Kibble: Any that is easy to get and safe?

[SonnysMom]

[QUOTE=IFG;6243482]
Switched my dogs to Acana Ranchlands, and they are doing great. The Orijen was too rich for one of them. Result was not pretty. You can get Acana on-line.[/QUOTE]

My lab breeder recommend Orijen and sent Cooper home with a bag. We tried it for a bit but it was too rich for him also. Yeah, that was not pretty.

We did have him on California Natural Puppy and the two adult dogs on Canidae. Rosie the Heinz57 ancient dog only seems to tolerate Canidae. I think Canidae has a newer grain free.

When we try Rosie on anything other than the Canidae she gets dandruff and her coat develops an oil that leaves a residue on my fingers when I pet her.

[PiaffePlease]

Whatever you choose, look at http://trianglepetsupply.com/ They are in our area and deliver for free if the order is over $50. I get my food cheaper there than any of the pet stores around. They carry most of the high quality dog food brands, treats, toys, bones, etc. They are really great and have always been helpful and never had a problem with them. Ive used them for yours.

[PRS]

[QUOTE=vtdobes;6240038]
TOTW is made by Diamond (who has the latest recall) hence it is not a choice for the OP![/QUOTE]

Oh wow!!! I did NOT know that TOTW is made by Diamond!! I’ve been feeding it for months and my dogs love it. I guess I’m switching…again. Back to Blue Wilderness, I think.

[dalpal]

Easy…order from Wag.com Free shipping over 49.00 and they’ll get it to you in two days. Only brand of Kibble that I am personally fond of is Nature’s Variety Instinct line. I’ve never used Orijen…I’ve heard it is also very good. Not a fan of the Diamond label…period.

[dalpal]

[QUOTE=vtdobes;6240200]
It doesn’t matter to me that TOTW itself hasn’t had any recalls. If the company who makes it could care less about the quality of their other food and all the other recalls it has had it doesn’t make me feel too good about anything they make.

I’ll still never use anything they produce. No one will ever convince me the “quality” of their “american” ingredients are any good.[/QUOTE]

I agree with this post. There’s a reason Nature’s Variety and the Orijen labels are so much more pricey…those foods cost more to manufactor. I’ve never considered TOTW in the same category as the Premium Foods.

[dalpal]

[QUOTE=EqTrainer;6240906]
Kryswyn - my big dog has been at the vet with an undiagnosed complaint AND my new puppy has oddly not yet recovered from vomiting up a toy mouse he ate… On monday.

So yes, the vet and I will be discussing this on Tuesday (holiday weekend) In the meantime I grabbed some pumpkin, a chicken and some rice and we will wing it until we decide what to feed.

Thanks everyone![/QUOTE]

You’d be better off calling Unleashed in Raleigh for Canine Nutrition information. I’ll bet money, your vet will recommend either Pro Plan or Science Diet/Hills…neither high quality.

[kasjordan]

I’m feeding Blue Buffalo Fish and Sweet Potato to a GSD and JRT mix, have had no problems whatsoever. Both look and act great.
(Had them on 4 Health before and there were some poop issues)

[onelanerode]

I’m usually in agreement with dalpal regarding the quality of Purina and Science Diet, but when we first got our cat, she was an underweight, wormy kitten with diarrhea. She went to the vet, got dewormed and checked out, but we couldn’t get the diarrhea to resolve. Vet had us try several things over a month, but nothing worked (or worked for long). We eventually had her on one of the Science Diet prescription formulas for about 6 weeks, and that cleared her diarrhea up permanently. We were able to switch her to a LID food with similar protein/carb sources with no problems.

So … for specific conditions in which you’ve not had success with other possible treatments, IME, they can be helpful.

[Sonesta]

SD prescription formulas are not at all the same thing as their regular dog food, the latter being total crap.

[onelanerode]

[QUOTE=Sonesta;6247875]
SD prescription formulas are not at all the same thing as their regular dog food, the latter being total crap.[/QUOTE]

I agree; my apologies if that was not clear.

[dalpal]

[QUOTE=Sonesta;6247875]
SD prescription formulas are not at all the same thing as their regular dog food, the latter being total crap.[/QUOTE]

I will have to disagree with you on that one…they are all pretty much crap. For example…here’s the ingredients in Presciption RD…and let’s keep in mind that they are selling this pathetic formula for 2.09 per pound.

Whole Grain Corn, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken By-Product Meal, Soybean Mill Run, Powdered Cellulose, Soybean Meal, Chicken Liver Flavor, Dried Beet Pulp, Lactic Acid, Soybean Oil, Caramel Color, DL-Methionine, L-Lysine, Potassium Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Choline Chloride, vitamins (L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Calcium Carbonate, Iodized Salt, minerals (Manganese Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Taurine, L-Carnitine, preserved with Mixed Tocopherols & Citric Acid, Phosphoric Acid, Beta-Carotene, Rosemary Extract.

