I was recently quizzed by someone trying to compare an American feed product to those available  in her part of Canada. A friend was all excited about some " wonder" feed and since it was not available here in Canada an attempt was being made to find something similar based on the feed tags. This turned out to be an all but impossible task.

It is important to remember that when looking at feed tags, and even advertising in US magazines for feeds and even wormers, fly repellants etc that the USA is a different country, with different rules and regulations that in many cases are not even remotely similar to the Canadian guidelines.

In this case the US feed had an ingredient list where the Canadian products had the familiar "A list of the ingredients used in  this feed may be obtained from the manufacturer or registrant". If you really need to know, you need to ask. You are not entitled to the formula, just the ingredient list.  The US label is not much more help. In the USA they can use "and/or" statements and what are known as "collective terms". That means they can say "plant protein products" and/or "grain products". In total that tells you virtually nothing. In the USA ingredients are supposed to be listed in order of quantity, however I am told the rule is not enforced well if at all.  There is also the potential for "label dressing" where insignificant quantities are added just to enhance the listing.

The guarantee listing is also difficult to compare. Many nutrients in the USA have a range guarantee whereas in Canada we use minimum, maximum and actual. Here Canada shines. Calcium Actual 1% is a better indicator than Calcium Minimum 0.5%, Maximum 1.5%. The USA can require less information in the form of a guarantee.

Essentially a typical end user cannot ascertain with any reasonable expectation of accuracy if a US feed and a Canadian one are at all similar. In addition you cannot ascertain if the US feed has ingredients that are not cleared for feeding in Canada.

Take home message - Don't go chasing rainbows. There are no magic formulas or mystical ingredients on the south side of the border. Stick with a reputable Canadian manufacturer that you can deal with on a one on one basis to get the feeding program your horse needs.