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Dog Food Insiders Rating
3 PAWS
You can find detailed information aboutCanidae Pet Food Corporation in our main review of Canidae Dog Food. There you will also find information about how the food is made, recalls, and their quality control. This review will cover the Pure Sea blend in the line of Canidae Dog Food products.
Canidae relies on an All Life Stages approach to feeding dogs. Most of their products are formulated for all life stages. They produce kibbles and canned food in several formulations: all life stage formulas, senior formula, and several grain free formulas. They also produce cat foods. Canidae is considered to be a premium pet food and can be found at pet stores and for sale online.
Ingredients in Canidae Platinum Dog Food
Chicken meal, brown rice, white rice, rice bran, peas, potatoes, oatmeal, cracked pearled barley, millet, turkey meal, lamb meal, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), tomato pomace, natural flavor, flaxseed meal, ocean fish meal, choline chloride, glucosamine hydrochloride, chondroitin sulfate,psyllium seed husks, suncured alfalfa meal, inulin (from chicory root), lecithin, sage extract, cranberries, beta-carotene, rosemary extract, sunflower oil, yucca schidigera extract, dried enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, vitamins (vitamin E supplement, thiamine mononitrate, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid), minerals (iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite),papaya, pineapple.
Special Note About Senior Dog Food
Before delving into the contents of this food, we should say a word about food for senior and overweight dogs. Some dog food manufacturers, unfortunately, combine these needs into one food. In reality, senior dogs and overweight dogs can have very different nutritional needs. While some experts assume that senior dogs must be overweight because they are usually less active than younger dogs, this is not always true. In fact, as dogs get older, they can have more difficulty digesting food and maintaining their weight. Many older dogs can be quite skinny and owners have a hard time keeping weight on them. If you have an older dog who is thin, the last thing you want to feed him is one of these dog foods formulated for senior and/or overweight dogs. It won’t have the calories, protein, and other nutrients that your older dog desperately needs. Instead, older dogs often need food with increased protein and more calories just to maintain their normal weight.
We would like to see more pet food research done into the best food for senior dogs, especially senior dogs who are starting to lose weight.
If you have an overweight dog then you will probably be better served by one of these combined foods but you should be aware that they often contain lots of carbohydrates to act as fillers. This is done with the idea that carbs-as-fillers will keep your dog feeling full with fewer calories and less fat. But your dog will usually be getting less protein. In many cases you will be better off continuing to feed your dog his regular dog food and simply feeding him smaller portions. You can add vegetables such as green beans to his food to help him feel fuller between meals.
Top 5 Ingredients Breakdown
The first five ingredients in this food are: Chicken meal, brown rice, white rice, rice bran, peas.
The first ingredient in the food is chicken meal. Chicken is about 80 percent protein and it’s a good source of Vitamin B6 and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Niacin and Selenium. Since this is chicken meal, it’s had most of the moisture removed, meaning it is a condensed form of the chicken protein and a good source of protein for dog food. As the first ingredient that means there is more chicken meal in the food, by weight before cooking, than any other ingredient in the food. This is a good animal protein for many dogs. Some dogs can be allergic to chicken, however. Obviously, if your dog has problems with chicken you’ll need to avoid this food.
The second ingredient is brown rice. Brown rice is often used in dog foods, especially as a change from corn and wheat. From a dog food viewpoint, rice is a cereal grain. Brown rice is higher in fiber than white rice, and less processed. It can also be a little more irritating to the stomach than white rice. It’s a simple carbohydrate that can give dogs quick energy. Used in conjunction with more complex carbs in a dog food, brown rice is a good ingredient.
The third ingredient is white rice. White rice can be gentler on the stomach than brown rice and is a little easier to digest but they are both simple carbohydrates that provide dogs with quick energy.
As for concerns about arsenic in rice, and thus in dog foods that include rice, the FDA has not made any recommendation for pet food companies to stop using rice or for dog owners to avoid feeding foods that contain rice. Nor has the FDA suggested that people stop eating rice. If you are uncomfortable about the possibility of minute amounts of arsenic in rice or dog food, you should avoid this food or any dog food that contains rice.
The fourth ingredient is rice bran. Rice Bran is the outer coating of the rice kernel, with little or none of the starchy part of the germ. It’s an inexpensive source of fiber and it’s usually considered to be a filler in dog food.
