Flint River Ranch Premium Pet Foods

So many of you have asked which food we recommend - Here it is:

We believe Flint River Ranch Pet Food is the best all-natural, human-grade food on the market. It's not steam-extruded but oven-baked (twice) under carefully controlled conditions and temperatures - resulting in better nutrition, palatability and digestibility.

We didn't just take the company's word for it; we tested this food on our own family pets - Berries (Australian Shepherd - 8 ½ yrs.), McTavish (Australian Shepherd Mix - 2 ½ yrs.) and Rusty (Maine Coon Cat Mix - 9 yrs.). After four months of "testing", our crew made their decision - they loved it! And so did we!

We have to say that their coats have never looked better, their body condition is outstanding, and they really go for the taste - no fussy eaters. We couldn't have asked for more. But we discovered there was a lot more.

• We feed 20-25% less. (That's even more of a money saver in our book.)
• Teeth are cleaner. (We don't always have time to brush everyone's teeth.)
• Stools have less volume (Great for cleanup.)
• It's formulated to help your companion pet heal holistically through properly balanced nutrition
• No chemical preservatives
• No nasty by-products
• Cheaper to feed than other so-called premium foods. (Couldn't beat that.)
• No out-dated food - ever (No waste)
• Delivered nationwide via UPS at no additional charge for shipping - it's included!
• Largest size bag is 20lbs (Food is always fresh!)
• Recommended by many breeders, veterinarians & kennel owners

In January of 2004 Whole Dog Journal published a DOG FOOD BLACKLIST (DRY FOODS) as well. Some of those rated are foods veterinarians are currently recommending. Check it out for yourself and then decide which food is best for YOUR pet.

Flint River Ranch pet food has been called
"the next best thing to home-cooked meals."

All of the Flint River Ranch formulas are made from the highest quality all-natural, human-grade ingredients and contain no by-products, color additives or chemical preservatives (BHA, Ethoxyquin, or BHT). Our food is naturally preserved with mixed Tocopherols and Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin E and C). Some authorities indicate that Vitamin C is unnecessary, but, we feel it is very important in supporting vitamin balance and to help handle daily stress and environmental pollution.

Here at Common Sense, we are convinced that Flint River Ranch Pet Food is the best cat and dog food on the market! Berries, McTavish, Sparky (rescued family member addition - Border Collie Mix - 2 yrs.) and Rusty are living proof.

"When I was a pup, my Mom couldn't get me to eat. She tried several different types of puppy food. Nothing worked. Then one day she received a free sample from puppy class and WOW! It's been Flint River ever since. Not only is it good, but it gives me a beautiful coat that shines! Thanks Flint River!" Yankee Wataha

WHY FEED OVEN-BAKED ALL-NATURAL FOOD? Flint River Ranch, Super Premium All-Natural Formula (human-grade ingredients), is slowly TWICE OVEN-BAKED under carefully controlled conditions and at the correct temperature. This unique baking process changes the hard to digest molecules of "raw" starches into easy to digest dextrines. This process acts as a "pre-digest" of the kibble food, resulting in less strain on the dog's digestive system and produces a greater degree of food absorption. A dog's intestinal tract is short; it functions in the most efficient manner when the food is concentrated and can be quickly digested. The important vitamins, minerals and food ingredients are then easily assimilated into the dog's digestive system.

DIGESTIBILITY & PALATABILITY: Flint River Ranch dog food scores in the high 90's for digestibility and palatability, while most extruded foods are in the low to mid 80's on a scale of 100.

WHY OVEN-BAKING: Most companies prepare their food by steaming it as quickly as possible, usually less than 3 minutes, then extruding it under extreme pressure through a metal die (a steam extrusion process). This process expands the food with air creating a uniform shape. This method does not produce the highly digestible food that your dog's system requires. This extruded food is usually almost "raw" and requires the additions of what many nutritionists feel are harmful chemical preservatives (Ethoxyquin, BHA, and BHT) to maintain what they feel is a reasonable product shelf-life. These chemical products often may be associated with dry skin, serious allergic reactions, dental disease, declining poor health and degenerative organ dysfunction.

NO STORE SHELF LIFE: There is NONE! You won't find Flint River Ranch Pet Foods sitting on any grocery store shelves. Why? Flint is shipped fresh from the oven directly to you via United Parcel Services. - No additional charge for shipping - it's included!.

HIGHLY RATED: Whole Dog Journal (a monthly non-ad-driven newsletter of natural dog care and training) published in January of 2004 their dog food ratings. Flint River Ranch came out as one of the top pet foods in the United States! But the highest ratings we have found come from the pets themselves. Customers are regularly telling us that their pets are consistently picking the Flint River Ranch Food over Brand X when given the taste test. Are our dogs trying to tell us something? We certainly think so.

