NATURE’S LOGIC™ - THE REAL NATURAL PET FOOD
Nature’s Logic has distinguished itself from all other natural pet foods by excluding all chemically synthesized vitamins, minerals or trace nutrients from all of its product categories. With its special ingredient selection and formulas, Nature’s Logic not only meets, but exceeds almost every minimum requirement for amino acids, vitamins, and minerals listed in The Association of American Feed Control Official’s (AAFCO) Nutrient Profile for Dogs and Cats.
Following is the AAFCO definition of “natural.”
“ A feed or ingredient derived solely from plant, animal or mined sources, either in its unprocessed state or having been subject to physical processing, heat processing, rendering, purification, extraction, hydrolysis, enzymolysis or fermentation, but not having been produced by or subject to a chemically synthetic process and not containing any additives or processing aids that are chemically synthetic except in amounts as might occur unavoidable in good manufacturing practices.”
AAFCO Guidelines for Natural Claims
Under the AAFCO Guidelines for Natural Claims, any pet product “using the term “natural” is only accepted in reference to the product as a whole when all of the ingredients and components of ingredients meet the definition above.” The guidelines further state “the use of the term natural is false and misleading if any chemically synthesized ingredients are present in the product”. Since almost every vitamin and mineral added to pet foods, even in products marketed as natural products, are not natural but are chemically synthesized forms, AAFCO will only allow a product to be called natural when a “disclaimer is used to inform the consumer that the vitamins, minerals or other trace minerals are not natural.” The most common disclaimer used on pet food packaging panels is, “Natural with added vitamins, minerals, and other trace nutrients”. This is supposed to inform consumers that this particular product does not contain natural vitamins, minerals, and trace nutrients, but contains chemically synthesized forms.
Why does AAFCO want this disclosed, and why do they say it would be false and misleading to call a product natural when it contains chemically synthesized forms of vitamins, minerals, and trace nutrients?
With only a small amount of research, it can be discovered that many of the added chemically synthesized vitamin and mineral supplements added to both human foods and animal foods are derived from substances such as coal tar or by-products or co-products of industrial metal products. Further research will reveal several past recalls found on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website of mineral feed supplements due to dioxin contamination. Probably the greatest source of information on these chemically synthesized products can be found in studies by the National Academy of Sciences in two books titled, “Vitamin Tolerance of Animals” and “Mineral Tolerance of Domestic Animals”. Both books emphasize not the essentiality or metabolism of these products but the potential adverse effects of them on animals. A segment in the books is dedicated to the effects of each chemically synthesized vitamin and mineral determined by studies conducted on hundreds of animals including dogs, cats, rabbits, cattle, sheep, chickens, turkey, rats, mice, swine, horses, and numerous other animals. The effects found are anything from no adverse effect to death and including vomition, rapid respiration, fever, diarrhea, intestinal ulcers, anemia, liver degeneration, renal failure, kidney calcification, increased urinary oxalate, anorexia, cardiovascular mineralization, resorption of fetuses, and numerous other health issues. Many of these products were designed not with the intent to have them consumed in every meal, in every food, treat, and supplement, but to be used to supplement and correct the deficiencies in natural animal feedstuff predominantly fed to food animals for a limited time and then slaughtered. What has potentially become a health issue is that these chemically synthesized vitamins, minerals, and trace nutrients are fed to our pets in every meal of every day, and in many cases these same pets are also given treats and additional supplements containing very high levels of the same.
This has also been carried over into the human food chain. It is extremely difficult to purchase at food stores any cereal, processed grain flour, milk, or bread without these chemically synthesized supplements added. Is there a possible connection between the inclusion of these products to our food chain and the 20 million Americans with kidney disease? Humans are also potentially over exposed to these chemically synthesized supplements, too. For example, when in the course of a day one eats a breakfast cereal claiming 100% of the RDA of many vitamins and minerals using these synthetics and poured on top with milk fortified with chemically synthesized supplements, and in addition, also takes chemically synthesized multiple vitamin pills, along with many other synthetically fortified foods, including orange juice, etc.
