We used Young Again Zero for a period of time because our cat does very well on a tightly timed schedule. The dry food was much easier to manage in a timer feeder, and our diabetic cat did well with it. I wouldn't say she did better with it than on wet food, but results were comparable, which was all we were looking for.
When we opened a fresh bag of YA one day, all three of our cats stopped tolerating it well, with lots of messy side effects and lethargy. We contacted the company with a food contamination concern, and they were friendly, responsive and communicated well. Their lab indicated that there was nothing wrong with the food and that they had not had any other customer concerns; they suggested that our cats might have caught a virus. They also suggested that the problem could be with any other food we were feeding our cats and emphasized that we needed to feed YA exclusively.
When our problems didn't clear up in a timely manner, we removed Young Again from their diet and saw an almost immediate improvement.
Our problems began right around the same time that they made big changes to their product label and instructions. I suspect that there was a formula change that wasn't tolerated well with our cats, perhaps with a new probiotic or with chicory fiber - an odd ingredient for pet food.
Our experience with customer service was positive, but it was clear that our cats didn't tolerate their formula change. Their "rules" (their words) for feeding stated that only YA should be fed. That doesn't work for another of ours cat with a medical need that requires that we pay special attention to keeping her well hydrated; she needs moist food daily. If the only way to feed their revamped formula without poor side effects is to feed it exclusively, it isn't an option for us.
Checking their website today, I see that they no longer have chicory in the food, but that the first ingredient is now pork meal; it used to be chicken. So - another formula change? I also saw a post from Young Again on another board (10/15) that stated, "Psyllium fiber and tomato pomace are the only dietary fibers we currently ad to all of our foods. Stool issues are no longer an issue and we no longer receive customer service calls related to stool issues. It has been an amazing development."
It may be that the problems we experienced have been rectified. I agree strongly with the suggestion of starting with a sample packet, along with a recommendation to compare labels on each new bag to notice any formula changes.
