Food analysis is done based on global parameters listing the main components.The analyses is printed in it's entirety. Now the data presented while factual does not really convey the true dietary value of the food. This is because it looks at very broad spectrums without consideration given to the nutritive values of the source.
The analysis for one of our products is as follows:
Chicken and Veggie Mix
For a more representative view of our products the following nutrient profiles convey the blending averages for each nutrient listed by the certifying agencies.
Nutrient Profiles
As we delve further into the nutritional aspects of the raw food diet many surprising facts start to appear. For instance, the fat content listed in the analyses done on this, and any other food available, does not give information related to the percentage of saturated, unsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats.
The ash content is actually a vital part of the food, containing all the minerals required as nutrients. This is assuming they are in a state still digestible by the animal, at a rate the animal can control. This means that any cooking of the material causing the minerals to bind with each other, renders minerals unusable, making an elevated ash content a negative. Where as in a raw diet a higher ash content means there are more nutrients available in digestible form that can be controlled by the animal
Sodium content is listed. Since most raw diets do not add salt they tend to be low in sodium. This is not always true in processed food. Something worth noting given the array of evidence showing negative long term effects of high salt diets.
If you are so inclined to investigate this further, and in the absence of readily available extensive lab tests, I would suggest going to this site at the U.S.D.A. http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/cgi-bin/nut_search.pl. This will give you some inkling of the list of available nutrients in the raw diet.
Or you can just get out a knife and fork to pick through the food and see that it really contains raw meat and vegetables. Really good food for really good dogs. Really...
