Eagle Pack and recall

Whew..scared me when I saw the title![sm=uhoh.gif][sm=wink.gif]

When is Eagle Pack going to make a grain-free food?
Do you have any idea why they haven't, Dyan?
I don't know why I consider you like, the Eagle Pack expert, I guess it's because I know you feed it and read the Great Dane Lady site and correspond sometimes with John from EP.

ORIGINAL: chewbecca

When is Eagle Pack going to make a grain-free food?

I'm not Dyan, so I hope you don't mind me butting in [&:] [linkhttp://www.ourdogsonline.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=3&Number=83151&Searchpage=1&Main=7396&Words=%2Beagle+%2Bgrain&topic=0&Search=true#Post83405]Here[/link] is where someone asked EP about a grain-free option.

When is Eagle Pack going to make a grain-free food?

 
   You could ask John; he's very quick to respond to e-mails. There's not much reason to do one with potatoes since Natural Balance already has a few, and I don't think they'll do an EVO type product because of the high ash levels. If you're worried about contamination in grain, Eagle employees visit the fields where the corn they use is grown; you can't ask for much better QC then that. They don't use wheat in their foods and their ingredients are EU certified, so IMO it's about the safest commercial dog food you can find.
 

I asked earlier today and John's response was basically "not at this time". I just e-mailed asking if he would mind if I posted his response here... I'm sure he probably doesn't but I would just feel weird posting someone's e-mail without their permission.

ORIGINAL: jessies_mom

When is Eagle Pack going to make a grain-free food?

  You could ask John; he's very quick to respond to e-mails. There's not much reason to do one with potatoes since Natural Balance already has a few, and I don't think they'll do an EVO type product because of the high ash levels. If you're worried about contamination in grain, Eagle employees visit the fields where the corn they use is grown; you can't ask for much better QC then that. They don't use wheat in their foods and their ingredients are EU certified, so IMO it's about the safest commercial dog food you can find.

With kibble you'd need to have some carb source no matter what.  In grain-free this usually means potatoes (sweet or regular).   Even EVO kibble uses potatoes.

With kibble you'd need to have some carb source no matter what. In grain-free this usually means potatoes (sweet or regular). Even EVO kibble uses potatoes.

 
   I know, and my point was since it's already being done it may not make sense for Eagle to do it. I can't feed Jessie grain free kibble because she's allergic to potatoes; she's not allergic to grains.

Maybe they should focus on exotic carb sources while everyone else is messing around with exotic proteins.  There are a lot of gluten-free starches out there, different kinds of tubers, squashes, starchy fruits.

I don't know why I consider you like, the Eagle Pack expert, I guess it's because I know you feed it and read the Great Dane Lady site and correspond sometimes with John from EP.

I am sure not the EP expert..but yes I do feed it. As you know it is the only food trial tested on large breed dogs...thats good enough for me owning a Great Dane. Yes,, I do read GDL website too,,,its my Great Dane Bible...actually it has become my dog health guide also..[]  But truthfully I don't correspond with John from Eagle Pack unless I have a problem such as this. Other than that,,, I have to reason to talk to John.
As far as grain free kibble is concerned,, I wouldn't doubt if they would come up with a formula...for people on dog forums that are very verble against grain kibble.  Other than that, I do honestly believe that they feel some grains are good and necessary. They say in their brochure that "dogs do require some carbohydrates in their diet so we scientifically select from among a healthy group based on their functional food value in enhancing your pets health!" They buy fresh whole herbicide free grains and grind them fresh for each production run.
Their formulas are meat based,,, and that is important.

ORIGINAL: sooner

ORIGINAL: chewbecca

When is Eagle Pack going to make a grain-free food?

I'm not Dyan, so I hope you don't mind me butting in [&:] [linkhttp://www.ourdogsonline.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=3&Number=83151&Searchpage=1&Main=7396&Words=%2Beagle+%2Bgrain&topic=0&Search=true#Post83405]Here[/link] is where someone asked EP about a grain-free option.

I didn't mean anything bad when I called Dyan the EP expert. I just know she feeds it and reads the GDL site which has a lot of stuff to do with EP on it (I think, I could be wrong) and I, for some reason, thought she corresponded with John with questions and stuff about EP. But thank you for posting that link.[]

Hey Rebecca...I do read the GDL website a lot. Its got great information about all dogs....food, health, medication, nutrition,,,even human things!   Its very helpful in a lot of areas..especially owning a Dane.
But maybe, in all of the years I have fed Eagle Pack,,, I might have corresponded to John M 4 times...maybe! Of course once is today when I decided to worry that maybe the recall would end up on Eagle Packs website....the worrier that I am!!!  There are a few people that quote John on this forum,,or used to be...but really I'm not one of them.  My only correspondence has been with a problem  of one sort or another.

