# Newbie with a Canidae problem...



## Davey-D-99 (Nov 11, 2010)

Hey there, this is my first post...just found this forum.
I have a 4 year old Standard Poodle who has been on Canidae ALS his whole life. It was a breeder recommendation and he has always done well on it....I supplement with a little canned as well either Natural Balance or Canidae. My problem is that he just wont eat the stuff anymore...he's always been a fussy eater but now he just does not want it. Has the company changed something in the last month or two? 
Anyway, I took home some samples last week of some different brands from my store. Acana (Wild Prairie and Grasslands), Nutri Source, and something called Pure Vita...
They also carry Taste of the Wild, Blue Wilderness, GO, Orijen as well as many, many others. 
He seemed to like the Acana Prarie a lot as well as the Pure Vita but
I'm just a little overwhelmed about switching him...Grains / Grain Free?
What is the better choice?
Any and all recommendations would be helpful...Thanks


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## GypsyJazmine (Sep 23, 2010)

When I still fed part kibble I had my dogs on Canidae & was a staunch supporter of it...When they changed their ingredients some time ago my dogs started turning up their noses at the Canidae & one got very sick...It was then that I switched off of kibble completely & went to a completely raw diet & I couldn't be happier!...B.t.w., Canidae is now manufactured in Diamond's facilities.


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

You can't go wrong with any of the Acana kibbles. I would recommend to rotate between a few different kibbles that each contain a different main protein source.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

I'm a big fan of Acana, my rescues have always done really well on it before finally switching over to a raw diet. I highly reccommend it! And welcome to the forum!


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

I agree, Acana is great, if you can afford Orijen you can try that also, but your dog may take longer to adjust going from grain inclusive low protein to grain free high protein. I like acana because its right in the middle and comes in 3 varieties(I believe they are soon coming out with #4).


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## Davey-D-99 (Nov 11, 2010)

Thanks all...after reading this forum and other pages, I decided to buy bigger bag of Acana Prarie...Might work my way up right to Orijen after that, gotta trust all these positive reviews and it makes the most sense...
Once again thanks


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

Acana's decent, but orijen is amde by the same company, and its a more carnivorous diet...I am prob alone i nthinking this, but acana seems omnivorous to me....60 percent emat aint much to spend an arm and a leg for. Orijen isnt much more pricey, and it's a good food...I however think you'd see big improvements using any grain free food....coming frm grained canidae.

I used to feed grained canidae, but now feeed grain free canidae. If your dog isnt doing well o ncanidae though, I'd ust switch brands.

Totw makes 4 formulas,but I only fel comfortable reccomending 2 of them. the wetlands, and the high prairie. you can get them for 40ish dollars with tax...completely grain free and a modeerate elvel of protein. higher than canidae;s but lower than other grain free.

earthborn hollistic is another cool looking food. turkey meal is the number one ingridient,,which is refreshing instead of chicken meal...it also has a named fish...not ocean fish meal. i kight switch shane to it...after the bag of canidae i bought today is gone.
oh and from what i see earthborn hollistic is cheap...maybe cheaper than totw. i even saw 15 percent off on a site i just checked. i have ehard from some mebers that poop was runny....and the rep on here couldnt confirm it was ethoxyquin free

instinct kibble is a very nice looking food. some things to be aware of are some formulas are using meat from china...but soem ARENT. also they use canola oil and not chicken fat which is bad....totw uses canola oil, but they are a good 20 dollars less than instinct.

instinct claims to use 90 percent meat in their foods so that is intriguing.

all these companies are american.

orijen/acan is a decent food but i'd rather feed american. orijen is canadian.

if you're set on canadian...go endurance is very good. imo it looks similar to earthborn hollistic, but earthborn is dirt cheap


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

What's wrong with Canadian foods? We are a good country :biggrin:


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

.............theyre great foods

in fact second to american


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> Acana's decent


WHAT?????


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

i knew when i typed tha id get that response...which is why the following words explained...


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## PUNKem733 (Jun 12, 2009)

What following words? When people use the word decent with foods like Acana Or Orijen, your credibility takes a hit.


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## PeaceLoveRescue (Nov 12, 2010)

> Acana's decent


_Seriously?_




> earthborn hollistic is another cool looking food.


Again... _seriously?_ Didn't you say you had an issue with canola oil? The vantage and fusion line of this food has it, so one minute you're against it the next your for it? 22% protein seems like a joke to me and the food to me at least, appears to be lacking in the meat department. Where is this turkey meal as the number one ingredient? I see chicken meal in the adult and whitefish meal in the ocean. Maybe I'm being silly but when someone tells me "blank is cheap" I tend to swerve away from that food, especially when people are saying blank is a good food and its way cheaper then this brand which is one of the top kibble brands on the market today. Plus they can't guarantee that their food is ethoxyquin free which makes it a very uncool food in my mind.




