# Which kibble does your dog do best on?



## meggels (May 30, 2010)

If you had to select one kibble your dog does the absolute best on, which one would it be? If you rotate, which other kibbles do you use?

For Abbie I'd have to say Earthborn Holistics Great Plains Feast. I think her coat and stools are best n that one, just got another bag of it Saturday.

She's also been on Fromm, Natural Balance and a few others in the past year.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Can someone tell me why Fromm 4 starr puts cheese in their ingredients? I looked into trying this food for my Fosters but after seeing this I said NO WAY........Dogs are lactose intolerant.


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

whiteleo said:


> Can someone tell me why Fromm 4 starr puts cheese in their ingredients? I looked into trying this food for my Fosters but after seeing this I said NO WAY........Dogs are lactose intolerant.



Dunno, but Abbie did REALLY well on their Chicken A La Veg and Pork & Applesauce. She just finished their grain free Game Bird, and IMO didn't do quite as well on it lol. The chicken a la veg is prolly my runner up for kibble she does best on. 

Isn't the cheese pretty far down on their list of ingredients?

I don't mind a little cheese, I give Murph some of his pills in cheese. 

Fromm Chicken A La Veg:

Fresh Chicken
Chicken Meal
Pearled Barley
Oatmeal
Fresh Sweet Potatoes
Brown Rice
White Rice
Whole Dried Egg
Menhaden Fish Meal
Millet
Chicken Fat
Dried Tomato Pomace
Safflower Oil
Herring Meal
Fresh Wisconsin Cheese
Flaxseed
Fresh Carrots
Fresh Broccoli
Fresh Cauliflower
Fresh Apples
Fresh Green Beans
Chicken Cartilage
Potassium Chloride
Fresh Cranberries
Fresh Blueberries
Salt
Monocalcium Phosphate
Chicory Root Extract
Fresh Alfalfa Sprouts
Calcium Sulfate
Yucca Schidigera Extract
Sodium Selenite
Folic Acid
Fresh Parsley

Protein: 24%
Fat: 15%
Fiber: 3.5%


Their gamebird:

Fresh Duck
Duck Meal
Peas
Turkey
Fresh Russet Potatoes
Pea Protein
Dried Tomato Pomace
Pea Flour
Whole Dried Egg
Quail
Chicken Meal
Chicken Fat
Salmon Oil
Fresh Sweet Potatoes
Fresh Chicken
Fresh Pheasant
Fresh Wisconsin Cheese
Flaxseed
Fresh Carrots
Fresh Broccoli
Fresh Cauliflower
Fresh Apples
Celery
Fresh Parsley
Lettuce
Spinach
Chicken Cartilage
Potassium Chloride
Fresh Cranberries
Fresh Blueberries
Salt
Chicory Root Extract
Yucca Schidigera Extract
Fresh Alfalfa Sprouts

Protein: 29%
Fat: 17%
Fiber: 3.5%





Earthborn's GPF:

Bison Meal, Peas, Pea Protein, Tapioca, Dried Egg Product, Canola Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Flaxseed, Lamb Meal, Pea Fiber, Natural Flavors, Blueberry Fiber, Cranberry Fiber, Apples, Blueberries, Carrots, Spinach, Cranberries, Choline Chloride, Potassium Chloride, DL-Methionine, L-Lysine, Taurine, L-Carnitine, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Folic Acid, Biotin, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Salt, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Zinc Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Cobalt Carbonate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Yucca Schidgera Extract, Rosemary Extract, Dried Lactobacillus Plantarum Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product.

Protein: 34%
Fat: 18%
Fiber: 4%


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## lovemydogsalways (Mar 4, 2012)

Hate to say it but my lab so far has done best on Diamond Naturals Chicken and Rice. She is now switched to Nutrisource(which she had been on once before) and has some softish stools. I am going to try Earthborn next, maybe or the lamb formula of Nutrisource.
Patches really does well on any food.


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## 7766 (Sep 20, 2011)

Not sure yet. I am working out a rotation schedule. They do good on Orijen Adult, but it gives the Catahula horrid gas. Now we are on Back to Basics Pork and the horrid gas has moved on to the hound. I am getting ready to rotate in a bag of Wellness Core Ocean we will see how that goes. The next on the list is Earthborn, just not sure what formula yet.


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## riddick4811 (Nov 2, 2011)

I've tried many foods over the years between my dogs and all my fosters I've had. And I'm usually feeding around 10 dogs of various breeds, ages and sizes. 

Consistently Earthborn grain free foods are the best. I haven't had a dog yet to have an issue with them and it is one of the only foods that I can feed all my dogs and have them eat the same food (at least the 3 formulas w/o chicken as I have a dog who can't have chicken). 

Runner up would be Native Level 1 all my dogs can eat and do well one. 

Worst foods Evo and Wellness.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

meggels said:


> Dunno, but Abbie did REALLY well on their Chicken A La Veg and Pork & Applesauce. She just finished their grain free Game Bird, and IMO didn't do quite as well on it lol. The chicken a la veg is prolly my runner up for kibble she does best on.
> 
> Isn't the cheese pretty far down on their list of ingredients?
> 
> ...


