Strictly Wellness

[eternaljester81]

Supposedly, it's only some of the vitamins in Wellness that come from China. For one, I believe taurine is only manufactured in China, so any food with added taurine has Chinese ingredients. At least that's my understanding.

Below if post from JJ at the Itchmo forums:

JJ says
"Spoke with a pleasant customer service rep at Wellness today regarding the new CORE food-the regular and low fat. I only have a reservation on the low fat as far as the fish but he said it is from the atlantic, caught wild and not from any fish farm. He also told me that any pet food company that tells you every vitamin, mineral, etc is 100% from the U.S. is lying and they want to be as honest and upfront with everyone as they know this is our children and respect that. Also that 1-2% does come from all different countries-depends on where it was grown. They do not use premix vitamins either. Each vitamin or mineral, etc is added on its own, not already mixed together."

[garypen]

I've seen one or two people post that ALL vitamin ingredients come from China. This is simply not true. Many vitamins, protein, and herbal supplements DO come from China. But, not all. And, the better companies will test these raw materials for purity and consistency before adding them to their products.

This is true for not only pet foods, but the many human foods you eat that are "vitamin-fortified", such as cereals, breads, drinks, etc. It obviously includes daily vitamin supplements. And, also, protein powders, health bars, etc.

I subscribe to reports from a company called ConsumerLab.com. They test many vitamin supplements for purity and adherence to advertised ingredient amounts. (Every NatureMaid product that they tested passed with flying colors. That makes me feel good, as that is the brand of supplements I normally use.) That has nothing to do with pet food, of course. But, they do present some interesting info about the importation of the raw ingredients. For instance, many products containing chondroitin fail. And, according to them, Chondroitin is almost exclusively imported from where? You guessed it....CHINA!!!

I have seen many people write that Taurine, like Chondroitin, also almost always comes from China, as eternaljester points out. But, we must hope that Wellness has these imported vitamin and mineral ingredients tested for purity and contamination. There have been no reports, and I have seen no anecdotal stories, of animals sickened or dying due to Wellness foods. So, it seems that they are testing. Either that, or they and their consumers have been very very lucky.

[garypen]

As for the price of Wellness. As I posted above, I have found the 5oz cans for .99. That is not too bad at all. That is about what any of the so-called "premium" brand 5oz cans would cost at Petsmart or Petco.

The dry is pricey. But, it's about the same as Royal Canin, which I was gladly paying when I used that. (My cats thrived on RC, btw. And, I would not lump it in with Hill's, Iam's, Nutro, et al.) It's not that much more costly than the Natura brands, and, quite frankly, it is quite noticeably of a higher quality.

Even if you don't have a big discount store that sells Wellness at the relatively low price at Pet Club, you should check the various stores in your area that do have it. You may find one that isn't too bad, pricewise.

BTW - Another big difference that I noticed this morning between the Wellness Complete Health and Innova or CalNat or any kibble I've used in the past is that there are NO CRUMBS. None. The bowls were empty this morning, and the Innova bowl had crumbs and a powdery film. The Wellness bowl was clean. No crumbs. No powder. So, there is no waste with Wellness. How much is actually wasted with other kibbles? Also, to me, this means that Wellness kibble is of a higher quality. It doesn't crumble, break apart, or powder.

The only thing bothering me now about Wellness, is that I didn't try it sooner.

[jenny]

Two cats eating the canned for a while now and doing really well.  My IBD cat has been eating Core for about 2 or 3 weeks.  He is loving it and it is helping him gain weight.  He eats a little canned food too, but not wellness.  I agree about the EVO - I used a sample back and it was all dusty.  Yuck.

[Davis]

Many vitamins, protein, and herbal supplements DO come from China. But, not all. And, the better companies will test these raw materials for purity and consistency before adding them to their products.

For some reason I find no comfort in the testing (tests for limited # of toxins, who's doing it?, what PPMs are being tested, etc) , especially if they are leaving the testing to their suppliers.

