#PawNatural Product Review

So we've had our samples of Only Natural Pet foods, dental sprays and litter for three weeks now. Here are our thoughts on the products we tested:

Pine Cobble Litter

Only Natural Pet's pine cobble litter smells fresh and fantastic - naturally. No chemicals added, which I like a lot. And I was happy to see it was 35¢/pound cheaper than the biodegradable brand we're currently using.

Maxwell: So momma, you gonna talk about this all day, or are we going to get on with the testing?

I compared the texture of the litter to what we've been using, and noticed it's a bit less rounded. I wondered if this contributes to the "pancake-style" clumping Only Natural Pet says their litter features.

Only Natural Pine Cobble on the left. The brand I've been using on the right.

One of many complaints people have about litters is the high dust associated with it.
So I decided to do a pour test.

Only Natural Pine Cobble on the left. The brand I currently use on the right.

The pine cobble did give off a small puff of dust, but it was far less than what I recall clay litters producing. Still, you may want to be careful when you initially pour it into your litter pan. Since using it, though, I can tell you I've experienced no dust in everyday use/scooping. The clumps are a bit looser and less formed than you get with other litters but it's still scoopable.

Maxwell doesn't mind the switch-over at all.

Can you get cheaper litter? Yes. Many clay litters beat biodegradable brands by up to 40¢/pound.  

However.

If you haven't heard of the potential dangers associated with clay litters, please read on:

Clumping cat litter contains sodium bentonite. This mineral has the ability to expand to up to 20 times its volume in the presence of water - so you can see why it's an attractive ingredient to manufacturers of clay litter.

But some serious concerns have arisen with its use.

•  It has been blamed for the death of a basset hound who ingested it.
•  It can be a contributing factor in gastrointestinal blockage in cats.
•  Kittens are particularly vulnerable to sodium bentonite toxicosis.
   [Many shelters, including ours, instruct foster families to avoid clay litters for that reason]
• It can present an inhalation hazard to humans as well.

According to californiaminerals.com, this particular type of bentonite often has an exaggerated caustic Ph value.

I will never, ever go back to using clay - and now you know why.


The Food Test

But first: I was curious about the origin of pet food as we know it today, so I did a little digging. Did you know that processed foods for dogs and cats are a fairly recent invention?

Wikipedia tells us that:

"The 1930s saw the introduction of canned cat food and dry meat-meal dog food by the Gaines Food Company." So commercial pet food is a post-WW I creation.

Easy Raw even smells good - like people food.
Something you'd serve at your Thanksgiving table.

I think we can safely assume that pre-1930, our pets were not eating highly processed foods with loads of additives.

Only Natural Pet food doesn't have these things, either. And I do like that.

Look at the ingredients on the labels. I have, and you can, too, at this link here. You'll see it’s the kind of stuff you’d have on your own dinner plate.

Their foods include ingredients like free range and cage free meats, with no antibiotics or hormones, fresh vegetables and fruits. And no artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners. [We should all eat this healthy!]

So what did the gang think of this food?

First up: Max Meat Grain-Free Air-Dried Chicken.

Allie inspects a piece of air-dried Max Meat Chicken

As you know, cats are creatures of habit to the point that animal behaviorist Dr. Temple Granden likens them to autistic children. They do not like change. So when introducing a new food, you must proceed slowly, mixing the new in with the old. Gradually increase the new while decreasing the old. Depending on how set in his ways your cat may be, this process could take weeks.

At three weeks in, we're still not done with the switch-over, though there are some promising signs:

I mixed Faraday's first bite of Max Meat with his standard fare.

Official Member of the Clean Plate Club  :-)

Next up: Easy Raw Turkey Dehydrated Cat Food

I wondered about the amount of vegetables I saw in the mix. Cats are obligate carnivores, after all, so that means meat, not veggies. Here's Only Natural Pet's response:

"The amount of fruits and vegetables are in this formula to avoid using synthetic vitamins...whole foods are better assimilated and we have to remember, these kitties are in our environment now, and they need a lot more antioxidant help."