But Earthborn looks like all the protein comes from Peas, not actually much meat in there. Am I wrong?


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## 1605 (May 27, 2009)

My GSPS are doing great on EVO Turkey/Chicken. But it's not for everyone: if you dog is a couch potato, it's really not the food for h/h.




whiteleo said:


> Can someone tell me why Fromm 4 starr puts cheese in their ingredients? I looked into trying this food for my Fosters but after seeing this I said NO WAY........Dogs are lactose intolerant.


What makes you say that? Cheese is a great motivator for my guys. And I don't see any GI problems associated with them eating it.

I think there are dogs you can tolerate it and those that cannot; just like people.


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

When Mol at kibble, I kept her mainly on Orijen and Fromm, with a little Wellness Core thrown in now and then. Different brands and/or different proteins every meal. Do the same now with my kitten, Fromm and Orijen, as many different proteins as I can get her to eat.
For the record, Mol never had any problems with any kibbles, eats any of them without trouble, but these 2 brands were my preference out of the kibbles I can source around here.


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

whiteleo said:


> But Earthborn looks like all the protein comes from Peas, not actually much meat in there. Am I wrong?


I wouldn't say *all* the protein, I'd say some.


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## kady05 (Jul 29, 2011)

When mine were on kibble, they did the best on Orijen. TOTW they did well on for awhile too, but then they all randomly dropped weight on it and I kept having to up the amount given, which is when I switched to Orijen.

Wilson is my only one that eats some kibble now (he gets 50/50 raw/kibble), and he's done really well on Merrick's Before Grain.


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## PDXdogmom (Jun 30, 2010)

The Acana grain free "all life stages" formulas seem to work best for my dogs. California Natural Puppy formulas and Fromm Surf & Turf (being very different from each other) have also worked well. NutriSource, while I like the company and my dogs looked good, made for larger stools.


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## DDBsR4Me (Jan 23, 2012)

I can't really say. 

My boy has only been on Acana Grasslands for about a month and a half. I haven't really notice much of a change so far. Maybe less poo and his dandruff seems a bit better.

After he's done 3 months on the Acana, I want to try the Fromm Surf & Turf and maybe EVO Red Meat...we'll see.


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## Jacksons Mom (Jun 13, 2010)

Jackson has never had any MAJOR major problems with any kibble. He can pretty much always seemingly do well on anything pretty much. But I notice little things here and there, and probably pay too much attention to his poop, LOL. But yeah things like more/less eye boogers, increased/decreased energy, hair softness/shine, breath, etc, etc, are things I pay attention to.

By far, he's always done the best on Acana. We started him on the grainfree varieties probably a little above a year old... he's probably eaten Acana more than anything, consistently, with a bag of something else thrown in here and there.

As much as I love Fromm, he doesn't do well on it. We tried Surf and Turf a while back and he had major eye tearing and also tired of the taste quickly (he also did not like the teeny kibbles). So last year we tried the pork formula and duck formula and he got very itchy, eye drainage again, and kept licking his butt. I did not know if it was environmental or not. So we tried a bag of Fromm duck again last month and the GAS - omg... he practically *never* gets gas, so yeah, I know that food doesn't work for him.

Although he did good on the Acana grain-frees, he does even BETTER on Acana's singles line, which he's been eating for a few months now? We did two bags of duck & pear, two bags of lamb & apple, one bag of chicken & burbank potato and once this one is gone, he'll be back on duck & pear again. Out of those three, he does the best on the lamb - I've never seen his poop look so good, LOL.


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

Brittany- we use the Acana duck and pear as treats. They are raw fed but the kibble treats are easier and it's much cheaper to buy sample bags of kibble than designated treats!


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

I've got samples coming out my butt. It's ridiculous

Excuse my French


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## Neeko (Aug 11, 2010)

When on kibble, my dogs did best on Earthborn Primitive Natural, Orijen 6 Fish, and TOTW Wetlands.


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## Javadoo (May 23, 2011)

My girls do amazing on Fromm...I rotate all 4 grain free formulas and they do equally well on all of them.
I was feeding TOTW but dropped it due to the recalls.
I recently started Earthborn Holistics Coastal Catch(they LOVE it so far) and I also have a bag of Great Plains. 
And I have Acana Grasslands and Ranchlands in there to try next.
We tried Nutrisource, but the chicken in all their formulas gives my girls serious eye goop and their stools were larger, so we dropped it. 

I am a daily rotation feeder, so I feed a different food at each meal. 
If I had to feed just one food though, it would be Fromm, probably Surf & Turf.


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## Jordan S. (Feb 2, 2010)

My dog has done best on Natures Variety(both prairie and instinct) and Canidae chicken and rice.


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

Primitive Natural is also a great one for Abbie. 

Does anyone know the ash levels for earthborn formulas? or can tell me the equation for figuring that out lol?


