Pet Promise Alternatives

Pet Promise has been manufacturing natural pet foods for the past 5 years but because of economic hardship has stopped manufacturing of their cat and dog food lines as of January 2010. At Nature's Pet Market, we realize the importance of proper nutrition and want all Pet Promise customers to know of their comparable alternatives. I believe all of the formulas below are improvements on the the Pet Promise formulation but similar enough in ingredients to make the transition as smooth as possible.

Dog Food Alternatives:

1. Canidae Chicken & Rice or Canidae ALS
2. Dog Lover's Gold
3. Nutrisource Chicken & Rice
4. Taste of the Wild Wetlands Roasted Fowl

Cat Food Alternatives:

1. Felidae ALS or Felidae Chicken & Rice
2. Solid Gold
3. Chicken Soup for the Soul
4. Taste of the Wild

Make sure you ask your local Nature's Pet Market for details on transitioning and some of the benefits you should see from changing to these foods from Pet Promise.

Horizon Legacy Pet Food

The controversy over feeding dogs a high protein diet continues to become more and more heated. This post is not to take sides or defend either position. This is simply a review of a new product, Horizon Legacy, which has recently been launched in the United States and happens to be a high protein, no grain diet.

The staff at Nature's Pet Market is constantly striving to identify and select the best possible food to fit each category of need. Up to this point, the best high protein, no grain option for dogs was one of the following: EVO, Nature's Variety Instinct, Orijen, Canidae Grain Free, GO!, Earthborn Primitive, or Solid Gold Barking at the Moon. Each food offers some unique advantages as indicated below:

-EVO: One of the most reliable manufacturing facilities and testing facilities in the industry
-Nature's Variety: Potato free
-Orijen: Great grain free fish formula
-Canidae Grain Free: New with a great grain free fish formula
-GO!: Made in Canada and the highest kcal/cup
-Earthborn Primitive: Priced under $50 for a large bag
-Barking at the Moon: Beef & Fish based

We wanted to find a product that stood out from the rest in terms of advantages and we found it in Horizon Legacy.

Advantages:

-Manufactured in own facility
-All ingredients sourced within 75-100 miles of facility
-Potato free (Fresh fruits and vegetables, including peas, carrots, apples, broccoli and bok choy add flavour and additional nutrients.
-High meat content
-Naturally Sourced Antioxidants Blueberries, cranberries and pumpkin, all with strong antioxidant properties to protect from free radicals.
-Digestive Enzymes: a custom blend of Protease, Amylase, Lipase, Cellulose, Lactase & Bromelain to enhance absorption of nutrients, deliver nutrients and carry away wastes, digest food, purify the blood and feed the brain to strengthen the immune system.
-Chelated minerals
-Balanced Levels of Essential Fatty Acids: Human grade chicken fat, whole ground flaxseed and salmon balanced to an optimal level. All sources of EPA, DHA, ALA and Omega-6 Essential Fatty Acids.
-Reasonably priced (similar to EVO - around $59.99 for a large bag)

Next time you visit your local Nature's Pet Market, ask the associate for more details. www.NaturesPetMarket.com

Ingredients: Chicken, chicken meal, pea, pea starch, turkey meal, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols, source of vitamin E), salmon meal, pea fibre, flaxseed, egg product, salmon oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols, vitamin E), carrots, apples, broccoli, bok choy, cabbage, blueberries, salt, fructooligosaccharides, yucca schidigera extract, dried aspergillus niger fermentation extract, dried aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract, pineapple, dried trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, dried rhizopus oryzae fermentation extract, dried enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried bifidobacterium bifidum fermentation product, and dried lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, vitamin A acetate, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, d-calcium pantothenate, biotin, l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), ferrous sulphate, iron proteinate*, zinc sulphate, zinc proteinate*, manganous oxide, manganese proteinate*, copper sulphate, copper proteinate*, calcium iodate, sodium selenite, magnesium oxide.

Nutritional Information
Crude Protein (min.): 34%
Crude Fat (min.): 15%
Crude Fibre (max.): 3.5%
Moisture (max.): 10%
Ash (max) 8.4%
Omega 3:1%**
Omega 6:3%**


*chelated minerals
**Not recognized as an essential nutrient by the AAFCO dog food nutrient profiles.

New Website Launch

Just a heads up to Nature's Pet Market customers. We now have a new store website, www.NaturesPetMarket.com, and a new franchise information website, www.NaturesPetFranchise.com. Check out the new look and let us know what you think.

NEW Innova EVO diets coming out soon

Natura Pet Products has been working on several new diets for dogs and cats for a while now, and they should be available in stores later this month. I plan on monitoring these new items carefully and will have a review posted in the near future.

The new products include a Herring/Salmon grain free dog food, a fish-based grain free cat food, and a reduced fat grain free cat food.

Natural Balance Duck & Potato Formula Change - Good or Bad?

