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has been an evolution in ingredients and cooking techniques,
and if the probiotics and enzymes are from sprouted seeds,
they can withstand a lot more punishment and survive much
better. The “mortality rate” is very small and the nutrition far
exceeds that in any other “complete and balanced” food. This is
hard to believe for raw food advocates, but we are very transparent
with our data and we have the analysis to back up these
claims.
How does the nutrition in Carna4 compare to a raw diet?
Of course, the very best way to feed your dog is by purchasing
a variety of good quality fresh meat, after grilling the butcher
about his sources and what processes are used, then adding
other whole foods and supplementing appropriately. But this
takes a lot of knowledge and time, and not everyone has the
ability to do the research, or the access to the whole foods and
nutrition their dog requires. If your choice is prepared food,
Carna4 is as nutritious as anything you can buy in a package
- and without adding any potentially harmful synthetic supplements.
Some people feed raw but use Carna4 for greater convenience
when they are rushed, or on the road. Other customers
have switched from raw or home prepared foods to Carna4.
Since Carna4 is not heated to high temperatures, how do you
ensure the safety of the food?
First of all, the baking temperature we use (195 o F/90 o C) is
sufficient to kill pathogens like salmonella. But, to be certain
the food is completely safe, we thoroughly check the finished
product before it’s released for sale. Our quarantine program
ensures that each batch does not leave the plant until all the
testing is done. We test every single batch for 64 different nutrients
as well as for salmonella, E. coli and other pathogens,
including aflatoxins, mercury and arsenic. We test down to one
part per billion and we don’t find any contaminants, which is
due to using really good quality ingredients and making the
food in small batches.
the necessary nutrients without the risk of contaminants, and
there is a need for products with only natural nutrition.
Carna4 is quite expensive compared to other packaged foods
- can you comment on that?
People do get sticker shock when they first see our prices. But
it doesn’t make sense to compare Carna4 to an ordinary bag
of dog food - which has no real food in it! The higher nutritional
value of Carna4 means it is more appropriate to compare
it to raw food. The daily feeding cost is actually quite modest; it
compares very favorably to many premade raw foods, and we
have provided some analysis on our website.
What is your vision for the future of the company?
We intend to stay small. We are a real family business. Maria
and I love working together: some couples don’t but we do, and
I have recently moved my office into a space in Maria’s clinic.
We also seek out other family businesses to work with. We buy
our sprouted seeds from a family business in Iowa; our baking
is done by a family business and our packaging is supplied by a
family business.
We want to remain a real family business, and we want to continue
producing small quantities of really good food. We would
much rather focus on maintaining the high quality of our product.
f
This is very important. Most pet food manufacturers are now
doing testing to show the FDA, but they are not testing every
batch. If every batch were tested, you would never have recalls.
After the melamine contamination one company decided to
start using a quarantine program - it lasted only a month!
With all the recent scares about contaminants in vitamin and
mineral premixes used in kibbles, people are becoming much
more aware of what they are feeding. Even though many companies
say they “source” their premixes in the US, that doesn’t
mean the country of origin is the US. Some vitamins are just not
made in the US, and 80% of them are produced in China and India.
Dog owners are looking for alternative foods that provide
54 May/June 2012 | Dogs Naturally Magazine