Attn Phil P: OMH's response to request for Proximate Analysis

in article , equalizer at
equalizer wrote on 2/23/05 4:21 PM:

Phil, anybody -- even Steve Crane.

I sent out a request to OMH asking for a proximate analysis on their
canned foods. I just got the following back. This sounds like total BS:

Hi :

Thank you for contacting Old Mother Hubbard. We only send out the
entire Nutritional Analysis to Veterinarians. If you could narrow down
exactly what you are looking for, I will try to send that to you.
However, we cannot send the entire profile.

Customer Service

Hmm. So ask your vet to request it.

equalizer wrote:

Phil, anybody -- even Steve Crane.

I sent out a request to OMH asking for a proximate analysis on their
canned foods. I just got the following back. This sounds like total BS:

Hi :

Thank you for contacting Old Mother Hubbard. We only send out the
entire Nutritional Analysis to Veterinarians. If you could narrow down
exactly what you are looking for, I will try to send that to you.
However, we cannot send the entire profile.

Customer Service

Curious they won't provide this simple information to those who support
the product by purchasing it... perhaps they are afraid sales will drop
once the information is released?

I often take the cynical outlook, even though eventually it may turn out
the truth was something different.

in article , equalizer at
equalizer wrote on 2/23/05 6:57 PM:

On Wed, 23 Feb 2005 18:49:26 -0600, Karen wrote:

in article , equalizer at
equalizer wrote on 2/23/05 4:21 PM:

Phil, anybody -- even Steve Crane.

I sent out a request to OMH asking for a proximate analysis on their
canned foods. I just got the following back. This sounds like total BS:

Hi :

Thank you for contacting Old Mother Hubbard. We only send out the
entire Nutritional Analysis to Veterinarians. If you could narrow down
exactly what you are looking for, I will try to send that to you.
However, we cannot send the entire profile.

Customer Service

Hmm. So ask your vet to request it.


Sure, that's the easy way to go about it, but is this the standard way
cat food manufacturers would answer this request? Only one way to find
out, I guess. ISTR dealing with this in the past with another
manufacturer (Nutro? Hill's?) and getting what I asked for without the
run around.

eq

No, but I think it would be interesting if you could get it to compare and
if it is bad, you have your answer - they are either just proprietary or up
to something.

equalizer wrote in message
...
On Wed, 23 Feb 2005 20:06:06 -0500, Joe Canuck
wrote:

equalizer wrote:

Phil, anybody -- even Steve Crane.

I sent out a request to OMH asking for a proximate analysis on their
canned foods. I just got the following back. This sounds like total BS:

Hi :

Thank you for contacting Old Mother Hubbard. We only send out the
entire Nutritional Analysis to Veterinarians. If you could narrow down
exactly what you are looking for, I will try to send that to you.
However, we cannot send the entire profile.

Customer Service

Curious they won't provide this simple information to those who support
the product by purchasing it... perhaps they are afraid sales will drop
once the information is released?

I often take the cynical outlook, even though eventually it may turn out
the truth was something different.


I do to -- the cynical outlook. It's my cats, after all. It just bothers
me, because I do seem to recall a company(s) handing these things out
like business cards. So, tomorrow, I'm going to ask a bunch of different
manufacturers for PM's, and see what happens.

I know Phil (and others) know if this is out of line or not.


I can understand a company not divulging the actual formula, but the not
nutritional analysis of the food. Makes me a little suspicious too. Nutro
stopped making the PA available to the public when they realized some people
were tracking the increases in Ca & P.

I don't understand why they don't publish the PA on their website like
Hill's and Wysong.

Phil

Phil P. wrote:

equalizer wrote in message
...

On Wed, 23 Feb 2005 20:06:06 -0500, Joe Canuck
wrote:


equalizer wrote:


Phil, anybody -- even Steve Crane.

I sent out a request to OMH asking for a proximate analysis on their
canned foods. I just got the following back. This sounds like total BS:

Hi :

Thank you for contacting Old Mother Hubbard. We only send out the
entire Nutritional Analysis to Veterinarians. If you could narrow down
exactly what you are looking for, I will try to send that to you.
However, we cannot send the entire profile.

Customer Service

Curious they won't provide this simple information to those who support
the product by purchasing it... perhaps they are afraid sales will drop
once the information is released?

I often take the cynical outlook, even though eventually it may turn out
the truth was something different.


I do to -- the cynical outlook. It's my cats, after all. It just bothers
me, because I do seem to recall a company(s) handing these things out
like business cards. So, tomorrow, I'm going to ask a bunch of different
manufacturers for PM's, and see what happens.

I know Phil (and others) know if this is out of line or not.



I can understand a company not divulging the actual formula, but the not
nutritional analysis of the food. Makes me a little suspicious too. Nutro
stopped making the PA available to the public when they realized some people
were tracking the increases in Ca & P.

Hey, I remember that.

