Animal nutrition is based on ingredient digestability and absorbability.  It
is shown on a graph as Egg being the #1 digestable/absorbable protein,
followed closely by chicken, then turkey, then fish & lamb, then other red
meats.  Grain protein is WAAAAAY down the chart for absorbability.
 
That's why you want MEAT or meat by-products to be your first ingredient.
Iams (I work for them part time - but they'll tell you this first-hand if
you call their 1-800 # on the label or bag) uses Heart Liver Lung and Kidney
to supplement the protein content of the food.  Iams only purchases the
highest quality of ingredients for their food, unlike some food
manufacturers.  Corn is another good example of a misunderstood ingredient -
to make a long story short - Iams incorporates it as a carbohydrate source,
and it requires a lot of refining to bring it to the stage where the animal
can utilize it as such.  Some manufacturers use a lower grade of corn as a
filler or if the ingredient listing says "XXXX Gluten Meal" (where XXXX can
be corn, rice, wheat or soy) you know that it is being used as a protein
source, and for a carnivorous animal, that is not beneficial to their
digestive system.
 
<step up to soap box>
DISCLAIMER (and don't stop reading half-way!): Some animals do extrememly
well on products which have ingredients we feel are not the "best" for
them, and **IF** you CAN't get your critter (be it cat, dog or ferret) to
switch to the "better" food, then the old saying applies - "If it ain't
broke - don't fix it".  Of *course* you should try to switch to a better
quality food, but it's like trying to get me to eat asparagus - yuckky!
<step down - hey no pushing!>
 
Unfortunately, the discussion of "by-product" keeps surfacing.  AAFCO
(American Association of Feed Control Officials) dictates how animal foods
are labelled, and presently manufacturers are not able to list the contents
of "by-product" on the label.  That means that the good foods are tarnished
with the practices of the food manufacturers who choose to hide behind that
broad and general description.
 
I have seen Nature's Recipe (a USA manufactured food) list out the contents
of their by-products.  Iams has lobbyed for this for quite some time,
hopefully this is a trend for the better.  I'm not sure it is endorsed by
AAFCO, but so far...
 
Anyhow, my kids have tried the top 4 here in Canada, and they've chosen
Iams.  I let them pick, and that is the food of preference.  They even like
the soft stuff (no colouring, flavouring or additives - like sugar).
 
Hope that answers some of the questions out there.  If you have any
questions, or want to **DISCUSS** the nutrition issue (no flames please),
feel free to mail me directly, and if you ever have any questions, the folks
that man(woman) <G> the phones at the 1-800 #'s are always happy to talk to
you.  Remember, they want to hear what your animal thinks of their food -
good or bad.
 
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The Terrible Two and the Kitty Krew
[Posted in FML issue 1479]