Lots of changes made today! Warning, long post ahead!
First things first, Zupreem Grain Free has changed their formula to remove the peas. They now use only sweet potatoes/potatoes instead.
The old formula scored 34.6 points, and the new formula scores 37.1, probably because Zupreem has also added in chicken by-product meal. Salmon has also left the top 6 ingredients, and has been replaced by generic "fish meal" (This change did NOT affect scoring). Note that both new and old formulas use potato protein, so that 40% is boosted by vegetables, which ferrets cannot use.
I also added Wysong Anergen 2, and a late shout out to Joey's Mom Courtnie for getting me the ingredients to DuMor Ferret food! Thanks Courtnie!
Also, a few weeks ago I was tipped off that Petco is now carrying a new food made by Kaytee. It boasts that it's grain and gluten free, and formulated for rotation feeding. They run a modest $19.99 for 3lb bag.
So how do these new foods measure up? Unfortunately, ferret food companies have yet again dropped the ball. The new Kaytee food (both the chicken and turkey formulas) score a measly 39.12 points, landing them in the upper orange category.
Both formulas are very similar, see below.
Chicken Formula: Chicken Meal, Poultry By-Product Meal, Pea Flour, Poultry Fat, Chicken, Ground Flax Seed
Turkey Formula: Chicken Meal, Poultry By-Product Meal, Pea Flour, Poultry Fat, Turkey, Ground Flax Seed
Basically, they are the exact same food, except for the 5 ingredient is turkey in one, and chicken in the other. So that "turkey" formula is hardly turkey based at all. I guess the claim that they can be used for rotation feeding holds true, since there is hardly any difference between the formulas.
Kaytee has also introduced several new canned foods to their line as well- Tuna & Crab, Chicken and Duck, and Chicken Chunk (ew, did they have to say "chunk"?) At $1.99 for a small 3oz can, it's pretty pricy.
Chicken Formula: Chicken, Chicken Broth, Sunflower Oil, Salt, Guar Gum, Tricalcium Phosphate.
Duck Formula: Chicken Broth, Chicken, Pea Protein, Tapioca Starch, Duck, Guar Gum
Tuna/Crab Formula: Tuna, Tuna Broth, Crab, Sunflower Oil, Tapioca Starch, Tricalcium Phosphate
To properly compare these canned foods to kibble, I converted them to a dry matter (all were 82% moisture, which converts to 18% dry) Here are the dry matter stats:
Chicken
8% protein (44% when converted to dry matter)
2% fat (11% when converted to dry matter)
Tuna
10% protein (55%)
2% fat (11%)
DUCK
8% protein? (44%) The picture I took was a bit blurry, but I think it said 8%
3% fat (16%)
So, these could make a decent treat, the protein is pretty good, though the fat is too low to be a suitable long-term diet. Since the Duck formula has peas, some may choose to avoid. I'm probably going to stick with high end canned cat foods instead, since they have more meat, and more variety.
Lastly, Kaytee has also added new ferret treats to the mix."Bacon Bits Premium High Protein Treats". They are $4.99 for a 3oz package.
Unfortunately, another ferret product to avoid!
Ingredients: Poultry Meal, Poultry By-Product Meal, Brewers Rice, Poultry Fat, Dehulled Soybean Meal, Ground Wheat, Soybean Oil, Dried Egg Product, Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Chicken Flavor, Ground Flax Seed, Fish Meal, Wheat Germ Meal, Dextrose, Brewers Dried Yeast, Salt, then minerals etc etc
There is a very minimal amount of "bacon flavor", 4 ingredients after the salt, but still, why? Why do companies need market bacon treats for any animal? Bacon isn't even good for humans! These also have artificial coloring, so expect scary red poop as well.
I wish companies would get their heads on straight!
Anyway, those are all the new foods I've seen lately! If you see anything new that hasn't been added to the chart, shoot me an email!
First things first, Zupreem Grain Free has changed their formula to remove the peas. They now use only sweet potatoes/potatoes instead.
The old formula scored 34.6 points, and the new formula scores 37.1, probably because Zupreem has also added in chicken by-product meal. Salmon has also left the top 6 ingredients, and has been replaced by generic "fish meal" (This change did NOT affect scoring). Note that both new and old formulas use potato protein, so that 40% is boosted by vegetables, which ferrets cannot use.
I also added Wysong Anergen 2, and a late shout out to Joey's Mom Courtnie for getting me the ingredients to DuMor Ferret food! Thanks Courtnie!
Also, a few weeks ago I was tipped off that Petco is now carrying a new food made by Kaytee. It boasts that it's grain and gluten free, and formulated for rotation feeding. They run a modest $19.99 for 3lb bag.
So how do these new foods measure up? Unfortunately, ferret food companies have yet again dropped the ball. The new Kaytee food (both the chicken and turkey formulas) score a measly 39.12 points, landing them in the upper orange category.
Both formulas are very similar, see below.
Chicken Formula: Chicken Meal, Poultry By-Product Meal, Pea Flour, Poultry Fat, Chicken, Ground Flax Seed
Turkey Formula: Chicken Meal, Poultry By-Product Meal, Pea Flour, Poultry Fat, Turkey, Ground Flax Seed
Basically, they are the exact same food, except for the 5 ingredient is turkey in one, and chicken in the other. So that "turkey" formula is hardly turkey based at all. I guess the claim that they can be used for rotation feeding holds true, since there is hardly any difference between the formulas.
Kaytee has also introduced several new canned foods to their line as well- Tuna & Crab, Chicken and Duck, and Chicken Chunk (ew, did they have to say "chunk"?) At $1.99 for a small 3oz can, it's pretty pricy.
Chicken Formula: Chicken, Chicken Broth, Sunflower Oil, Salt, Guar Gum, Tricalcium Phosphate.
Duck Formula: Chicken Broth, Chicken, Pea Protein, Tapioca Starch, Duck, Guar Gum
Tuna/Crab Formula: Tuna, Tuna Broth, Crab, Sunflower Oil, Tapioca Starch, Tricalcium Phosphate
To properly compare these canned foods to kibble, I converted them to a dry matter (all were 82% moisture, which converts to 18% dry) Here are the dry matter stats:
Chicken
8% protein (44% when converted to dry matter)
2% fat (11% when converted to dry matter)
Tuna
10% protein (55%)
2% fat (11%)
DUCK
8% protein? (44%) The picture I took was a bit blurry, but I think it said 8%
3% fat (16%)
So, these could make a decent treat, the protein is pretty good, though the fat is too low to be a suitable long-term diet. Since the Duck formula has peas, some may choose to avoid. I'm probably going to stick with high end canned cat foods instead, since they have more meat, and more variety.
Lastly, Kaytee has also added new ferret treats to the mix."Bacon Bits Premium High Protein Treats". They are $4.99 for a 3oz package.
Unfortunately, another ferret product to avoid!
Ingredients: Poultry Meal, Poultry By-Product Meal, Brewers Rice, Poultry Fat, Dehulled Soybean Meal, Ground Wheat, Soybean Oil, Dried Egg Product, Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Chicken Flavor, Ground Flax Seed, Fish Meal, Wheat Germ Meal, Dextrose, Brewers Dried Yeast, Salt, then minerals etc etc
There is a very minimal amount of "bacon flavor", 4 ingredients after the salt, but still, why? Why do companies need market bacon treats for any animal? Bacon isn't even good for humans! These also have artificial coloring, so expect scary red poop as well.
I wish companies would get their heads on straight!
Anyway, those are all the new foods I've seen lately! If you see anything new that hasn't been added to the chart, shoot me an email!