Alnutrin Help

[Gizmobius]

I've just purchased my very first grinder online (!!!) and a couple bags of Alnutrin with eggshell calcium. What I intend to do is to buy meat in bulk plus the chicken livers that Alnutrin calls for and then of course follow the directions on their site, portion it out, and freeze. I realize there will be a learning curve but I hope to eventually be able to make enough at the beginning of the month to last the entirety of the month. I'm only feeding one cat, if that makes any difference.

I started clicking on and reading plenty of the resources listed in this forum and noticed that on one site with a homemade recipe (that didn't include Alnutrin, but instead was a bone-in grind), it mentioned that freezing can sometimes deplete and break down the taurine. Would this be the same for Alnutrin? Should I buy a taurine supplement to sprinkle some capsules on his food after it thaws or should the taurine that's in the Alnutrin be able to hold up after the freezing process?

Thanks for any help and any tips!

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

congratulations on your first meat grinder purchase!!

i don't currently feed raw to my three cats, but they were on raw previously.

so you've got the Alnutrin with eggshell calcium -- very nice!

as far as taurine goes, i always added it/sprinkled some then mixed it into the raw meal in my cats dishes when i served their meals. that way, i avoided the possibility that the taurine may have broken down and depleted somewhat when the raw food was frozen. i used the Alnutrin for bone-in meat grinds, which also had taurine in it. my understanding is that a little extra taurine will not be harmful to cats, while not enough taurine can be harmful for cats.

i bought my taurine from Hare Today, in a bag (comes with a scoop too) -- Product | Hare Today, Gone Tomorrow

have you decided where you'll buy the bulk meat and chicken livers?

what recipe will you be using?

has your cat had raw food before, or will this be a new experience for him/her?

i found that at the beginning the process felt quite...involved. but after a short while, i started feeling like i knew what i was doing more.

 

[dhammagirl]

Hi

I use the Alnutrin, both types since some of the food I make has bones and some doesn't.
I do add additional taurine, just to make sure they're getting plenty, and since I mostly feed rabbit, which I've read is kinda low in taurine.

I get a bag of taurine powder, which is tasteless and dissolves easily, from Bulk Supplements. It's cheap, and you can get it on Amazon or directly from Bulksupplements.com

 

[Gizmobius]

have you decided where you'll buy the bulk meat and chicken livers?

what recipe will you be using?

has your cat had raw food before, or will this be a new experience for him/her?

i found that at the beginning the process felt quite...involved. but after a short while, i started feeling like i knew what i was doing more.

Thank you for all your information and advice! I will certainly be getting some taurine to add in to his meals just to be on the safe side. As for your questions, I hope to one day be able to order meat from Hare Today but for now I'm limited to what's in my area. We have a local butcher in town at a place called the Meat Shack so I will be getting the meat and livers from there.

The site where I purchased Alnutrin has a recipe library, though I plan to follow the most basic one (meat, liver, water, Alnutrin supplement) and swap the chicken out with other meats I'm able to buy. Gizmo has been on Primal freeze-dried raw for a solid 2 months now, and before that he was on canned, so I think he should adjust very well. Also he's gotten a raw lamb rib once a week since he was a kitten so we should have no problem transitioning him to a fresh raw diet!

Hi

I use the Alnutrin, both types since some of the food I make has bones and some doesn't.
I do add additional taurine, just to make sure they're getting plenty, and since I mostly feed rabbit, which I've read is kinda low in taurine.

I get a bag of taurine powder, which is tasteless and dissolves easily, from Bulk Supplements. It's cheap, and you can get it on Amazon or directly from Bulksupplements.com

Thank you! I figure this will take some time to truly get into the hang of it but while I do learn I want to ensure he's getting all the nutrients he needs so I will definitely be getting some extra taurine to put into his meals just to be on the safe side.

 

[dhammagirl]

Yes, it can seem overwhelming at first.
I found it helpful to keep a notebook with the date I made cat food and the type and quantities of meat, organs, water, supplements added. Then you can refer to it to make another batch and keep track of how long it lasts.

 

[maureen brad]

Congratulations on the grinder. Which brand did you get? I use both of the Alnutrins and I do add additional taurine, about 5 meals a week. I buy the taurine on Amazon. You are right in that additional taurine can't hurt our cats but not eneough sure can. Enjoy.

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

Thank you for all your information and advice! I will certainly be getting some taurine to add in to his meals just to be on the safe side. As for your questions, I hope to one day be able to order meat from Hare Today but for now I'm limited to what's in my area. We have a local butcher in town at a place called the Meat Shack so I will be getting the meat and livers from there.