WHAT DOES "MEAL" MEAN? Meal means reduced in size to be uniform. Our human-grade meats are first cooked, then an amount of water is removed, and then ground to establish a uniform mix of meat, grains, vitamins and chelated minerals. Our Chicken Meal and other meat sources do not contain by-products such as chicken feet, chicken heads, duck heads, beaks, feathers, fish heads, hides, hooves or intestines. There are no breakfast food by-products such as corn, cottonseed, corncobs, citrus pulp, soybeans, fillers, or other foreign materials such as noxious weeds, straw, hulls or chaff added.

HIGH QUALITY GRAINS: Wheat and Rice. Whole wheat and selected parts of the wheat berry are used as our base grain. Wheat grains are not only more digestible than corn; it is one of the most nutritionally balanced cereal grains. It is an easy-to-digest source of carbohydrates, fiber and energy. A combination of grains, like a combination of meats, is better than just one source. Low quality fillers like wood fiber, corncobs, peanut hulls, cottonseed, straw, soybeans or citrus pulp are never found in Flint River Ranch products.

THE SOURCE OF OUR GRAINS are major commercial suppliers like General Mills - fully tested and retested when received. This testing ensures the very high quality and also reduces the possibility of toxic molds. When purchased direct from the farm, grain can be cheaper in the short run; however, the risk of toxic mold is greater, and Flint River Ranch will not compromise quality for such a risk.

RICE:
A combination of brown and white rice; the white rice for digestibility and the brown for its added nutritional value. A product containing 100% brown rice can be somewhat difficult for some pets to digest.

WHEAT:
Wheat flour is a fine-ground whole-wheat grain. A course-ground whole wheat is also added for texture, along with a quality wheat berry.

CORN:
Corn is an excellent grain; however, it is more difficult to digest - either by humans or dogs. Therefore, corn is not used as an ingredient in our dog food. The feline digestive systems better utilize corn and supplies important diet benefits to cats and kittens. Corn is included in the feline formulas.

HUMAN GRADE MEATS & FISH
Chicken meat is our base meat source, with the addition of lamb and a small amount of fish. There are no rendered by-products, intestines, heads, feet or feathers in our formulas. The amino acids provided by the meats are the basic building blocks of muscle, skin, coat, bone, blood and the immune system.

ORGANIC CHICKEN: It is possible to put one organic chicken in 50 tons of food and legally say we use organic, range fed chicken. Some manufacturers take this option. While we purchase as much organic chicken as possible, we prefer to more correctly say we use human quality chicken that is hormone free. Like all of our ingredients, we pay a premium price for the very best available. Chicken meat provides essential amino and fatty acids.

LAMB: Lamb is range fed.

FISH: Menhaden Fish - a herring like fish found along the North Atlantic coast of the United States - this white meat is an excellent source of menhaden oil which is terrific for coat and skin. Fish is a prime source of complete protein; it contains all the essential amino acids. It is also rich in unsaturated fats (Omega 3 fatty acids), Vitamins A, K and K, and also contains iodine, calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium copper and fluoride - all very important nutrients for your pet's diet.

OUR NUTRIENTS -
The secret to Flint River Ranch's great nutrition is the number of nutrients available in your pet's food and how efficiently they are utilized in your pet's digestion process.

VITAMINS and MINERALS: Our minerals are chelated: bonded with amino acids (protein) and highly effective in providing metabolic absorption. Our products are preserved with a combination of mixed Tocopherols (Vitamin E) and Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) - ALL NATURAL and NO chemicals.

FLAX: The different proteins in flax provide a high proportion base of unsaturated, essential fatty acids and dietary fiber. Flax is recognized for its potential in reducing the risk of some chronic diseases as well as improving the thickness and sheen of the hair coat. It provides a great benefit to oven-baked food by resisting oxidation and improving product shelf life.

LECITHIN: Lecithin protects cells from damage caused by oxidation. Lecithin is largely composed of the B vitamin choline - with linoleic acid and inositol.

MINERALS: Minerals are Chelated (bonded with protein) which makes them easier to absorb into the animals systems.

COPPER AND IRON: A deficiency of iron causes nutritional anemia. A small amount of copper will improve utilization of iron.

PROTEINS: Proteins are organic chemical compounds and a major component of the structure of all living organisms. Protein functions to build and repair body structure. A good pet food should contain highly digestible protein sources that provide the essential amino acids in adequate amounts. Digestible food protein from several sources is more desirable for protein from only one source.

CARBOHYDRATES: Carbohydrates serve primarily as an energy source while giving bulk to the diet. Plant material is made up of a high percentage of carbohydrates.

FATS: Fats are complex molecules that are broken down by the digestive system into smaller molecules known as fatty acids. Fat is a concentrated source of energy and works toward making hormones, skins and coat oils, membranes and parts of body Cells.

ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS: Linolenic Acid (Omega 3). Linoleic Acid (Omega 6)

AAFCO NUTRIENT PROFILES: AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) profiles are basically Protocol testing results and are the recognized industry authority on dog and cat foods. ALL Flint River Ranch Foods are formulated to EXCEED AAFCO nutritional requirements.

Fran D. Kramer
Common Sense Canine
Behavioral Training & Pet Services
Stroudsburg PA 18360
570-424-2219