[Frances A]

I started feeding my mini schnauzer and GSD a locally made food called Pet Wants which was recommended by my groomer. I went to reorder it and noticed the first ingredient in every flavor is meal….chicken meal, lamb meal, whitefish meal. Is this a no no?

We have struggled with finding the right mix for our GSD. He tends to get the itchys very easily, as does the mini schnau. I have tried all sorts of foods from Natures Variety to Taste of the Wild to Raw. We seem to be in a good place with this food but I’m leary the main ingredient isn’t pure chicken. Here’s the ingredient list: Thank you!

Whitefish & Duck Grain Free
Pet Wants Whitefish & Duck Grain Free dog food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO dog food nutrient profiles for “All Life Stages”.
GUARANTEED ANALYSIS:
Crude Protein, min – 30.0%
Crude Fat, min – 16.0%
Crude Fiber, max – 4.5%
Moisture, max – 10.0%
* Omega 6 (Linoleic Acid), min – 2.5%
* Omega 3 (Linolenic Acid), min – 0.53%
* Glucosamine, min – 800 ppm
* Chondroitin, min – 400 ppm
* Not recognized as an essential nutrient by AAFCO dog food nutrient profiles.
INGREDIENT LIST:
Whitefish Meal, Duck Meal, Chick Peas, Field Peas, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Lentils, Tapioca Starch, Carrots, Celery, Beets, Parsley, Lettuce, Watercress, Spinach, Whole Ground Flaxseed, Natural Flavor, Kelp Meal, DL-Methionine, Salt, L-Lysine, Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride
Vitamin & Mineral Premix:
Glucosamine HCL, Potassium Chloride, Fructooligosaccharide (FOS), Chondroitin Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Niacin Supplement, Organic Dried Kelp, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Acetate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Citric Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Iron Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganous Oxide, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate.

Calorie Count: 437 kcal/cup
Feeding Suggestions*: (Standard 8 oz. measuring cup)
*These are quantity suggestions; the amount you feed your pet can vary, depending greatly upon the breed, activity level, metabolism and your preferences.

[kassie m]

Don’t worry, it’s not a no no! Named animal meals are meat concentrates which are much higher in protein – meaning Chicken meal contains more protein than just Chicken. The ingredients look good; I think you can feel great about feeding it! 🙂

[chris]

Frances A- The only thing you have to worry about in meals especially fish meals is making sure they don’t use ethoxyquin. It’s a chemical preservative used to keep the fish meal from going rancid quickly.

In regards to that, I don’t feed my dog any fish meal or any fish dry kibble foods. Now this is from research I have done, but dogs shouldn’t have a large portion of fish as there daily diet. This can result in thiamine (Vit B10) Deficiency which can result in poor appetite, loss of weight, seizures. If I tend to want to give the dogs fish I usually buy fresh wild caught and cook it myself and add it to there food which I usually do twice a week.

TLDR: Fish meal is the only meal you really have to worry much about. I’d stay clear of it! Hope this helps!

[Pitlove]

I have no problem with seeing a named meat meal as the first ingredient. Some do. I’d rather see a whole meat followed by 2 meat meals or another whole meat, but meat meal doesn’t not bother me.

[SaltiDawg]

Chris,

“The only thing you have to worry about in meals especially fish meals is making sure they don’t use ethoxyquin….”

Would one expect to see ethoxyquin listed as an kibble ingredient IF it was used as a preservative in creating the meal?

EDIT: I should have researched just a little before posting my question. Seems it may not appear in the ingredients list and also possibly not all feel it is a (serious) problem, if at all.

/red-flag-ingredients/ethoxyquin-dangerous-dog-food-additive/

• This reply was modified 10 years, 1 month ago by SaltiDawg. Reason: I had not tried to find an answer. sorry to have wasted everyone's time

[Author]

Posts