Limited Ingredient Canned Food - Nature's Variety Instinct Vs. Merrick??

[Crystal0268]

Does anyone have experience with Nature's Variety Instinct LID canned food versus Merrick LID canned food? My cat is diabetic so I need a food with a carb content under 10% (under 7% preferably) and she has food allergies. I am looking at the duck because she's previously had chicken and rabbit.

After contacting both companies, I'm confused as to why Merrick LID duck has a carb content of 5% while NV Instinct LID is at 11.61%? They have close to the same ingredients but one is half the carbs. Merrick is also half the price. I know you should go by the rule "you get what you pay for" so I'm hesitant to buy Merrick in case there's a significant reason the carbs are lower, like leaving out something important. Merrick also doesn't include bones in the food which is a good nutrition source for cats. That might be it but NV doesn't have so many bones that it would make much difference.

Anyone have experience with either of these that can settle my confusion? Thanks!

 

[Kieka]

I believe that Merrick is giving you their wet matter carbs while Natures Variety is giving the dry matter carbs.

If you throw the Merrick LID Duck into a dry matter carb calculator (like this one, Cat Food Nutrition Calculator | Elizabeth C Scheyder) you get a dry matter carb content of 25% with the wet matter of 5.59%. While the Natures Variety is 10% dry matter carb and 2.5% wet matter (give or take a little since they don't list ash on the ingredients. Their 11.6% they gave you gives you the actual number so you could play with the ash to figure it out). With the diabetic issue I believe the NV LID is the better option between the two.

This chart shows a lot of different cat foods with their carb content and may help in your search (and it was recently updated)

http://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

 

[Crystal0268]

I believe that Merrick is giving you their wet matter carbs while Natures Variety is giving the dry matter carbs.

If you throw the Merrick LID Duck into a dry matter carb calculator (like this one, Cat Food Nutrition Calculator | Elizabeth C Scheyder) you get a dry matter carb content of 25% with the wet matter of 5.59%. While the Natures Variety is 10% dry matter carb and 2.5% wet matter (give or take a little since they don't list ash on the ingredients).

This chart shows a lot of different cat foods with their carb content and may help in your search (and it was recently updated)

http://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

thanks. I was talking directly with a customer service person at Merrick when they told me 5% dry matter and 1.4% as fed, but I have had incorrect responses from other companies about carb content before. But your response is the third time I've seen a number around 10% for NV carb content so I think it's better to trust that.

 

[Kieka]

thanks. I was talking directly with a customer service person at Merrick when they told me 5% dry matter and 1.4% as fed, but I have had incorrect responses from other companies about carb content before. But your response is the third time I've seen a number around 10% for NV carb content so I think it's better to trust that.

The link I attached for the cat food analysis shows the Merrick at 15% carb for Duck. I also tried plugging the nutrition into three different carb calculators and repeatedly got theirs as higher. I wonder where the person was getting 5% dry from.... I bet she was confusing proteins as the others have lower carbs.

 

[missmimz]

Merrick's duck is 5% and Instinct's is 13.5% Instinct is higher in fat and fiber.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

...

This chart shows a lot of different cat foods with their carb content and may help in your search (and it was recently updated)

http://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

Thanks for that link, I hadn't realized it had been updated for 2017

 

[chandler49]

Does anyone have experience with Nature's Variety Instinct LID canned food versus Merrick LID canned food? My cat is diabetic so I need a food with a carb content under 10% (under 7% preferably) and she has food allergies. I am looking at the duck because she's previously had chicken and rabbit.

After contacting both companies, I'm confused as to why Merrick LID duck has a carb content of 5% while NV Instinct LID is at 11.61%? They have close to the same ingredients but one is half the carbs. Merrick is also half the price. I know you should go by the rule "you get what you pay for" so I'm hesitant to buy Merrick in case there's a significant reason the carbs are lower, like leaving out something important. Merrick also doesn't include bones in the food which is a good nutrition source for cats. That might be it but NV doesn't have so many bones that it would make much difference.

Anyone have experience with either of these that can settle my confusion? Thanks!

I use Merrick Limited Turkey. Carbs dry matter 5.44%. You said your cat has food allegories. Too bad because Fancy Feast Classic Pate is what vets use for diabetic cats. Carbs dry matter are extremely low. My cat is not diabetic but I use the Liver/Chicken Pate & Turkey Giblets. Carbs dry matter less than 1%. All animal protein no fruit veggies carrageenan.

 

[missmimz]

I use Merrick Limited Turkey. Carbs dry matter 5.44%. You said your cat has food allegories. Too bad because Fancy Feast Classic Pate is what vets use for diabetic cats. Carbs dry matter are extremely low. My cat is not diabetic but I use the Liver/Chicken Pate & Turkey Giblets. Carbs dry matter less than 1%. All animal protein no fruit veggies carrageenan.

FF is high in phos though (esp. the classic line), and they're using rendered meats, so eh, it's not exactly high quality food even if it isn't loaded with veggies.