This is true for not only pet foods, but the many human foods you eat that are "vitamin-fortified", such as cereals, breads, drinks, etc. It obviously includes daily vitamin supplements. And, also, protein powders, health bars, etc.

Yes, I realize that, and I have no doubt taken a lot of toxins into my body, but it's not something I want for my cat.  His system is far more delicate than mine, and I worry about him considering his age, so the more I can limit the toxins he ingests, the better.  My tolerance tends to go right out the window when my cat's health is at stake, and that's just the way it is.  I have also stopped using the above mentioned things, or at least greatly minimized them.  And I had stopped taking supplements years ago, but my diet is very nutrient dense, so I don't worry about it much. I actually feel better now then when I was using those things.  Hmmm.

I subscribe to reports from a company called ConsumerLab.com. They test many vitamin supplements for purity and adherence to advertised ingredient amounts. (Every NatureMaid product that they tested passed with flying colors. That makes me feel good, as that is the brand of supplements I normally use.) That has nothing to do with pet food, of course. But, they do present some interesting info about the importation of the raw ingredients. For instance, many products containing chondroitin fail. And, according to them, Chondroitin is almost exclusively imported from where? You guessed it....CHINA!!!

This is all very good information Gary.  Thank you.

I have seen many people write that Taurine, like Chondroitin, also almost always comes from China, as eternaljester points out. But, we must hope that Wellness has these imported vitamin and mineral ingredients tested for purity and contamination. There have been no reports, and I have seen no anecdotal stories, of animals sickened or dying due to Wellness foods. So, it seems that they are testing. Either that, or they and their consumers have been very very lucky.

Yes, I understand.  I'm just in a heavy scrutinization mode, because I'm fed up with this mess.  I sure do appreciate your input Gary.

The dry is pricey. But, it's about the same as Royal Canin, which I was gladly paying when I used that. (My cats thrived on RC, btw. And, I would not lump it in with Hill's, Iam's, Nutro, et al.) It's not that much more costly than the Natura brands, and, quite frankly, it is quite noticeably of a higher quality.

It is quite a bit more expensive than Cal Nat.  But what I'm trying to say is that all foods in this category are too expensive, especially for what they are.  On average, I seem to be paying more pound for pound for my cats food than I do my own.  There is something wrong with that, and I think we need to question it instead of just accepting it. These premium pet foods are like a conglomerate or something. But we all bite the bullet.  That is where they have us over a barrel.  I do not mind paying more for higher quality if a food is already reasonably priced but the company needs to raise their standards.  Then I'd say, yes, please raise the quality and pass the costs on.  But there is a point where the price becomes unreasonable in relation to what the product is.  The problem is that they have their profit margins set too high.  The real issue is more and more greed, which is exactly how we got into this tainted mess in the first place. I'm just feeling really sour and negative about all of this these days. I guess I'll go order some Wellness now. 

[garypen]

Another note about price:

Today, I went to the store to buy some Wellness canned food.  While there, I checked the prices of all sizes of the dry, and the 12 lb bags are $26, the 5lb 14oz bag is $16, and the 2lb 8oz bag is $10. (That is for "complete health". The "healthy weight" was a little cheaper.) Expensive, yes. But, not too bad compared to other premium brands.

I was paying $16 for 8lbs of CalNat, and around $15 for 6.6lbs of Innova. So, the 12lb bag of Wellness is about the same price per pound as CalNat.

I sure am glad I found this store!

Davis - I'm pretty sure I pay more for my own food, pound per pound, than I do for my cats'. At the above prices, it's about $40 per month for 2 cats. Not too bad.

And, you're gonna have to give in to a little trust, or at least hopeful thinking, when it comes to company testing of their ingredients.  I don't trust these companies 100%. I never trusted Natura 100%, and was always prepared to drop them if I thought anything was wrong, which I did. I will do the same with Wellness, if they screw up, too.