Now on with the test:

Easy Raw, mixed in with Allie's standard fare.  Seriously guys, this stuff smells great.

Allie gave Faraday some competition in the Clean Plate Club category.

Again, we're still working on slowly introducing these foods. Easy Raw is very easy to mix, and you can whip up four days' worth and store it in the refrigerator.

We're also trying out All Smiles - a spray-on dental solution.
Because after the February we had, I would do anything - ANYTHING - to keep our three from having any more teeth removed.

Eight teeth removed between the three of them was very traumatic. And painful, too.

Only time - and another trip to the vet in 6 months or so - will tell if this product is helpful.

I certainly hope so!




FTC Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Only Natural Pet on behalf of the BlogPaws Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Only Natural Pet, but A Tonk's Tail only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Only Natural Pet is not responsible for the content of this article.

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Sources:
Wikipedia's History of Pet Food
Discover Magazine interviews Dr. Temple Grandin

Sources on sodium bentonite:
Veterinary and Human Toxicology article on toxicosis in kittens
http://www.livestrong.com/article/184332-what-are-the-types-of-bentonite-clay/ 
http://www.engr.colostate.edu/ce/homepages/shackel/Papers/35.pdf
http://www.clays.org/journal/archive/volume%2010/10-1-272.pdf
http://www.californiaearthminerals.com/science/clay-minerals-research.php?16 
and http://digitalfire.com/4sight/hazards/ceramic_hazard_bentonite_toxicity_31.html

Our Pets, Their Health, and The Environment: #PawNatural

How does our view of the world influence how we care for our pets?
Since tomorrow is Earth Day, it seemed an appropriate topic.
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I come from a culture and faith that takes stewardship of the earth very seriously. We have a saying: tikkun olam, "repair the world." And though its full meaning goes far beyond just the physical world in which we live (it has deep spiritual connotations), there is an inherent respect for the planet we inhabit, and the animals who are in our care. 

Faraday likes to explore the yard in his harness. I am mindful of
pesticides and fertilizers, and keep his explorations confined to our yard.

The items associated with the proper care of a pet not only have an impact on the animal itself; they can also have an impact on the environment.

Natural litters that are biodegradable are kinder to the earth. They don’t add to landfills, and they're flushable, too. (yay!)

Pet foods free of chemicals, hormones, artificial colors, flavors and preservatives aren’t just better for your pet. These types of foods frequently use ingredients that are raised and harvested in sustainable ways – and this, too, is better for the environment.

It took us months to nurse Maxwell back to health when we adopted him.
And that gave us a completely new appreciation for products that promote wellness!

Some may question whether or not the type and quality of ingredients really matter all that much.
Perhaps the following story will help clarify:

About five years ago, a friend of ours suddenly became my husband's patient. Trust me when I say you do not want to become a patient of my husband – he treats people stricken with cancer.

Because it was a close friend, I immersed myself in my husband's world.

I researched. I traveled with him that year to ASTRO (the American Society for Radiation Oncology).

I listened to lectures and read white papers.

While we were there I heard an M.D. from Johns Hopkins present a paper on a study that changed the way I view food.

At the time, not that many people were talking about the effects that additives and chemicals can have on the food we eat, nor how ingredient choices could impact our health. But this doctor did.

This might sound unremarkable to you now, but at the time it was radical talk: Cancer feeds on sugar. Sugar depresses the immune system. Phytochemicals and carotenoids have cancer-fighting properties.

Today, a simple search will get you to mainstream sites like WebMD that say these same things.
Can foods positively or negatively impact our health? Modern medicine now unequivocally says YES.

If that’s true for humans, it’s true for our pets as well.

Feeding our glam girl an all-natural cat food may make
a difference in her health over time.

