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What ingredients should I look for when choosing a pet food?
Animal protein - Dogs and cats do best on a diet high in animal protein. Look for a named, single-source meat, poultry, or fish protein as the first ingredient (chicken, venison, duck, etc.). High quality dry kibble diets may list animal proteins as “meal,” which is a dried and more concentrated form of the meat, poultry, or fish protein (rabbit meal, chicken meal, salmon meal).
Fruits, vegetables, and whole grain - Look for vegetables and fruits (broccoli, carrots, blueberries, or cranberries). These ingredients contain antioxidants and important vitamins and minerals to help your dog maintain proper health. If you are feeding a product that contains some grain, be sure the grains are whole and hearty (brown rice, oatmeal, or barley).
Complete and balanced - Diets that are complete and balanced contain the vitamins and minerals your dog and cat need for daily health and well-being. In kibble and canned diets, also look for chelated minerals (iron proteinate, zinc proteinate). Chelated minerals are more easily absorbed during digestion.
What is Tapioca and why is it in your Instinct kibble?
Tapioca is a starch derived from the root of the cassava plant; it is grain-free and gluten-free. There are no known allergies to tapioca, and many veterinary teaching hospitals incorporate tapioca into their hypoallergenic, homemade recipes for food allergies and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). We use tapioca in our grain-free Instinct kibble. Without some sort of natural binder, the ingredients in our grain-free kibble would not hold together for the cooking process.
What ingredients do you recommend avoiding when choosing a pet food?
Unnamed proteins and generic fat sources - Try to avoid products that contain unnamed, generic proteins (meat and bone meal, poultry meal). Also try to avoid foods with generic fat sources (poultry fat, animal fat).
Meat protein substitutes - We believe protein should come from meat! Try to avoid foods that include meat protein substitutes (wheat gluten, corn gluten meal). Since dogs and cats naturally prefer to eat like a carnivore, you should also try to avoid foods high in grain - especially corn, wheat and soy.
Unnecessary artificial additives - Avoid foods that contain chemical preservatives (BHA, BHT) or artificial coloring (caramel color, FD&C colors).
I care about each and every ingredient in my pet's food - how do I find out more about your ingredients?
We care about each and every ingredient in your pet's food, too! Visit our Ingredient Glossary to learn more about all of our healthy and beneficial ingredients.
What is Meal, such as Chicken Meal?
High quality, protein specific meals are simply a dried and more concentrated form of the meat, poultry or fish protein. It is important to make sure the meal is protein specific (Beef Meal, Lamb Meal), and not generic like Meat Meal or By-Product Meal, which by definition can contain any species of animal.
What is Ash?
Ash is the inorganic mineral portion of any substance. When referring to dog and cat food, "ash content" is the mineral matter, including magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and copper.
What are Chelated Minerals?
Chelated minerals are minerals bonded to an amino acid. They are more easily absorbed during digestion compared to unchelated minerals which often get passed in the stool. Better nutrient absorption supports better health for pets. Nature's Variety uses chelated minerals in all of our kibble and canned diets.
What are prebiotics and probiotics and why are they included in your foods?
Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that live in your pets' intestinal tract. They ferment specific food types into amino acids, vitamins, and fatty acids to nourish your pet. Probiotics help aid digestion and prevent harmful bacteria from colonizing the intestinal tract. Prebiotics, such as inulin, can be thought of as food for the probiotics. Bacteria ferment a specific type of non-digestible fiber found in natural sources like inulin. Nature's Variety foods include preobiotics to ensure that you pet receives 100% of the benefits from the probiotics.
What is the Nature's Variety Bio-Coating?
Nature's Variety kibble diets are all coated with freeze dried raw foods and nutritious oils. This cold processed, enzymatically active food is exclusive to Nature's Variety, and gives pets the great taste of our renowned Nature's Variety raw food.
What is Montmorillonite Clay?
Montmorillonite is a clay that is primarily colloidal silicate, which contains over 50 ultra-trace mineral compounds. Feed studies by the Veterinary Medical Diagnostics Laboratory at Texas A&M University have shown that Montmorillonite clays can sequester (bind) aflatoxins contained in grains and oilseeds.