The site where I purchased Alnutrin has a recipe library, though I plan to follow the most basic one (meat, liver, water, Alnutrin supplement) and swap the chicken out with other meats I'm able to buy. Gizmo has been on Primal freeze-dried raw for a solid 2 months now, and before that he was on canned, so I think he should adjust very well. Also he's gotten a raw lamb rib once a week since he was a kitten so we should have no problem transitioning him to a fresh raw diet!


Thank you! I figure this will take some time to truly get into the hang of it but while I do learn I want to ensure he's getting all the nutrients he needs so I will definitely be getting some extra taurine to put into his meals just to be on the safe side.

it does sound like your Gizmo will have a pretty smooth transition to a fresh raw diet!

when my three cats were on a raw diet, i would serve them some freeze-dried raw here and there, to give them a little more variety. i'm mentioning this to say that if you wanted to, or if your Gizmo really likes the freeze dried raw, you could serve him both kinds. you could even crumble some of the freeze dried raw and sprinkle it over the fresh raw meal for him, if you wanted to.

that sounds like a good plan! if you do end up ordering from Hare Today in the future, know that it should be delivered to you pretty quickly. you're in Michigan, and i'm in Upstate NY, while Hare Today is in far western PA -- so it would likely take a similar amount of time for your order to get to you, as mine took to get to me. well, actually, my orders always shot over to Ohio and then moved towards me......so you might well receive your order even faster than i did mine (which was 2 days after it was shipped -- and i always bought extra ice packs, to insure the raw meats remained frozen)!

also, i would suggest watching for the discount/promo codes from Hare Today -- sign up for their emailed newsletter, which contains occasional discount codes. and know that you can review the products you purchase there and earn rewards points, which convert to $$$ off when you apply them to your orders.

 

[EmmiTemmi]

I started clicking on and reading plenty of the resources listed in this forum and noticed that on one site with a homemade recipe (that didn't include Alnutrin, but instead was a bone-in grind), it mentioned that freezing can sometimes deplete and break down the taurine. Would this be the same for Alnutrin? Should I buy a taurine supplement to sprinkle some capsules on his food after it thaws or should the taurine that's in the Alnutrin be able to hold up after the freezing process?

Looking at the Alnutrin + Calcium product info tab on Hare Today I saw this "Shelf life of frozen product mixed with supplements: The freezing process itself does not destroy nutrients. There is almost no change in nutrient values during freezer storage. However, prolonged freezing could affect the quality (odor, taste, water retention) of the diet. Taurine is water soluble and defrosting meat will release some water, so the actual meat might end up with a little bit less taurine when thawed. But this loss of taurine is not caused by freezing but water release with some taurine dissolved in it. In case of homemade cat food, if this released water is mixed back into the diet you should end up with the same amount of taurine you had before freezing."

So no, taurine isn't broken down by freezing. Just make sure not to toss any water from the thawing process. You can still add more taurine before serving though.

 

[Ardina]

I used to use Alnutrin, but I've never supplemented extra taurine powder. Admittedly, I add nearly a pound of chicken hearts per 5 lb total mix, so my cats get plenty of extra taurine plus it's good for dental health.

 

[Gizmobius]

Congratulations on the grinder. Which brand did you get? I use both of the Alnutrins and I do add additional taurine, about 5 meals a week. I buy the taurine on Amazon. You are right in that additional taurine can't hurt our cats but not eneough sure can. Enjoy.

I purchased the STX International 3000 Megaforce with air cooling. It was a little under $200 but depending on how all this goes I intend to get a much more heavy duty grinder in the future!

Looking at the Alnutrin + Calcium product info tab on Hare Today I saw this "Shelf life of frozen product mixed with supplements: The freezing process itself does not destroy nutrients. There is almost no change in nutrient values during freezer storage. However, prolonged freezing could affect the quality (odor, taste, water retention) of the diet. Taurine is water soluble and defrosting meat will release some water, so the actual meat might end up with a little bit less taurine when thawed. But this loss of taurine is not caused by freezing but water release with some taurine dissolved in it. In case of homemade cat food, if this released water is mixed back into the diet you should end up with the same amount of taurine you had before freezing."

So no, taurine isn't broken down by freezing. Just make sure not to toss any water from the thawing process. You can still add more taurine before serving though.

Thank you, that's good to know! I hadn't thought to check out what Hare Today said about Alnutrin. I still get some taurine capsules or powder eventually but now I won't feel so bad for not getting it right away.

I used to use Alnutrin, but I've never supplemented extra taurine powder. Admittedly, I add nearly a pound of chicken hearts per 5 lb total mix, so my cats get plenty of extra taurine plus it's good for dental health.

I'm a rare breed who enjoys cooking up chicken hearts for myself so I don't know if I'd ever be able to share them with Gizmo if I went that route. I did give him a couple last time I had them (plus the one he jumped on the counter to steal.)