Providing information on Natural Pet Products, pet nutrition, cat supplement, natural dog food, natural dog treats, dog food comparisons, and holistic health extension dog food for the holistic pet owner.
The owner of an 80lb. Golden Retriever, who has been feeding Nutro Natural Choice for Large Breeds because it contains Glucosamine/Chondroitin which is suppose to be good for joints recently ask of me several questions.
Does your company make a dog food specifically for Large Breeds? Or do you feel that the quality of your food is enough? My Vet has okayed the Nutro/Natural Choice.
that, because of quality and formula, is suitable for all dogs (puppy, adult, and senior). When researching the ingredients of the food you currently feed I definitely found a concern. That is, the 3rd through 4th items in the ingredients list are allrice ingredients… ground rice, rice flour and rice bran. Though they’re a mixture of both high and low quality cereal grains, there’s a bigger issue to consider here… The questionable practice ofingredient splitting. Splitting is the process of dividing an abundant (and inferior) ingredient into separate, lighter-weight portions. This can artificially raise a lower quantity meat component… to a higher position on the ingredients list.
If you were to combine all three items, thericewould likely occupy a higher position on the list… probably nudging out the lamb meal to become thepredominant ingredientin this food.
For an 80 pound family member Nutro recommends feeding 3-1/2 – 4-1/2 cups (low activity) or 4-1/3 – 5-1/2 cups(moderate activity). Life’s Abundance recommended feeding is 2 1/2 to 3 cups for an 80 pound family member. That’s a whole cup in savings each and every day.
I simply did a quick search for price comparison and found a 30 pound bag of Nutro for 44.99 – or about 1.50 / pound.
Life’s Abundance 40 pound bag wholesales (on autoship) 60.64 – or about 1,51 / pound, but you’ll still save money, because our Life’s Abundance is more dense in nutrients and at the same time get a food that is of better quality. Life’s Abundance has NEVER been recalled, Nutro has.
My recommendation would be to go with the higher quality more nutrient rich Life’s Abundance Food and supplement with our Agility formula for the joints. Our Agility formula provides 500 mg of Glucosamine and MSM, twice what is in Nutro. Serve Agility at 1 ½ tablets per day after the first week. Of course feel free to have your vet check our ingredients for both the food and supplement.
An autoship order of one 40 pound bag of Life’s Abundance and two container of Agility Supplements every 2 months would cost just over 127.00 before tax and shipping. A small price to pay for the benefit of your dogs health. Should you find that you ever need to adjust the timing of your autoship that is easily done either online or by calling our customer service department. I am sure you will see a marked difference in your pets health and quality of life. You may also want to become a representative once you see how great our products are.
If chicken meal is in your approximately 90 percent of it meat. If your pet products have real meat it has much more water, therefor weighs more and raises up on the ingredients label. Meat in the pet food industry is often called de-boned meat. What is de-boned meat…the meat left on the bone after the “real meat” was removed.
MYTHS
Beet pulp can cause tear staining to be red, is a cheap filler and erodes the inside of dogs intestines. Beat pulp is just the fiber of the sugar beet. No sugar is in there, it’s a fiber. Beet pulp, when it gets to the intestines starts to make food for intestines. The intestines need special foods and fiber beet pulp is great for this. Beet pulp increases the size of cells in intestines which enables more nutrient absorption. It also regulates the intestine to allow for regular bowel movements. It absorbs water which is needed in the stool. Sugar beet pulp is grey not red!
Relationship between beet pulp and live pro-biotics. Pro-biotics provide the right level of PH (acid) to make the intestinal cells more acid to eliminate the bad bacteria and enable good bacteria. The largest organ in the body is the intestines which helps with immunity.
PROTEIN and FAT
If you feed a dog (puppy) and youlet it eat all the fat it wants it gains weight fast. So muscles and tissues are growing faster than the bones. You want the tissues, muscles to grow evenly at the same time. Life's Abundance has 26 % protein. Studies show that 26% is about where the protein should be. Large breed puppies should be on food that has about 26 % protein. The goal is to build the bones strong early on so they can handle the weight gain. Look at the percentage of protein in adult food, less than ours (about 24%). Puppies need more and will eat to meet their needs.
Why choose Life’s Abundance for your natural pet products?
The two reasons that stand out in my mind are first that Life’s Abundance is
APHIS Certified. That is a strict certification to allow sales in European
Union countries. Also Life’s Abundance has never been recalled You don’t have
to trust me on that, just go out to the FDA website and research it yourself.
Do a search for keywords that include Life’s Abundance product names as well as
Ohio Pet Foods. If you find a recall that, I do not know of I hope you will let
me know.
Life’s Abundance is a producer of holistic pet products that
include natural dog food, and natural dog treats, healthy cat food, cat
supplements and nutritional supplements for dogs.
We offer human grade products, stuff you could actually eat!
Our ingredients include high quality proteins, whole grains, an antioxidant
system, and direct fed microbials. All this makes for one healthy pet! In
another post I will talk about the benefits that my beautiful yellow lab Brandi
has experienced being on Life’s Abundance natural dog foods, natural treats and
nutritional supplements.
