Canine Caviar cat food

[MowMow]

ANyone heard of this stuff?

What do you all think? Major red flag, I see it doesn't have taurine. If I buy it, it would be in rotation with two other foods that have the Taurine added (since I rotate brands/flavors a month).

Duck:
Ground Duck, Sweet Potatoes, Water Sufficient for Processing, Carrageenan Gum, Cassia Gum.

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein 9.0 % min. Crude Fiber 3.0 % max.
Crude Fat 11.0 % min. Moisture 74 % max.
ME = 599 kcal / can.

Beaver:
Ground Beaver, Water Sufficient for Processing, Carrageenan gum, Cassia Gum.

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein 13.0 % min. Crude Fiber 3.5 % max.
Crude Fat 6.0 % min. Moisture 76 % max.
ME = 768 kcal / can.
Fatty Acid Analysis
Oleic 20.0 % min. Linoleic (omega 3) 12.0 % min.
Linoleic (Omega 6) 36.0 % min. Palmetic 15 % min.

Venison:
Venison Tripe, Ground Venison, Water Sufficient for Processing, Pea Flour, Carrageenan Gum, Cassia Gum.

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein 9.5 % min. Crude Fiber 5.0 % max.
Crude Fat 5.0 % min. Moisture 80 % max.
ME = 290 kcal / can.

[Muzby]

I like that they have beaver!! That's pretty awesome. You can always just add taurine yourself.. which apparently is important when feeding 100% canned diet because of the high temps burning off the taurine when closing the cans. Taurine is available at most health food stores for people in capsules.

[BotanyBlack]

I have seen taurine listed on their dry.. but then they did have a recall on their dried a few years back.

I would just add taurine, you really can't over do it since they pass it daily. I tend to mix in a vitamin supplement anyways for the taurine. or if you do partial raw, use it with the high taurine muscle?

[MowMow]

The Analysis looked ok? I'm kind of excited. It's 2.99 for 13 oz can of the beaver and venison and 3.29 for the Duck.

It's nice to find something new that might be edible for them. Our rotation is pretty limited and I get frustrated.

[marie73]

Holy cow! I could never afford that. With my luck, my girls would love it.

[YayHappens]

MowMow I was looking at this brand just the other day! I was too lazy to write them and ask them to drill down the vitamins and minerals in each flavor as they would be listed on the label.

The major red flag before seeing that it doesn't have taurine should be the formula is completely devoid of any vitamins and minerals at all! kidding

The product is very highly likely to contain sufficient taurine. Inherently, the meat will contain it. They claim to exceed AAFCO requirements and standards and claim to use cold processing. If they are true to their word about that and really are on par with AAFCO reqs, the nutrient balance should be fine, including the taurine.


regarding a recall, this is on their website FAQ:

In April of 2007, Canine Caviar voluntarily recalled less than 1500 cans of turkey and beaver due to a labeling issue. We were not part of the melamine recall. This unexpected situation was due to the fact that American Nutrition was adding ingredients that were not authorized by Canine Caviar.

None of canine caviar’s dry foods, treats or supplements have ever been recalled or pulled off the shelves.

At that price for that many ounces for those kinds of meats. Very nice! If you end up going with it, it would be a super deal!

Another new one is a brand called Great Life by Doctor's Finest. I wrote to them to ask them to send me their vitamin and mineral details and they went ahead and added it to their website.

[doodlebug]

I met a Canine Caviar rep at a consumer pet show last fall. He said they didn't need to add taurine because their process did not destroy it. He went on to talk about how the food helps prevent cancer...when I poked at how they could possibly claim something so generic he didn't have much to back him up. The conversation was kind of smarmy and snake oil salesman-like to me.

Not saying it's a bad food, just think they're overstepping with some of their claims.

[Abbie]

I'd go for it. I know how you feel having such limited foods to feed! I occassionally feed dog food too (only ever one of their three meals a day if they are having it), it's the only way I've found duck meat in pet food over here!

[MowMow]

Originally Posted by YayHappens

Another new one is a brand called Great Life by Doctor's Finest. I wrote to them to ask them to send me their vitamin and mineral details and they went ahead and added it to their website.

I didn't get past the intro page. It looks like they have a salmon and a chicken? I don't feed my guys fish and I have one allergic to chicken/poultry. I didn't read any further.

The grain free, fish free, chicken free and turkey free is what gives me trouble. I'm totally unreasonable. I was all that in a canned food that is UNDER 50.00 for a 24 case.

Wait: I think I was just looking at their dry. I see they have a beef canned. I'll look into this further. Thanks!

[YayHappens]

Weirdness... I thought I included this but I guess I didn't!

Re: Canine Caviar Cat Food.

The actual more serious red flag for me (forgetting what I was kidding about) is actually the high fiber content. 3.5% max for one flavor (specifically beaver) and venison 5.0%. Generally anything that far over 2% is above average for what I usually see in the cat food analyses.

With a fiber% that high, it tells me there is something in the formula that causes loose stools and they are adding fiber to counter it. As it goes, the emulsifiers they are using (especially the cassia gum) might not work so good for kitties with sensitive tummies or who have a tendency to get runny every now and then.

I will write them this weekend and request their nutrient info. Now I am super curious about what their vitamin processing looks like. lol