by Janice Jones |Last updated 02-06-2020
We recently received a request for a Petcurean Dog Food Review.
Diana form Manitoba, Canada wrote:
My dog is toy poodle/Papillon mix, is 2 years old, and weighs approx. 6 lbs. I am feeding a dry dog food called NOW for small breed and all ages. It is distributed by Petcurean Pet Nutrition and made in Canada. I am not sure who the manufacturer is but I buy it at a pet store. First few ingredients are de-boned turkey, potatoes, whole dried eggs, peas, flaxseed, apples, canola oil and a whole long list of other ingredients but is grain free. Can you evaluate the nutritional value of this food? I just got this dog yesterday and am not sure what to feed. Previous owner was feeding Purina BENEFUL small sized dry food for small dogs.
Here is our response:
We visited http://www.petcurean.com/ on the web and learned that they are a Canadian owned family based company, headquartered in which has been in the business of producing dog food since 1999.
We loved the fact that all the ingredients that go into the
product are farmed in North America with the exception of lamb present in some
products which is obtained from New Zealand and Australia.
The company has been in existence since 1999, and I could not find any evidence
of food recalls. Continuing our Petcurean dog food review, we looked at the types of food available.
The company has a variety of Brands: GO,
NOW and Summit Holistic. The NOW line is
available for puppies, adults, seniors, large breeds and small breeds. However, their website did not publish the
AAFCO Adequacy Statement, which lets us know that the food is appropriate for
each life stage. Canned and dry (kibble)
are the only two types of foods we could see listed on their site.
De-boned turkey, potato flour, peas, potatoes, whole dried egg, pea fibre, tomato, apples, flaxseed, canola oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), natural flavour, coconut oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), salmon, de-boned duck, sundried alfalfa, carrots, pumpkin, bananas, blueberries, cranberries, raspberries, blackberries, papayas, pineapple, grapefruit, lentil beans, broccoli, spinach, cottage cheese, alfalfa sprouts, dried kelp, calcium carbonate, dicalcium phosphate, lecithin, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, dried seaweed meal, vitamins (vitamin E supplement, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (a source of vitamin C), niacin, inositol, vitamin A supplement, thiamine mononitrate, d-calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, beta-carotene, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement), minerals (zinc proteinate, ferrous sulphate, zinc oxide, iron proteinate, copper sulphate, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, calcium iodate, selenium yeast), taurine, DL-methionine, L-lysine, dried chicory root, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Aspergillus niger fermentation product, dried Aspergillus oryzae fermentation product, yeast extract, yucca schidigera extract, marigold, L-carnitine, dried rosemary
Calorie Content: ME (Calculated) = 3746 kcal/kg or 412 kcal/cup
Available in 0.5lb, 6lb, 12lb, and 25lb bag sizes
Crude protein (min)
28%
Crude fat (min)
18%
Crude fibre (max)
3%
Moisture (max)
10%
Calcium (min)
1.2%
Phosphorus (min)
0.8%
DHA (min)
0.06%
EPA (min)
0.02%
Omega 6 (min)
2.7%
Omega 3 (min)
0.54%
I did an analysis based on information from Small Dog Place and obtained a score of 109, which would give the food an A+ rating. It might have been higher (110) but it was unclear from the ingredients list that I obtained on their website as to whether the flaxseed was present in the food as oil or in the form of seeds. Flaxseed oil is a better alternative to seeds. Several of the ingredients that improved the score were:
It lost a couple of points because I could not see whether it contained any protein meals such as turkey meal. The first and presumably largest protein source was de-boned turkey. De-boned turkey is a great protein source, but unfortunately, the meat alone contains as much as 80% water. A turkey meal would actually contain more protein.
Score: 109 A+
Having lived with dogs and cats most of her life, Janice served as a veterinary technician for ten years in Maryland and twelve years as a Shih Tzu dog breeder in Ohio.
Her education includes undergraduate degrees in Psychology with a minor in biology, Early Childhood Education, and Nursing, and a master's in Mental Health Counseling.
She is a lifelong learner, a dog lover, and passionate about the welfare of animals. Her favorite breed for over 50 years has been the Shih Tzu, but she has also lived with Poodles, Maltese, Yorkshire Terriers, Beagles, English Bulldogs, Carin Terriers, and a Cocker Spaniel.
When not writing, reading, and researching dog-related topics, she likes to spend time with her eight Shih Tzu dogs, husband, and family, as well as knitting and crocheting. She is also the voice behind Miracle Shih Tzu and Smart-Knit-Crocheting
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