> i'd rather feed american. orijen is canadian.


Would you mind explaining a little more? I'm genuinely curious about what is wrong with Canadian food?

Also, would it be so awful if you used spell check and somewhat proper grammar? Your posts are very hard to read.


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## PUNKem733 (Jun 12, 2009)

He says some out there stuff. Like how he doesn't like lamb, I think, something like he doesn't think it's a good enough meat, or some foolishness. He has the weirdest reasons, if any at all as to why he leans certain ways.


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

PeaceLoveRescue said:


> _Seriously?_
> 
> 
> 
> ...



*Just for clarification*: He was referring to their Primitive Natural formula, which is the grain free formula.

Turkey Meal, Chicken Meal, Whitefish Meal, Potatoes, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols, a source of vitamin E), Dried Egg Product, Tomato Pomace, Apples, Blueberries, Carrots, Peas, Spinach, Garlic, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Taurine, Cottage Cheese, L-Lysine, DL-Methionine, Beta-Carotene, Calcium Carbonate, Zinc Oxide, Magnesium Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Niacin, D-Calcium Pantothenic Acid, Vitamin A Supplement, L-Carnitine, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Ferrous Sulfate, Biotin, Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Thiamine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B1), Calcium Iodate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Manganese Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Dried Lactobacillus Plantarum, Enterococcus Faecium, Lactobacillus Casei, Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Products.


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## SamWu1 (Oct 15, 2010)

bishopthesheltie said:


> What's wrong with Canadian foods? We are a good country :biggrin:


I'm not biased towards where the food is produced, I want what's better and Champion seems to be better. I used to really like Great Life Grain and Potato Free which is American but their meat content just seems questionable and I never got a clear answer from them so Champion once again is number 1 in my book. 

When Champion releases their 80/20 formula, I'm going to be extremely biased!


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## SamWu1 (Oct 15, 2010)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> ...I am prob alone i nthinking this, but acana seems omnivorous to me....60 percent emat aint much to spend an arm and a leg for. Orijen isnt much more pricey, and it's a good food...I however think you'd see big improvements using any grain free food....coming frm grained canidae.
> 
> I used to feed grained canidae, but now feeed grain free canidae. If your dog isnt doing well o ncanidae though, I'd ust switch brands.
> 
> ...


I agree that if you plan on feeding kibble exclusively, feed the kibble with the highest meat content. Any *kibble* in general is an omnivorous diet because it contains plant matter. Anyone that wants to feed in a 100% species appropiate way has to feed prey model, period.

I don't like the Petcurean products (Now! and Go!) because they use dried eggs and flaxseed oil. You simply cannot tell the percentage of animal content in a kibble unless it's disclosed by the manufacturer and the only company that does so is Champion and that's the reason I recommend them.


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> orijen/acan is a decent food but i'd rather feed american. orijen is canadian.


I think what he meant was, he'd rather support an american company, since the economy isn't doing to well. American company = american jobs. Doesn't change the fact that Orijen/Acana are excellent foods. It's pretty hard to find made in USA anymore.


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

PeaceLoveRescue said:


> _Seriously?_
> 
> 
> 
> ...


why would i use spell check for someone who doesnt read my whole posts????
I said that acana is decent,then i followed it up with MY explanation. IN MY OPINION IT IS DECENT..it is an omnivore's diet....60vpercent meat is not something id pay 60 bucks a bag for...or feed to my dog EVER...

AS FAR as earthborn holllistic, again you didnt read my post....I said primitive natural....which has chicken fat not canola oil....I also said I was against canola oil, in expensive foods like instinct...but food's like TOTW are so cheap, that I dont mind them being in there....and earthborn is in the same price range as totw...perhaps cheaper....but like i just said..it contains fat not oils....

i prefer american foods, no solid reason other than im american,and I've stated my views on orijens shipping practices


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

SamWu1 said:


> I agree that if you plan on feeding kibble exclusively, feed the kibble with the highest meat content. Any *kibble* in general is an omnivorous diet because it contains plant matter. Anyone that wants to feed in a 100% species appropiate way has to feed prey model, period.
> 
> I don't like the Petcurean products (Now! and Go!) because they use dried eggs and flaxseed oil. You simply cannot tell the percentage of animal content in a kibble unless it's disclosed by the manufacturer and the only company that does so is Champion and that's the reason I recommend them.


canidae grin free claims on their site that they use 80/20/0...although o nthe bags it doesnt say this which is why i am suspicious...but this is what i feed.

instinct claims they use 90 percent meat also.

but yup i agree


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> why would i use spell check for someone who doesnt read my whole posts????


