Overview of enhancements to all formulas.

	Lowered Carbohydrates while Increasing the Overall Carbohydrate Quality, therefore increasing Meat Contents. (see below)
	Lowered Total Fiber and Increased the Overall Fiber Quality
	Enhanced the Vitamin E Levels in all Formulas
	Incorporated Beta Carotene
	Incorporated Cranberries for Better Urinary Tract Heath
	Increased Palatability
	Increased Digestibility
	Decreased Stool Volume

Holistic approach to diversified carbohydrates.

	Brown Rice: One of the most digestible carbohydrate ingredients. Carbohydrates provide energy for all of the body’s vital functions. Excellent carbohydrate source for pets with sensitive digestive systems. Provides niacin, an important B vitamin, to the diet.
	Cracked Pearl Barley: A complex carbohydrate and a good source of dietary fiber as well as protein. Also provides B vitamins and natural antioxidants. Antioxidants protect the health of the cells and are important for maintaining excellent overall health. Promotes a healthy digestive tract and reduces the risk of cancers. Lowers blood cholesterol levels and aids in disease resistance.
	Rice Bran: The outer layer of the brown rice and is rich in fat and fiber. Contains many natural antioxidants including vitamin E. The fiber provided by rice bran contains a blend of soluble and in soluble fibers, helping to promote ideal stool quality and good digestive health.
	Peas: Provide carbohydrates, fiber and protein. Highly digestible and full of vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant. Also provide B vitamins to the diet.
	Millet: A protein rich grain, providing important amino acids such as Threonine and Lysine to the diet. A gluten free grain. Also rich in B vitamins.

Advances in pet nutrition are continually evolving, presenting new options in formulating premium pet food products. Along with being leaders in these advances, we are also choosing to be proactive and socially responsible in the manufacturing of our products while maintaining the superior quality our customers have come to expect.

Worldwide shortages and the rising prices of many food commodities, especially rice, are affecting people and industries around the globe. Reducing the consumption of U.S. grown rice used to make our premium all natural dry formulas, while at the same time improving on the nutritional benefits, taste and palatability of the formulas themselves, will contribute to reducing pressures being put on worldwide rice supplies and U.S. exports – U.S. exports that are used in many foreign countries around the world to feed the hungry and less fortunate.

At CANIDAE, we believe we are doing our small part in helping to alleviate these current pressures and demands on worldwide food supplies, including the U.S. rice used in making our products. We have improved our formulations, adding more meat proteins and diversifying the complex carbohydrates, without compromising on the nutritional value or benefits.

These changes will also help offset the escalating costs of the human grade food ingredients used in our products so that we can continue to offer the finest choices available in premium, all natural pet nutrition.

We use only USDA #1 choice grade meats. All of our grains, fruits, vegetables and herbs are USA grown and raised.  All products are made the CANIDAE way with NO corn, wheat, soy, by-products, grain fractions, or fillers, and naturally preserved.

What are the benefits of feeding diversified carbohydrates?

Dietary carbohydrates provide animals with a quick source of energy. These carbohydrates must be metabolized by the body first.  Glucose is the simplest form of energy that the body can use.  Using rice by itself creates a quick glucose spike, for instant energy but burns off quickly. By providing a diversified carbohydrate source of varying complexity the blood glucose level does not rise and fall as abruptly as when simple carbohydrates, such as rice only, are ingested. CANIDAE's carbohydrate diversification will allow for a slower rise with a sustained blood glucose level that will also contribute to satiety.

Will the kibble look different?

In some products the kibble in our improved formulation will be lighter in color with a smoother texture. Our nutritional findings show that a finer grind on the ingredients prior to entering the extruder yields better digestion and increased palatability. We have also found that cooking the product at lower temperatures helps to retain beneficial nutrients, and in some formulations yields a lighter kibble.

Will my pet experience loose stools from switching to the improved formula?

Most dogs and cats switch over with no problems whatsoever. If you have a pet with a sensitive digestive system, our findings suggest that within three days stools are firm and normal. If you are concerned, please mix your existing diet with the new 25/75 for the first two days, 50/50 on days 3 and 4, 75/25 for days 5 and 6, and finally 100% CANIDAE or FELIDAE on the seventh day. If your previous diet is not available, smaller portions with multiple feedings per day, three times or more being optimal, will speed up the transitional period. For more complete information on how to transition from one food to another, see our recommended CANIDAE PET FOOD TRANSITION GUIDELINES.

Will my pets like the new formula?

Yes they will. In-house testing for taste, palatability and digestibility of our improved formulations confirms that dogs and cats prefer the taste of OUR IMPROVED HOLISTIC FORMULAS by over 3 to 1. Up to 78% of all pets preferred the new formulations. Dogs and Cats love the taste!

I thought the old formula was just fine, why did you improve it?

Nutritional pet information is constantly evolving. With improved data we are able to create improved products. CANIDAE continues striving to provide your beloved pets the most nutritious, all natural, palatable products on the marketplace today. Our new formulas, improved for taste, palatability and nutritional benefits, are a result of this commitment.

Does cracked pearled barley cause allergens similar to wheat?

No. Barley is polished and cracked to create cracked pearled barley. The polishing removes the inedible hull from the kernel, while cracking it improves digestibility. Barley is not known to create allergies, as allergies are generally developed by either long term exposure or the use of inferior ingredients. Although botanically barley, rice and wheat are in the same family, they are allergenically and nutritionally different.

Barley (Hordeum vulgare) is an annual grain, often used in quality health foods. The domesticated form (H. vulgare) is descended from wild barley (H. spontaneum). Wheat (Triticum spp.) is a worldwide cultivated grass from the Levant (area in the Middle East). Globally, after maize, wheat is the second most produced food among the cereal crops. Most tetraploid wheats (e.g., emmer and durum wheat) are derived from wild emmer, T. dicoccoides. Wild emmer is the result of a hybridization between two diploid wild grasses, T. urartu and a wild goatgrass such as Aegilops searsii or Ae. speltoides. The hybridization that formed wild emmer occurred in the wild, long before domestication.