO said it was fine. AAFCO sees no problem with Propylene Glycol too until people brought a lawsuit and a court after experts all testified said its is KILLING animals.

 

[remmiebrandt]

Werever products also come from Thailand - that means their beef can contain LUNG - in fact - Beef Lung is actually listed on the label of the Cats in the Kitchen product with beef. I applaud their honesty - or maybe its required for imports and they got caught - but LUNG is banned - even here in the US which bans virtually nothing - because they can't be properly cleaned and contains fluid of the deceased animal - whether sick, or euthanized - what have you. So these $2 a can premium foods are very sneaky in the ingredient list.

 

[cheesycats]

Where do you get this info omg. Lung isn’t illegal. It’s considered a muscle meat when raw feeding and easily obtainable from a whole butcher. And plenty of brands sell lung treats. Merrick for example sells lamb lung treats.

 

[Ardina]

I know what it is - I googled it to. I also read a lot of the other reports and if you feed this to your cat multiple times daily or weekly - it is INSOLUBLE. If you understand that means it piles up like an unclean cat litter box inside the cat. So if you feed a few cans a few times a month - it might take 6 months before your cat starts to have a problem. AAFCO regs are outdated - the people working there are untrustworthy - it is a private organization that has nothing to do with the government and that's the big problem. They are open to kickbacks, bribes and lobbyist - every time a crop needs a place to go - it winds up in cat food. Cranberries was a big thing years ago - then people rebelled because they figured out it contained toxic benzoic acid. AAFCO said it was fine. AAFCO sees no problem with Propylene Glycol too until people brought a lawsuit and a court after experts all testified said its is KILLING animals.

I absolutely agree with you that AAFCO has many problems and has let questionable ingredients into cat food. Hence why I feed homemade raw. However, having studied chemistry and physiology (human physiology, I should clarify), I assure you that dicalcium phosphate is not one of those questionable ingredients. It is absolutely critical for good health. Some companies include it in its pure form, so you see it on the label. Other companies add it in the form of eggshell. Regardless, there has to be some source of calcium and phosphate present, or your cat's bones would become brittle and break. Yes, it is insoluble, which is a good thing since your bones need to be insoluble in order to provide a strong structure to support soft tissues. And yes it needs to be present in the right amount - too much leads to kidney and urinary tract stones. But too little is problematic as well.

There's a certain level of cautiousness and skepticism that is good when evaluating cat food, but it's best not to go to the other extreme either and fall into fear-mongering about every other ingredient.

 

[Neo_23]

Where do you get this info omg. Lung isn’t illegal. It’s considered a muscle meat when raw feeding and easily obtainable from a whole butcher. And plenty of brands sell lung treats. Merrick for example sells lamb lung treats.

Lung is a delicacy in many cultures.

 

[EmmiTemmi]

I know what it is - I googled it to. I also read a lot of the other reports and if you feed this to your cat multiple times daily or weekly - it is INSOLUBLE. If you understand that means it piles up like an unclean cat litter box inside the cat.

Not necessarily. Insoluble (although I do think it has a little solubility) means that it won't dissolve fully in water and would precipitate. But that doesn't mean the body isn't capable of breaking it down and absorbing it, or of another molecule binding to it and allowing absorption. Calcium and phosphorous are critical for cats, and this molecule is a good way of getting it to them.