The Logic Of Nature
There is virtually no danger of overdose of vitamins and minerals when these nutrients are derived solely from all natural whole foods. Nature’s Logic has carefully chosen special food ingredients that supply needed vitamins and minerals solely from nutritious meats, poultry, fish, eggs, and numerous concentrates of fruits and vegetables. By doing this, Nature’s Logic diets exceed all AAFCO recommended minimums on amino acids and exceed almost all recommended minimums on vitamins and minerals. Nature’s Logic contains only 100% natural food ingredients with no chemically synthesized vitamins or minerals. In nature, dogs and cats are meat eating predators, what scientists call carnivores. When wild dogs or cats consume their prey they eat the entire animal, including hair, bones, entrails, blood, stomach contents, etc. Their prey is often herbivores, or plant eating animals. Predators obtain essential trace nutrients available only from plants by consuming the stomach and intestinal contents, which are partially digested plant materials, of their prey. Cats are “obligate carnivores,” which means their diet must be made up primarily of meat. Nevertheless, even these meat eating animals still obtain essential nutrients from small amounts of plant derived foods. Nature’s Logic pet foods are formulated in a similar way. They are primarily made up of meats and other animal-derived products, but they contain small amounts of selected high quality plant products that provide essential and natural nutrition without the addition of chemically synthesized nutrients. Carnivores in the wild are never exposed to chemically synthesized vitamins, minerals, or trace nutrients. Nature’s Logic is formulated the way a truly natural diet should be, which is the logic behind Nature’s Logic pet foods.
Nature’s Logic™ Ingredients
Sourced from Nature for Quality and Safety
In nature, dogs and cats are meat eating predators, what scientists call carnivores. When wild dogs or cats consume their prey they eat the entire animal, including hair, bones, entrails, blood, stomach contents, etc. Their prey is often herbivores, or plant eating animals. Predators obtain essential trace nutrients available only from plants by consuming the stomach and intestinal contents, which are partially digested plant materials, of their prey. Cats are called “obligate carnivores,” which means their diet must be made up primarily of meat. Nevertheless, even these meat eating animals still obtain essential nutrients from small amounts of plant derived foods.
Nature’s Logic™ pet foods are formulated in a similar way. They are primarily made up of meats and other animal-derived products, but they contain small amounts of selected high quality plant products that provide essential and natural nutrition. Nature’s Logic™ is formulated the way a truly natural diet should be, which is the logic behind Nature’s Logic™ pet foods. Following is a list of the quality ingredients found in various Nature’s Logic™ foods, treats, and supplements.
DRY FOOD AND TREAT MAIN PROTEIN AND FAT SOURCES:
Chicken Meal Venison Meal Duck Meal Dried Egg Product *Animal Plasma
Lamb Meal Rabbit Meal Salmon Meal Spray Dried Chicken Liver **Natural Flavor
Cottage Cheese Chicken Fat Safflower Oil Spray Dried Cod Liver Oil
*Animal Plasma (Life does not exist without blood and the nutrients it provides carnivorous animals. Nature’s Logic™ source of animal plasma is a highly palatable protein product composed of albumin and globulin proteins. It also supplies natural sources of iron, sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, numerous vitamins, and over 18 amino acids. Research has shown this product increases palatability of food, reduces stool volume due to increased digestibility, improved stool quality versus control diets, significantly improved fiber and phosphorus digestion, and enhanced immune response in dogs vaccinated for Parvo.) Sources are bovine for domestic product and porcine for exported product.
**Natural Flavor (Nature’s Logic™ uses this high quality source of dried chicken liver for coating its dry food for added natural flavor, additional animal source of protein, and as a carrier for coating heat sensitive post extrusion ingredients such as probiotics and enzymes).
CAN FOOD* AND RAW FOOD MAIN PROTEIN AND FAT SOURCES:
*Can food production begins with raw frozen meats that are ground and blended with other ingredients before they are cooked at approximately 170º F in their sealed containers.
