An excursion to the world of pet food

We would like to offer you a small excursion into the world of pet food. Our experience is not based on scientific education but on our long term experience in this field.

We never did and we will never compare our products with others. What’s the best, is to be decided by the customer. Therefore the following examples are our inventions, and are not existing brands. Still these examples are based on facts how it could be.

Of course, the granted analysis is important. But have in you mind that the (as example) content of protein, could result from crop protein or meat protein.

We do consider the ingredients as the more important fact. Analyse together with us the following invented pet food more in detail:

Guaranteed analysis:
Crude Protein 27 %
Crude fat 14 %
Fiber 3 %
Ash 8 %
Calcium 1,1 %

Ingredients:
(1.) Chicken (min. 15 %), (3.) Wheat, (3.) Corn, (4.) Lamb & animal by-products, (5.) barley, (6.) sugar beet, (7.) dried egg, (8.) animal fat, (9.) salt, (10.) yeast

What does that mean:

(1.) Chicken (min. 15 %)

It could be meant that in a bag of 15 kg, 2,25 kg (or 15 %) of chicken meat had been added. Could be meant, doesn’t have to be. These 2,25 kg (or 15 %) chicken meat are getting dried, have to be dried. During this process this meat looses about 40 % volume. It could well be that in this pet food just 1,35 kg dried meat is added instead of 2,25 kg. Well this bag would than have indeed just 9 % meat added, but not 15 %.
Would the producer had declared chicken meat meal or dried chicken meat 15 %, these 15 % have to remain 15 %.

Well our bag of 15 kg contains now of 1,35 kg meat, still have to fill 14 kg.

(2.) Wheat:

Chicken (min. 15%) and (not chicken meat meal) was declared. So the producer has now the possibility to add up to 14,8 % of wheat. Take a short sight to the explanations above, we know it’s just 9 % meat inside, but because of this way of declaration the regulations allows 14,8 % wheat. Because the product stated at 2nd place, has to be 2nd most added. These 14,8 % wheat would be than 2,22 kg

Well, now we have about 1,35 kg meat
About 2,22 kg wheat, we still have to fill 11,65 kg

(3.) Corn:

Because of the regulations we are not allowed to exceed 14,7 % of barley in the bag. This would be about 2,21 kg

Well, now we have about 1,35 kg meat
about 2,22 kg wheat
about 2,21 kg corn, we still have to fill 9,44 kg

(4.) lamb & animal by-products

The producer could add about 14,6 % lamb meat. But he would not. Otherwise he would have mentioned lamb & animal by-products, and he would have added lamb to the first places. Because of this way of declaration (lamb & animal by-products) it he gains the following possibility: he has to reach 14,6 % to gather the 4th place. He is allowed to mix as much (or as little) lamb meat together with as little (or as much) animal by-products as he wants. Only after this mixing he has to declare the sum of this mix. The by-products are not necessary from lamb, all kind of slottery waste (e.g. from pigs) can be used. Animal by-products could also be, horns, hoofs, the colon (and it’s content) a.s.o.
Finally these 14,6 % are additional 2,19 kg.

This way to add and to calculate the ingredients can be continued according to the declaration of the producer. 

What we have finally got is the following:

1,35 kg meat
2,22 kg wheat
2,21 kg corn 
2,19 kg meat & by products
2,18 kg barley
2,17 kg sugar beet
2,16 kg dried egg products
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= it’s about 15 kg and filled the bag

Well if you now feed your dog daily 500 g, he will eat the following:

45 g of meat
370 g of wheat, barley, corn a.s.o.
73 g of by-products
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488 g per day
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And have in mind that such a brand would be considered as premium food!

Allow us to take another, invented of course, brand:

(1) grain and crop by-products, (2) meat and animal by-products, (3) fish and fish by-products, (4) herbal protein, (5) sugar beet

If you feed from this brand 500 g per day, your dog eats:

10 g of meat
220 g of horns, hoofs, colons & it’s content
230 g grain, wood, straw, nutshells
5 g fish
34 g fish bones etc.
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499 g per day
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Take you time and try to analyse your pet food. You might be surprised the one or other way.

How much our dogs still have in common with the wolf, how much our cats still have in common with a tiger, puma or lion is often discussed. The digestion tract is still almost the same. It the digestion of hunters, of prey eaters. 
It is estimated that the daily demand of meat of an adult wolf is about 10 % of his body weight. 4 kg of meat for a 40 kg adult wolf. 
No doubt, that our dogs need less, no doubt that our cats need less.

But take the a.m. example. Your dog shows average activity und shows 30 kg of bodyweight. The a.m. 500 g of pet food consists of 10 g of meat. This means that you provide a 30 kg hunter with about 0,33 % meat compared to his bodyweight. It is about 30 times less.

With cats of prey this demand is higher, as well as our cats are having a higher demand that our dogs.
The organism of our cats was designed many millenniums ago, to be produced with a high supply of animal protein.

Here is another example of an invented cat food:

Grain and corp by-products, meat and animal by-products (min. 3 % chicken, 3 % duck, 3 % turkey) a.s.o.

We do presume that you are now in the position to analyse yourself how much meat is added to this brand.