Unless you want to raise your own food animals and grow your own vegetables in your back yard, feed those animals with your own prepared feed from your own ingredients, and prepare the food yourself, you have to take somebody else's word for the quality and safety of the products you eat and feed your family and pets. Even if you chose to buy organic human food ingredients from an organic grocery like Whole Foods, there's no guarantee those items are indeed as they say. And, you will be spending far far more than $2 per pound.

We can ask our elected officials to pass stricter laws to help assure the safety of our foods, medicines, cosmetics, etc, and that of our pets. That would be a good start. But, the govt agencies responsible for enforcement are just as inept and corrupt as the companies they regulate.

Our best bet is to talk with our wallets. Money is the number one thing these companies understand.

[Davis]

And, you're gonna have to give in to a little trust, or at least hopeful thinking, when it comes to company testing of their ingredients.

Yep, and that is precisely what I don't like.  I don't like being forced to trust them (because I don't).  Most of us don't like being forced into a corner.  Just because it's the nature of the situation does not mean I have to like it.  That is the one thing I do have control over, is my opinion about what I don't like having to do.

I don't trust these companies 100%. I never trusted Natura 100%, and was always prepared to drop them if I thought anything was wrong, which I did. I will do the same with Wellness, if they screw up, too.

Screw-ups can be deadly, so we just have to sit back and pray.  Even homemade can be problematic, but at least we have a little more control.  But what about those supplements we may decide we need to put into the food?  Back to square one.

Unless you want to raise your own food animals and grow your own vegetables in your back yard, feed those animals with your own prepared feed from your own ingredients, and prepare the food yourself, you have to take somebody else's word for the quality and safety of the products you eat and feed your family and pets. Even if you chose to buy organic human food ingredients from an organic grocery like Whole Foods, there's no guarantee those items are indeed as they say. And, you will be spending far far more than $2 per pound.

I'm well aware that none of these things are an option.  We're not living in the 1800s, and I don't have the means or resources to do any of those things.   We have paid a heavy consequence for our modern conveniences.

We can ask our elected officials to pass stricter laws to help assure the safety of our foods, medicines, cosmetics, etc, and that of our pets. That would be a good start. But, the govt agencies responsible for enforcement are just as inept and corrupt as the companies they regulate.

I have zero faith in our elected officials,  Even the best of them (if there is such a thing) are limited in what they can do.   

Our best bet is to talk with our wallets.

And they are more than happy to have their hands in them   Meanwhile, while these companies and CEOs are doing quite well, I am getting poorer by the day.  I have to live on a very tight budget and I really struggle to feed my cat the best that I can.  It has gotten increasing difficult for people with small incomes to survive.  I'm lucky to have internet service and a computer (which was a gift), but the day may come when I have to give it up to feed my cat.

[Geff]

I'm at the point of being 100% clueless what I'm going to fed my cat after I run out of the 6 pounds or so of pre-recall Cal Nat we have.  We have an appointment with his vet Tuesday for his yearly checkup. I'm really hoping she has some suggestions. Back in April I had more information then she did, but I'm HOPING that's no longer the case, or I am so F**!!d.

[Davis]

Just stick with us Geff, and we will figure something out for your cat.  Have you ever tried canned or homemade foods for him?  Will he eat freshly cooked chicken?  He seems to do well with chicken as his meat source, and I'm just thinking that this is the direction you need to go in.  Rabbit is another option and something he might tolerate well.

I just found a thread where a poster stated that Diamond was previously the manufacturer for Wellness dry, but now it's most likely ANI  (something about Wellness having this on their website up until recently, but who knows?).  Gary always makes some good points, but I guess I'm just tired of all the unknowns.  I'm switching to mostly homemade, but I like to keep some dry out for him at all times, because he is a little thin and I want him to eat as much as possible.  And when I'm gone for several hours, I want to be able to leave food for him.  I can't really do that with canned or wet.  So, that is why I still want to find a dry that I'm comfortable with.  Otherwise I'd just give up the struggle and forget it.