Raw Frozen Chicken Raw Frozen Buffalo Raw Frozen Venison Heart Raw Frozen Duck Liver
Raw Frozen Chicken Liver Raw Frozen Buffalo Liver Raw Frozen Rabbit Raw Frozen Duck Heart
Raw Frozen Lamb Raw Frozen Buffalo Heart Raw Frozen Rabbit Liver Raw Frozen Salmon
Raw Frozen Lamb Liver Raw Frozen Venison Raw Frozen Rabbit Heart Cottage Cheese
Raw Frozen Lamb Heart Raw Frozen Venison Liver Raw Frozen Duck Tuna Oil
The above dry, can, and raw diet ingredients are the main Nature’s Logic™ sources for high quality proteins and fats from predominantly animal origin, the source from which cats and dogs would naturally derive these nutrients. Dr. Anton Beynen, professor of Veterinary Nutrition at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, The Netherlands, observed in a recent study1 that certain products, marketed as complete diets, had no detectable eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Fifteen diets were tested of which all but one contained less EPA and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) than is considered optimal by Dr. Beynen. Even more striking was the observation that five diets contained no detectable EPA at all, and one of the diets also lacked DHA. In the article, Dr. Beynen sites a number of studies which link EPA or DHA deficiency to abnormalities of the retina and nervous tissue.
All Nature’s Logic™ Diets contain adequate levels of EPA and DHA due to the high inclusion rate of animal origin ingredients. They also exceed the following protein amino acid minimums listed in the AAFCO nutrient profiles for dogs and cats: Arginine, Histidine, Isoleucine Leucine, Lysine, Methionine-cystine, Methionine, Phenylalanine-tyrosine, Phenylalanine, Taurine, Threonine, Trytophan, and Valine.
MINOR INGREDIENT CONCENTRATES IN DRY, CAN, AND RAW FROZEN FOODS AND TREATS THAT PROVIDE ESSENTIAL AND NATURAL NUTRITION INCLUDING MANY VITAMINS AND MINERALS.
Millet Kelp Almonds Cranberry
Safflower Oil Suncured Alfalfa Meal Apple Powder Broccoli
Montmorillonite Egg Shell Blueberry Spinach
Brewer's Yeast Avocado Apricots Parsley
Flaxseed Chicory Root Carrots Artichoke
Pumpkin Seed Tomato Powder Pumpkin Rosemary
The above dry, can, and raw diet minor ingredient concentrates are the main Nature’s Logic™ sources for natural vitamin and mineral supplementation which have required minimums listed in the AAFCO Nutrient Profiles for Dogs and Cats. Chemically synthesized mineral and vitamin forms have long been used in the feed industry to correct deficiencies in diet formulations, but not without risk. This practice is much cheaper than using enough quality ingredients to provide ample nutrient levels. The National Research Council reports on “Mineral Tolerance of Domestic Animals” and “Vitamin Tolerance of Domestic Animals” state that the main emphasis for the reports is the potential adverse effects of chemically synthesized minerals and vitamins on animals. In the body of the reports it is stated how the toxicity of many chemically synthesized minerals and vitamins has been known for many decades with known toxicity in humans as well as many animals including cats and dogs.
Nature’s Logic™ is committed to providing diets that include only 100% natural ingredients which provide needed nutrients, including vitamins and minerals from food sources only. Nature’s Logic™ diets exceed all AAFCO nutrient profile minimums using 100% natural food ingredients on the following minerals and vitamins listed in the AAFCO Nutrient Profile for Dogs and Cats: Calcium, Phosphorus, Sodium, Chloride, Magnesium, Iron, Copper, Manganese, Iodine, Selenium, Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Thiamine, Riboflavin, Pantothenic Acid, Niacin, Folic Acid, Biotin, and Vitamin B12.
NATURAL BENEFICIAL BACTERIA
Fermentation Products (Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Lactobacillus Casei, Bifidobacterium Bifidium, Streptococcus Faecium, Lactobacillus Sporogenes)
The positive effects of beneficial microorganisms on both humans and animals have been well documented for over thirty years. The microbial sub-species in the direct-fed microbials used in Nature’s Logic™ diets, treats, and supplements have been proven to implant on the intestinal wall. The colonization in the gut allows for greater utilization of available nutrients. They help maintain proper microbial balance in a broad cross-section of companion animals.
