I've never been a fan of Nature's Recipe b/c of the amount of grains they use, but wow! I didn't know they used animal digest!
Here are the first 8 ingredients (the first 8-12, depending on the manufacturer, will make up about 90% of the total ingredient weight):
Venison meal, ground rice, oatmeal, pearled barley, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), pea protein, animal digest, potassium chloride
Venison MEAL is good - it's exclusive of water and fat weight, which has to be extracted to produce a dry kibble. But followed by 3 grains? Those grains outweigh the meat source, making this primarily grain-based. Chicken fat is fine. Not so sure about the pea protein - probably genetically modified, and peas have been shown to have a detrimental reproductive effect in female canines. Animal digest is gross and is frankly nothing but a flavor enhancer to get your dog to eat the food - no real nutritional value. Potassium chloride is a variety of salt, technically, but real salt would be much better, as overdoses of this variety is toxic, and I wouldn't want anyone to ingest a substance that is more commonly used as a lethal injection and water softener.
For what you're spending on Nature's Recipe (40 lbs for $45.99 at Petco), you can find a MUCH better quality food that your pet will THRIVE on, not just survive on. If you're using venison as a meat source b/c your dog has allergies, I bet you anything that your dog has allergies to all of the grains and additives and NOT the meat source. Very rare for a canine to be allergic meats.
Check out Blue Buffalo Wilderness, Castor & Pollux, Orijen, Natural Balance, Pinnacle, Wellness CORE, EVO, Taste of the Wild . . . . heck, even PetSmart's Authority Harvest-Baked would be better.
Of course, you could always go raw. It's species-appropriate and you won't spend more than you do now, especially if you buy in bulk.
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I've never been a fan of Nature's Recipe b/c of the amount of grains they use, but wow! I didn't know they used animal digest!
Here are the first 8 ingredients (the first 8-12, depending on the manufacturer, will make up about 90% of the total ingredient weight):
Venison meal, ground rice, oatmeal, pearled barley, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), pea protein, animal digest, potassium chloride
Venison MEAL is good - it's exclusive of water and fat weight, which has to be extracted to produce a dry kibble. But followed by 3 grains? Those grains outweigh the meat source, making this primarily grain-based. Chicken fat is fine. Not so sure about the pea protein - probably genetically modified, and peas have been shown to have a detrimental reproductive effect in female canines. Animal digest is gross and is frankly nothing but a flavor enhancer to get your dog to eat the food - no real nutritional value. Potassium chloride is a variety of salt, technically, but real salt would be much better, as overdoses of this variety is toxic, and I wouldn't want anyone to ingest a substance that is more commonly used as a lethal injection and water softener.
For what you're spending on Nature's Recipe (40 lbs for $45.99 at Petco), you can find a MUCH better quality food that your pet will THRIVE on, not just survive on. If you're using venison as a meat source b/c your dog has allergies, I bet you anything that your dog has allergies to all of the grains and additives and NOT the meat source. Very rare for a canine to be allergic meats.
Check out Blue Buffalo Wilderness, Castor & Pollux, Orijen, Natural Balance, Pinnacle, Wellness CORE, EVO, Taste of the Wild . . . . heck, even PetSmart's Authority Harvest-Baked would be better.
Of course, you could always go raw. It's species-appropriate and you won't spend more than you do now, especially if you buy in bulk.
Hope this is helpful!
No!!!
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