Carbohydrates

Question:
Can you tell me what the carb content is in the Epigen foods? Is it possible that you might ever include organ meat in the venison variety. Can you tell me if the 60% protein is meat protein alone or it includes the potato protein and any other plant proteins in the formula? Thanks.

Answer:
Other than meat and organ glycogen and plant fibers, there is no carbohydrate in Epigen™.

If you wish to feed organ meats, consider adding the Au Jus™ canned diets, which are starch free™, and contain meats and organs.

As for the protein, approximately 70% is from the meat and 30% from the vegetables. The Epigen 90™ is all meat protein, and does not contain any vegetable proteins.

Question:
Thank you for your response but if there are carbs from the meat and organ glycogen and the plant fibers could you please tell me what percent of the product those carbs make up? Thank you so much

Answer:
Probably less than 5%.

Please note that although manufacturers may detail percentages to appeal to a particular market, a person cannot know if these values are correct without lab testing each batch of product produced by that manufacturer. This is why targeting percentages in foods does not and has never worked for achieving long-term health. One can neither know what the percentages truly are, nor exactly how the percentages impact any given animal.

Question:
Thank you for the information. I do have a couple more questions. I understand that you are saying that percentages are estimates but you do estimate on some nutrients like protein and fat. Is there a difference in quantifying carbohyrates and estimating protein and fat? Also I am interested in the Au Jus food but see that it has no nutrients added. If one adds the supplement that you have for sale that can be used with the Au Jus will it now be balanced? Thank you.

Answer:
Protein and fat content are not estimated.

We recommend the Call of the Wild™ supplement with the Au Jus™ canned diets.

Question:
I am not sure what you mean. Is it different to determine the protein than to determine the carbs?

Another question. How are you defining starch? I don't understand how the food could have carbs but be starch free. I thought carbs and starch were the same thing.

Thanks.

These questions relate to the Epigen.

Answer:
Since we do not use carbohydrates in the formulas, we do not test for them.

Starch is a type of carbohydrate. Not all carbohydrates are starches. We suggest doing a Google search to learn more about the different types of carbohydrates. Please also see the Epigen™ website: www.wysongepigen.net, and the following link: Starch Free™ vs. "Grain-Free": http://wysongepigen.net/Epigen%20Flyer.pdf.

Question:
Good afternoon, was trying to calculate the carb % on the canned Aus Juice duck and see what the source of carb is from??? And is there ash in this product??

Answer:
Duck meat is negligible in carbs and duck liver is about 10% carbs from glycogen--which is metabolized differently than carbs (starches and sugars) from plant sources.

Duck Au Jus™ is 3.39% ash.

Question:
Thank you, also could you give the carb % for the other Au Jus of beef, venison, turkey and ash % for those also

Answer:
All of the Au Jus diets are going to be low carb, like the Duck Au Jus, as the only carb source in those is the small amount of glycogen in the organ meat.

Here are the ash content values:
Beef: 3.4%
Venison: 8.7%
Turkey: 0.7%

Question:
One of your recommendations was Senior dry, I read the ingredients and one of them is potato. I thought this is considered a starch and has a lot of carbohydrates? As you know my dog is overweight. Is this ingredient ok for my dog to eat in your dry dog food? In your email you said to increase meat protein/fat and decrease grain carbohydrates.

What is considered grain carbohydrates? Epigen Chicken has chicken meal, Epigen Vension has vension meal, Epigen fish has fish meal. What is chicken meal, vension meal, fish meal? I like Wysong dog food and the fact that Wysonghas a variety and so does my dog too. I am also walking my dog more often. Thank you.

Answer:
Grain carbohydrates include whole corn, wheat, rice oats, etc. Potatoes do have starch, but foods containing carbohydrates can be fed in rotation, along with the other high meat diets I recommended (i.e. Epigen™, Au Jus Canned™, Archetype™). As you noted, it is recommended to decrease carbohydrates; not completely eliminate them.

The more you want to cause weight loss, the more you shift toward the starch-free products.

See:

Myth of the 100% Complete Pet Food: http://www.wysong.net/pet-health-and-nutrition/the-100-percent-complete-pet-food-myth.php

Why Intermittent Feeding?: http://www.wysong.net/pet-health-and-nutrition/why-intermittent-feeding.php

Can Pet Health Be Simple?: http://www.wysong.net/pet-health-and-nutrition/can-pet-health-be-simple.php

The Pet Food Ingredient Game: http://www.wysong.net/pet-health-and-nutrition/the-pet-food-ingredient-game.php

100 Pet Health Truths

The meat meals are dried meats and organs.

Question:
I have a cat with FLUTD and my vet suggested Wysong Uretic since I was very unhappy with the ingredients in the prescription food I was giving him. The ingredients in your food are excellent, but I am curious as to why it has such a high carb content at 32%?

Answer:
All dry kibble foods (with the exception of the Wysong Epigen™ products) must use a starch source to bind the kibble. This necessity creates the carbohydrate content, and Uretic has an average carbohydrate content compared to other foods. It is not considered a high percentage. In fact, Wysong diets boost a lower glycemic index than other foods on the market. For instance, Uretic™ is lower in carbohydrate content than some other popular diets for urinary health, such as Hill's C/D (41%).

Also keep in mind that Uretic™ is just one diet option that Wysong offers for cats prone to urinary problems. For the best health, Wysong recommends feeding a variety of foods.

A good starting point for cats with urinary problems is Uretic™ and Epigen™ (starch free™) dry, supplemented with Archetype™ and the Au Jus Canned Diets™ or fresh meat. We also have a supplement, Biotic pH-™ for those cats requiring additional help maintaining a more acidic urine pH. Biotic pH-™ also enhances digestion and absorption by supplying probiotics (good bacteria) and enzymes. Also, consider supplementing with Wysong E.F.A.™ (essential fatty acids, which are anti-inflammatory).

The Wysong Rx diet for struvite crystals is Urinary™. It would be recommended to supplement the diets mentioned above with the Rx diet, either as a top dressing or a snack (see intermittent and varied article).

You can order Rx diets directly from Wysong as long as we have a prescription on file from your vet stating the name of the diet, your name, the pet's name and the number of refills. You can fax that information to us at 989-631-9280. If your veterinarian wishes, they can also order the Rx diet for you.

Please see these links for more help:

Rationale For Feline Diets: http://www.wysong.net/pet-health-and-nutrition/rationale-for-feline-diets.php

Urinary Problems: http://www.wysong.net/bladder-stones-struvite/

Myth of the 100% Complete Pet Food: http://www.wysong.net/pet-health-and-nutrition/the-100-percent-complete-pet-food-myth.php

How To Rotate Diets: http://www.wysong.net/pet-health-and-nutrition/how-to-rotate-diets.php