Our manufacturer, American Nutrition, without our knowledge, added rice protein to two of our products, chicken and turkey. Mulligan Stew® has two protein sources, the primary protein and liver, in its patent-pending formula. The recall of Mulligan Stew® was voluntary, as per the FDA, and our Company voluntarily recalled these two products immediately. Additionally, we sent these two flavors to an independent lab for testing and they came back clean - there was never any threat to pet health. These test results are available on our web site, as a link in the Press Release section, release dated 5/8/07. In the body of the release there's a link to the test result page.

Born out of this critical situation, Mulligan Stew® instituted an audit program to assure we are monitoring our manufacturer's adherence to our patent-pending formula. The Formulation Guarantee™ Program provides an audit for each manufactured batch of Mulligan Stew®. By signing off on each batch, we manage the exact ingredients used to produce each batch. Mulligan Stew® posts these signed audits on our web site, offering consumers, retailers, and distributors the ability to review these batches and feel confident about the ingredients of the exact can they hold in their hand. We are also testing each batch from the manufacturer and post the results on line. It is our desire that this program instills the confidence pet owner's demand in their quality pet food.

Throughout evolutionary history, the canine diet has always been high in water content. Dry pet foods are relatively recent products that arise from a desire for convenience, rather than from proven health benefit. All foods found in dry pet food, like meats, oils and starches undergo an oxidative process when heated and dried. Oxidation reduces the nutritional quality of the pet food, therefore delivering far less nutrients to your pet.

Tartar arises form the consumption of carbohydrates, which is found in very high quantities in most dry foods. The canine's natural diet is high in protein and low in carbohydrates. Mulligan Stew® mimics a dog' natural diet - it is high in protein and low in simple carbohydrates that can lead to tartar and other health problems.

AAFCO, The Association of American Feed Control Officials, Inc.,develops regulations, standards and enforcement policies for regulating the manufacture, distribution and sale of animal feeds, including pet food. AAFCO establishes standards or models for regulations aimed at ensuring that manufacturers provide clear, accurate and consistant information about animal feed, including pet food. In addition, AAFCO has established "AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles" which were designed to estasblish practical mininum and maximum nutrient levels for dog foods, including levels of Crude Protein, Crude Fat, Minerals and Vitamins. We believe that certain of AAFCO's established mineral requirements may lead to unhealthy conditions in your pet. Because Mulligan Stew does not meet all of AAFCO's mineral guidelines, AAFCO requires our company to state that our product be used on a supplemental or intermittent basis. Mulligan Stew Dog Food meets all other AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles relating to Crude Protein, Crude Fat, and Vitamins.

It has been shown through various studies that animals require less food than what we give them. Obesity is a common problem for our companion animals and has been linked to numerous diseases. Additionally, energy requirements vary according to environmental conditions, size, age and activity of your pet. The chart below is a guideline - vary the quantity according your pet's specific needs and activity level.

* Dogs and cats should always have access to fresh water.
** Cats should always be fed twice per day.

Note: If you are mixing Mulligan Stew® Pet Food with another product, we recommend feeding at least 35% of our Daily Feeding Guide.

The formulation of Mulligan Stew® is natural and is based on compounds found in many common food sources. These sources are not known to cause adverse responses in pets or react negatively with common pet medications.

Our product contains non-milled, ground brown rice which has a very low starch profile. Mulligan Stew® purposely contains one of the lowest grain amounts on the pet food market. We strongly believe a very low carbohydrate diet is essential to the health of your pet.

Cabbage is both a soluble and insoluble fiber, cleansing the bowel with both these compounds. A dog's digestive tract is much shorter than a humans, therefore food is processed much quicker. Our experience shows there is no flatulence associated with consuming Mulligan Stew® in our pet customers.

Due to the possible hazardous nature of synthesized Taurine and its unnecessary requirement in the form of supplementation, we do not add Taurine to our food. Please visit our Articles and Research page for an article about Taurine and optimal cat health.

Decreased bowel motility, resulting from poor nutrition in the past, is one factor. The other is the excessive saturation of potentially harmful compounds lodged within the animal’s tissue which requires rapid excretion via the bowel or urinary tract. Diarrhea is a natural response by the pet’s body to flush out their system. Typically, this response diminishes within 24 - 72 hours.

All pet food contains "Ash" in their formulations. Many companies, including Mulligan Stew, list Ash under the Guaranteed Analysis on the label. We often receive questions from consumers regarding Ash. Some consumers seem to believe that Ash is some kind of waste material, containing all sorts of noxious elements,and do not understand why it is added to pet food. Consumers also want to know "What type of ash is it?"

You will be relieved to know that ash is not added to pet foods. It is a way of describing the maximum mineral content of pet food. The ash you see listed is part of a "Guaranteed Analysis" statement that is required by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). According to AAFCO, besides the Ash (max), a pet food label must also list the following guarantees; protein (min), crude fat (min), crude fiber (max) and moisture (max).

Ash is measured by heating a sample of the pet food to temperatures of around 550 ∞C, and burning off all the organic components to leave just the inorganic residue. Thus, ash is not added as an ingredient but is instead an indicator of mineral content. These minerals will be chiefly potassium and phosphorus with smaller amounts of calcium, iron, magnesium, sodium and zinc, and trace amounts of many others.

Consumers can analyze the actual mineral content in Mulligan Stew Pet Food by visiting our website. As part of our Formulation Guarantee program, we post a nutritional analysis from an independent laboratory for each batch of Mulligan Stew Pet Food. The nutritioanal analysis will show the actual trace minerals found in our pet food, including potassium and phosphorus.

The amount of Ash in a pet food may provide some indication of the quality of the protein being utilized in the food. Generally, the lesser the Ash content the higher the quality of the protein source. Lower quality proteins such as "meals" (i.e.chicken meal) and "meat by-products" contain higher levels of bone and even feathers, both of which contribute to higher mineral levels and thus higher Ash content. Some manufacturers have Ash levels as high as 15%. Mulligan Stew Pet Food contain high quality proteins, no meals or by-products are ever used. The Ash content in our products is typically no higher than 2.8%.

"Ash is not added as an ingredient but is instead an indicator of mineral content. These minerals are chiefly potassium and phosphorous".

The answer is YES. Mulligan Stew Pet Food is formulated to have a low carbohydrate profile. Diabetic animals require lower carbohydrates in their diet, to help reduce sugars, which are regulated by the pancreas. The pancreas secretes hormones which control glucose levels in the blood stream. By keeping sugar levels down it helps the pancreas so it does not have to work so hard. Additionally the two essential amino acids found in Mulligan Stew, Cysteine and Methionine, helps assist in reducing the triglycerides levels in the blood, which help to lower blood sugar levels as well.

In addition, Mulligan Stew Pet Food is only available as a "wet" formula in cans. Canned pet foods generally have lower carbohydrate profiles than dry kibble. In order to extend shelf-life and assure stability on the shelf (i.e. to reduce molds and toxins), dry kibble is manufactured utlizing much higher levels of carbohydrates. Canned pet foods do not require these additional carbohyrdrates to extend their shelf-life.