Wellness Dog Food
October 4, 2008
Filed under Dog Food Reviews, Solid Gold, Wellness
Wellness Dog Food Review
Wellness is a dog food brand produced by the Old Mother Hubbard Company based in Massachusetts, USA. It produces both dry and canned foods which are tailored to satisfy specific nutritional profiles of different ages and special nutritional requirements of dogs. At present there are three Wellness Core product lines—the Wellness Core Ocean Formula, Wellness Core Original Formula, and Wellness Core Reduced Fat Formula.
The Wellness Petfood website states that the “Wellness CORE is based on the raw feeding philosophy of providing nutrient-rich, high-quality meat to a dog’s diet”.
The basal ingredients of Wellness dog food is a grain-free formula that incorporates only meat from deboned chicken and turkey, chicken meal, turkey meal, and chicken liver.
Like any raw meat incorporated into feed rations, turkey and chicken meat which are the main sources of protein possess 80% water in its raw form. Upon processing, the water content is lost and what’s left is meat which is about 20% of its original weight.
However turkey meal and chicken meal are considered meat concentrates and are better sources of animal protein because they contain almost 300% more protein compared to their raw forms.
Potato is a good source of complex carbohydrates. Chicken liver when incorporated in sufficient levels is also a good source of additional protein and important nutrients.
Among the Wellness dog food ingredients, canola oil and tomato pomace are considered quite controversial. Tomato pomace is a by-product when manufacturing tomato catsup, juice, or soup. Although it has a high fiber content it is often treated as an inexpensive filler which may be laden with pesticides. On the other hand, canola oil which is considered high in omega-3 has also been deemed an unhealthy fat by some people.
The minerals which have been included in the Wellness dog food formulas are chelated thus the body can better assimilate and use the minerals in the different physiological processes in the body.
Probiotics have also been added after processing to infuse beneficial bacteria which have been lost during processing.
The Wellness dog food series have met the AAFCO nutrient profiles for maintenance of adult dogs.
Customer Reviews
There are a lot of positive reviews from satisfied customers of Wellness dog food products. Aside from the high quality ingredients, owners love the grain-free formula which is good for dogs which are constantly experiencing bloat and other digestive abnormalities. Many owners reported that their dogs had better appetites and more energy.
As for negative feedbacks, some owners report about digestive disturbances when making the switch from one brand to Wellness. This may be attributed to the failure of some owners to gradually incorporate the Wellness dog food into their pet’s diet.
Other owner said that his dog refused to eat unless his dog was really starving and it made the dog’s stools soft.
There are also reports bags which had insects and cobwebs inside but these incidents are probably due to the storage conditions of wholesalers and distributors and not during the processing and packing of the dog food.
Please visit the links listed below for Wellness dog food reviews by formula.
Have a comment or question about our Wellness dog food review? Want to share your experiences with others? We welcome your comments!
Wellness Dog Food Reviews
Wellness Dog Food Formulas:
- Wellness Core Dog Food
- Wellness Core Ocean Dog Food
- Wellness Core Reduced Fat Dog Food
- Wellness Complete Health Chicken Dog Food
- Wellness Complete Health Lamb, Barley and Salmon Meal Dog Food
- Wellness Complete Health White Fish and Sweet Potatoes Dog Food
- Wellness Health Weight Dog Food
- Wellness Just for Puppy’s Dog Food
- Wellness Just for Seniors Dog Food
- Wellness Large Breed Adult Health Super5Mix Dog Food
- Wellness Large Breed Puppy Health Super5Mix Dog Food
- Wellness Small Breed Adult Health Super5Mix Dog Food
Wellness Core Dog Food Consumer Review
| Title | Votes | Rating | Review |
| Eukanuba dog food | 3 | 5.0 | -1.0 |
| Wellness Complete Health Chicken Dog Food | 49 | 6.6 | -1.0 |
| Wellness Complete Health Lamb, Barley and Salmon Meal Dog Food | 83 | 4.8 | -1.0 |
| Wellness Complete Health White Fish and Sweet Potatoes Dog Food | 55 | 5.5 | -1.0 |
| Wellness Core Ocean dog food | 60 | 7.8 | -1.0 |
| Wellness Core Reduced Fat dog food | 138 | 6.1 | -1.0 |
| Wellness Core dog food | 110 | 7.7 | -1.0 |
| Wellness Health Weight Dog Food | 36 | 3.7 | -1.0 |
| Wellness Just for Puppy’s Dog Food | 125 | 5.8 | -1.0 |
| Wellness Just for Seniors Dog Food | 19 | 5.4 | -1.0 |
Lisa, he is most likely allergic to fish. My dog doesn’t do good on a stong fish diet, so it’s meat only for him. Think of it this way, have you ever seen or heard of dogs in the wild catching salmon like bears ???? No, so what does that tell ya. Sure a wild fox might steal some if he is hungry enough. Wellness is a very good brand of dog food, expecially their Core side. Just find one without fish or keep feeding what you are, but make sure you add some Vitamins to that diet.
