Science Diet Adult Feline
Chicken & Rice
Chicken & Rice
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FOOD COMPARISON: SCIENCE DIET FELINE ADULT CHICKEN & RICE AND WELLNESS SUPER5MIX
CHICKEN FORMULA
So many of our clients feed Iams, Purina, Purina One, Purina Beneful, Science Diet, and other foods that
are recommended to them, and which have slick advertising campaigns telling everyone how incredible
these foods are. This image gets in your mind, and makes it look like a great food choice… until you read
the label! We encourage you to read the front page of our food handout, which tells you how to
understand your pet’s food label. Once you learn what sounds good in an ingredient list, and what
actually is good, you’re better able to choose the right food for your pet.
Below, we compare Science Diet Feline Adult Chicken & Rice and Wellness Super5Mix Chicken Formula, a
higher-quality chicken-based food. Questionable ingredients are in bold type, with explanation below.
SCIENCE DIET ADULT CHICKEN & RICE INGREDIENTS (All 18 ingredients):
Chicken, Brewer’s Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken By-Product Meal, Ground Whole Grain Corn,
Animal Fat, Chicken Liver Flavor, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Sulfate, Iodized Salt, Choline Chloride,
Vitamin E Supplement, DL-Methionine, Vitamins, Taurine, Minerals, Rosemary Extract, Beta-Carotene
Interpretation: “Brewer’s Rice” is officially defined as “the dried extracted residue of rice resulting from
the manufacture of wort (liquid portion of malted grain) or beer.” Brewer’s Rice is a low-quality rice
fragment that is missing many of the nutrients found in the whole rice kernels. “Corn Gluten Meal” is the
dried residue from corn after the removal of the larger part of the starch and germ, and the separation of
the bran. It is a fragment left over when corn is processed. See more information on corn under Ground
Whole Grain Corn, below. The official definition of “Chicken By-Product Meal” is as follows: “Consists of
the ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered chicken, such as necks, feet,
undeveloped eggs and intestines, exclusive of feathers, except in such amounts as might occur
unavoidable in good processing practice.” Note that this is an inconsistent ingredient, because of the
multiple organs used and their constantly changing proportions. They are cheaper and less digestible
than chicken or chicken meal. Anything called a “by-product” means it is not deemed fit for human
consumption, and may even contain diseased or chemically tainted tissue. “Ground Whole Grain Corn”
doesn’t have an official definition, but presumably is mainly ground whole corn kernels, and most likely
doesn’t contain the entire cob as “ground whole corn” does. Corn is a carbohydrate that is extremely
difficult for cats to digest and use, and is a leading cause of allergies. “Animal Fat” is a generic term. The
official definition says it is “obtained from the tissues of mammals and/or poultry in the commercial
process of rendering or extracting.” It is much better to have a specific source, such as “chicken fat,” or
“beef fat.” Animal Fat could contain anything from roadkill, diseased farm animals, euthanized pets, and
other “animals” not seen as fit for anything other than a rendering plant. “Chicken Liver Flavor?” The
flavor of chicken liver, without any actual liver??? "Potassium Chloride" is used as a salt substitute and
to replenish electrolytes, but it is also used in fertilizer and in massive doses for lethal injections.
“Calcium Sulfate” is an inexpensive filler that also adds calcium content. (But that’s what raw bones are
for!) “Iodized Salt” is not something we should be adding to our pets’ food. Vitamins would seem to be
a good addition, but if they are using whole, quality ingredients, why are they necessary, and how much
of their nutritional value survives the cooking process? For “Minerals,” see “Vitamins” above.
WELLNESS SUPER5MIX CHICKEN FORMULA (Top 18 ingredients):
Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Chicken Liver, Ground Brown Rice, Ground Whole Oats, Canola Oil,
Cranberries, Blueberries, Flaxseed, Eggs, Peas, Taurine, Garlic, Alfalfa Leaf, Norwegian Kelp, Whole
Apples, Zucchini, Sweet Potatoes
Interpretation: There are essentially no objectionable ingredients in the top 18 in this food. Lots of
specific chicken proteins to start. Brown Rice is a superior carbohydrate source, much better than
processed white rice (which loses key nutrients during processing). Brown Rice is rich in B vitamins.
Ground Whole Oats are a good carbohydrate source, rich in B vitamins, a high quality protein, and easy
on the stomach. By using Brown Rice and Oatmeal, this food avoids the wheat, corn, white rice (often just
fragments) and soy commonly used, which are difficult to digest and are leading allergens in pet food.
Cranberries are good for the urinary tract, Blueberries are high in antioxidants. Flaxseed is the whole
ground seed, not a “meal” or fragment of the seed. Flaxseed is rich in essential fatty acids and B
vitamins, and Taurine is an important addition to cat food. The other ingredients listed here are whole
foods, minimally processed, rounding out the variety of nutrition in the food. A Salmon, Turkey and
Herring Oil Formula is also available.