The fifth ingredient is peas. Peas are a problematic ingredient in dog food for some dogs. Although they boost the protein percentage in food, containing about 24 percent protein, they are also a source of dietary fiber. Peas are not always easily digested by dogs and can result in increased waste and some gastrointestinal issues. They can also interfere with the absorption of vitamins and minerals in the food. http://www.petfoodindustry.com/Ingredient_Issues/Peas_in_petfood/ (This is a rosy article so you have to read between the lines.) Plant-based proteins are generally not as easy for dogs to digest or absorb as animal-based proteins.
Top 5 Ingredients Summary
Overall, the first five ingredients in this food show a good source of animal protein with the chicken meal. The remaining ingredients in the first five show carbohydrates that are expected in a weight control dog food. More animal protein and fewer carbs would be nice. We do not consider the use of peas in the first five ingredients as a source of protein to be a good sign.
Additional Ingredients of Interest
Farther down on the ingredient list the food contains several meat meals for animal protein: turkey meal, lamb meal, and ocean fish meal.
Turkey is present in the form of turkey meal. Turkey is about 70 percent protein. It’s a good source of Riboflavin and Phosphorus, and a very good source of and Selenium. Since this is turkey meal, most of the moisture has been removed and it is a concentrated form of the protein.
The food also contains lamb meal. Lamb is about 60 percent protein. It’s a good source of Vitamin B6, Pantothenic Acid, Phosphorus and Manganese, and a very good source of Vitamin A, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B12, Iron, Zinc, Copper and Selenium. It also contains lots of omega-6 fatty acid. Since this is a meal, most of the moisture has already been removed prior to cooking and the protein is very concentrated.
And the food contains ocean fish meal. Canidae says that they do not use ethoxyquin as a preservative. AAFCO defines ocean fish meal as “the clean, rendered (cooked down), dried ground tissue of undecomposed whole ocean fish or ocean fish cuttings, either or both, with or without the extraction of part of the oil.” It’s an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acid. We don’t know what kind of ocean fish this is, but it’s still a good ingredient in dog food. The kind of ocean fish used often varies depending on the time of year. Since this is a fish meal, it’s a concentrated form of fish and generally has a higher protein percentage than uncondensed fish would.
It’s nice to see all of these meat meals in the food but you should keep in mind that, in total, the food only contains approximately 22.2 percent protein (dry matter basis). This is a low protein percentage for a premium dog food. There’s no real reason why a dog food for senior dogs or for overweight dogs should be so low in protein. If you are concerned about senior dogs and protein because of their kidneys, protein isn’t a problem for the kidneys of senior dogs unless they already have an existing kidney disease. Otherwise they can have all the protein they want. Giving your senior dog a dog food with a moderate or moderately high percentage of protein will not bring on any kind of kidney problem. Chronic kidney disease can affect up to about 10 percent of elderly dogs.
The next several ingredients in this food show a lot of carbohydrates – so many that we would call them fillers in the food. The food contains an estimated 55 percent carbohydrates and many of them come in the following ingredients: potatoes, oatmeal, cracked pearled barley, millet. Potatoes are a good source of Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Potassium and Manganese but they are also 92 percent carbohydrates.
Oatmeal is frequently used in dog foods, especially in foods that don’t use corn or wheat. Many dogs that have allergies to corn or wheat can eat oatmeal without a problem. Oatmeal features about 74 percent carbohydrates, 12 percent protein, and 14 percent fat. It’s a good source of dietary fiber, Phosphorus and Selenium, and a very good source of Manganese. It’s slow to digest so it can keep your dog feeling full for a long time. Used in conjunction with some simpler carbs that digest more quickly, such as rice, it’s a good source of long-term energy.
The food also contains cracked pearled barley. Cracked pearled barley has been polished to remove part of its hull and bran; and to make it easier to digest. Keep in mind that the more it’s processed, the more nutrients it loses, even if it makes it easier to digest. It has a moderate amount of starch that can be slowly digested, along with soluble fiber. Barley is 90 percent carbohydrates and 7 percent protein. Otherwise, it’s a good source of dietary fiber.
The food also contains millet which is a low-nutrient cereal grass/grain. It is a gluten-free carbohydrate that is easy to digest but it has very little nutritional value (82 percent carbohydrates, 11 percent protein, 7 percent fat, with only minimal vitamins and minerals). It is generally used as bird seed in North America.