There has been a recent buzz in the pet industry regarding the changes made to the Natural Balance Duck & Potato Formula in the last couple of months. Many have relized that the latest batch of L.I.D (limited ingredient diet) Natural Balance Duck & Potato no longer contains duck meal. Instead, the new formulation only contains duck, which is a less dense form of duck protein. In order to make sure the protein levels are sufficient, Natural Balance has added potato protein. The bottom line is that there is less meat content in the new formulation.

Is this good or bad? I believe the new formula is definitely a downgrade from the older formula. That being said, however, I believe it is better than the alternative (stocking problems due to a lack of reliable duck meal sources in the United States). The L.I.D. duck formula is still far superior in ingredient quality to the vet prescription alternatives and maintains manufacturing and sourcing integrity.

If your dog is turning its nose up to the new formulations because of the reduced meat content, try supplementing the diet with a can of 100% duck from Evangers or puting a fish oil on top of the food during feedings.

High Protein & Large Breed Puppies

I feel it important to emphasize that dog kibble diets containing high levels of protein, no grain, and low carbs are not appropriate for large breed puppies. With the excessive hype surrounding high protein diets for dogs and the benefits they may offer, many have overlooked the dangers of feeding this diet to large breed puppies.

Large breed puppies must receive diets that optimize their weight level and skeletal growth. EVO and other high protein, low carb diets are not designed for this purpose. The end result of feeding a large breed puppy these diets is excessive growth causing unnecessary stress on joints and muscles and week skeletal support.

Instead of a high protein and low carb diet, large breed puppies should be fed a diet that includes high quality carbohydrates and the correct mineral formulation. These items are essential to promoting optimal growth and weight until the puppy has reached its full size.

Salmon Oil Follow-Up

Thanks to everyone who has commented in regards to my post on Salmon Oil and other fish oil alternatives. This post is in response to some of those comments.

Question: Is Salmon Oil bad?
Answer: Absolutely not. Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil and other salmon oils are an excellent source of Omega 3 fatty acids.

Question: Can your pet develop a resistance to fish oil supplementation?
Answer: Yes. Similar to prolonged exposure to certain grains or proteins in a pet's diet, resistance and sensitivity can occur with prolonged exposure to the same source of Omega 3 Fatty acids or any form of supplementation.

Question: What is the ideal source of Omega 3 Fatty acids?
Answer: A non-predator fish source that minimizes the potential intake of harmful toxins.

Question: What other sources of Omega 3 fatty acids can I use to minimize the development of supplement sensitivity?
Answer: Most high quality foods have a source of fish oil in them, try supplementing your pet with a fish oil or other Omega 3 oil that compliments the one in the food. Some examples are Sardine/Anchovy oil, Flaxseed Oil, Salmon Oil and Sunflower Oil. Most quality foods have flaxseed, sunflower or salmon oil in them so sardine/anchovy oil is usually a great compliment to their diet.

Salmon Oil Alternative?

For years Salmon Oil has been considered the flagship of fish oil supplements for dogs and cats. Although it is a great source of Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids, it is not the best source. At Nature's Pet, we recommend a fish oil from sources other than predator fish. Predator fish such as Salmon can often times collect more toxins and unnecessary items during their lifetime. Also, excessive use of salmon oil can make your pet smell like a fish (a very unpleasant potential side effect).

A great alternative that contains high levels of Omega 3 fatty acids and is purified in a manner that almost eliminates the odor is Sea Pet. This fish oil is sourced from sardines and anchovies, and it has an EPA level twice as high as traditional salmon oils. Another great benefit is the cost, Sea Pet retails for 25-40% less than the more common salmon oils.

For those of you not familiar with the benefits of fish oil supplementation, I've included a list of great benefits.

-Natural anti-inflammatory
-Reduces shedding
-Helps condition skin & coat
-Appetite enhancer if applied on top of food
-One of the best sources of fat available (fat is the most efficient energy source for dogs)

(This list is not all-inclusive).

REMEMBER: The balance between Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids is very important, so you should find a supplement that is high in Omega 3 but not necessarily Omega 6. This is another reason a sardine/anchovy based oil like Sea Pet is a superior choice to traditional salmon oils. Check with your local independent retailer for more information.

Pet Supplies

Nature's Pet offers one of the largest selections of natural pet supplies in the Pacific Northwest.

We are pleased to announce our sponsorship of Paws Across Portland, a pet event in downtown Portland, Oregon on July 25th, 2009. Enjoy the Harley Davidson Parade or check out one of the 40 booths filled with great pet supplies and pet-related vendors in the Pearl District.

If you can't attend this special event, please check out one of your local Nature's Pet stores and view our natural pet supplies selection.

www.NaturesPetFranchise.com

Natural Balance Lamb & Rice

Only a few days left to take advantage of our Natural Balance Lamb & Rice and Natural Balance Ultra large bag promotion. Through the end of May, take advantage of $5 OFF Natural Balance Ultra and Lamb & Rice bags at all Nature's Pet locations.

Also, $.50 is being donated to the Guide Dogs of the Desert (supported by Paula Abdul) for every Ultra and Lamb & Rice large bag purchased throughout the month of may. So stop in this week and stock up on these great products, and support a great charity in the process!!