My Review of Wysong Uretic New Dry Food Formula

Long time ago I made a review of Wysong Uretic dry cat food, but recently one of my readers told me that the formula was changed. Here’s what I learned about the new formula and if it was a good or bad change of ingredients in comparison to the previous Wysong Uretic recipe that is discontinued.

Wysong Uretic Key Features

• A formula for cats with urinary tract issues.
• Free of artificial flavors or preservatives
• No by-product meats
• Beet pulp helps the cat’s digestive system.
• Rosemary extract helps the cat’s immune system, fighting allergies.

The formula includes the following meat(s):

⇒ Chicken: Crude meat, and meal (meal is the chicken meat being cooked to high temperatures and pulverized).

Wysong Uretic New Formula Ingredients:

Chicken, Chicken Meal, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Potato Protein, Brown Rice, Peas, Flaxseeds, Meat Protein Isolate, Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Natural Flavor, Sesame Seeds, Dried Cheese, Dried Whey, DL-Methionine, Salt, Dried Tomato Pomace, Taurine, Calcium Carbonate, Cranberry Extract, Calcium Propionate (a preservative), Choline Chloride, Coconut Oil, Organic Barley Grass Powder, Dried Blueberry Powder, Dried Kelp, Dried Yogurt, Citric Acid (a preservative), Dried Kale, Dried Spinach, Dried Carrots, Apple Pectin, Fish Oil, Yeast Extract, Mixed Tocopherols (a preservative), Rosemary Extract, Inulin, Yeast Culture, Minerals (Potassium Chloride, Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate), Vitamins (Ascorbic Acid [source of Vitamin C], Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride [source of Vitamin B6], Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid), Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Plantarum Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Lactis Fermentation Product, Pepper.

Guaranteed Analysis New Formula

Crude protein 42.0% min – Crude fat 15.0% min – Crude fiber 5.0% max – Moisture 10.0% max – Taurine 0.2% min.

Previous (discontinued) Wysong Uretic Formula

Ingredients: Chicken, Chicken Meal, Fish Meal, Turkey Meal, Peas, Brown Rice, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Flaxseeds, Beet Pulp, Sesame Seeds, Eggs, Montmorillonite Clay, Crab Meal, Natural Chicken and Fish Flavor, Whey, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Tomato Pomace, Calcium Propionate, Taurine, Organic Barley Grass Powder, Blueberry, Kelp, Yogurt, Citric Acid, Apple Pectin, Fish Oil, Yeast Extract, Mixed Tocopherols, Rosemary Extract, Chicory Root, Hemicellulose Extract, Yeast Culture, Carrots, Celery, Beets, Parsley, Lettuce, Watercress, Spinach, Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate), Vitamins (Ascorbic Acid [source of Vitamin C], Niacin Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride [source of Vitamin B6], Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex [source of Vitamin K activity]), Dried Bacillus licheniformis Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus oryzae Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus niger Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus subtilis Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus plantarum Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus lactis Fermentation Product, Pepper.

Guaranteed analysis: Crude protein (min) 36% – crude fat (min) 16% – crude fiber (max) 5.5% – moisture (max) 10% – taurine (min) 0.20% – omega-6 fatty acids (min) 3.0% – omega-3 fatty acids (min) 0.8%.

Changes in Wysong Uretic New Formula vs Previous Recipe

Changes that are important are the ones within the first 5 ingredients, which represent most part of the formula.

Changes in main ingredients:

• The third ingredient is now chicken fat instead of fish meal. This is a good change, chicken fat is the closest to a natural cat’s diet while fish is not. “Fish meal” usually means a poor quality ingredient since it doesn’t mention the type of fish. This is also a problem if we want to determine the amount of mercury present in the fish. Also, the fish has been cooked with bones, fins, eyes, etc. Fishbones are high in phosphorus and magnesium, really bad for cats with urinary issues.
• The fourth ingredient is now potato protein instead of turkey meal. Proteins sourced from animal meats will be always better than those sourced from vegetables (with the exception of peas). Potato protein is not a high-quality protein and it could increase the glucose levels in the cat’s blood, especially since is listed on the first 5 ingredients. If your cat is healthy and active this may not be an issue but if your cat is already on the bigger side, this is not a good ingredient.
• Brown rice is now the fifth ingredient, instead of peas. This is a bad change. Grains are not good for a cat’s diet.

Changes in Guaranteed Analysis:

• Proteins increased from 36% to 42%. A positive change (except for kittens that should have less).
  Crude fat was reduced from 16% to 15%. This is not a significant change, but more animal crude fat is always better than less in a cat’s diet.
• It reduced crude fiber from 5.5% to 5%. This is a good change. Cats need fiber to break down the nutrients during the digestive process. However, cats don’t need too much fiber as humans do because their digestive tract is shorter and their diet is mainly carnivorous.
• The new guaranteed analysis doesn’t mention the Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids content. This is crucial information.

Analysis of First 5 Ingredients of Wysong Uretic New Formula

Chicken: 3 stars. Due to the water contained in the meat muscles, this ingredient weighs more when listed as the first ingredient, than after being cooked. This means it doesn’t represent the same percentage on the list, with less protein coming from this source. This is not a problem if the following ingredient is chicken meal or any good source of “meal” type protein for cats.
Chicken meal: 5 stars. Good concentrated source of proteins for cats.
Chicken fat: 4 stars. Good source of energy for cats. Animal fats are always more suitable for the cat’s diet than oils.
Potato protein: 3 stars. A vegetable source of protein that doesn’t compare to animal protein. This ingredient has moderate nutritional value and could cause blood sugar peaks.
Brown rice: 2 stars. Grain is not recommended in a cat’s diet. This ingredient is usually a filler that doesn’t need to be whole ground in the pet food industry production.

What are the Pros and Cons of Wysong Uretic New Recipe?

PROS

• Elimination of fish meal reduces the phosphorus and magnesium in the cat’s diet. Much better for cats with urinary issues.
• A more balanced crude fiber percentage helps the cat’s intestine, also fewer trips to the litter box.
• Beet pulp is one of the best sources of crude fiber that helps the cat’s digestive process.

CONS

• The formula doesn’t mention the magnesium content in the guaranteed analysis.
• The total ash content in the formula is not listed in the guaranteed analysis.
• Cacium propionate is a chemical preservative.
• Brown rice is a grain that is not part of a cat’s natural diet and shouldn’t be on the 5 main ingredients.
• The formula claims to be suitable for cats of all ages, but the protein levels are high for kittens.
• The new formula doesn’t mention the Omega-3 and Omega-6 content.

Final Thoughts

The previous formula of Wysong Uretic had more information on the guaranteed analysis than this new recipe. For example, the content of Omega-3 and Omega-6 is essential information to know if the formula has a good balance of these fatty acids. Some changes went in a positive direction, like eliminating fish meal as the main ingredient. Others do not so much like adding brown rice. It could have been peas instead.

Bottom Line

The new Wysong Uretic formula increased the protein level which is good news for cats and eliminated bad sources of protein. It also reduced crude fiber which makes it more intestine-friendly. The fact that the formula omits nutritional information on the guaranteed analysis makes me think that this is only a maintenance formula for cats with urinary issues. Also, I don’t believe this cat food is suitable for cats of all ages, I tend to think this is more suitable for adult cats.

I don’t recommend this formula as a permanent diet for your cat.  I would recommend it as a temporary rotational diet for cats that have tract urinary conditions, feeding your cat no longer than 3 months. This is due to the lack of nutritional value other than just maintenance and due to the presence of calcium propionate.