From:
Linda Iroff
Date: 2001-03-11 08:37:00 UTC
Subject: rice vs other carbohydrates
This is a topic that has been concerning me for a while.
About 1 1/2 years ago, Iams changed the carbohydrate in its kitten (and
some cat) food from rice to a mix of ground corn (or corn meal, not sure
don't have bag here, and their web site STILL has the old formula), corn
grits (corn with bran and germ, ie, fiber and protein removed) and grain
sorghum (aka milo; not barley--that's in their dog food).
Some people said Iams did this to cheapen the food so it could be sold in
grocery stores, but anyone who has checked the price knows this is not the
case. A 4 lb bag of Iams kitten is $8.99 in my grocery store, and $7.99 at
PetSmart (same as it's always been).
A call to Iams and a search of their web site indicates they made this
change for the reasons Dr. Murray discussed--to promote more even glucose
levels. See
http://www.iams.com/qanda/fft/11rcarbohydrates/11rcarbohydrates.htm
Of course, their research was done only in dogs and cats. How likely is it
that this would also be true for ferrets?
Linda Iroff
Oberlin OH