How to Know Which Canned Foods Are Good For Your Pets

• Posted on 17 August 2012
• By Dr. Jill Tack
• Posted in canned food, cat, dog, Food, health, ingredients, nutrition, pet
• 0

Contrary to popular beliefs, canned foods are good for cats and dogs. By adding canned food you are increasing their moisture intake which helps maintain a healthy urinary system. Moisture is also critical in the digestive tract to assist in proper absorption of nutrients. Many of the canned foods we carry are also very low in carbohydrates, which can be beneficial to overweight dogs.

Contrary to popular beliefs, canned foods are good for cats and dogs. By adding canned food you are increasing their moisture intake which helps maintain a healthy urinary system. Moisture is also critical in the digestive tract to assist in proper absorption of nutrients. Many of the canned foods we carry are also very low in carbohydrates, which can be beneficial to overweight dogs

Many folks come into our store and are quick to judge the cost difference between the canned food products we carry with many of the so called “trusted” names that have been on the market for several years. Therefore, we are going to break down the labels a bit more for some easy understanding of why there is a cost difference.

Read the ingredient labels.

It often is more cost effective for a manufacturer to use low quality ingredients to bring the cost down compared to using higher quality ingredients and no-fillers. For example, on the Purina label listed below, you will see that they use by-products, guar gum, salt and added color.

PURINA

Chicken, water sufficient for processing, liver, meat by-products, brewers rice, potassium chloride, guar gum, tricalcium phosphate, salt, carrageenan, added color, zinc sulfate, Vitamin E supplement, calcium phosphate, ferrous sulfate, choline chloride, copper sulfate, manganese sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, Vitamin A supplement, niacin, calcium pantothenate, Vitamin B-12 supplement, riboflavin supplement, potassium iodide, pyridoxine hydrochloride, Vitamin D-3 supplement, folic acid, sodium selenite, biotin.

Whereas Tiki Dog does NOT.

TIKI DOG

Chicken, Brown Rice, Sweet Potato, Egg, Crab, Crab broth, Garlic, Kale, Sunflower seed oil, Fish oil. Choline chloride, Vitamin E supplement, Zinc sulfate heptahydrate, Ferrous sulfate monohydrate, Thiamine mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Nicotinic acid (Vitamin B3), Calcium pantothenate, Vitamin A supplement, Manganese sulphate monohydrate, Potassium iodide, Vitamin D3 supplement, Copper sulfate pentahydrate, Riboflavin supplement (Vitamin B2), Pyridoxine hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Folic acid, Vitamin B12 supplement.

Nor do any of the canned products you will find on The Pet Beastro shelves. Not only are ingredients necessary to scrutinize, but so is the manufacturing facility and the company’s overall view of pet food. Are they making a high-quality pet food because they believe they have a superb product or are they making it for profits with using lower quality ingredients left over and by products from other food manufacturing?

I took it upon myself to call each of the canned food companies we carry to verify ingredient and production information. (note: we do this type of research all the time on the products we sell) Below are some quick notes of what we have learned. I do believe there are many qualities that set these companies apart from our “grocery” store brands that have inundated the shelves at big box stores

Weruva

• entire line is grain free
• vitamins and minerals are from several countries, many sourced from Germany, France & Switzerland. None of them come from China.
• high moisture level compared to dry foods which is good for kidney issues, flushing toxins out of body, etc,
• quality protein is a must; boneless, skinless chicken, high quality beef
• presidents father owns tuna-importing biz for 40 years and weruva uses same facility in Thailand, this facility also supplies Subway chain with tuna,
• long standing relationship with Thailand facility
• superb quality control; goes through 2 cooking processes, the second cooking process happens after can is sealed to ensure no bacteria
• no fillers
• no additives
• no hormones
• no antibiotics
• no by-products
• extremely low carbohydrates about 1 - 2%
• no added sodium

Petcurean

• manufactured in canada or usa, not involved in any recalls
• human grade vitamin and minerals
• human grade ingredients on all accounts
• high meat content
• grain free options
• high moisture content for urinary health which mimics whole meat ranging from 67 - 78% moisture in their canned foods
• some is better than none for cats and dogs because of moisture content, even if used as a food topper
• no by-products

Tiki Dog

• use broth, no gravy
• low to no carbohydrates
• moisture content mimics that of prey they would hunt in the wild
• moisture promotes healthy digestion and urinary tract
• seafood is highly palatable and rich in omegas
• made at a human-grade facility, from the human food supply
• dolphin safe certification
• no by-products
• no fillers
• high meat content

Fromm

• USA sourced, domestic ingredients
• mineral pack is human grade
• no fillers
• nothing artificial in products
• food grade quality, human edible
• no recall in over 60 years
• no by-products
• they use a family run facility in South Dakota that has the same beliefs as Fromm’

Nature’s Logic

• no ingredients from china
• no synthetic vitamins or minerals
• grain free
• gluten free
• more food, more calories per can; over 90% animal ingredients
• canned in USA
• excellent protocol for quality control with multiple checks to make no ingredients are toxic or rancid before they go into production. all food goes into quality assurance hold for 7 days before being released after the canning process is complete.

Party Animal

• certified organic by Oregon tilth
• no Artifical Colors / Flavors
• no Chemical Preservatives
• no Genetically Modified Products
• no Dairy Products
• no Wheat Gluten
• no Sugar Added
• no Corn
• no Soy

Next time you stop in, check out the canned options for cats and dogs. You may spend a few more pennies than you are used to however you know you will be investing in good quality meat and not meat by-products or gluten or any other fillers that could make your pet sick which could cost you thousands in vet bills.

Do you use feed one of these foods? How has our pet done with it?