|
|
Frequently Asked Questions
With the hundreds of pet food formulas on the market, it can be difficult to understand why California Natural offers a simple approach to pet food manufacturing. We know the fewer ingredients, the less likely a dog or cat will have an allergic reaction to the food. However, we don't skimp on quality in any instance - we use only fresh, natural meat and carbohydrate sources to create food that is extremely nutritious and palatable.
Read our FAQ's and you will soon understand the benefits of a natural diet in comparison to the pet food you may be feeding now.
To browse the FAQs, choose a category for your question, then click go, or search for the ones that interest you.
What does the Guaranteed Analysis (GA) tell me? 
The guaranteed analysis is a specific set of nutritional information required by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) to be printed on pet food labels. The guaranteed analysis states minimum or maximum nutritional values for a particular set of nutrients for a specific product. This provides information that pet owners, professionals, retailers, and veterinarians need to know when making decisions about the food and the amount to offer. Refer to naturapet.com for a complete list of all nutrients.
What does the Nutrient Analysis (NA) tell me?
The listing of the NA is much more comprehensive than the guaranteed analysis (GA). It often mirrors the AAFCO nutrient profiles. Some companies may also provide an abbreviated listing of these nutrients or computations to express the nutrients on a different basis, e.g. dry matter or metabolizable energy basis.
Will the Guaranteed Analysis and the Nutrient Analysis be exactly the same?
This listing of nutrient information may look slightly different than the GA. For example, the GA may list minimum protein % as 24, but the NA reports 24.53%. The difference is due to the fact that the formula is predicted to be slightly over the minimum so that the consumer gets equal to or more than they are guaranteed to receive.
Will the Nutrient (Proximate) Analysis for protein, fat, ash, fiber, moisture, starch (NFE) and ash always add up to 100%?
They might not add up to exactly 100%. There are a couple of reasons for this:
1st- There can be rounding considerations (rounding up or down to the second decimal place) are common when dealing with nutrient information.
2nd- The nutrient information for the ingredients that go into a formula and the final product are based on both laboratory chemical analysis and calculated values. - Chemical analysis: Most nutrient information is generated from laboratory chemical analysis and compiled over time into mean values in a nutrient database. There is variation associated with the ingredients, chemical methods used, and between laboratories. This variation in values is something that pet food companies learn how to manage in order to achieve the most accurate values possible.
- Calculated values: Some values, such as starch or NFE (which stands for Nitrogen Free Extract) are calculated from other nutrients; NFE=100 -(crude protein + crude fat + crude fiber + moisture + ash). This is where the idea of the 6 different components summing to 100% comes from. Depending upon when it gets loaded into a nutrient list, it may differ slightly from what would be required to yield 100% upon summing the 6 proximate components.
- Also, some ingredient suppliers and pet food companies will utilize a chemical analysis of starch. This has inherent variation associated with the outcome and would lead to an even greater chance for the sum of the 6 nutrients to deviate from 100%.
- What does all this mean?
- Since there is variation, and since the methods for the different components have their own inherent differences, the final sum may be slightly different than 100%.
What should I do if there is a nutrient change that I have questions about?
Please check our website, send us an e-mail or call our customer service line. We will provide you with a timely answer to your questions with the most current information we have available. We want our customers to be confident that Natura Pet Products provides the absolute best in foods and nutrients for their pets.
What is the pH of Natura’s foods?
Urine pH is only one factor affecting cats with struvite urolithiasis (aka bladder stones or crystals). In almost all dogs with struvite urolithiasis, the problem is the result of a urinary tract infection and is treated with antibiotics, not diet. (Calcium oxalate urolithiasis is not affected by pH as was once thought.) Accordingly, all of Natura’s foods are designed to be slightly acidic; however, individual response to a particular food can vary. Therefore, we recommend that for cats where struvite urolithiasis is a concern that they work with their veterinarian to select the best diet and that the cat’s urine be checked after a couple of weeks on any recommended diet to make sure that urine pH, urine specific gravity, and microscopic evaluation of the urine are appropriate for struvite prevention. It should be noted that urine can become more alkaline (less acidic) following a meal due to a phenomenon known as the “alkaline tide”; therefore, urine should be collected before a meal or at least 6 hours after the last meal consumed to get an accurate picture of its typical pH.
My pet(s) is/are eating grass and feces. Why is this?
Pets sometimes eat things such as rocks, wood, grass, etc. which can be a learned behavior, a sign of boredom, a sign of nervousness, anxiety or being kept in small, confined areas. Eating items like these is not connected to a nutritional deficiency.
Coprophagy or coprophagia is the consumption of feces and is believed to be more of a learned, emotional, or attention getting behavior, rather than the result of a dietary or nutritional deficiency. There are products available in the form of dietary supplements that make the feces less appealing. Behavioral training and removing the fecal material as soon as possible are also recommended.
|
|
