Dog Community

Opinions on these ingredients?

Posted : 7/11/2008 6:52:32 AM

I saw this food the other day and just wanted to see what you all had to say about it. I thought it looked pretty good, but I'm very early in the learning stage.

Chicken, Chicken Meal, Whole Ground Brown Rice, Whole Ground Barley, Rye, Oats, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Natural Mixed Tocopherols), Natural Chicken Flavor, Menhaden Fish Meal, Alfalfa Meal, Dried Beet Pulp (Sugar Removed), Ground Flax Seed, Dried Eggs, Peas, Whole Carrots, Whole Sweet Potatoes, Canola Oil, Apples, Potassium Chloride, Sea Salt, Blueberries, Chicory Root Extract, Dried Kelp, Vitamin E Supplement, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Bacillus Subtilis, Bifodobacterium Thermo-philum, Bifidobacterium Longum, Enterococcus Faecium, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Choline Chloride, Zinc Proteinate (Source of Chelated Zinc), Zinc Sulfate, Iron Proteinate (Source of Chelated Iron), Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Lecithin, Manganese Proteinate (Source of Chelated Manganese), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin, Calcium Ascorbate (Source of Vitamin C), Vitamin A Supplement, Cobalt Proteinate (Source of Chelated Cobalt), Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Copper Proteinate (Source of Chelated Copper), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide (Source of Iodine), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Rosemary Extract, Biotin, Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite.

Crude Protein	24.0%	min
Crude Fat	14.0%	min
Crude Fiber	4.0%	max
Moisture	0.0%	max
Omega 6 Fatty Acids*	3.2%	min
Omega 3 Fatty Acids*	0.5%	min

*Not recognized as an essential nutrient by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profile.

jennie_c_d

Posted : 7/11/2008 7:13:30 AM

It looks great, if your dogs can tolerate complicated foods. The fat and protein might be low for some dogs, but it's right at the level of most dog foods that aren't for performance dogs.

DanielleNY

Posted : 7/11/2008 12:34:52 PM

It sounds fairly grain-heavy with 4 out of the top 6 ingredients being grains. Barley in particular can be troublesome for a lot of dogs. If you're dogs are ok with grains, then it doesn't sound bad. My only other concern would be the iodine level (which can affect thyroid function). It contains dried kelp and a second source of iodine, which sounds like it could be a lot of iodine, but this information is typically not listed in the guaranteed analysis. I would call or e-mail the company and ask about it, then compare it to the NRC recommendations. My dog was recently diagnosed hypothyroid, so I'm very cautious about iodine now.

NikoAwesomo

Posted : 7/11/2008 10:12:35 PM

That looks like Harmony dry dog food.

The ingredients are very similar (not 100%) to Blue Buffalo. I have been wondering for awhile if Harmony Pet Food is related to Blue Buffalo. If Harmony is Blue Buffalo's product for grocery stores, superstores like target, and etc....I am glad. I hope people are paying attention to better products for their pets.

P.S. - - I believe Harmony products (I think only the cans) were involved in the 2007 recall. Just FYI. Also, I can't believe I can recognize many brands by looking at ingredients. This is very nerdy...lol.

2shelties

Posted : 7/11/2008 10:16:02 PM

I thought it was Blue Buffalo, but yeah, it's slightly different. BB gives my dogs, well, two of them, terrible gas.

4mutts

Posted : 7/11/2008 10:23:16 PM

I agree. Seems a tad bit too grain heavy for my liking.

TheDogHouseBCMPD

Posted : 7/12/2008 8:09:02 AM

LOL, it is Harmony :)

I saw it at our grocery store and was kinda surprised. My guys normally eat Blue Buffalo but we ran out and I wasn't able to get to Petsmart before they closed.

ron2

Posted : 7/13/2008 7:51:11 AM

It looks heavy on iron and we recently had a thread to enlighten our awareness of iron. The ingredient list you showed has both ferrous proteinate (bonded with an amino acid) and ferrous sulfate (bonded as a salt). Bonding with an amino acid or fat increases bioavailability and salts are water soluble, which makes it easier to excrete excess.

Too much iron affects the absorption of zinc and phosphorous, which can initially lead to an imbalance between calcium and phosphorous. That is, if the phosphorous is being interrupted then the calcium dose would appear high only because it is not getting balanced. That's the effect of minor iron toxicosis. On the other hand, it is not listed in gross amounts, only as trace elements and might be alright. Hard working dogs have a higher need for iron supplement than non-working dogs.

And, I don't know if it's a misprint but zero percent moisture in the food? That doesn't sound right.

24Pawsnclaws

Posted : 7/13/2008 8:29:42 PM

IMO it has far too many grains , and grains that cause problems ( Barley). The protein is too low ( my min range is 32% ) and the Omega 3 fatty acid ratio should be AT LEAST HALF ( 1.5-1.7% ) of what the Omega 6 is for an optimum balance. I'm very picky about these things so this is something I'd definitely pass on.