I have been feeding my dog Wellness for a little over a year. Just yesterday as I passed her food bowl I noticed small white shards laying at the bottom with the few pieces of kibble left in the bowl. They are about half the size of an apple seed and jagged – this was in the lamb and barley kibble. I have been looking into this and have found user complaints surrounding pieces of what appears to be bone in their bags of Wellness. Has anyone else found anything like this? I believe their bag references “ground bone” but I am questioning how “ground” ..I am now also questioning my confidence in the brand..does anyone else have any information on this? or has anyone else experienced white pieces in their dog’s kibble?
FYI… Just because one dog dosent do well on one type of food does not mean that, that food is bad. Think about it different people are alergic to different things why would are dogs be any different. My little dog took 10 different trys on dry dog food before we found one that she would eat and didnt have her alergens in. If you find a good mom and pop pet store they’ll help find what works and sometimes take back what dosent.
I have been using Wellness for a couple of years without a problem. I believe they had contracted out to a Canadian company to manufacture the Super Mix5 Complete Health, the dark purple bag.
That was until mid November 2009 when I bought a bag that said made in USA on it. The kibble size was larger, the smell was different, one of the dogs vomited and both of them turned their noses up at the dishes and would only eat with coaxing.
The company is very secretive about who and where they make their foods. I am going to ask if they know of any problems. In the mean time I switched brands and will be taking Wellness up on their guarantee for the current bag. If I don’t get an acceptable answer it will be my last bag of their product. I love my dogs too much to worry about their food.
I only feed my dog Wellness brand. Honestly, I could not stomach feeding my dog any of the grocery brand foods, because they are basically garbage. If people actually paid attention to what is in grocery brand dog food, they would be greatly disturbed. After adopting our puppy, we started her on Wellness. She so so much energy and the most beautiful coat we’ve seen on a dog. I understand that Wellness brand is pricey, but I would not feel our dog anything else.
i have been searching the internet looking for food recommendations, and specifically reviews on dog food. I have a picky puppy…she is 10 months old, pit mastiff mix…she has been very picky since we adopted her at 3 months old, and had had a myriad of health issues…itching, ear infections, terrible eye infection!! It has been quite a ride. She was quite underweight when we got her, so finding a food she would love was a high priority.
We switched her to Wellness Super5 puppy and she really seemed to like it for a while but it always had to be dressed up with something else or she would turn her nose up at it…w were told by our trainer to mix in a little whole fat yogurt for a while to really get her to eat her while meal.
On her last trip to the vet it was suggested that her ear infections were due to allergy..her vet suggested a switch to the Wellness White Fish formula..SHE HATES IT!! SHe eats it but practically must be hand fed and starving. It was very helpful to log on and read the reviews. We have decided to switch her to a different brand all together, and focus more on a home cooked diet with some kibble mixed in..hopefully this will take care of the issues!! Thanks for all the honest feedback..I feel like all the evets now a days get kick backs for recommending one food or another…If only our little four legged friends could talk!!
I really appreciate the information posted on this site! It really helped me a lot.
I have a Pekepoo who is 1 year old and weighs 10 lbs. He is very picky and I have had a tough time finding a good food for him. We used to use Purina ProPlan, but we had to put warm broth in it to get him to eat it. Then I took him to Petsmart, and one of the workers recommended Nutro Natural Choice dog food. Not knowing better, I just went to the Nutro website and decided that it was probably a good food for him. Besides, it was more expensive than the ProPlan, so it must be better, right? But I had to mix the food with soft food to get him to eat it.
Finally, I found this website. I was shocked to see how bad the Nutro products are! It made me feel like a bad mom. No wonder his stools were a little loose and he really didn’t have an appetite for the food!
After doing a little more research, I decided to try Wellness Super5Mix dog food for small breeds. He loves it! I don’t have to add anything to it. And the kibble size is perfect for him. It is such a relief to find a good dog food. And it is actually less expensive for me to buy Wellness ($13 for a 6-lb bag) than Nutro Natural Choice ($14 for a 5-lb bag). If you are looking for a good food for your dog, I would definitely suggest Wellness.
“But i have one concern, the news recently said that deep ocean fishes like salmon and tuna have high mercury content and dogs need to eat their food like everyday in hugh quantity. To be on the safe side, i really like the wellness brand and hope they develop a pork based one – i’ll have him on it in a heartbeat!”
I don’t know where this comment came from. From what I understand salmon has the best mercury profile CURRENTLY and tuna the worst CURRENTLY. You can’t say salmon and tuna in the same sentence.
