# The "NEW" PetSmart Authority



## LadyV (Oct 1, 2009)

I'm the Salon manager at one of our local PetSmarts. We have just reformulated the PetSmart "Authority" brand. Does any one know if the new formula is suitable for Hedgies?

Which Kitten food is best for the baby?
Thank you


----------



## nefertiti (Sep 28, 2009)

I work as a pet care specialist at petsmart. Honestly I wouldn't feed it to your hedgie. I feed my baby Royal Canin BabyCat 34 and she loves it. But I have an inherent distrust of petsmart brands. But nutrition wise I still say royal canin is one of the best


----------



## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Royal Canin is actually only medium quality food. It isn't awful like Friskies, but definitely not great. RC Babycat is fine for adding weight, but also isn't high quality.

I haven't seen the new Authority ingredients/analysis, so I can't comment on that.


----------



## Bengall77 (Aug 1, 2009)

I looked online and found the ingredients and nutritional analysis of the new petsmart authority cat food - weight management formula.

"Authority Hairball Control/Weight Management Formula is ideal for less active or overweight adult cats ages 1 to 7 years who are prone to hairballs. It contains natural vegetable fibers to help reduce the formation of hairballs and Omega Fatty Acids to improve the coat condition while minimizing shedding. This reduced calorie formula has added fiber to help control weight and L-Carnitine to burn fat and maintain lean muscles. With real chicken as the number one ingredient, this delicious recipe provides complete and balanced nutrition for your pet in a tasty Chicken and Rice flavor. No animal by-products, artificial colors, flavors or preservatives."

Ingredients:
Chicken, Chicken Meal, Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Ground Corn, Beet Pulp (a source of natural vegetable fiber), Natural Flavor, Dried Cellulose, Dried Egg Product, Animal Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Canola Oil, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2 Polyphosphate, Niacin, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamin Mononitrate, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement), Corn Oil, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Dicalcium Phosphate, Minerals (Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Taurine, L-Carnitine, Mixed Tocopherols.

Guaranteed Analysis:

* Crude Protein (min) 34.0%
* Crude Fat (min) 8.0%; (max) 11.5%
* Crude Fiber (max) 8.0%
* Moisture (max) 10.0%
* Ash (max) 6.5%
* Calcium (min) 1.0%
* Phosphorus (min) 0.9%
* Magnesium (max) 0.1%
* Zinc (min) 150 mg/kg
* Vitamin E (min) 300 IU/kg
* Taurine (min) 0.15%
* Omega-6 Fatty Acids* (min) 2.5%
* Omega-3 Fatty Acids* (min) 0.25%
* L-Carnitine* (min) 100 mg/kg

Since it contains corn products as the 4th and 5th ingredients I would guess that it's not the best food but not the worst either. The protein and fat levels look about right for a hedgehog, although if you decide to use it you should probably mix it with a food with a lower protein level as I think 34% is a little bit high. Reaper or one of the other breeders should be able to tell you more about it.


----------



## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

The fact that they had to put so many supplements in it tells me they cooked all the nutrients out of their ingredients. Like Bengall I'm disturbed about the corn and corn gluten especially being so close to the top. As far as I'm concerned a company that is interested in making a quality food for dogs or cats would not put corn in it. Corn has almost no nutrients in it and corn gluten is even worse because it will turn to sugar (I'm pretty sure) as soon as it hits the digestive system. 

Basically it is not a great food. It would be ok as part of a mix but I would not introduce this one first because it would have to be too big a part of his diet if you were using it before the other foods in the mix.


----------