NATURAL DIGESTIVE ENZYMES
Enzymes (Amylase, Protease, Lipase, Cellulase, Bromelain)
Nature’s Logic™ uses a multi enzyme blend of non-animal source enzymes containing a proprietary combination of proteases, amylases, cellulases, lipases, bromelain, and others. The product is specially formulated to help in working with the digestive system of dogs and cats on diets containing high levels of animal derived ingredients. Possible benefits that these enzymes have been known to play a part in natural relief are dry or scaly hair coat, skin problems, digestive disorders, joint difficulties, immune disorders, excessive shedding, weight problems, allergies, bloating, lethargy, hairballs, flatulence, coprophagia, and wound healing.
NATURAL PRESERVATIVE
Mixed Tocopherols
The natural antioxidant preservative used by Nature’s Logic™ is derived as a product from the refining of vegetable oil. It is natural by the AAFCO definition because it involves extraction and purification and no chemical synthesis.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is “animal plasma” and what is the source?
In nature, dogs and cats are meat eating predators, what scientists call carnivores. When wild dogs or cats consume their prey they eat the entire animal, including hair, bones, entrails, BLOOD, stomach contents, etc. The animal blood is as natural a part of a carnivore’s diet as the meat and bone consumed from prey.
No life exists without blood, and the nutrients it provides as part of the diet of carnivorous animals is essential. Nature’s Logic's animal plasma is a highly palatable food (spray dried blood with red cells removed) composed of high levels of important albumin and globulin proteins. In the wild, carnivores do not eat diets supplemented by chemically synthesized vitamins and minerals. The Nature's Logic animal plasma is an important natural food ingredient which supplies natural sources of iron, sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, numerous vitamins, and over 18 amino acids. These nutrients found naturally in animal blood plasma play a huge role in creating a safer and more natural diet without the need for potentially toxic chemically synthesized supplements. Besides supplying these nutrients naturally, research shows this product increases palatability of food, reduces stool volume due to increased digestibility, improves stool quality versus control diets, significantly improves fiber and phosphorus digestion, and enhances immune response in dogs vaccinated for Parvo. Sources are bovine for domestic product and porcine for exported product. The product is collected at USDA meat processing plants and is further processed at state of the art facilities in Iowa and Kansas."
Why do some of your diets mix different proteins, such as chicken and animal plasma sourced from bovine?
There are very few commercial diets that exist, if any, that do not contain proteins from a number of sources. When only one meat source is listed in a product ingredient panel it should not be concluded that the product contains only one source of protein. When a multiple ingredient diet lists only one meat or poultry product, other protein sources are present from grain and vegetables (or fractions of these products such as soybean meal or glutens), natural flavoring (which is usually a high protein liver product), any blood product or plasma, any dairy product (such as cheese, whey, or eggs), fish products, and any proteinate form of a chemically synthesized mineral. (The word proteinate refers to a man-made chemically synthesized trace mineral that has been bound to a protein carrier.)
All of the Nature’s Logic’s diets, treats, and supplements have one main protein source. Other minor protein sources in the products such as animal plasma and dairy products are safe and natural ingredients which incorporate into each diet, treat, or supplement numerous natural food sources of essential amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and trace nutrients. The alternative, which Nature’s Logic opposes, is to include in these products potentially toxic chemically synthesized nutrients.
Are the chelated proteinate minerals in the pet food I use more natural and safer than other forms of chemically synthesized minerals?
As mentioned in the answer above, proteinate forms of trace minerals are created by binding a synthetic trace mineral to a protein. Much of the scientific literature states that this process “may” function to increase the bioavailability of the mineral but does not go as far as to state that it does emphatically. The literature further states the trace mineral salts used to make metal proteinates are synthetic substances. It further states the nature and method of production of the protein component of metal proteinates is confidential to the manufacturer and has not been disclosed. It is not possible to determine whether synthetic amino acids are incorporated into metal proteinates. Some literature states that a proteinate form of a synthetic mineral is 15% to 20% synthetic mineral and 80% to 85% protein. As stated above, this protein is not disclosed to the end user. It could be from plant, animal, or a synthetic amino acid.
