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No. That was a mistake on my part. I should say it is non-ground bone raw. That is really what I was looking for. It's ground bone I'm trying to avoid.
I'd be hesitant to feed it, too. The Fresh Is Best company president and I exchanged messages a few months ago and she still called it bone meal and said they don't have a percentage for it. This is the stuff they use. She told me they get a lot of inquiries about bone and that many cats who are constipated on foods that contain bone do fine on Fresh Is Best. Our local store no longer sells FIB and it's expensive to mail order so I'm not going to buy it, though it does sound like decent food.But can Fresh is Best be called Boneless Raw if it has MCHA? My girl has a tendency to get constipated and I'm not sure if FIB is a good idea in her case?
What percentage did you ask for? If you asked what percent bone it is, they can't answer that because it doesn't contain whole bone.I'd be hesitant to feed it, too. The Fresh Is Best company president and I exchanged messages a few months ago and she still called it bone meal and said they don't have a percentage for it.
That is what I have been saying. I goes by many short names, one of which is MCHA, short for microcrystalline hydroxyapatite. The nutrient profile I got for it that I mentioned in an earlier post came from Waitaki Biosciences. I've never seen it called bone meal before though.
That is possibly true. The problem with feeding whole bone seems to be that it is easy to feed too much. When using a non-whole bone calcium source it is easier to control the calcium amount and calcium to phosphorus ratio to prevent either from being higher than it needs to be. Still, I can see how some cats may still get constipated on a product that contains MCHA if either the company doesn't keep the calcium to phosphorus ratio low or if the use of MCHA causes enough excess minerals to be excreted to cause constipation.She told me they get a lot of inquiries about bone and that many cats who are constipated on foods that contain bone do fine on Fresh Is Best.
I asked for bone percentage. I'm not 100% certain, but I think they just listed "bone meal" as an ingredient then -- this was a few months ago -- without mentioning microcrystalline hydroxyapatite. I have to think I would have googled that! And then been confused since it wouldn't have sounded quite like bone meal to me.What percentage did you ask for? If you asked what percent bone it is, they can't answer that because it doesn't contain whole bone.
Yes, I know, it's rather odd! The turkey food now lists this ingredient: Bone Meal (microcrystalline hydroxyapatite calcium protein complex)That is what I have been saying. I goes by many short names, one of which is MCHA, short for microcrystalline hydroxyapatite. The nutrient profile I got for it that I mentioned in an earlier post came from Waitaki Biosciences. I've never seen it called bone meal before though.
There would have been the same problem if they were using heat dried bone meal - they can't tell you the bone percentage because it isn't whole bone. What you should ask is what the calcium to phosphorus ratio is. If you have a cat that gets constipated easily you want that ratio to be between 1.0 and 1.1. Just slightly more calcium than phosphorus. A little above 1.1 might be OK but I would certainly stay below 1.2.I asked for bone percentage. I'm not 100% certain, but I think they just listed "bone meal" as an ingredient then
I don't remember if I mentioned above or not but it was the head of the company that answered my email inquiry. I did feel like there was a disconnect on the terminology, with "bone meal" and MCHA, which clearly sounded more, hm, high-tech.I have to think there is a pretty big disconnect between whoever made the decision to use MCHA and the people marketing Fresh Is Best freeze dried products.
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And I would certainly make sure any customer service reps knew how to talk about it.
Thank you for this tutorial, this is good to know! I've been so fixated on carbs for these two cats that I haven't really focused much on the calcium/phosphorus issue but now, with the constipation question, I should probably bone up () on this more.There would have been the same problem if they were using heat dried bone meal - they can't tell you what the bone percentage it isn't whole bone. What you should ask is what the calcium to phosphorus ratio is. If you have a cat that gets constipated easily you want that ratio to be between 1.0 and 1.1. Just slightly more calcium than phosphorus. A little above 1.1 might be OK but I would certainly stay below 1.2.