CHICKEN FORMULA
So many of our clients feed Iams, Purina, Purina One, Purina Beneful, Science Diet, and other foods that
are recommended to them, and which have slick advertising campaigns telling everyone how incredible
these foods are. This image gets in your mind, and makes it look like a great food choice… until you read
the label! We encourage you to read the front page of our food handout, which tells you how to
understand your pet’s food label. Once you learn what sounds good in an ingredient list, and what
actually is good, you’re better able to choose the right food for your pet.
Below, we compare Science Diet Feline Adult Chicken & Rice and Wellness Super5Mix Chicken Formula, a
higher-quality chicken-based food. Questionable ingredients are in bold type, with explanation below.
SCIENCE DIET ADULT CHICKEN & RICE INGREDIENTS (All 18 ingredients):
Chicken, Brewer’s Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken By-Product Meal, Ground Whole Grain Corn,
Animal Fat, Chicken Liver Flavor, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Sulfate, Iodized Salt, Choline Chloride,
Vitamin E Supplement, DL-Methionine, Vitamins, Taurine, Minerals, Rosemary Extract, Beta-Carotene
Interpretation: “Brewer’s Rice” is officially defined as “the dried extracted residue of rice resulting from
the manufacture of wort (liquid portion of malted grain) or beer.” Brewer’s Rice is a low-quality rice
fragment that is missing many of the nutrients found in the whole rice kernels. “Corn Gluten Meal” is the
dried residue from corn after the removal of the larger part of the starch and germ, and the separation of
the bran. It is a fragment left over when corn is processed. See more information on corn under Ground
Whole Grain Corn, below. The official definition of “Chicken By-Product Meal” is as follows: “Consists of
the ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered chicken, such as necks, feet,
undeveloped eggs and intestines, exclusive of feathers, except in such amounts as might occur
unavoidable in good processing practice.” Note that this is an inconsistent ingredient, because of the
multiple organs used and their constantly changing proportions. They are cheaper and less digestible
than chicken or chicken meal. Anything called a “by-product” means it is not deemed fit for human
consumption, and may even contain diseased or chemically tainted tissue. “Ground Whole Grain Corn”
doesn’t have an official definition, but presumably is mainly ground whole corn kernels, and most likely
doesn’t contain the entire cob as “ground whole corn” does. Corn is a carbohydrate that is extremely
difficult for cats to digest and use, and is a leading cause of allergies. “Animal Fat” is a generic term. The
official definition says it is “obtained from the tissues of mammals and/or poultry in the commercial
process of rendering or extracting.” It is much better to have a specific source, such as “chicken fat,” or
“beef fat.” Animal Fat could contain anything from roadkill, diseased farm animals, euthanized pets, and
other “animals” not seen as fit for anything other than a rendering plant. “Chicken Liver Flavor?” The
flavor of chicken liver, without any actual liver??? "Potassium Chloride" is used as a salt substitute and
to replenish electrolytes, but it is also used in fertilizer and in massive doses for lethal injections.
“Calcium Sulfate” is an inexpensive filler that also adds calcium content. (But that’s what raw bones are
for!) “Iodized Salt” is not something we should be adding to our pets’ food. Vitamins would seem to be
a good addition, but if they are using whole, quality ingredients, why are they necessary, and how much
of their nutritional value survives the cooking process? For “Minerals,” see “Vitamins” above.
WELLNESS SUPER5MIX CHICKEN FORMULA (Top 18 ingredients):
Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Chicken Liver, Ground Brown Rice, Ground Whole Oats, Canola Oil,
Cranberries, Blueberries, Flaxseed, Eggs, Peas, Taurine, Garlic, Alfalfa Leaf, Norwegian Kelp, Whole
Apples, Zucchini, Sweet Potatoes
Interpretation: There are essentially no objectionable ingredients in the top 18 in this food. Lots of
specific chicken proteins to start. Brown Rice is a superior carbohydrate source, much better than
processed white rice (which loses key nutrients during processing). Brown Rice is rich in B vitamins.
Ground Whole Oats are a good carbohydrate source, rich in B vitamins, a high quality protein, and easy
on the stomach. By using Brown Rice and Oatmeal, this food avoids the wheat, corn, white rice (often just
fragments) and soy commonly used, which are difficult to digest and are leading allergens in pet food.
Cranberries are good for the urinary tract, Blueberries are high in antioxidants. Flaxseed is the whole
ground seed, not a “meal” or fragment of the seed. Flaxseed is rich in essential fatty acids and B
vitamins, and Taurine is an important addition to cat food. The other ingredients listed here are whole
foods, minimally processed, rounding out the variety of nutrition in the food. A Salmon, Turkey and
Herring Oil Formula is also available.