New food charts x 2

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Lisa dvm

Lisa dvm

Member Since 2009
Cat Food Composition chart:

http://www.catinfo.org/docs/Food Chart Public 9-22-12.pdf

Phosphorus in ascending order of mg/100 kcal:

http://www.catinfo.org/docs/Food Chart Phosphorus 9-22-12.pdf

Sweet Binky has tossed the baton to Robbie and he's probably laughing at him now saying..."see?!? I told you these food charts are A LOT of work!!"

For the past many months... taking up hundreds of hours of time....with a boatload of frustration....I have called + emailed ~40 pet food companies to get TNA ('typical nutrient analysis') figures for cat foods. I also had not worked much with spreadsheets and formulas so that was also a struggle. THANK YOU, Janet, for your help in that area. I'd still be working on this if not for your expertise.

Since I learned from the best (Janet) I, of course, would not use GA (guaranteed analysis) figures since they are only minimums and maximums which are inaccurate and misleading.

Many companies required 5-6 phone calls....many emails.....and sometimes a lot of 'foot stomping'.... to get any usable information from them.

For those companies that pulled out the "that information is proprietary" card? They ended up on the 'uncooperative' list at the bottom. Only 3 companies are on that list:

Blue Buffalo
By Nature
Stella & Chewy's

Mars (Sheba and Whiskas) company was concerned that the data would become outdated and so they require consumers to call them for data. Now...I don't know if they will give only GA or if they will provide TNA but, again, GA is not acceptable as far as I am concerned.

Note that when I discussed carb content with the Blue Buffalo customer service rep, I learned that all of their diets are unsuitably high in carbs except for the Wilderness Pates (Kitten, Chicken, Turkey, Duck, and Salmon). The Wilderness Wild Delights are high in carbs.

But that said, I will not patronize any company that refuses to provide TNA data. There are far too many other choices on the market from companies that show more respect for consumers. Wilderness may be low in carbs but without protein and fat data, we are still in the dark.

Keep in mind: Grain-free does not necessarily mean low carb. Peas, potatoes, etc., create very high carb diets but are not "grains".
 
Dr. Lisa,
A huge thank you for all of your effort!
Now, if we can just get you to come back for a sec....the links are "broken" and take me to an "oops" message :smile:

Carl
 
Ok...so the links did not paste in full. I will see if I can fix that.

For now, go to catinfo.org and look in the sidebar....protein/fat/carbs chart and Phosphorus in cat food chart.
 
Thank you so much for all your hard work and no doubt a lot of frustration putting this list together.

Though Boris (my diabetic boy) went to the bridge over a year ago the food list is very important to me. I now have a kitty with gall stones and I am trying to feed her low fat and a little high fat. She is on Ursodial and gets a little higher fat food on the days she gets the urso. With the new list I have been able to pick out a few more options of lower fat food I can try to introduce her to.
I also like to print the list for my vet to refer to and to help guide any one I should meet with a diabetic cat.
Very grateful to you!
Sandy
 
Thank you so much!

I did get a little bit of information from Stella & Chewy's last week, but they were slightly elusive on the "as fed" numbers.
What they gave me they called “as-fed guaranteed analysis”. I'm not sure they mean by that.
 
For a cat which has had bladder stones - what minerals should we all be looking to control? Phosphorus? Magnesium? Other?

And in a house with non-diabetic cats (well ... at the moment), what is the highest level of carbs that should be fed - 10%, other?
 
Thank you so much for taking this on! It's been weighing on my mind for the past few years that I haven't had the motivation to keep it up. Aside from the sheer volume, it has been harder and harder to get complete and accurate data from companies.

And yes, I am retiring from the food table biz. Some time in the next week or so, I will shut down the old food lists -- and keep in mind the numbers are at least 4 years old now, and some are even older -- and put up a link to Dr. Lisa's page.
 
Janet & Binky (GA) said:
it has been harder and harder to get complete and accurate data from companies.
Click to expand...

As you and I discussed, several companies had to be informed that they would be listed on the "Do not/cannot recommend" list if they did not provide TNA data. It also did not hurt to let them know that my website has a very high google ranking and gets ~1.7 million visitors each year....and that a negative, but truthful, comment on the Commercial Food page would probably impact their sales somewhat. Not much for the really big companies but it might make a little dent in the smaller companies. That tact worked on most companies dragging their feet but a few still ended up on the 'uncooperative' list.

Regarding "accurate data", see this post:

http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=79754
 
Absolutely fantastic work, Dr. L! Really, really appreciate the efforts. It's upsetting and overwhelming enough to work through the initial FD diagnosis and all the things that come with it. It's nice to have a resource like your food lists to help the brain pain! I'd probably be mumbling and holding myself, rocking in a corner if I had to work out all those numbers. Many many thanks!! :thumbup
 
Thank you soooo much for all your hard work and research. Fur Ball was just dx'd on 9/5/12 and when I came home, your website was the first one I reviewed. I have taken so many of your words to heart. Doing more research this weekend, I just saw your updated info and today as I'm getting familiar with this sight, I noticed this post.

