"meat Mates" Freeze Dried Chicken - Bone Or Calcium Supplement?

lisamarie12

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Is anyone familiar with this company? I noticed the freeze dried chicken food on Chewy, it's a "balanced" food, however, no calcium source is listed for the chicken recipe.

https://www.chewy.com/meat-mates-chicken-dinner-grain-free/dp/186420

My sense is that the calcium source is ground bone and that they are not listing it as ground bone but just "chicken". If they are using a calcium supplement then they are required, per AAFCO, to list the calcium supplement in their ingredient list.

Per question #5 re: this product on the Chewy site, someone asks if the food is boneless or with bone but the rep's response is equally ambiguous:

"The calcium inclusion is generated both by the naturally occurring calcium in the protein, and from a calcium supplement included to ensure the diets meet AAFCO requirements year round."

I emailed MM's, I'll post back if they respond.
 

daftcat75

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Since it is a raw food, I am assuming "chicken" refers to whole bone-in ground chicken. A lot of raw labels don't list bone or bony bits in the ingredients so you're left assuming that chicken or rabbit refers to bone-in unless otherwise stated. The lamb dinner from them has a calcium supplement.
 
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lisamarie12

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Since it is a raw food, I am assuming "chicken" refers to whole bone-in ground chicken. A lot of raw labels don't list bone or bony bits in the ingredients so you're left assuming that chicken or rabbit refers to bone-in unless otherwise stated. The lamb dinner from them has a calcium supplement.
Not good, if that's the case. Commercial raw used to always list bone in their ingredients, eg Vital Essentials removed "bone" and that has confused some people looking for a boneless, balanced food. People shouldn't have to assume it's a bone in raw or have to inquire with the company, it should be listed in the ingredients.

We'll see what MM has to say about it.

Thanks
 

1 bruce 1

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Not good, if that's the case. Commercial raw used to always list bone in their ingredients, eg Vital Essentials removed "bone" and that has confused some people looking for a boneless, balanced food. People shouldn't have to assume it's a bone in raw or have to inquire with the company, it should be listed in the ingredients.

We'll see what MM has to say about it.

Thanks
That could mess some people and their pets up. Especially if they add calcium or add some bone heavy chicken parts to fill in the gaps.
 
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lisamarie12

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I received an acknowledgement email and it's the same company as Feline Natural, "K9 Natural" so now I'm almost certain it is ground bone as I had this issue previously with FN.
 
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lisamarie12

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That could mess some people and their pets up. Especially if they add calcium or add some bone heavy chicken parts to fill in the gaps.
Definitely it will confuse some people. Whatever the company is using for calcium makes it "complete and balanced" AAFCO approved, I just think they should list "bone" in their ingredient list if that's what is being used which is what I suspect because per AAFCO, if they are using a synthetic calcium supplement, that has to be listed in the ingredients.

"Chicken, Chicken Liver, Fish Oil, Flaxseed Flakes, Dried Kelp, Salt, Magnesium Oxide, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Proteinate, Taurine, Choline Chloride, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid."

They make canned food also and no calcium source is listed for the chicken canned food.
 
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lisahe

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I received an acknowledgement email and it's the same company as Feline Natural, "K9 Natural" so now I'm almost certain it is ground bone as I had this issue previously with FN.
Did you ever get an answer from Feline Natural about bone in their foods? I'm trying to cut back on our cats' bone intake and their FD chicken/lamb is highly suspect because of the ingredient list and what appear to be small bone chips in the food itself. It's also Ireland's favorite. (And it's also gotten very, very expensive so likely to get cut anyway!)
 
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lisamarie12

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Did you ever get an answer from Feline Natural about bone in their foods? I'm trying to cut back on our cats' bone intake and their FD chicken/lamb is highly suspect because of the ingredient list and what appear to be small bone chips in the food itself. It's also Ireland's favorite. (And it's also gotten very, very expensive so likely to get cut anyway!)
This is the response I received this morn from Meat Mates:

The calcium in our Meat Mates Chicken Dinner is sourced from the meat ingredient. All Meat Mates Dinners are AAFCO complete and balanced for all life stages excluding the growth of large size dogs (70lb or more as an adult).
If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Warm regards
Your fellow Meat Mate

I wrote back that I have never heard of muscle and organ meat satisfying the calcium needs (per AAFCO) to make a food balanced without adding a calcium supplement - this is hogwash.

There is either ground bone in the meat or a calcium supplement, either way, they aren't listing it in the ingredients, shame on MM.
 
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lisamarie12

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Where am I too assume that the calcium is coming from these ingredients ---?????

Chicken, Chicken Liver, Fish Oil, Flaxseed Flakes, Dried Kelp, Salt, Magnesium Oxide, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Proteinate, Taurine, Choline Chloride, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid."
 

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It would be from the chicken. They can just grind it up with the bone, and label it just “chicken”.
 

lisahe

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Alas, I think leechi leechi has to be right about the bone. They just call it part of the chicken. Their answer to you is not very forthcoming! (To say the least.) Dr. Pierson doesn't recommend K9/Feline Natural because they didn't provide her with data.

It's just plain wrong for them not to admit this.
 
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lisamarie12

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It would be from the chicken. They can just grind it up with the bone, and label it just “chicken”.
Yes, this is accurate, per AAFCO definitions, the frames/skeletal parts of the chicken can be included as "chicken".
 

lisahe

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Yes, this is accurate, per AAFCO definitions, the frames/skeletal parts of the chicken can be included as "chicken".
That's just plain bad to begin with! Muscle meat and bone are pretty different things.
 
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