One day it was freely available on the Nutro website, then sometime
later it was removed from the website nowhere to be found.

Consumers getting too smart.


I don't understand why they don't publish the PA on their website like
Hill's and Wysong.

Phil

Karen wrote:

in article , equalizer at
equalizer wrote on 2/23/05 6:57 PM:


On Wed, 23 Feb 2005 18:49:26 -0600, Karen wrote:


in article , equalizer at
equalizer wrote on 2/23/05 4:21 PM:


Phil, anybody -- even Steve Crane.

I sent out a request to OMH asking for a proximate analysis on their
canned foods. I just got the following back. This sounds like total BS:

Hi :

Thank you for contacting Old Mother Hubbard. We only send out the
entire Nutritional Analysis to Veterinarians. If you could narrow down
exactly what you are looking for, I will try to send that to you.
However, we cannot send the entire profile.

Customer Service

Hmm. So ask your vet to request it.


Sure, that's the easy way to go about it, but is this the standard way
cat food manufacturers would answer this request? Only one way to find
out, I guess. ISTR dealing with this in the past with another
manufacturer (Nutro? Hill's?) and getting what I asked for without the
run around.

eq


No, but I think it would be interesting if you could get it to compare and
if it is bad, you have your answer - they are either just proprietary or up
to something.


There doesn't need to be anything proprietary about it... the analysis
will show the product is either good for cats or suspect based on
current knowledge. When a manufacturer makes this information difficult
or impossible to obtain it raises a red flag with me.

Information like this can either be a selling point or a negative issue
for those well informed consumers. I don't know what the pet food
marketing types are thinking when they remove the information... that
people won't notice it has suddenly become unavailable or difficult to
obtain? Do they think folks will continue consuming the product despite
a retraction of previously published information?

I suppose there will always be a demand for low-end products, however
I'm hoping as consumers become more demanding about pet food that the
bad players in the market will gradually get weeded out.

That's a strange response. Why vets only? I've requested analyses
from other companies and for most of them had no problems getting it at
all.

EQ, you should write them back and ask them specifically why they will
only provide it to a vet. I'd like to see what kind of answer they
could possibly come up with.

Joe Canuck wrote:
equalizer wrote:

Phil, anybody -- even Steve Crane.

I sent out a request to OMH asking for a proximate analysis on
their
canned foods. I just got the following back. This sounds like total
BS:

Hi :

Thank you for contacting Old Mother Hubbard. We only send out the
entire Nutritional Analysis to Veterinarians. If you could narrow
down
exactly what you are looking for, I will try to send that to you.
However, we cannot send the entire profile.

Customer Service
(...)

I often take the cynical outlook, even though eventually it may turn
out
the truth was something different.

Well, one approach for EQ is to say:

- I have narrowed what I'm looking for to: fat, carbohydrate, fibre,
protein, calcium, phosphorous, potassium, sodium, magnesium, leucine,
valine, l-tryptophan, taurine, vitamins A, D, E, etc...

Heh.

But anyway, the reply from OMH is not good. At least they did not
actually refuse to provide any info at all, as was my experience with
the folks at Petguard. Still, it does sound like cynic-mode should be
on with OMH at the moment...

Keep us posted, EQ.

Steve.

equalizer wrote in message
...
On 24 Feb 2005 12:35:01 -0800, "Steve G"
wrote:


Joe Canuck wrote:
equalizer wrote:

Phil, anybody -- even Steve Crane.

I sent out a request to OMH asking for a proximate analysis on
their
canned foods. I just got the following back. This sounds like total
BS:

Hi :

Thank you for contacting Old Mother Hubbard. We only send out the
entire Nutritional Analysis to Veterinarians. If you could narrow
down
exactly what you are looking for, I will try to send that to you.
However, we cannot send the entire profile.

Customer Service
(...)

I often take the cynical outlook, even though eventually it may turn
out
the truth was something different.

Well, one approach for EQ is to say:

- I have narrowed what I'm looking for to: fat, carbohydrate, fibre,
protein, calcium, phosphorous, potassium, sodium, magnesium, leucine,
valine, l-tryptophan, taurine, vitamins A, D, E, etc...

Heh.

But anyway, the reply from OMH is not good. At least they did not
actually refuse to provide any info at all, as was my experience with
the folks at Petguard. Still, it does sound like cynic-mode should be
on with OMH at the moment...

Keep us posted, EQ.

Steve.


Well, they DID come through. They FAX'd the sheets to my vet, and I
picked them up. Wellness Turkey and Wellness Chicken. I also sent them
an email asking why all the run around when the PA ended up in my hands
anyways. Now, if I only knew if this data was good or bad.....

Are you going to post it? I'd be interested since now that Grant is gone,
Pearl will eat it just fine and there is now a source in town.

Karen wrote:
(...)

Are you going to post it?

Or at least the edited highlights...?

S.