I read all of your posts. And sometimes they can be a little confusing.



RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> 60 percent *emat*


Spell check.



RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> *modeerate* *elvel* of protein.


Spell check.



RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> i have *ehard* from some *mebers* that poop was runny


Spell check.


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## Davey-D-99 (Nov 11, 2010)

Hey There..OP Back. Thanks again for the responses, quite a discussion! I'm Canadian BTW...not that it matters.

When I said my poodle was fussy I meant it...for the last two days I've found the Canidae kibbles all over the floor and his bed. I finally noticed him last night carrying food from his mouth over to his bed, spitting them all out and then picking out the Acana kibbles, while leaving behind the remaining Canidae. I guess there will be no gradual transition for him! 
It still takes him all day to eat a couple cups of food though, bit by bit.

Just to provide some background from me...we had our first dog, Rosie, our beloved Golden Retriever just prior to Sidney our Poodle. I naively fed Purina to Rosie her whole life and she lived only 8 years. Her whole life she had smelly ears, itchy skin, was overweight and was very inactive. My vets answer was always ear drops, medicated shampoos and medications. Never, ever once did they tell me about better nutrition...she died after being really sick for a year of a blood disorder. That was a very costly and tough year for us and especially our children. 
It wasn't until after we picked Sidney up and the breeder recommended Canidae or "at least something without corn as the first ingredient and animal by-products"
When we came home I did some research on foods because I wanted to make sure...it was then and only then that I read the ingredients on the side of my remaining Purina...The bag said "Real Chicken" on the front!!! But I was really feeding her corn, wheat and by-products!! 
In the subsequent days that followed I researched a lot about pet food and I became absolutely convinced that the Purina must have killed our beloved Rosie and she may have needlessly suffered her whole life. 
I stuck with the Canidae for Sidney because it had good reviews and have ever since, up until now...

I'm writing this because you guys may want to bicker over Canada/US spell check or not but please don't ever loose sight of dogs like Rosie. There are still so many out there...This is why a forum like this is important and I'm glad I found it. 

Take Care


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## SamWu1 (Oct 15, 2010)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> canidae grin free claims on their site that they use 80/20/0but yup i agree


I noticed that but I wonder why its protein level is only 34% when it uses 80% meat protein, especially since it's mostly meat meals which is particularly protein rich.


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

SamWu1 said:


> I noticed that but I wonder why its protein level is only 34% when it uses 80% meat protein, especially since it's mostly meat meals which is particularly protein rich.


u should shoot them an email...i sent them like 5 emails asking about them switching to naturox...and they havent responded....which is why im thinking of switching to instinct or earth born..although i just bought a bag of it two days ago.

but im curious also./...why not put it on the bag where most would see????????// maybe its outdated info?

i think champions new formula is going to be interesting ...apparently irts 80 percent FRESH MEATS??
but there will be less total meat cause no meat meals?

im still intrigued by instinct....90 percent meat...but 58 dollars for a 25 pound bag plus shipping lol...and they dont even use fat -_-


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## SamWu1 (Oct 15, 2010)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> u should shoot them an email...i sent them like 5 emails asking about them switching to naturox...and they havent responded....which is why im thinking of switching to instinct or earth born..although i just bought a bag of it two days ago.
> 
> but im curious also./...why not put it on the bag where most would see????????// maybe its outdated info?
> 
> ...


When companies don't respond to my questions, that's just a big no no. I may not be a distributor but I have a right to know what I'm feeding my pet.

80% fresh meats? Not possible unless the price is astronomical. Instinct sounds good but once again, not happy about the menhaden fish meal in a $60 bag of pet food.


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## buddy97 (Mar 29, 2010)

SamWu1 said:


> 80% fresh meats? Not possible unless the price is astronomical..


they are actually claiming 80% of the 34% protein level comes from meat, and 20% of the protein comes from fruits/veggies.....not claiming 80% meat content.


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

buddy97 said:


> they are actually claiming 80% of the 34% protein level comes from meat, and 20% of the protein comes from fruits/veggies.....not claiming 80% meat content.


80 percent any meats..not fresh right? 
you are refferring to orijen right?

if you are refferring to canidae...i find it odd that they dont print this on the bags...i think they changed the formula which is why im switching to earthborn..

you fed earthborn but didnt like it? id that correct derek?


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## SamWu1 (Oct 15, 2010)

buddy97 said:


> they are actually claiming 80% of the 34% protein level comes from meat, and 20% of the protein comes from fruits/veggies.....not claiming 80% meat content.


Ahh, thanks for the clarification.


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