I have my dogs on the Pacific taste of the wild (salmon) and was considering switching to the Costco version. Has anyone tried it? Thoughts?
We feed one of out three dogs this and have been nothing but happy with it. He is shiny, is easy to keep at a healthy weight, has a bit to much energy, and is just plain happy (I want to live in his world, it is a very happy place :)).
We started feeding him this because he was having diarrhea problems with other foods (his digestive system is extremely sensitive to fats, chicken bothered him, so did lamb, and we have to be extremely careful with any human food scraps he gets) and his problem has cleared up. Personally, I would give it a try. We have been using it as soon as the Costco near us started carrying it and have been nothing but happy.
Thanks for the helpful info!
We have tried it, and I found it very comparable to the Taste of the wild, but a better price point. My guys are on a rotation, so that was one food in the rotation. I was pleased for the most part.
My breeder feeds this and I know of several other dog enthusiasts who feed this due to 1) it is grain free and 2) they have a large number of dogs to feed so money is a consideration.
I hear good things. Doesn’t make sense for me with my two small dogs (where would I put a GIANT bag of food) and no Costco membership so I feed ToTW.
Both Kirkland and TOTW are manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods so they’re more than likely almost identical in formulation.
[QUOTE=HydroPHILE;5942609]
Both Kirkland and TOTW are manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods so they’re more than likely almost identical in formulation.[/QUOTE]
Even more reason not to feed it. Diamond= 
I have been using it for over a year now…and I think I have used about every fish based food…I liked TOTW, but this is more affordable. I have had excellent results, especially with my allergy dog…no itchies, no diarrhea…excellent. They have a cat food too that I have also started using.
[QUOTE=vtdobes;5942620]
Even more reason not to feed it. Diamond= :([/QUOTE]
Care to expand on that a bit? We feed Costco dry dog food, various flavours, with good success, so I’m concerned that we might be feeding bad stuff!
…I liked TOTW, but this is more affordable.
are you calculating “affordability” properly? many people are convinced TOTW is “affordable” when it is instead one of the more expensive grain-free kibbles out there. You have to check how many kcals per pound instead of just going by cost per pound.
TOTW is only 370 kcal/cup; most of the grain-free kibbles are in the 450 to 600 kcal/cup range, so you end up buying almost twice as much TOTW as other brands. So if you buy two large bags of a food per month at $40 a bag vs. one large bag per month at $60 a bag, guess which is actually more affordable.
We don’t have any costcos so I have no idea how many kcal per cup their brands are, or what the formulation is. But the salmon version of TOTW is so high in carbohydrates if the costco version is similar I would look for something else- if you need a fish-based diet, try Wellness core ocean or orijen six fish or evo herring or any of a number of other options. Unless your dog is allergic or something being grain-free isn’t what it is important; what is important is having the correct macronutrient profile for a dog. All of the current + past scientific research indicates (when expressed in the form you’d see on the side of a bag of dry food) a dog needs a diet that is 30 to 50% protein, and around 20% fat. If the protein level is under 30%, you’re feeding your dog a ton of carbohydrates which is not good for dogs.
[QUOTE=Romany;5944705]
Care to expand on that a bit? We feed Costco dry dog food, various flavours, with good success, so I’m concerned that we might be feeding bad stuff![/QUOTE]
Diamond has had dog food recalls in the past. I won’t touch anything made by a company with recalls.
I was also thinking of moving towards a grain-free dog food. My local store gave me TOTW samples, but I suppose I’ll bypass that. Next in line is the Acana grasslands. I have an old dog with skin allergies and an old dog who is becoming a hard keeper. I would like a dog food with more calories. I have tried a wellness and an origen (not grain-free) in the past and my dog looked miserable. I am not well informed about dog food, so any information would be great.
[QUOTE=frisky;5945600]
I was also thinking of moving towards a grain-free dog food. My local store gave me TOTW samples, but I suppose I’ll bypass that. Next in line is the Acana grasslands. I have an old dog with skin allergies and an old dog who is becoming a hard keeper. I would like a dog food with more calories. I have tried a wellness and an origen (not grain-free) in the past and my dog looked miserable. I am not well informed about dog food, so any information would be great.[/QUOTE]
Orijen is ONLY grain free (they don’t have a non grain free food). I’d suggest Acana as they are made by Champion (who also makes Orijen…one of the finest dog foods out there); they have a grain free line and a line with minimal grains.
[QUOTE=vtdobes;5945129]
Diamond has had dog food recalls in the past. I won’t touch anything made by a company with recalls. :([/QUOTE]
Interesting. Thanks for that, and I’ll see if I can find more. It may be that Costco dog food is produced regionally - I’ll find out.
As for recalls - there has never been a recall out of the plant that manufactures TOTW. TOTW is processed and packaged in an entirely different location that has NOTHING to do with the plants that manufacture their “cheap bulk” type foods. I feed TOTW so I checked this out extensively. I have NO problem with the fact that TOTW is owned by Diamond.
Not arguing the Kirkland food one way or another, but are people comfortable eating food from companies with recalls? I mean, personally.
Obviously Diamond had recalls, but what about the major (human) food companies?
I absolutely love my dog/cats on the Kirkland food. No corn or wheat = SHINY coats and no diarrhea. I finally found the food that works, very happy!
Well, I try to stay as local as I can with my food, and that includes:
Buying beef from a friend down the road
Buying milk and cheese from a dairy down the road
Eggs and chicken from various local sources
Growing as much as I can in my garden
Avoiding processed food as much as possible
Some things are just tough (Rocky Ford cantaloupe, anyone?) but I feel like I’m safer or healthier or whatever by talking to the people who produce my food and seeing the environment in which it’s produced. Or just growing it myself 
I would not purchase people food from a vendor who had multiple recalls, or one major recall, as long as I know, but I have no idea how’d you be able to keep track
[QUOTE=Simkie;5949963]
I would not purchase people food from a vendor who had multiple recalls, or one major recall, as long as I know, but I have no idea how’d you be able to keep track :([/QUOTE]
I currently work as a food microbiologist and test the products of some of the nation’s largest manufacturers (and a lot of not so large companies too).
My point was if you avoid anyone that’s had a food recall (and realize you only hear about the big ones, there are plenty of close calls that never make the news), you’d never be able to eat anything. 
I don’t think that’s true. Tough, sure. Never be able to eat ANYTHING? Nahhh
Locally sourced beef, chicken, dairy, veggies out of my own garden…some of that isn’t tested regularly, but the milk, for example, is–and they’ve never had a positive test, much less a recall.
I do need to get better about putting stuff up for winter use, though. A friend of mine does a TON of fermenting and stuff for winter, and we’ll do more next year…