While I would like to make Fur Ball's food, at this point we were able to transition him to Nature's Variety Instinct Raw medallions. We were amazed at how quickly our dry kibble boy transitioned to Raw...we started him on different canned foods as I was doing raw food research. Found a local store on Sat and by Tues he was eating all raw.

We just want you to know how much we have appreciated your information, as well as FDMB.

Thanks!!
Karen (and Fur Ball)
 
Hi Dr. Lisa,

I really appreciate all the time and effort you put into this. I can now go to the store armed with an up-to-date and comprehensive list and not spend an hour squinting over the ingredients list. I've been trying to pick some more non-fish flavors to put into the rotation. THANK YOU!!!!

Lori (and Scout and Nipper)
 
Thanks, Dr. Lisa :-D I've posted your food chart links on another web site for other cat owners to use :smile:

I'm not surprised to see that most of the Weruva canned foods are very high in carbs despite the fact that the company claims that all their canned foods are very low in carbs and are suitable for diabetics :roll: All that rice and starches means high carbs.

Soulistic is also made by the Weruva company. I'm not sure if you want to keep it separate from Weruva? BFF is another Weruva brand and is listed under Weruva on the chart.
 
Thank you, Dr. Lisa. I refer people to the food chart all the time. Sort of disappointed in Stella and Chewy's though. Some of my cats love it.
 
squeem3 said:
Thanks, Dr. Lisa :-D I've posted your food chart links on another web site for other cat owners to use :smile:
Click to expand...

Thanks!

I'm not surprised to see that most of the Weruva canned foods are very high in carbs despite the fact that the company claims that all their canned foods are very low in carbs
Click to expand...

I know. I really like the owner of the company - very nice and he truly cares..... but some nutritional basics were not being understood. I feel foolish that I had stated in the past that Weruva was low in carbs - based on what the owner told me but then when I sat down and crunched the numbers I could see that they are not low in carbs.

Soulistic is also made by the Weruva company. I'm not sure if you want to keep it separate from Weruva? BFF is another Weruva brand and is listed under Weruva on the chart.
Click to expand...

Yep... but it belongs on its own since people will look for it under the 'S's not the W section. Soulistic as a private label for PetCo and is not listed on the Weruva website....at least not on the main page....whereas BFF is. But maybe BFF should also be under the 'B's....????

Evolve, Triumph, and Hi-Tor are all made by the same company but people think of them as different diets so they are listed alphabetically.

I wonder if I should move BFF to the Bs......

Thoughts?
 
I would vote for BFF going under "B"...I have bought it before and it does not say Weruva anywhere on the can. I believe it was even in a seperate section in the store.
 
Julia & Bandit said:
I would vote for BFF going under "B"...I have bought it before and it does not say Weruva anywhere on the can. I believe it was even in a seperate section in the store.
Click to expand...

Ok - I will move it under the "B"s which makes more sense since it does not even say "Weruva" on the can.
 
Never mind...went to the website and see that it does say "Weruva" so I will leave it where it is.
 
Hi Dr Lisa and YOU ROCK! Wow, what a lot of time and effort you have put into this endeavor but this info will be used, the links passed on so hopefully some cats that are eating crap now will have a chance for healthier feline fare (I've converted some non-FD friends and gonna keep at it), and it will help so many to learn/figure out the best food for their kitties. Not to mention maybe more veterinarians will learn to use those charts and refer their clients to them.

A huge THANK YOU!!!
 
Carol & Yoshi said:
Not to mention maybe more veterinarians will learn to use those charts and refer their clients to them.
Click to expand...

I hope so. The vets on VIN have been using Binky's chart for years.

The catalyst for updating the chart was/is a paper that I am writing for my colleagues entitled "Veterinarian-Prescribed Diets/OTC Options". After pointing our reasons why I do not use the Rx diets (80 pages worth), I figured that I could not say "don't do X" and then not be able to tell them "I suggest Y".
 
The Weruva company makes three brands: Weruva, B.F.F, and Soulistic.

The Weruva line has the Weruva canned and The Cats In the Kitchen pouches.

B.F.F is the all seafood based brand: http://www.bestfriendsfoods.com/

Soulistic is the inexpensive version of Weruva and is sold only at Petco. http://www.soulisticpet.com/

I vote for keeping each brand separate even if the same company makes them. The general public will use your charts by brand name, not company name.
 
squeem3 said:
The Weruva company makes three brands: Weruva, B.F.F, and Soulistic.

