Rotating Raw and Kibble

I feed it. Ella likes it.
She doesn't seem to have any problems on it.
Another GREAT grain-free food is Timberwolf Organics. I chose NV raw instincts because it has a higher protein level than most. Innova Evo will be suggested by several. I don't know why, but I tend to stay away from that food. I wouldn't say it's bad, it's not. I just prefer NV and Timberwolf.

 Are you familiar with the fact that it is possible that Nature's Variety Raw Instinct has a high ash content? Innova EVO has an ash content of 12.38% which can be a problem for dogs that have a tendency to develop UTI's. The ash content of Barking At The Moon and Raw Instinct isn't on the websites but they probably use highly concentrated meat meals like Innova does in EVO in order to have the high levels of protein. These concentrated meat meals are high in ash. It's something that hasn't been discussed much but I think it deserves some attention.

Another GREAT grain-free food is Timberwolf Organics.

I *think* that only their Ocean Blue is grain free, though. I didn't look at any of the chicken formulas, since Emma is decidedly allergic to chicken. The Ocean Blue is 26% protein, and 16% fat.

My dogs love the old formula of Barking at the Moon so much that I use it for treats. I haven't tried the new formula, since Emma does poorly with red meat. Solid Gold is a pretty great company, though.

Jessie's mom--Do you have further info on the concentrated meat meals=high ash?  I was considering trying Barking at the Moon at some point in the future. 

ORIGINAL: jessies_mom

Are you familiar with the fact that it is possible that Nature's Variety Raw Instinct has a high ash content? Innova EVO has an ash content of 12.38% which can be a problem for dogs that have a tendency to develop UTI's. The ash content of Barking At The Moon and Raw Instinct isn't on the websites but they probably use highly concentrated meat meals like Innova does in EVO in order to have the high levels of protein. These concentrated meat meals are high in ash. It's something that hasn't been discussed much but I think it deserves some attention.

I asked the lady I buy my food from about this. She said that she had no clue what NV's ash content is. I know on NV's site there is a Q&A about Ash and if I remember correctly, they said that it doesn't really matter. I know, wrong answer. But IF the ash content has to be high to reach the level of protein that they have, maybe they feel that the high level of protein is what is more important to them. I know that some view ash levels as important because a lot of people have experienced UTIs with their dogs. I'm not saying I don't think it's important. I think it is.
Are high ash levels known to CAUSE UTIs in dogs who normally aren't succeptible to them or are perfectly healthy in that area? See, I don't really know how that works. I've read a little about it here and I read a brag about low ash content on a bag of Timberwolf (I believe).
Can there be a high protein food without high ash content? If not, how much protein is actually required for a dog to be healthy?
High ash content is one reason I was thinking about switching back to T.O. after I run out of my N.V.

.Are high ash levels known to CAUSE UTIs in dogs who normally aren't succeptible to them or are perfectly healthy in that area? See, I don't really know how that works. I've read a little about it here and I read a brag

I don't know how it works either; a healthy dog probably wouldn't have a problem but I just wanted to mention it since it hasn't been discussed and it is information that some users of these products may not be aware of. I think the purpose of these high protein foods is to imitate raw diet; I asked Lauric,who has the rawdogranch website, about the amount of protein in a raw diet and here's her reply;

100 grams of chicken breast (meat and skin but no bone) has the following values:

69.46% water
20.85% protein
9.25% fat
1.01% Ash

I used the USDA Nutritional Database to find this info.  They do not include bone in any of the numbers so I can't give you a 100% accurate breakdown.

Here's another example - 100 grams of beef heart (they list veins, fat and connective tissue as refuse - I would feed those):

77.11% water
17.72% protein
3.94% fat
1.10% ash
.14% Carbs 


 A dry matter basis is used to compare the amount of protein, fat , and carbs between canned and dry food; if the same method is used for the beef heart above, it would have 77% protein, 17% fat, and .048% ash.

Just thought I would chime in on this one.  Here is an exerpt from one of the "crib sheet" I have produced to train our new office staff.
 
"Ash is a byproduct of producing meal.  The carcass of an animal after the big cuts are removed is boiled into a soup, the dried, producing the meal.  This of course contains all the bones of the animal.  When our meal is produced, it is then washed and processed twice more to remove the excess calcium, thereby producing a higher quality meal that has higher protein and lower calcium than other meals used in the pet food industry.  The extra processing of the meal costs a lot of money which is one of the reasons for the price of our foods, it is also the reason that most other foods can#%92t even compare to us health wise."
In other words, most super premium foods will have high protein, but do they go the extra mile to remove the excess calcium that can be harmful to the dog.  Are they more interested in profit than a safe product?
Carol Cameron
TimberWolf Organics, Inc
[email=carol.cameron@timberwolforganics.com]carol.cameron@timberwolforganics.com[/email]

jessies_mom,

So if I emailed NV and asked what the ash content of their raw instincts formula is, they should be able to tell me, right?
Or is that something that they might not know, but SHOULD know?


I think my bag of T.O. Ocean Blue had the ash level listed on there with the fat %, crude protein % etc. Isn't that listed on the bags of T.O., Carol?

Yes, we always list the ash content.  It is something we are very proud of, quite frankly. 
 
Nature's Valley will know the ash content of their foods, but don't be surprised when they don't release it to you.  No one is proud when they skip important steps for the sake of profits.

Carol (if you're still logged on),
What T.O. formulas are grain-free?
Is it only the Ocean Blue?

Still here, just running around the office alot. 
 
Ocean Blue and Wild & Natural are both grain free.
 
Carol Cameron

Carol--Do you think at some point TW will make a beef formula available or turkey?  My dog just can't tolerate the gamey meats. 

Nature's Valley will know the ash content of their foods, but don't be surprised when they don't release it to you. No one is proud when they skip important steps for the sake of profits

 
  It's Nature's "Variety" and I don't think it's fair to make the comments you did until they respond to chewbecca's e-mail. Their other foods are fed by many members with very good results.

jessies_mom,

So if I emailed NV and asked what the ash content of their raw instincts formula is, they should be able to tell me, right?
Or is that something that they might not know, but SHOULD know

 
  They will know the ash content; any manufacturer of dog food would and Nature's Variety is a good company.