Some examples of metal proteinates are copper proteinate, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, calcium proteinate, etc. Other similar forms of synthetic minerals produced by similar means are metal amino acid complex, metal amino acid chelate, metal polysaccharide complex, and metal propionate.
Nature’s Logic uses only natural minerals sourced from whole foods or naturally mined sources.
Why is “brewer’s yeast” used as an ingredient in Nature’s Logic™?
The simple answer is that brewer’s yeast is one of the best sources of B complex vitamins needed in the diet. The alternative is to use inferior food ingredients and then fortify the diet with chemically synthesized forms of riboflavin, pyridoxine and Vitamin B¹². Some of the potential hypervitaminosis effects from over exposure to these synthetic supplements are ataxia, nervous system dysfunction, vomiting, increased PN concentration in blood and organs, anorexia and death.
What is “natural flavoring” listed in your food?
The Nature’s Logic natural flavoring is a high quality, high protein dried chicken liver powder used as the carrier to apply the enzymes and probiotics to the dry food post extrusion. It also is the source for some of the natural levels of taurine found in the food.
What is “montmorillonite”?
The montmorillonite used in Nature’s Logic’s products is a natural source of mined colloidal trace mineral clay which contains over 50 mineral compounds. The area where this product is mined is a result of volcanic ash being deposited into inland sea waters.
This product is approved for inclusion into USDA Organic Certified products. Reported benefits from including this form of montmorillonite clay into animal feeds have been the binding of aflatoxins, lowered somatic cell counts by dairymen, improved weight gain, better utilization of food, glossier hair coat and improved hoof condition in horses.
A research department at Texas A & M University has conducted preliminary testing of montmorillonite. Initial results were positive for sequestering aflatoxins, but they indicated further study was needed.
Nature’s Logic’s products derive all nutrients from 100% food and other natural ingredients without the inclusion of chemically synthesized vitamins, minerals, or trace nutrients.
Why do Nature's Logic™ diets use the AAFCO statement, “intended for intermittent or supplemental feeding only” and not an adequacy statement?
There are two ways to substantiate a dog or cat food that qualify it as a complete and balanced diet for a certain life stage or for all life stages. A manufacturer can substantiate a food by formulating so its dry matter analysis meets or exceeds the minimum AAFCO dog or cat nutrient profile, or the manufacturer can substantiate a food by subjecting the diet to an AAFCO feeding trial. For example, to qualify a diet to meet the AAFCO minimum feeding protocol for proving an adult maintenance claim for dog food, the diet must pass a 26 week test with guidelines of certain feeding parameters and certain clinical observations and measurements.
The following is the nutritional adequacy statement used for diets formulated to meet the AAFCO nutrient profile: “(Name of product) is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog (or Cat) Food Nutrient Profiles for ______________.” (Blank is to be completed by using the stage or stages of the pet’s life, such as gestation/lactation, growth, maintenance, or the words “All Life Stages”.
There are 36 minimum nutritional levels in the AAFCO nutrient profile for dogs and 42 nutritional levels in the AAFCO nutrient profile for cats of amino acids, fats, vitamins and minerals to meet in order for a manufacturer to state that a diet is complete and balanced and is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by AAFCO.
The following is the nutritional adequacy statement used for diets passing an AAFCO feeding trial: “Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that (Name of Product) provides complete and balanced nutrition for ____________.” (Blank is to be completed by using the stage or stages of the pet’s life, such as gestation/lactation, growth, maintenance, or the words "All Life Stages".
Pet Food companies that formulate to meet the AAFCO Nutrient Profile use 20 to 30 different chemically synthesized vitamins and minerals. Following is a typical example ingredient food panel of a natural pet food taken from the manufacturer’s web site on the internet.
Dry Food Ingredients: Chicken Meal, Ground Brown Rice, Rice Bran, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Ascorbyl Palmitate), Ground Oats, Beet Pulp, Flaxseed, Fish Meal, Natural Chicken Flavor, Lecithin, Fish Oil, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Dicalcium Phosphate, Choline Chloride, Calcium Ascorbate (source of Vitamin C), Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Biotin, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Cobalt Amino Acid Chelate, Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Niacin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (B6), Thiamine Mononitrate (B1), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, DL-Methionine, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate. (Note: This particular natural diet has around 40 total ingredients; about 14 recognizable food ingredients and about 26 chemically synthesized vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.) (Click here for more examples).