The food also contains “natural flavor.” This is a deceptive term that often indicates the presence of MSG or monosodium glutamate used for flavoring. This isn’t something that you generally want to add to your dog’s food unless you have a particular object in mind, such as discouraging your dog from eating his own poop. MSG is sometimes recommended as a supplement to make your dog’s waste taste bad to him so he won’t try to eat it. Otherwise, when a food has “natural flavor,” it usually has a lot of salt which isn’t good for your dog. However, in some cases “natural flavor” can indicate the presence of liver broth or beef broth. We just don’t know. But when you see this term listed in the ingredients, it usually sends up a red flag.
We also see flaxseed meal here. Lots of people like flaxseed and flaxseed meal for their dogs since it’s a good source of dietary fiber and a great source of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids (especially omega 3). However, flaxseed is also a significant source of phytoestrogen – these are plant-derived substances that mimic some of the effects of estrogen in the body. This can be especially true in females.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytoestrogens Without going into the possible effects on humans, many dog breeders have reported that feeding dogs foods that contain flaxseed or flaxseed oil has interfered with conception and gestation. So flaxseed meal is something that should be viewed cautiously, especially if you breed dogs. If you have an intact female dog, especially in a house with male dogs, you may find that foods with flaxseed cause males to think the female is in season. The same phenomenon often occurs with foods containing soy. We should also point out that the omega-3 fatty acid from flaxseed is considered to be less desirable than omega-3 from cold water fish sources (though omega-3, in general, is always good).
We also note that the food contains a number of beneficial ingredients such aschelated minerals (“proteinates”). These are minerals that have been bonded to proteins so they are easier to absorb. They are more expensive for the dog food manufacturer to buy so you usually see them in better dog foods.
We also note the presence of a number of interesting ingredients such asinulin (a prebiotic), cranberries (an antioxidant), rosemary extract (a mild natural preservative), and other things. These are all ingredients that are often found in premium foods. They can be beneficial to your dog.
As a fat source the food uses chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols) and sunflower oil. The chicken fat is a named fat from an animal source which is nice to see. Dogs need fat to help them use many fat-soluble vitamins and to keep their skin and coat in good shape, among other things. Sunflower oil is a good source of vitamin E.
The food also contains several dried fermentation products. These products have been shown to be beneficial in aiding animal digestion, though some of them are probably best understood because they have been used for many years in agricultural production. It’s common to give these products to cattle and other animals to help them gain weight from their food. Of these ingredients the one that people are probably most familiar with is lactobacillus acidophilus, a culture found in yogurt. It’s a probiotic that helps turn sugars into lactic acid (read more here). Many people use it to encourage the growth of “good” or beneficial bacteria in the gut. All of the fermentation products listed in the food have similar purposes to help with digestion.
Finally, the food has papaya and pineapple. Papaya allegedly helps dogs with digestion and it’s a source of dietary fiber. Pineapple is sometimes given to dogs to discourage them from eating their own poop.
Guaranteed Analysis
- Crude Protein (min.) 20.00%
- Crude Fat (min.) 8.50%
- Crude Fiber 4.00%
- Moisture 10.00%
- Linoleic Acid (Omega 6) (min.) 2.60%
- Vitamin E (min.) 200.00 IU/kg
- Alpha Linolenic Acid (Omega 3)** (min.) 0.50%
- Glucosamine HCL** (min.) 750.00 mg/kg
- Chondroitin Sulfate** (min.) 250.00 mg/kg
- Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)** (min.) 50.00 mg/kg
- Lactobacillus Acidophilus** (min.) 100 million CFU/lb.
- Cellulase** (a) 100 CMCU/kg
**Not recognized as an essential nutrient by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles.
Calories Content
342 calories per 8 oz cup
Nutritional Adequacy Statement
CANIDAE® Platinum® Formula is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for Adult Senior and Overweight Dogs.*
*AAFCO does not have specific nutritional levels for senior or overweight dogs. They have two official levels for complete and balanced pet foods: growth and lactation; and adult maintenance. Foods that meet the growth and lactation specifications are sometimes labeled “all life stages” because they meet the nutritional needs of pets at different life stages.http://www.petfood.aafco.org/caloriecontent.aspx
Dry Matter Basis
On a dry matter basis, this food contains approximately 22.2 percent protein and 9.4 percent fat. These are low percentages for a premium dog food. Fiber makes up about 4.4 percent of the food which is average for most kibbles. The food contains an estimated 55 percent carbohydrates which is extremely high for any kibble.
Summary
This food will probably be adequate for a middle-aged dog needing to lose a few pounds. However, we would discourage anyone from feeding it to a senior dog.
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