[Geff]

Davis, Thanks for the thoughts. My vet said back in April she'd like him to try a Rabbit based dry food, but I've been unable to find any. To the best of my knowledge, all Wellness Cat Foods have Seafood.

On a slightly unrelated subject, today I was looking at Cat Foods at Fred meyer (see my Pet Promise posts). Fred Meyer had a new "organic" company/brand I've never seen before, who's name I can't remember. I took a look at the ingredients. The 3rd or 4th ingredient was Garlic Oil. GARLIC IN CAT FOOD?? Are these folks really that dumb?? (apparently yes, they are) Wish I could remember the company's name.

[jenny]

Actually, Wellness has garlic in it - although they are quietly removing it due to customer complaints.

[Davis]

Yes, I have noticed that.  Thanks Jenny.  These companies either don't know about garlic (doesn't say much for us being able to have confidence in them) or they just don't care, because they think it will attract human customers, and money is the bottom line.  I suspect they think they are using small enough amounts for it not to matter, but it's the cumulative effect that concerns me, and cats are much more sensitive to it than dogs.  I've even run across several homemade cat food recipes that contained garlic too, and some of them had a HUGE amount of it.  I found one recipe that contained mostly onions and garlic!  It had more onion in it than you would put in an onion-based human recipe.

Wellness does have fish. It also has cranberries, tomato and all those things.  All of these foods are using the same ingredients.  Geff, are you sure it's fish that your cat cannot tolerate?  Maybe you could try a Wellness sample and see how he does.  I've been looking high and low at all foods. and none of them are a replacement for Cal Nat.  That is a one-of-a-kind food.  There are no other companies that make anything like it.  I know you want to feed dry Geff, but I'm afraid that if you need to go with an exclusively chicken or rabbit food, you will need to switch to canned.  In the beginning I know you wanted to stay with dry, thinking that it was safer, but I don't think that is necessarily true.  It depends on what you choose.  Canned or homemade also eliminates the rendered meat, which is in almost all dry foods ("meal").   

[Geff]

Davis, based on trial & error when we tried several "premium" foods during the recall, I do believe that both Seafood & at least one of the common herbal/vegetable additives are causing severe allergic reaction for my guy.

I have not been able to isolate WHICH of the various herbs/fruits/vegetables is responsible, but it does appear that it's not just the seafood & not just the herbs.

& so far it appears that Cal Nat & Pet Promise are the only 2 with no Seafood & no herbs/fruits/veggies.

His compulsive licking on several of the other foods we tried was not subtle. I don't remember the licking problem on Natural Balance, but in retrospect I'm just grateful that NB didn't kill him.

The Foods I REMEMBER trying with various problems include Wysong, Natural Balance, Solid Gold, & Felidae. I'm pretty certain there were more then that. I'd have to re-read the old PFL blogs where I think I posted about everything we tried. He did ok with Gerber stage 2 baby food meat only flavors.

It looks like the best outcome for me would be if Natura admits to their problems & fixes them before I run out of food (my fairytale). Sylvester has been just thriving on 10/7 - 12/7 pull dated Cal Nat Chicken & Rice.

[garypen]

I don't like being forced to trust them (because I don't).  Most of us don't like being forced into a corner.  Just because it's the nature of the situation does not mean I have to like it.  That is the one thing I do have control over, is my opinion about what I don't like having to do.

Nobody is forced to trust anybody or anything. You choose to have a certain amount of trust, or, in your case, you don't.

Screw-ups can be deadly, so we just have to sit back and pray.  Even homemade can be problematic, but at least we have a little more control.  But what about those supplements we may decide we need to put into the food?  Back to square one.

What about the food you eat. The supplements you take. The restaurants you go to? In terms of your homemade foods for your pets...What about the stores you buy your fresh ingredients from? Or, the companies that make the canned or bottled ingredients? Why do you afford them more trust? I maintain a healthy cynicism of ALL of them.