Here are a few quotes from the 2006 AAFCO Official Publication and also from some publications by The National Research Council (NRC). The NRC publications and studies are some of the research used by AAFCO to determine nutrient requirements for pet food. These statements about the use of synthetic vitamins and minerals should be of concern to all pet owners. AAFCO and NRC have done a good job in showing both concern and exposing this information. It is all available to the public; not just industry.
“Knowledge of nutrient requirements and toxicities (of synthetic mineral supplements) is incomplete and/or imprecise in many cases.” (AAFCO 2006)
“The Committee considered the matter of contaminants in mineral feed ingredients for several years before adopting an approach to the problem as reported in the 1978 Official (AAFCO) Publication.” (Official Guidelines for Contaminant Levels Permitted in Mineral Feed Supplements, AAFCO 2006)
“The current scientific literature, however, is not complete enough to support the estimation of maximum tolerable levels for any (synthetic) vitamin. In most cases, however, one can use the literature to estimate ranges of vitamin intake that can be presumed to be safe.” (NRC Vitamin Tolerance of Animals)
“The available information for most of the (synthetic mineral) elements is less than desired, and it is likely that these tolerance levels will need to be modified. Problems that may arise when two or more elements are present at high levels represent a virtually unexplored area.” (NRC Mineral Tolerance of Domestic Animals)
In the past 5 years there have been FDA recalls of zinc oxide due to high levels of dioxin, a common chemically synthesized form of zinc supplement commonly used in pet foods. There have been recalls of pet foods that caused illness and death in pets from excessive amounts of chemically synthesized vitamin D. There have been pet food recalls of diets with suspect elevated levels of iron and copper that caused illness and death in pets. (Click here to see research and results of animal testing of synthetic vitamins and minerals).
Nature’s Logic launched its products in late March 2006 and chose not to use any added chemically synthesized vitamins or minerals that have been either suspected or proven to be the cause of illness and death in pets and resulted in many past recalls of diets. Nature’s Logic chose to design foods, treats, and supplements made of 100% whole foods from which all nutrients are safely derived without the addition of potentially toxic synthetic forms. Following is a typical example ingredient food panel of a a Nature’s Logic ingredient panel using 100% whole foods and natural ingredients and no added chemically synthesize vitamins, minerals, or amino acids.
INGREDIENTS: Chicken Meal, Millet, Chicken Fat, Montmorillonite, Brewer's Yeast, Flaxseed, Dried Egg Product, Spray Dried Chicken Liver, Pumpkin Seed, Animal Plasma, Kelp, Natural Flavoring, Cottage Cheese, Suncured Alfalfa Meal, Egg Shell Meal, Avocado, Chicory Root, Tomato Powder, Almonds, Spray Dried Cod Liver Oil, Apple Powder, Blueberry Powder, Apricot Powder, Carrot Powder, Pumpkin Powder, Cranberry Powder, Broccoli Powder, Spinach Powder, Parsley, Artichoke, Rosemary, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product, Dried Bifidobacterium Bifidium Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus Coagulans Fermentation Product, Dried Pineapple Extract, Dried Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Extract, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Extract, Dried Trichoderma Longibrachtium Fermentation Extract, Mixed Tocopherols.
By doing this, there are a couple nutrients that come in a fraction lower than the AAFCO Nutrient Profile for Dogs and Cats. All 42 nutrients are present in all Nature’s Logic products; some 2 times, 3 times, 4 times, and as high as 46 times the required minimum amount of these nutrients are in our finished products from the whole food ingredients. But because Nature’s Logic has a fraction less of a couple nutrients than the AAFCO Nutrient Profile, the intermittent statement had to be used until the Nature’s Logic Diets were substantiated by an AAFCO Feeding Trial. This feeding trial for canines was successfully completed in August of 2006, and as we deplete our current packaging, new packaging is being printed with the following statement: : “Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that Nature’s Logic provides complete and balanced nutrition for All Life Stages”. (See news article about Feeding Trial).
