aerial1313
Posted : 4/28/2010 11:03:47 AM
four_paws
I am a tiny bit skeptical about believing their claims 100% - I mean, they are trying to sell the stuff, right? ;-)
Oh, absolutely! But I do find it encouraging that they even bother to mention it at all. It shows me that they know what they're talking about (even if they present their own spin).
I read their White Paper, it is quite interesting. On Page 20, they address over-nutrition with regard to high protein foods and too high mineral content, particularly calcium and phosphorus. Maybe someone who knows more about this than I do (I'm still researching this topic and of course the manufacturer's white paper is not an objective source) can fill us in on what this all means.
What I gleaned from the white paper is that excess calcium can adversely affect bone growth in puppies, resulting in bone & joint abnormalities, and excess phosporus can lead to kidney problems. The reason high protein foods contain more of these minerals is due to inclusion of meat meals, which contain bone & cartilage and lead to higher concentrations of these minerals.
According to this paper, the AFCO (American Feed Control Officials) in 2008 set maximum limits of calcium in dog food at 2.5% and phosphorus at 1.6%. Orijen lists their maximum calcium at 1.7% and max phosphorus at 1.3% in the Puppy Large Breed formula. They are able to do this by using de-boned meats and by removing bones prior to manufacturing meat meals.
Now I'm off to research the AFCO and find other papers about this topic. Highly interesting!