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Professional Pet Foods

FAQ

Where are your foods made? 
We have three manufacturing facilities, all located in the United States. One is located in California, one in Missouri and one in South Carolina.
Are your fresh meats hormone and antibiotic free? 
Yes. All of our meats are purchased from food grade suppliers and are certified hormone and antibiotic free.
I read on the internet that euthanized pet dogs and cats are used in pet food. Is this something that could happen with your food? 
Absolutely not. And I have scientific proof, something not available from most internet sources that state this falsehood. It all started back in the 1990's. The FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine received some reports from practicing veterinarians that pentobarbital was not having the usual effects on pets. Pentobarbital is an anesthetic that is also used in a highly concentrated form to euthanize animals. One possible explanation for this decreased efficacy of pentobarbital is that pets were consuming pentobarbital in their food. So, the FDA analyzed pet foods for the presence of pentobarbital. They did find low levels of pentobarbital in some pet foods. At this point they decided to study what level of pentobarbital would be equivalent to a zero effect (based on activation of the liver enzyme that breaks it down). The level that was determined to be equivalent to a zero effect was higher than the highest amount found in any pet foods.

Next, they decided to determine whether or not euthanized pet dogs and cats were the source of the pentobarbital that had been found. Every sample that tested positive for pentobarbital was also tested for the presence of canine or feline DNA. They were all negative.

Go to the FDA-CVM website to read more about this topic. When you get to the page, scroll down to the Other Information section and look for the following report: "Food and Drug Administration/Center for Veterinary Medicine - Report on the risk from pentobarbital in dog food."
Do you use any chemical preservatives? 
Chemicals are not used to preserve any of our formulas. We use mixed tocopherols (vitamin E) to preserve the chicken fat in our pet foods. Added ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and rosemary extract in some of the formulas also have preservative effects.
What is ash and why do you put it in your pet foods? 
Ash is the non-combustible portion of the diet. This means that when a sample of the food is burned in a special oven called an ash oven, the portion that remains is ash. Just like a fireplace, but much hotter and more controlled. We do not add an ingredient called ash to the food, but our foods (and all other pet foods out there as well) do contain ash.

Ash comes primarily from the bone content of the dry protein ingredients, such as chicken meal. Chicken meal is made from chicken meat and bone and is a natural source of essential minerals. Dry protein ingredients such as chicken meal typically contain 70% protein (fresh meats are only 20-25% protein because of their high water content). This ingredient also is made up of some fat, some moisture, a little bit of fiber, and ash.

Ash levels in pet foods should be controlled, especially in adult or senior diets. Excess ash will contribute excess minerals to the diet, potentially leading to health problems. Ingredients such as chicken by-product meal are much lower in ash than chicken meal or lamb meal, but many individuals choose not to feed diets that contain by-product meal to their pets.
Why do you put salt in your diets? 
The answer to this question is simple! Dogs and cats require it in their diet. Sodium and chloride are important minerals for dogs and cats, especially for young puppies and kittens. Dietary sodium must be at a minimum of 0.3% on a dry matter basis for growth and reproduction for dogs and 0.2% on a dry matter basis for cats. If we didn't add salt, we would not meet these minimum requirements. For adults, the minimum required is much lower. However, there is some research that supports higher “recommended” amounts. For adult to middle aged dogs, that amount is 0.2-0.4% on a dry matter basis. For cats in the same life-stage, it is 0.2-0.6%. As dogs reach senior status, the recommended amount drops slightly to 0.15-0.35%. As cats reach senior status, the recommended amount drops to 0.2-0.5%. Although our diets are not “salt restricted” like some prescription formulations, they are certainly not high in salt.
Are your foods hypoallergenic? 

We get this question quite often and the answer is no. There are very few truly hypoallergenic diets in the marketplace and the ones that are out there are available only through veterinarians. Limited antigen diets are another story altogether. Limited antigen refers to a diet that contains only one protein source and one carbohydrate source. Usually, the protein source is something unique that many pets have not been exposed to before. An example would be a fish and potato diet.

Although we do not have any hypoallergenic diets, or true limited antigen diets, sometimes changing to a diet that contains different ingredients than the one you are currently feeding can eliminate some skin problems. All of our foods contain omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants, nutrients that help protect the health of the skin and help decrease inflammation. Talk to your veterinarian to determine which type of diet is best for your pet.

My cat has bladder problems. Do you have a diet for this? 

We do not manufacture any prescription formulas for the treatment of urinary tract disease in cats. All of our adult cat formulas are designed to maintain a urine pH of 6.1-6.4. This is adequate to prevent struvite crystals from forming. In most cases, this is also appropriate to help prevent calcium oxalate stones, but some cats may need a diet that produces a higher urine pH, such as a senior cat formula.

Feeding a canned product is thought to help prevent stone formation by increasing the total water intake and thus diluting the urine. Cats normally have concentrated urine and diluting it seems to help prevent urinary tract problems. Also, cats with chronic urinary tract problems seem to have an excessive response to stress. Any stress in their environment can trigger a flare-up of bladder trouble. Sometimes even a diet change (even when switching to an appropriate diet) can trigger the development of a problem.

Any cat with a history of medical problems such as bladder stones should have a thorough check-up and a nutritional consult with his veterinarian. If changing diets, switch very gradually (2-4 weeks) to help prevent a problem.