OK, well, I figured you might know instead of me having to email him. sorry, I didn't mean to hijack your thread![]

I don't know, ever since Ella's allergic reaction to wheat (horrible skin break out that happened 2 months ago and is finally almost cleared up), I am just deathly afraid to give her ANY kind of grains. I'm sure she's not allergic to all grains, and I don't think grains are horrible, I am just afraid to have another skin break out to a certain grain and then have to go through all the healing all over again.

I don't know, ever since Ella's allergic reaction to wheat

 
Its funny that you mention wheat. because when our allergic dog Ollie used to be at my house all the time and I was buying food and snacks for him,,,I always stayed away from wheat. I always heard that many people were allergic to wheat..so I stayed away from it for Ollie!  And he was allergy tested and found to have no allergies to food!

Well, I didn't hear back from John whether he minds me posting his e-mail, but like I said his response was that Eagle Pack has no plans to make a grain free food at this time. Here's the attachment he sent:


“GRAIN FREE”, RAW OR KIBBLE?

We are frequently asked our opinion on this emotionally toned subject. What are you to believe? You see comments like “the dog#%92s natural food of choice…biologically sound etc.

It sounds exciting to think of our beloved canines as descending from wolves. And that is true, but that was 14,000 to 100,000 years ago. According to National Geographic Magazine, there is evidence the domestication of dogs started at least 14,000 years ago and perhaps 2333 generations ago. Other sources date domestication to 100,000 years ago. According to biologist Raymond Coppinger “All that was selected for was that one trait—the ability to eat in the proximity of people.”

Go back to the statement “…the ability to eat in the proximity of people.” Again according to National Geographic Magazine, “The dog evolved in the company of humans and cannot exist without them.” The Red Wolf and coyote are not considered obligate carnivores. There is much debate about the dog being a carnivore or omnivore. Domesticated dogs do have molars for grinding. Wild dogs will eat prey, carrion, grains, grasses, berries and vegetation. Going back in time, wherever there was a settlement of people, there were dogs taking advantage of whatever they could…again ”people food, cooked food”. From that we believe you can deduce that dogs have been eating “table scraps” for 14,000 years and just maybe their digestive systems have evolved over 2333 generations? Wolves are a glamorous and exciting animal and it is exciting to think dogs evolved from ancestral wolves (not today#%92s wolf), but again that was 14,000 years ago.

So 14,000 years later what does Eagle Pack Super Premium and Holistic Select formulas offer? Probably the best of both worlds#%92…a diet that has been proven by the test of time, that is a 100% complete & balanced, meat meal based, with proven, functional levels of grains (not excessive levels), fats and fiber offering consistent Super Premium and Holistic nutrition on a daily basis, but in a bag.




Nutritional Notes For Consideration:
• Some ‘grain free#%92 commercial diets contain potato, a starch, or other grain substitutes, which can be high in carbohydrates, even as high as 30%. Some use other ingredients with little nutritional value as a binder to hold the kibble together. What do you gain when you replace grains or binders with substitutes that have less nutritional value than grains? Discussion boards state “corn is an inferior protein source.” We agree. Note the word ‘protein#%92. That#%92s why our Super Premium diets use corn as a carbohydrate source, not as a protein source. Our Holistic Select diets do not use corn. The choice is yours. Used correctly corn is not a filler. It is a quality carbohydrate source.
• Some will say my dog or cat looks so much better now that it is eating raw/grain free. And that may well be. But that animal was probably converted from a poor quality food.
• While there is some discussion that grain free or raw diets may aid cancer victims, there is no reviewed/university evidence. We are willing to stand corrected. Actually, whole grains/complex carbohydrates are recommended for cancer patients, in contrast to simple carbs fractionated grains/flours, not used in Eagle Pack diets. Also there is something to be said for holding weight during cancer treatment, which correct carbs provide.
• Understand that raw meat is 29% protein. The protein concentrated meat meals in our formulas (excludes lamb), are 60-70% protein and 91-95% digestible. They naturally provide all the essential and non-essential amino acids. We have 25 years of experience with Iditarod dogs eating raw. When offered a choice they more frequently choose Eagle Pack over raw. Leading mushers have now switched to feeding almost 100% kibble. They simply get better race and breeding results. There is no scientific evidence to prove enzymes are cooked out of foods. (Why has man been cooking foods ever since we discovered fire?) If that were the case, maybe humans and cats and dogs would be extinct? Cooking raises most grain digestibility to 99%.
• Our staff veterinarian is concerned that high protein levels may have a long-term affect on organs such as the kidneys and that grain free or raw diets contribute to obesity. Some raw or grain free diets have calcium and potassium levels that exceed AAFCO maximums and very high sodium and copper levels.
• Our Super Premium and Holistic Select® brands have 8+ added, holistic, custom supplements to enhance your pet#%92s well being.




It actually makes a lot of sense to me and considering that potatoes cause blood sugar to spike and are basically a simple carb. It does seem that brown rice is a healthier carb source.