Shirley writes
>
> 1. Has Totally Ferret changed it's forumula?  If so, is this a good
> change or not?
 
I've not heard of any changes to the formula.
 
> 2. What are the differences between chicken meal, chicken by-product and
> chicken by-product meal?  How do they compare nutritionally with chicken?
 
"Chicken" is flesh and skin.  "Chicken by-product" includes bone, necks,
feet, organs, etc.  NEITHER can include feathers, beaks or feces.  "Meal"
is just the same thing ground and dried.  If you make Bob Church's
chicken gravy, you are using chicken by-products.
 
Any one of these is not necessarily better than the other.  You might
think that Chicken is best, but it lacks important nutrients found in
bone and organ meat.  Also, since chicken is not dried, it's place first
on a list of ingredients may be misleading, since much of the weight is
water weight.
 
There are at least 10 grades of chicken by-product available to the pet
food manufacuter ranging from excellent to poor quality proteins.  You
have no way of knowing from the label which is used in your pet's food.
 
Linda Iroff
Oberlin OH
[Posted in FML issue 3858]