Nature’s Logic is committed to providing what it believes is the best and safest nutrition for our pets, even though it meant launching a product temporarily with the “intermittent” statement until the feeding trials were complete. The feeding trial proved our commitment was right. In the feeding trial, the Nature’s Logic canine diets exceeded all the established kennel averages in all areas of the test including blood analysis. (See testimonies from satisfied customers using Nature’s Logic).
The cat study is still in progress and as soon as that successful feeding trial is finished we will begin the changes on that packaging as well.
Why do other companies use chemically synthesize vitamins, minerals, and trace nutrients if they pose a potential toxic risk?
When a pet food manufacturer adds chemically synthesized vitamins and minerals to its formulas, it is an admission that the food ingredients alone are inadequate to supply the nutritional needs of a dog or cat. The National Research Council states that chemically synthesized mineral and vitamin supplements are provided frequently to correct the deficiencies in the ingredients used in animal diets.
As far as toxicity, one has to use at one’s own risk or at the risk of their pet, products that are supplemented with synthetics. The experts admit they may or may not have determined what the upper safety levels of these elements are. They also admit that it may represent a virtually unexplored area when two or more synthetic mineral elements are present at high levels. There happens to be up to twelve of these synthetic mineral elements added to pet food, not just two.
As a caution, it is recommended that if you choose to use daily diets that include chemically synthesized vitamins and minerals, to avoid over exposure, feed treats and supplements that are made from 100% food and list no added vitamins and minerals in the ingredient panel. The Nature’s Logic treats and supplements are made from 100% food with no added synthetic nutrients. All nutrients come from whole foods only.
Nature is no cheat in the way it supplies wild dogs and cats an adequate diet without the use of chemically synthesized minerals and vitamins. Nature’s Logic accomplishes the same with its products. They are a reflection of a carnivore’s natural prey diet made up of meat, organ meat, blood products and micronutrients from concentrates of fruits and vegetables. All these products together compose a diet rich and adequate in amino acids, fats, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and beneficial bacteria.
I have always been told that cats need taurine in their diets, so why don’t I see taurine on your cat food packaging ingredient panels?
Yes, cats require the amino acid taurine in their diets and AAFCO has established a minimum of .10% in dry food and a minimum of .20% in canned food in their Nutritional Profile for cats.
When taurine is listed as an ingredient in a product’s ingredient panel, this means the base diet contains inadequate levels of natural taurine and the producer has added a man-made synthetic form of this required amino acid to the diet mixture to meet adequacy. No taurine is listed in any Nature’s Logic ingredient panel because the natural ingredients of the diet contain adequate amounts of natural taurine from the high levels of meat, poultry, and organ tissue ingredients. This is the way cats should derive all their needed protein, including taurine. In an independent analysis of Nature’s Logic dry food, it contained 60% more taurine than the AAFCO required minimum.
It should also be of interest to all concerned pet owners that it has been publicized that almost all man-made synthetic taurine added to pet foods is manufactured and imported from China.(Click here to see news article.)
I have just started using your Nature’s Logic dry cat food on my 3 cats. I have always used a high end natural food, but I wanted to start using Nature’s Logic because my neighbor’s cats have really blossomed on your food. Two of my cats had no problems adjusting and love it, but the third cat is having digestive upset. Can you help me?
Many pet owners think that if they are switching from another high end diet to Nature’s Logic, there really doesn’t need to be a transition time because the diets are similar and are both high end and natural. Nature’s Logic is very different from all other commercial diets and a very slow transition is highly recommended. Nature’s Logic is different because it is much higher in meat or poultry content than most other diets, has higher probiotic and enzyme activity than other diets, and the most notable difference is its utilization of a superfood concentrate of dried fruits and vegetables to derive many of the vitamins, minerals, and trace nutrients rather than using added chemically synthesized vitamins and minerals for adequacy. By using this superfood concentrate of fruits and vegetables and high animal ingredient inclusion, this also allows Nature’s Logic to produce diets that are free from many ingredients known to be produced and imported from China such as synthetic taurine and most of the man-made vitamins added to commercial pet foods.
