From:
Linda Iroff
Date: 2002-01-20 20:12:00 UTC
Subject: A/D percentages
Barb writes
> A/D is a meat that is given to sick animals when they don't eat. It's
> mostly water however and so, at least from what my vet is telling me,
> it's nutrients are not good for the long term as a basic food. I've read
> the ingredients on the side of the can and it has a78% moisture content
> and only 8.5% protein and 5.23% fat.
To compare wet foods with dry, you need to divide the % of protein by the %
of DRY matter, that is 100-% moisture. For example, A/D is 8.5/(100-78) =
8.5/22 = .386 or 38.6%. In other words, the protein is 38% of the dry
matter in the food.
For an dry food example, let's say it's 35% protein with moisture content
of 10%. That would be 35/(100-10) = 35/90 =.389 or 38.9%, very similar to
the wet food.
Using the same calculation, the fat content of A/D is about equivalent to a
dry food with 21% fat, fairly typical of ferret kibble.
A ferret eating A/D will need to drink less water than a ferret eating
kibble, but he is getting about the same protein and fat ratios. Remember
A/D was designed for dogs and cats, for whom this would be considered a
very rich diet.
Linda Iroff
Oberlin OH