I have a Bernese Mountain Dog. As a puppy, I started him out on the Innova Puppy formula however, he was having issues with diarhea and bouts of blood in his stool. I tried him very slowly on several different brands of puppy food, before I put him on Science Diet Natures Best Lamb Formula. His tummy finally straightened out. Due to Science Diet’s reputation, I didn’t want to keep him on it for too long. After about a year, I noticed that he was having issues with licking/chewing his feet and his ears kept getting gunky & smelly. Tell-tale signs of Allergies. I am in the process of finding a new food for him. I slowly changed him over to Innova California Naturals Lamb & Ric, however, started getting diarhea. The vet thought that a totally grain free diet might be best, so I slowly transferred him to Innova Evo Turkey & Chicken Formula, however the diarhea continued. It was getting so bad that he could hardly hold it and would have accidents in the house. I have put him on a strict boiled chicken and rice dinner for about a week, just to get his digestive system back in order. He is finally having normal bowel movements. Now, I’m trying to figure out my next move. I am considering either Orijen or Wellness core. Since he is a large breed dog, I am not sure if the high protein is going to be too much for his system. Any Suggestions?
I sent an e-mail to wellness about the use of ethoxyquin and this is the answer I got. I am not to sure if I believe this or not, but they did reply quickly which leads me to believe them. I don’t feed Wellness because it is waaaay overpriced in my area, Core is 9-10 dollars more a bag than Orijen. Core well stay on my A list and Wellness will most likely move up. While TOTW well move down.
Jess
Thank you for taking the time to write about Wellness® Dry Dog Food. Our pet food products are 100% ethoxyquin free. Our fish meal supplier has obtained the necessary permit to utilize a natural antioxidant made from blended mixed tocopherols in place of ethoxyquin to preserve the fish meal during transit. Thanks again for contacting us.
Susan KordishRepresentativeConsumer Affairs
It’s also on all of their bags.
I agree with Jess in that Wellness has become very overpriced. For the money, there is certainly better.
I can’t remember where I heard this, nor is there anyway to really confirms this….but….I was told that that nice shiny bag alone cost $6.00
Just hammers home one more time that dogs don’t buy food….people do.
Eric, I am on a mission, I am e-mailing every dog food company that is on my list about the use of ethoxyquin. Guess which 2 companys are dragging their feet about replying ???? Yep and it’s two of your favorites…. Fromm and Merrick and if I don’t hear from them tomorrow, down the list they go….Artemis is the only other company who has taken as long as these two companies. Horizon answered in about 10 minutes, quite unreal and I can guarantee they don’t, man were they ever bold and straight to the point about not using it. Where’s Michelle and Antiono???
Jess…..I’ve actually shortened my go to list. It now only includes Orijen (Large Breed Puppy and 6 Fish Only), Acana (Grasslands Only) and Evo (Chicken/Turkey and Red Only)…That’s It!
I do use a couple chews and treats still from Merrick…Texas Toothpicks, Bully Sticks and Turkey Patty’s.
You’ll get a faster answer from Merrick if you call them. They are not to quick to respond thru email. To be honest with you, when i used Merrick foods which was Turducken and Grammy’s Pot Pie, there were no fish, fish meal or salmon oil in it. So the no ethoxyquin statement was not even crossing my mind. The only time I care is when (obviously) there is a fish product in the food.
Eric, I can’t make a list with just 5 options for people. They have to have some choices and in this crappy economy money is a big deal for a lot of people. Products like Cali. Natural and Heath Wise need to be pushed on people with money issues and no Costco card, instead of them turning to Ol Roy and crap like that.
By the way Merrick has these lamb treats that are just fantastic, Tony just loves them. I am not calling anyone, I want to give all the dog food manufactures the opportunity to respond in a decent time frame.
I just found that Chicken Soup should not be on anyones feed list and DFA needs to drop them to a 2 star because they use it.
Hey guys- I’ve been REALLY busy we got my son a puppy for his 5th birthday.It’s a springer spaniel-8 weeks old.It’s like having a newborn baby again!! But it’s worth it-everyone loves him!!Trinity-my Lab is playing nicely and teaching him manners.I’m not worried about Ethoxyquin because the formulas that I use from Merrick are Before Grain Chicken and Buffalo-they do not contain fish.Also for my cats I use the Before Grain Chicken formula-I won’t buy any formulas that contain fish-even if they claim to be ethoxyquin free.I feel that is the only way to be really sure that your pet is not getting the preservative.Hey Eric whats wrong with the other formulas of the brands that you listed??Also about the Chicken Soup brand I’m pretty sure some of the formulas contain Menadione Sodium Bisulfite complex also.