The Weruva line has the Weruva canned and The Cats In the Kitchen pouches.

B.F.F is the all seafood based brand: http://www.bestfriendsfoods.com/

Soulistic is the inexpensive version of Weruva and is sold only at Petco. http://www.soulisticpet.com/

I vote for keeping each brand separate even if the same company makes them. The general public will use your charts by brand name, not company name.
Click to expand...

I went ahead and put BFF under the 'B's and kept Soulistic under the 'S's and Cats in the Kitchen under Weruva so I think I have it correct now.
 
Keep in mind: Grain-free does not necessarily mean low carb. Peas, potatoes, etc., create very high carb diets but are not "grains".
Click to expand...

This.
Thank you for this phenomenally exhausting undertaking, Dr. Lisa. And thank you too, Janet, for all the years you have done this for cats around the world. You both deserve copious amounts of sinful beverages. :lol:

I find it quite interesting that the 3 uncooperative companies tout themselves as the highest quality foods you can feed your pets. You'd think they'd be falling all over themselves to prove it. Instead they have proved they have something to hide.
 
Thank you Dr. Lisa!

I too have been trying to figure this out cause both of my cats can benefit from lower phosphorus diets. But Alex who is diabetic can't eat what I am trying to switch Jackson to (not diabetic-Science Diet KD)as it seems one of the main ingredients is glucose? Just what Alex needs... :roll:

It's good to see all of the other lower phos. alternatives cause Alex has been getting sick of Fancy Feast(which I know is high) and maybe now I can find something for both of them.

Thanks!!!!

Caryl (Alex and Jackson)
 
I had seen someplace that the Friskies Special Diet flavors are "acidified". Do you have any information on that?
 
Thank you so much, Dr. Lisa! I saw the lists yesterday and became totally involved w/ them. Interesting that the NV Raw Chicken and Organic Chicken flavors are so much lower than we though before. It explains why Tess went up when I brought the beef into rotation and back down now that we got the chicken again.

Also it is so helpful to be able to compare the "mg Phos/100 kcal" and the "DM Phos %". The calorie in the food make such a difference. I've highlighted a lot fewer in the "mg Phos/100 kcal" column than in the "DM Phos %" column.

One quick question: In the calories/can column, when you list the first item in a grouping as a specific sized can, does that apply to all the foods in that group? For instance the Royal Canin "Babycat" is "77/3 oz" but only the kcal appears in the rest of the Royal Canin group. The kcal are similar in the rest of the group so am I correct in assuming that they are all 3oz cans?
 
Dr, Lisa, I heard that Soulistic just put out several new canned varieties:

Seaside Serenity Salmon & Tuna with Gravy
Tri-Fusion Tuna with Grilled Salmon, Beef & Duck with Gravy
Aromatic Chicken with Gelee
Golden Fortune Chicken & Tuna with Gelee

They're not listed on the Soulisitic web site but they are on the Petco web site: http://www.petco.com/product/110264/Soulistic-Adult-Canned-Cat-Food-in-Gravy.aspx

Just an FYI if you want to add these to the chart the next time you do updates :smile:
 
squeem3 said:
Just an FYI if you want to add these to the chart the next time you do updates :smile:
Click to expand...

I am in contact with the owner but there is no usable data at this time. This has been a big problem with several companies.....
 
Ann & Tess said:
One quick question: In the calories/can column, when you list the first item in a grouping as a specific sized can, does that apply to all the foods in that group? For instance the Royal Canin "Babycat" is "77/3 oz" but only the kcal appears in the rest of the Royal Canin group. The kcal are similar in the rest of the group so am I correct in assuming that they are all 3oz cans?
Click to expand...

In that case, yes. I got SO tired of typing/copying/pasting. This chart thing really 'tried my patience and time'.....

The column is labeled "kcals/5.5 oz unless otherwise noted" but I figured that it was pretty self-explanatory that the varieties under the RC Kitten were per 3 oz since the other values were so low but if I get a chance, I will go back and fill in the "/3 oz" for each variety.

Also, when I went to do the second chart...the phos chart....I realized that I had to name EVERY can because they would now not be grouped under their respective company headings. That about stopped me in my tracks! Very tedious to name every product.
 
Thanks! :-D :-D If you every want help entering data, etc, PM me. If you just add another column for can size, you can have auto-fill do all the work. I actually just converted the PDF back into a SS so I can have the computer do the work of calculating into kcal/oz, easier to compare for me. Added plus, I can auto color code for low carb and low phos foods. There aren't a lot that are both. :?
 
Me too, Dr. Lisa! I'm an excel geek so if you ever need help with data entry, formulas, all that junk, I'd be happy to help. :smile:

Carl
 
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