Rayne's canned pate diets use guar gum as thickening agent. Our chunky stew varieties in the carton packaging do not use any types of gums or binders at all. We do not use carrageenan in any of our products.

We introduced the use of dried algae as an omega 3 fatty acid source to ensure no other animal protein was being introduced into these pure, simple diets and have developed the only line of novel protein diets that do NOT have added animal fat (no chicken, beef, or pork fat coat the outside of the novel protein kibbles).

Natural flavors (from vegetables) are used on our dry diets. Typically, the ingredients in flavor systems are not disclosed, however, they can affect allergic animals and we believe they should be available:

Yeast
Sodium Chloride(Salt)
Vegetable Oil(not from corn or soy)
Dextrose
Potassium Sorbate(a preservative)
Mixed Tocopherols(a preservative)

This provides a source of anti-inflammation medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). Unlike other fats, MCT are water-soluble and more efficiently absorbed and digested across a compromised GI.

Inclusion of this prebiotic fiber supports a healthy gastrointestinal tract.  Beneficial bacteria in the intestine can preferentially use FOS as an energy source.  The result is a shift towards more growth of beneficial bacterial and less growth of harmful bacteria within in the gastrointestinal tract.

The highly unsaturated omega-3 fatty acids EPA & DHA have potent anti-inflammatory effects in the body.  Diets containing rich sources of EPA & DHA can help alleviate pain in pets with osteoarthritis and reduce itchiness in pets with allergies.  Fish oil or marine microalgae are excellent sources of EPA & DHA in your pet’s diet.

Our canned food product textures are sensitive to ingredient variability because we do not use carrageenan—a hydrocolloid commonly used in canned pet and human foods to firm and bind meat products. Carrageenan is very reliable at making different batches of food match in texture. We don’t use carrageenan because of questions regarding its association with a variety of health issues in pets. Instead of carrageenan, we use an ingredient called guar bean gum—guar beans are ground into powder and mixed with the meat—and sometimes cassia beans. Guar and cassia beans are less effective binders than carrageenan and also create a less forgiving formula that is more likely to react to even small changes. Despite these challenges, we believe using these healthier ingredients is the right thing to do for pets eating our diets.

This is a reflection of whole food ingredients. The use of real meat means that fat content will vary from batch to batch; however, even if the meat is leaner in a batch, we still have to cook the jerky at the same temperatures due to FDA regulations. This can lead to a dryer looking batch of jerky. Depending on different environmental factors, our manufacturing team may also choose to dry a batch more than usual in order to prevent mold.

Working with kangaroo meat is definitely challenging. 100% of the world's supply of kangaroo comes from humane population control in Australia. As it is a wild killed animal, the nature of the meat changes for many reasons. Not only is it a very naturally lean meat, but due to the nature of the way the kangaroo are raised (wild), we are at the mercy of the lifestyle, environment, and the diet of the kangaroos. As a result the meat can come out dark and tough, or fattier and soft, and anything in between. If you, or anyone you know is a hunter who eats their catch, they will be able to vouch for the nature of wild caught meat, and the texture of the meat varying. With kangaroos, living in a very hot climate, there are many long periods of drought, and this can also result in the meat being darker, tougher, etc.

To ensure a consistent, high quality supply of a protein, it must be one that is being raised for human consumption. In North America, we tend to keep rabbits as pets, not for food, and there are very few rabbit meat breeders. Rayne sources the rabbit for our novel protein diets from Europe (Italy and France), countries where rabbit is a common staple in the human diet.

The rabbit industry is a small farm, cottage industry, and the rabbits bred for meat vary in breed, size, diet, etc. We have a high protein content for our diets, meaning that we require a lot of meat to produce them. Because of this, certain batches may be darker, have less moisture, etc.

TURKEY, ALLIGATOR, and PORK are all sourced as locally as possible in the United States from USDA approved facilities.

The proteins sourced outside of North America include

KANGAROO — 100% of the world’s supply of kangaroo comes from government-controlled conservation in Australia. Read more on this HERE.

RABBIT — We source our rabbit meat from Italy and France, where rabbits are raised for human consumption. This not only ensures that we have a consistent, high quality supply, but also allows us to fully utilize the meat that would otherwise go to waste.

Chickpea— Canada
Sweet Potato— USA, from USDA-approved facilities

As many of our vitamins and minerals as possible are sourced from the USA.

We use all chelated (pronounced key-lated) vitamins and minerals (meaning that they are high quality and easier for your pet to absorb) and we use chickpea as our carrier. The carrier is what allows the vitamin and minerals to mix evenly into the food, despite the different density, size, shape, and electrostatic characteristics of each nutrient. It is common in the pet food industry to use carriers such as rice hulls, which are a cheaper alternative, however, this ingredient can trigger an allergic reaction in sensitive pets. This is why we use the novel ingredient, chickpea, instead.

We do our best to source ingredients as locally as possible in order to have a lower environmental impact, and depending on supply, this can mean sourcing from multiple farms. Our suppliers are committed to the welfare of animals, and just like us, believe that all animals should be treated with care and compassion throughout their lives.

Because of this, we and our suppliers embrace the globally-recognized “Five Freedoms” of animal welfare in our supply chain:

1. FREEDOM FROM HUNGER AND THIRST

By providing ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigor.

2. FREEDOM FROM DISCOMFORT

By providing appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area.

3. FREEDOM FROM PAIN, INJURY, AND DISEASE

By ensuring prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment.

4. FREEDOM TO EXPRESS NORMAL BEHAVIOR

By providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal’s own kind.

5. FREEDOM FROM FEAR AND DISTRESS

By ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering.

We require that all animal-derived ingredients used in our manufacturing process comply with all applicable laws and regulations on animal welfare. We will not tolerate, and we expect our suppliers to not tolerate, animal cruelty or abuse. If we become aware of behavior that does not meet this expectation, we will take the appropriate actions.

The box your shipment arrives in, the kraft packing materials, the cans, and the cartons are all recyclable. Please check with your local recycling program to be sure that all materials are accepted.

Yes! All of the cans and cartons used for our pate and stew diets are BPA-free.