treats | instinct grain free

very cool!

my local feed store just introduced Nature's Variety Instinct Grain Free (guilt free) biscuits!

We grabbed two boxes, duck and rabbit. Many are alarmed that the rabbit source in Nature's Variety comes from China, which they are up front about, so feed only what you are comfortable with.





Duck Ingredients:
duck meal, tapioca, garbanzo bean flour, sweet potatoes, pork fat, pumpkinseeds, montmorillonite clay, natural vegetable flavor, dried egg whites, cinnamon, guar gum, inulin, mixed tocopherols with citric acid (a natural preservative), rosemary extract, direct-fed microorganisms (dried bacillus coagulans fermentation product)

raw recall | Nature's Variety CHICKEN

Nature's Variety has initiated a voluntary recall of their Chicken Formula Raw Frozen Diet for dogs and cats with a "Best If Used By" date of 11/10/10 because these products may be contaminated with Salmonella.  The only products affected are limited to chicken medallions, patties, and chubs with a "Best If Used By" date of 11/10/10.  No other Nature's Variety products are affected.
The affected products are limited to the Nature's Variety Chicken Formula Raw Frozen Diet packaged in the following forms:

• 3 lb chicken medallions (UPC# 7 69949 60130 2) with a "Best If Used By" date of 11/10/10
• 6 lb chicken patties (UPC# 7 69949 60120 3) with a "Best If Used By" date of 11/10/10
• 2 lb chicken chubs (UPC# 7 69949 60121 0) with a "Best If Used By" date of 11/10/10

If you are a consumer and have purchased one of the affected products, please return the unopened product to your retailer for a full refund or replacement.  If your package has been opened, please dispose of the raw food in a safe manner by securing it in a covered trash receptacle.  Then, bring your receipt (or the empty package in a sealed bag) to your local retailer for a full refund or replacement.

nature's variety | bison

 

Despite a little hang up in sourcing (so far, unknown) and ingredients, I did have my dogs try this new protein variety from Nature's Variety.

Ingredients:


My main question is about the montmorillonite clay. And its function in raw dog food.

According to their website, this ingredient is defined as:

Montmorillonite is a clay that is primarily colloidal silicate, which contains over 50 ultra-trace mineral compounds including Antimony, Barium, Beryllium, Boron, Bromine, Cadmium, Carbon, Cerium, Cesium, Chloride, Chromium, Cobalt, Copper, Dysprosium, Fluoride, Gadolinium, Gallium, Germanium, Iodine, Lanthanum, Lithium, Manganese, Neodymium, Nickel, Phosphorus, Rhenium, Rubidium, Samarium, Scandium, Silicon, Silver, Strontium, Sulfur, Tellurium, Thallium, Thorium, Tin, Titanium, Vanadium, Ytterbium, Yttrium, Zinc, and Zirconium. Feed studies by the Veterinary Medical Diagnostics Laboratory at Texas A&M University have shown that Montmorillonite clays can sequester (bind) aflatoxins contained in grains and oilseeds.

Wikipedia has this:

Other uses include as an anti-caking agent in animal feed

 And complete mineral data for montmorillonite here.


The dogs did enjoy these medallions, though.

Pre-made Raw Diets

So you're considering raw, but the research of preparing a home based prey model or BARF diet seems a bit too much right now. Then you find that some companies have already done the work of creating a balanced raw diet for you.

Enter Pre-Made Raw Diets.

There are benefits to these diets, especially when first starting out on raw (research!) before you have a solid plan for availability of protein and bone sources, and subsequent diet balances.. you can rely on the "Complete and Balanced" claims on the bags of *most* pre-made raw. Though, to create a "Complete and Balanced" diet, many pre-made raw diets rely on BARF methodology and include things like vegetables, fruit, yogurt, honey and herbs into their formulas. Read a BARF rebuttal here.

The downside? Premades tend to be high in bone content (if not supplemented with raw meaty meats), the expense, the lack of dental health promotion, and no physical/mental stimulation (if not supplemented with whole raw meaty bones).

Some companies that offer Pre-Made Raw Diets:
Nature's Variety
Bravo!
Primal Pet Foods
Oma's Pride
Northwest Naturals Dog Food