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## lovemydogsalways (Mar 4, 2012)

meggels said:


> Primitive Natural is also a great one for Abbie.
> 
> Does anyone know the ash levels for earthborn formulas? or can tell me the equation for figuring that out lol?


Ash for Primitive Natural is 12%, Great Plains Feast is 9.8%, Coastal CAtch is 7.5%, Adult Vantage is 6.7%, Ocean Fusion is 8.8%, Small Breed is 8% and Puppy Vantage is 8.1%.


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

what about meadow feast? so primitive is pretty high isnt it? ideal is under 9?


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

also, what does high ash mean? the negatives?


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## DaViking (Sep 27, 2011)

meggels said:


> also, what does high ash mean? the negatives?


It is called "ash" since it's (the minerals) what would be left if you burned everything. Minerals (ash) is obviously needed but only at certain levels and at certain ratios like with calcium : phosphorous. High ash levels indicate lesser quality meals (you want to pay for proteins/energy, not minerals) and/or other bone-in or other ingredients with a lot of minerals and can be taxing for the body over time. 5% to 7% is good, up to 9 is ok'ish, beyond that is not so good.


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## InkedMarie (Sep 9, 2011)

I'm on my tablet for a bit and haven't figured out how to be on a forum and do a Google search so I'll ask here...I see a few dogs on the Acana duck and pear; are those new? Are there alot of grains? If anyone knows, thanks if you can answer. If not, I'll hop online later. I'm asking because one of mine sometimes gets ear infections. When he was a year old, he was on Cal Nat which is not grain free. Wonder if he could eat a grain inclusive formula.


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## PDXdogmom (Jun 30, 2010)

Last fall Acana came out with a couple new formulas under the line of Acana Singles. They have one protein (duck or lamb) and one grain (oats) with protein at 25% and fat at 16-17%. There used to be a chicken one, but now they've added fish to it so it's classified under a different line. They might be worth a try if your dog doesn't have a problem with oats.

http://www.acana.com/pro


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## Jacksons Mom (Jun 13, 2010)

Oats are the only grain, I'm pretty sure. And Jackson does fantastic on the Singles line. We're on the chicken & burbank potato right now but his poo is not exactly where I want it, but he's still doing well in all other regards. He defnitely does best on lamb & apple and duck & pear (which is what he's eating next once were through this bag).


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## Jacksons Mom (Jun 13, 2010)

PDXdogmom said:


> Last fall Acana came out with a couple new formulas under the line of Acana Singles. They have one protein (duck or lamb) and one grain (oats) with protein at 25% and fat at 16-17%. There used to be a chicken one, but now they've added fish to it so it's classified under a different line. They might be worth a try if your dog doesn't have a problem with oats.
> 
> http://www.acana.com/pro


Did Acana get a new site?!?! Looks good!


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## DDBsR4Me (Jan 23, 2012)

Jacksons Mom said:


> Did Acana get a new site?!?! Looks good!


I love that they have a DDB pup on their page...cool!


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## doggiedad (Jan 23, 2011)

i switch kibble from bag to bag. i currently have Verus, California Naturals
and Orijen on hand. i also keep a variety of cans on hand that i use
as a topping. my dog might have 1 brand in the am and a different brand in the pm.
i also keep a variety of snacks on hand.


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## Jacksons Mom (Jun 13, 2010)

DDBsR4Me said:


> I love that they have a DDB pup on their page...cool!


I noticed it right away, it's a beautiful dog! I have a secret desire for a DDB someday.


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## Breathing Borla (Apr 30, 2010)

Roxy has and does do best on EVO turkey and chicken. she also gets EVO treats

I struggle with chews, she won't do antlers, canine caviar jerky last two seconds and so now I am stuck with the occasional buffalo rawhide. at least they are made here.


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## DDBsR4Me (Jan 23, 2012)

Jacksons Mom said:


> I noticed it right away, it's a beautiful dog! I have a secret desire for a DDB someday.


I LOVE them...don't know if I'll own anything else


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## Midnight (Jul 4, 2011)

*I did not know this......*



whiteleo said:


> Can someone tell me why Fromm 4 starr puts cheese in their ingredients? I looked into trying this food for my Fosters but after seeing this I said NO WAY........Dogs are lactose intolerant.


I can't ever reading that dogs are lactose intolerant and I've been feeding my little guy cheese on a regular basis, whenever I have some. THANK YOU for mentioning this.


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## bett (Mar 15, 2012)

after my whole episode with diamond (grrr) i am now using fromm's grain free-and trying each one to see how they react. poops all good for all 3 but rex is weird and i can't figure out why. he eats much much slower (he was my inhaling goat) and does a whole routine, removing some of the kibble from the bowl, placing it on the floor and then eating it.
i also added some fido vite this week to see if they can heal their guts. 
vangie still on prednisone so it's kinda hard to tell.
hopefully, i can keep them on the fromm as i understand that company never had recalls and has a good customer service , which at this point , is a turn on.


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