I don’t care what anyone else feeds, but just do your research before you chose any food…make sure you know what’s in it.

[wendy]

Hills’ prescription foods are just as crappy as their regular foods. For a short-term health fix, though, I think they are an ok compromise- their poor-quality nutrition won’t hurt the pet if it’s only fed for a few weeks to help fix the major health disorder.
I refuse to use a vet who sells SD out of their office or ever mentions it to me as a food- that’s a dead give away it’s a vet who cares more about money than about the clients. I have a 2012 vet textbook on dog nutrition that is the most bizarre reading experience- the first chapter in the book goes on and on about how much money the vet can make marketing SD out of the office, particularly if the vet can find some health condition the pet has that a “prescription” diet will help with (because you can charge much more for the “prescription” ones- don’t all dogs over age 3 have arthitis? there’s a prescription food for that and so on and so on); and advice about how to convince clients to keep feeding the SD food, and other such helpful hints.
And then the nutrition advice in the rest of the textbook, which is robust and science-based, would preclude ever suggesting any SD product be fed to any pet ever.

I have some qualms about Blue Buffalo- their foods simply don’t have very impressive nutrient profiles, and they DID have that quality control issue not long ago where they managed to put so much vitamin D in some formulas that it was poisoning dogs. Mostly I’m turned off by their aggressive marketing- high quality foods tend to put most of their money into the food itself rather than into advertising. Sells itself on its own merits, more or less.

[KateKat]

another vote for Orijen/Acana. I feed my dog the fish formulas. They are pricey, but you feel so little (even if I feed an extra 1/4 cup, my dog starts gaining weight) a big bag generally lasts me around 2 months with my 80lb lab (he gets about 2.5 cups a day).

[Sonesta]

OMG! I should have looked at the SD prescription food ingredients! I took a vet’s word that the prescription stuff was so expensive because it was actually good quality. What a load of crap - probably vet to the vet by Hills.

[Bacardi1]

I love reading these long, drawn-out, convoluted arguments about the “BEST” dry dog food. They’ve cropped up so often on COTH they almost merit their own forum.

It’s truly funny because what works for your dog, works for your dog. I’ve known dozens of people who feed the lowest of the low dry dog foods (WalMart brand) re: COTH standards, & they’ve had the happiest, healthiest, longest-lived dogs/cats one could imagine. Go figure.

I’ve been feeding “Nutro’s Lamb & Rice” dry dog food to my gang & the gangs before them for almost 3 decades now, & have had the same happy, healthy, longevity results as well. Go figure.

I do, however, salute the marketing expertise of all of the pricey “we’re 100% better & healthier than cheaper foods” brands. All the more power to you.

My mantra continues to be: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. (Oh, & my vet agrees with it.)

[NHerGrl]

Wellpet?

When speaking about Kibble, I have read all I can find on Holistic Select by Wellpet and find very mixed reviews. What do you guys think of it and has anyone used it?

[JB]

Of course there are dogs and cats and horses who have eaten nothing but crap their entire lives and lived to be ancient. Same with people. That doesn’t mean they are good for the general population, it certainly doesn’t mean the animal couldn’t have been better on a healthier diet.

For every animal that has been “just fine” on crap, I’d bet there are a dozen more (or more) who have had nothing but trouble and blossomed when fed a higher quality diet.

[GraceLikeRain]

@Bacardi1;6248828

I do, however, salute the marketing expertise of all of the pricey “we’re 100% better & healthier than cheaper foods” brands. All the more power to you.

Ah yes. Let me guess. Do you also believe the this whole “healthy eating” thing for people is a load of garbage :winkgrin:.

To say that Nutro provides the same caliber of nutrition as Orijen is analogous to saying that a Big Mac and fries is the same quality as a grass-fed fillet minion with a side salad of organic bib lettuce, heirloom tomatoes, and homemade dressing.

I firmly believe that there is no way you can do any degree of research about this topic and not come away firmly convinced that it is paramount to feed your dog the best quality of food within your budget.

[LauraKY]

I did have to use ProPlan as an interim feed for my adopted collie. Her foster had been feeding her Pedigree and not only was she having an allergy problem, but she had the runs too. We kept her on ProPlan for a month or two, then switched her over to a higher quality food.

[cloudy18]

I find it all very frustrating and disappointing. I would feed raw if I thought I could afford it and had the extra time for it. Mainly because I am tired of the recalls, the crappy ingedients, and the high price tag on anything higher quality- and who knows how good any of it really is?

Years ago I stupidly fed SD, until I stumbled across information on the internet. I switched to Chicken Soup and the dogs did great on it. Then our 3rd dog had stomach issues and I switched to TOTW. That has worked well for us, and I can afford it. I also have 2 cats, 3 horses and 4 humans, including myself, to feed. But the whole recall thing really irritates the hell out of me.