I have zero faith in our elected officials,  Even the best of them (if there is such a thing) are limited in what they can do.

Exactly. So, other than being all pissed off, what do you propose we  do as a nation to ensure safe foods and drugs for our citizens and our pets?

And they are more than happy to have their hands in them.   Meanwhile, while these companies and CEOs are doing quite well, I am getting poorer by the day.  I have to live on a very tight budget and I really struggle to feed my cat the best that I can.  It has gotten increasing difficult for people with small incomes to survive.  I'm lucky to have internet service and a computer (which was a gift), but the day may come when I have to give it up to feed my cat.

Then you need to balance your financial resources with what is available. You should be able to come up with a solution. Maybe a less expensive dry food. But, one that hasn't had any illness or death associated with it, either officially or anecdotally. Many of the mainstream brands, despite not being the healthiest things out there, have not been linked to any illness or death. Since your cat eats mostly homemade, and only relies on dry for in-between meal nibbling, it might be OK.

[Davis]

Nobody is forced to trust anybody or anything. You choose to have a certain amount of trust, or, in your case, you don't.

Yes, you're right, it's not trust that is forced.  I just used that term because you had put it that way, and couldn't figure out how to re-word it.  Let me see if I can explain.  If I purchase a food, it is not because I have trust, but because there is a need.  Trust often has nothing to do with it, which is unfortunate.  I don't necessarily associate trust with a purchase.  That is what is forced, by circumstances.  I make purchases every day based on need and not trust.  There is a need, usually without my ability to trust the quality of the supply.  This is of particular concern with pet food, for obvious reasons.

What about the food you eat. The supplements you take. The restaurants you go to? In terms of your homemade foods for your pets...What about the stores you buy your fresh ingredients from? Or, the companies that make the canned or bottled ingredients? Why do you afford them more trust?

I don't afford them more trust.  I simply have no choice.  I don't have property, a farm, and I can't grow all my own food.  For what it's worth, I don't eat in restaurants, don't take supplements, and minimize foods that contain them, but that is somewhat irrelevant.  I do the best I can to make the best choices possible that I can afford.  It is not about trust.  I do not expect to live forever, neither do I even want to.  I am not immortal, no matter what I eat. This life is temporary.  While I'm here, I do the best I can.  At the moment I'm more concerned about my cat, who I love dearly.  He will not live forever either, but I don't want him to suffer needlessly.  He is weaker now than he was when he was young and has a much more fragile system than I do.

Exactly. So, other than being all pissed off, what do you propose we  do as a nation to ensure safe foods and drugs for our citizens and our pets?

Gosh, lighten up Gary.  I'm just voicing my overall dissatisfaction with a system that we cannot, as a "we", have the desired amount of control over.  I was certainly not directing my comments at you.  All your points were well taken. "Pissed" is a term I don't like, and in my case, it's an overstatement.  But if they are listening, then they understand this is highly important to us.  I have things I do as an individual that are very important to me, in which I try to make a difference.  They are very personal.

Then you need to balance your financial resources with what is available.

I do that, but I'm even willing to go without so that he can have the best.  However, it just seems that prices are way out of control in every area.  That is all I was saying.   

You should be able to come up with a solution. Maybe a less expensive dry food. But, one that hasn't had any illness or death associated with it, either officially or anecdotally. Many of the mainstream brands, despite not being the healthiest things out there, have not been linked to any illness or death. Since your cat eats mostly homemade, and only relies on dry for in-between meal nibbling, it might be OK.

Yes, I agree.  I hate to say it, but Cal Nat would almost fit that description (other than the anecdotal complaints).  Then again, there is the matter of talking with our pocket books....one of the most important ways in which we can influence, so I hesitate to even consider that route.  Gosh, how sad that it has come to picking a food based on lack of illness or death.  Thanks for all the input.   I really appreciate it, and I did not mean to make you mad.  I was just commiserating about the condition of things these days.