FLINT RIVER RANCH PET FOOD FAQ

Daily Cost Comparison - Costs Less to Feed!

Concentrated for better nutrition, palatability and digestibility. You feed from 20 to 40% less than other foods. High digestibility means lower feeding cost and less clean-up! Hormone, by-product, BHA and BHT free, organic, free-range ingredients means a healthier pet and lower veterinary costs.

 

Cost/Lb

Cups/Bag

Cups/Day*

Price/Cup

Cost/Day

FLINT RIVER

1.14

80

2.5

0.29

$0.73

Science Diet

.90

80

3.75

0.225

$0.84

Eukanuba

.80

80

4.00

0.20

$0.80

Purina Chow

.65

80

4.50

0.163

$0.73

Iams

.75

80

3.5

0.22

$0.77

*Suggested number of cups for 45-55 lb. dog per day.


What is source of meat and protein in the Flint River Ranch Pet Food Products?

Chicken meat is the base meat source for Flint River Ranch Pet Food Products. Lamb and a small amount of fish are also added to give a more complete array of protein. You will see meats listed as Chicken Meal, Lamb Meal and Fish Meal. There are NO rendered By-Products, such as heads, feet, neck, bones, intestines or feathers, in Flint River Ranch formulas.


What is "meal"?

Meal means "reduces in size" - The Flint River Ranch meal is made from fresh meat (never by-products) that is cooked; most of the water is removed and the meat is reduced in size and ground. Therefore, if a "meal" ingredient is listed in the ingredients, even after mixing and cooking, it should retain its ingredient ranking since most or all of the moisture has already been removed.  In Flint River Ranch products, you will see Chicken Meal, Lamb Meal, Fish Meal, etc. It provides the most protein value per volume weight. This is why the Flint River Ranch formulas are highly concentrated with quality meat proteins.


Why doesn't Flint River Ranch use "Whole Chicken" like some other manufacturers?

The Whole Chicken is not like the chicken you buy in the grocery store. Whole Chicken labeled for pet food is exactly that - the whole chicken, including intestines, heads, feet, bones, feather and everything but the "cackle." - Sorry, but no thanks. Secondly, keep in mind that the ingredients listing ranks each ingredient by its volume weight before it is mixed together and cooked with other ingredients. Therefore, even if Whole Chicken (or Chicken) is the 1st ingredient listed, when the cooking process begins most of the water, blood and other fluids are cooked out...the result is a much lesser amount of chicken tissue remains - that Whole Chicken will not be the predominant ingredient after cooking. Finally, how does the pet food industry get a hold of Whole Chicken so cheaply? Simple answer - it was probably rejected by the (human) food grade industry. Some of the reasons for rejection may be due a condition called 4D Meat. Nothing ever goes to waste and ingredients inedible to humans end up in pet and animal feed.


Why doesn't Flint River Ranch say it uses"Organic Chicken"?

It is possible to put one(1) chicken in 50 tons of food and legally say we use organic, range fed chicken. Some manufacturers take this option - Flint River Ranch doesn't. While Flint River Ranch purchase as much organic chicken as possible, it prefer to more correctly say it uses human-quality chicken that is hormone free. As with all of the Flint River Ranch ingredients, they pay a premium price for the very best.


What is the Flint River Ranch grain source ?

Flint River Ranch uses grains that are purchased from major commercial (human) food-grade suppliers like General Mills, Pillsbury, etc. - fully tested and retested when received. This testing insures the very best quality and reduces the possibility of (naturally occurring) toxic molds, such as Aflatoxin and Mycotoxins which are poisonous to pets and animals who ingest them. Many pet food manufacturers purchase their grains directly from the farms for the simple reason that it is cheaper. These manufacturers run the risk of buying lower quality grains which are not suitable for human-quality certification, thus raising the potential for toxic mold. Whole wheat and selected parts of the wheat berry are used as the base grain.  Wheat grains are not only more digestible than corn, it is one of the most nutritionally balanced cereal grains. It is an easy-to-digest source of carbohydrates, fiber and energy. Low quality fillers like wood fiber, corn cobs, peanut hulls, cottonseed, straw, soy beans or citrus pulp are not found in Flint River Ranch products.


What are Chelated Minerals?

Minerals that are Chelated (pronounced kee-lay-ted); are bonded or coated with amino acids for better metabolic absorption compared to regular inorganic minerals found in most pet foods.