Personally, I believe in the long run that feeding a healthier diet - free of added chemicals and with ingredients that promote a stronger immune system - will result in fewer illnesses, thus fewer vet bills.

I equate it to the difference between paying incrementally more over time vs. being hit with a several hundred dollar vet bill all at once. In a way, it's a form of insurance.

But wait – is it really that much more expensive?

When Only Natural Pet approached and asked if I’d review their products, I did a cost comparison. I looked at their dehydrated cat food and compared it to a very well-known non-premium canned cat food and one of the oldest brands of dry kibble on the market.

The canned food was slightly more expensive (≈30₵/lb) and the kibble was slightly less (≈50₵/lb). Please note that’s per pound and not per ounce.

Would you consider changing to a healthier food for your pet, if it meant a nominal increase to your monthly grocery bill?

(The Tonk's Tail Test Laboratory is about to launch, and in a few weeks I'll be back one last time to give you firsthand - err, paw - opinions on food, litter and supplements from Only Natural Pet.)
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This post is sponsored by Only Natural Pet on behalf of the BlogPaws Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Only Natural Pet, but A Tonk's Tail only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Only Natural Pet is not responsible for the content of this article.

So what exactly does "natural" mean anyway? #PawNatural

Recently, I was offered the opportunity to sit in on an interview about a new and exclusive brand of all natural pet products.

Kersten Lee has been with Only Natural Pet for a little over 3 years, and is the head of Product Development for the company. You can hear the enthusiasm in her voice as she speaks.

I was especially curious about how the company began, and why.

She told me their founder had noticed a trend in healthcare - an increased focus on wellness in the human sector.

He's correct: emphasis on healthy living as a preventive measure has never been higher.

And the number of companies producing more healthful alternatives for us humans has been on the rise for several years now.

But not so much for our pets. And he asked himself – why not?
Then he partnered with a holistic veterinarian to do just that.

Kersten says their products are specifically formulated to be biologically appropriate for either dogs or cats, and that they use only natural, quality ingredients.

As you know, companies use – and misuse – the word natural constantly. You can’t walk down an aisle in your local grocer without being bombarded by packaging that claims to have “natural flavoring” or is “100% natural.”

What does this mean on a
package, anyway?

And when you pick them up, you can find everything from chemicals to corn syrup in them.

(if you saw yesterday’s post - well, I rest my case ;-)

In part, that’s because the FDA has no laws in place that regulate what “natural” means.

As 77% of consumers polled say they are positively influenced to buy when they see the word "natural" on their packaging, it's concerning to say the least.

So – pardon the pun – but it was only natural that I’d want to know what this company meant when they said their pet products were “Only Natural”!

Kersten explained that they only sourced ingredients from companies who could provide certificates of analysis on where their ingredients came from and how they were sourced.

Do you believe feeding quality food impacts your pet's health?
Let us know in comments!

She went on to say that they follow the standards set out by Whole Foods Markets and that most of their suppliers are also sources for human food manufacturers.

All foods meet AAFCO standards, and Only Natural Pet is also an audited member of the National Animal Supplement Council.

I went hunting for Whole Foods' standards, and here's what I found:

"We feature foods that are free of artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, sweeteners, and hydrogenated fats.
We are passionate about great tasting food and the pleasure of sharing it with others.
We are committed to foods that are fresh, wholesome and safe to eat.
We seek out and promote organically grown foods.
We provide food and nutritional products that support health and well-being."

Sounds like a pretty good measuring stick for a baseline.

They’ve offered me the opportunity to test these new products out on our Herd of Three, and I’m looking forward to sharing my impressions with you.

Allie takes her food VERY seriously.

Oh, and Faraday, Maxwell and Allie’s impressions, as well.

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FTC Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Only Natural Pet on behalf of the BlogPaws Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Only Natural Pet, but A Tonk's Tail only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Only Natural Pet is not responsible for the content of this article.