The point is to be aware of ingredients beyond what is
contained on the labels of the products you purchase for your pets. You must
consider the quality of the products and that is where Life’s Abundance excels,
thanks to our holistic minded vet formulator Dr. Jane Bicks. Not only do we
provide the right ingredients but also the quality of our ingredients is number
one. That is, after all, how we can be APHIS certified.
Compare Life’s Abundance to other manufactures. There are
many dog food comparison sites out there. They will all talk about the
ingredients of the various pet manufactures. In fact to be AAFCO compliant certain
ingredients must be there. The question you need to ask of that site is what the
quality of the ingredients the manufacturers use is. Anyone can talk about the
ingredients that are supposed to be in the products and whether they are there
or not. Do a comparison of the dog food comparisons sites you are looking at. See
how varied in opinion they are. Do yourself and your pet a BIG favor. Look at
the quality of the ingredients that are used. All you have to do is ask.
You just got to love those Labs!
Near the end of the video, you catch a glimpse of two cats sitting on the porch
watching all the antics with total disdain. This is a great video!! I don't
know who is having more fun; the dog, the deer or the kid with the video?
Dog food comparison consists of 4 simple steps that will verify that pet foods said to be nutritionally balanced are the truth. We do not know what dogs and cats need. Science has not caught up with the pet food industry. Fish oil (for example) – There is no requirement but omega 3s support immune systems and nervous systems. What is the difference between Life’s Abundance and other companies? Life’s Abundance is a marriage between science and nature.
4 easy steps to evaluating dog food
1.See if the pet food line is a one-stage product line or a multi stage line.
That tells you the philosophy of the company. We have one bag of food that is good for all life stages. What is the difference in the philosophy? When a manufacturer has a several food line, they lower the protein levels to save money in the adult and senior products. Protein is the building block of the body! Definition of aging is the inability to utilize protein. Seniors need more and better quality protein. Why would you cut back on that?
2.Guaranteed Analysis (must be looked at).
Remember about 18% protein is the minimum for dogs. If a puppy food has 20% protein, is that enough for a youthful growing puppy. Is that even enough for an adult dog? You want a moderate to high amount of protein. Protein is expensive. How will manufactures save money? They save money by adjusting the amount of protein.
Fat is also very expensive. Look for about 10% less fat than protein. Fat are the worker bees to get the bricks built. If not enough fat then the bricks cannot be made into the body.
Fiber - Weight loss food will typically have large amounts of fiber. Theoretically, that fills up the dog, but it really does not. The hypothalamus will tell your brain that your body missing something and will eat until it gets what it needs.
3.Look at the Ingredients
How many animal proteins are in the food? It does not matter where in the list because it’s done by weight. Count the cereals in the list. Do not worry where they are on the list – just count how many.
If you see corn or wheat – those grains are being used for proteins and are very sensitive to mold. Why would you use an ingredient that has a potential of being toxic and killing a pet.
If Turkey and Chicken (not meal) are listed that is going to be high in water. Is that better than meal? When you use meat, you have mechanical deboned meat. It’s not muscle meat …it’s like the turkey carcass you have left at thanksgiving. There are small pockets of meat but it’s mostly tendons, ligaments, fat, etc. Is it a lot of protein? No – How many proteins do tendons, ligaments, etc have?
When you use meal that is made from the muscle meat of the animal and its dried. You have 90% concentrated protein. Look for the great foods to have meal!
Are there probiotics? If no then the manufacturer is not being fair to you. The intestines are the largest immune organ there is. It has to be fed to work properly. The blood of the body does not feed it; it is fed by friendly bacteria and the breakdown of fiber. Not having probiotics is like not having protein.
Is there an Antioxidant System that combines antioxidants with fruits and vegetables? Vitamins and minerals alone just do not cut it.
Sodium Selinate - AAFCO has been petitioned to remove Sodium Seliante. It is a toxic ingredient. Selenium Yeast is an acceptable substitute. Menadione is also very toxic and AAFCO has been petitioned to remove it.
Do not just look at the puppy line, the adult line, or the senior line. Look at all lines across the board. If a manufacturer is different across their line, you should ask yourself why. Would you trust the puppy food that seems perfect, based on the above information, if they wind up shortchanging the adults or the seniors?
4.Beyond the label
The company and their practices: Are they honest. What is the quality? Where do the ingredients come from? Is it caught fish or farmed? Did the fish farm win environmental awards? Does the farm provide to restaurants as well?
Is the plant APHIS certified for sale to the European community? That is the highest certification available in the United States. Do they test regularly for salmonella? Do they inspect their suppliers? Are they jumping from one supplier to another trying to find the best deal?
Does the plant use fast cook for more nutrient retention? What happens once the food is made and put in the bag? Does it sit in trucks or warehouses for a extended periods of time? Life’s Abundance goes out that night or next day and is kept in our warehouse for only 6 -8 weeks.
Quality Control. Will a company care if you report to them your dog got sick. If you let Life’s Abundance your dog got sick you will get contacted by our vet formulator – Dr. Jane right away! Dr. Jane keeps samples of every single batch for one year, and can go back and test at any time if there are ever any problems.
Education. Our customer service and field reps have deep pockets when it comes to being able to answer customer questions and educate customers about pet products.
