COA Series: Microbial
Our furry companions make our families whole, so we always want to ensure we’re providing them with the best care available. It can be challenging to analyze whether a product is a good choice, though. Where was it made? What with? How do they ensure safety? That’s why we’re going over Certificates of Analysis (COAs) to show you what information can be found on them. This gives you another tool with which to protect your pet. In this entry in the series, we’ll be discussing microbials. As a reminder, the tests that we do at multiple stages in our manufacturing process are as follows:
- Residual Solvent Analysis
- Mycotoxin
- Pesticides
- Heavy Metals
- Microbials
- Potency and Terpenes
Why do we run several sets of tests? It would certainly be less costly to simply test the ingredients, after all. As we’ve discussed previously, current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs) establish baseline standards and ensure that the potential for contamination is minimized. When we test during different stages, this allows us to analyze whether all these practices are working as intended. This also assures you that you’re getting the very best for your animal companion.
The microbes tested for in Canna Companion products belong to the enterobacteriaceae family. These are gram negative bacteria which reside in the intestines of animals and can readily be found within the environment.. Many of them are a part of the normal gut flora of animals, but there are also a number of familiar, disease-causing strains including Escherichia coli and Salmonella.
As you are likely aware, these coliform bacteria can cause both gastro-intestinal and extra-intestinal infections in cats, dogs, and people. Most of these are presence/absence tests where any detection in a sample means failure. Because of the potential human health risk, E. coli and Salmonella quantities must remain below detectable levels. Other members of the enterobacteriaceae family are non-pathogenic or low grade opportunistic bacteria. This means they are either not known to cause disease, or may do so under the right circumstances and levels. These bacteria are commonly found within the GI tracts of healthy dogs and cats.
The health and wellbeing of your animals is our primary purpose. We want to ensure you have the knowledge and tools to protect them no matter what food or supplement you are considering for them. If you have questions or if there are parts of the industry you would like to know more about, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We may cover your topic in a future post.
