# Canidae All life stages - Is it really that bad?



## greygoose (Dec 12, 2011)

Hello Everyone,

I’m new to the site and looking for info on Canidae dog food. My wife and I currently have a 7 year old lab border collie mix (75% lab) and we just bought a lab puppy. We have fed our current dog Canidae for the past 6+ years since our trainer recommended it when we were in puppy class. But, it looks like a lot of people do not really like this food. Is there something wrong with it? Is it not as good as it was 6 years ago when we started buying it? 

Obviously I would like a food that I can feed both dogs that will meet there nutrition requirements. But, buying food for (2) labs is costly with them being so big. If Canidae is not what I should be feeding my dogs, does anyone have a suggestion on a reasonably priced food that will work for puppy and adult alike? I do also feed my dogs eggs, peanut butter, carrots, and unseasoned lean meet when we have it for dinner. So I do try to incorporate other healthy things in their diet that this food (or any dog food) might be lacking. 

I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Thank you for taking the time to read my post.


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## 1605 (May 27, 2009)

greygoose said:


> Hello Everyone,
> 
> I’m new to the site and looking for info on Canidae dog food. My wife and I currently have a 7 year old lab border collie mix (75% lab) and we just bought a lab puppy. We have fed our current dog Canidae for the past 6+ years since our trainer recommended it when we were in puppy class. But, it looks like a lot of people do not really like this food. Is there something wrong with it? Is it not as good as it was 6 years ago when we started buying it?
> 
> ...


Although we don't feed Canidae, we do have two GSPs: one 4 1/2 yrs, one 7 months. I checked out the calcium, protein, fat, etc. in the food we feed the older dog & it fit right in for the puppy as well. So our pup has been eating the same food as the adult dog since before we brought him home (we dropped off a bag to the breeder a couple of weeks before on our way out of state).

One caveat: the food we feed them is high protein/high fat as they are high energy hunting breeds. While this mix is great for puppies, if your older dog is not as active, it may be too rich for h/h.

Bonne chance,


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

I think its a decent food for the money. My parents feed this to their dog, since I'm the one buying the food it has to be affordable for me. So I rotate between canidae and healthwise right now. If you can afford to spend little more, you can try their grain free formula, but I actually think its more expensive then taste of the wild for about the same formulation.


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

Canidae is great on paper, and a good bang for your buck food. My only gripe with it is I have yet to see a dog that does AMAZING on it. Cow pie stools seem to be the norm. Or clay-texture stools.


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## greygoose (Dec 12, 2011)

PuppyPaws said:


> Canidae is great on paper, and a good bang for your buck food. My only gripe with it is I have yet to see a dog that does AMAZING on it. Cow pie stools seem to be the norm. Or clay-texture stools.


Hmmm, interesting. neither dog has this issue with the food. maybe some dogs are more sensitive than others? Actually, I'm sure they are. In any event, if ya'll have suggestions for something a little better that isn't outrageiosuly priced I would be willing to switch if it worked for both dogs. 

On a side note: my older dog is pretty active, and the little one is keeping her even more so. :wink:


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## Maxy24 (Mar 5, 2011)

Many people became very upset with Canidae because they changed their ingredients a few years ago and when they did so the food was down graded a lot. It went from a really good grain inclusive food to being very grain and carb heavy. These are the carbs in the food: brown rice, white rice, rice bran, peas, potatoes, oatmeal, cracked pearled barley, millet...it's quite a bit.
I can't remember for sure but I think the previous formula only had white and brown rice. That's why a lot of people are hostile towards Canidae. I know I switched my cats off when they did this, it was upsetting that they were taking a good reasonably priced food and bringing down the quality. So now people who can't afford better were stuck buying a lower quality food for their dog.

But they have come out with a bunch of grain free foods that look good and I recommend to people.


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## Jack Monzon (Jul 25, 2010)

PuppyPaws said:


> Canidae is great on paper, and a good bang for your buck food. My only gripe with it is I have yet to see a dog that does AMAZING on it. Cow pie stools seem to be the norm. Or clay-texture stools.


Interesting -- I know only one person who fed it, a regular at the park, and he had the opposite complaint -- lava-rock poop and constipation. He even took to cutting the Canidae with something cheaper just to help the pooping along.


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## greygoose (Dec 12, 2011)

Maxy24 said:


> Many people became very upset with Canidae because they changed their ingredients a few years ago and when they did so the food was down graded a lot. It went from a really good grain inclusive food to being very grain and carb heavy. These are the carbs in the food: brown rice, white rice, rice bran, peas, potatoes, oatmeal, cracked pearled barley, millet...it's quite a bit.
> I can't remember for sure but I think the previous formula only had white and brown rice. That's why a lot of people are hostile towards Canidae. I know I switched my cats off when they did this, it was upsetting that they were taking a good reasonably priced food and bringing down the quality. So now people who can't afford better were stuck buying a lower quality food for their dog.
> 
> But they have come out with a bunch of grain free foods that look good and I recommend to people.


So would something like wellness CORE be good for both of my girls? I see that it is readily available in my area and not too expensive.


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## biancaDB (Nov 3, 2011)

I'm not too sure what the prices are for these two foods in your area but what about Taste of the Wild or Natures Variety Instinct kibble? Natural Balance is also a very popular kibble at the store I work in particular !


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## nupe (Apr 26, 2011)

greygoose said:


> Hello Everyone,
> 
> I’m new to the site and looking for info on Canidae dog food. My wife and I currently have a 7 year old lab border collie mix (75% lab) and we just bought a lab puppy. We have fed our current dog Canidae for the past 6+ years since our trainer recommended it when we were in puppy class. But, it looks like a lot of people do not really like this food. Is there something wrong with it? Is it not as good as it was 6 years ago when we started buying it?
> 
> ...


Looks like Canidae was working for you for 6 years....what makles you think it wont work for the other dogs??...and you will hear good and bad stories for almost every food....I also before I went RAW USE TO FEED MY ROTTY CANIDAE AND He did very good on it.....I dont think its the best kibble but a good bang for the buck!!...Are you feeding one of the new grain free foods from Canidae??


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## kathylcsw (Jul 31, 2011)

There is a good website to learn about various dog foods and to help pick the best choice for your dogs.
Dog Food Reviews | Dog Food Ratings


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## greygoose (Dec 12, 2011)

nupe said:


> Looks like Canidae was working for you for 6 years....what makles you think it wont work for the other dogs??...and you will hear good and bad stories for almost every food....I also before I went RAW USE TO FEED MY ROTTY CANIDAE AND He did very good on it.....I dont think its the best kibble but a good bang for the buck!!...Are you feeding one of the new grain free foods from Canidae??


Mainly because when I started using Canidae it was considered to be a better than average food. Now that they have reformulated it I’ve seen a lot of ho-hum reviews on it. I just figured I would re-evaluate our food since we have a second mouth to feed now.


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## DaViking (Sep 27, 2011)

kathylcsw said:


> There is a good website to learn about various dog foods and to help pick the best choice for your dogs.
> Dog Food Reviews | Dog Food Ratings


It's a good starting point for new dog owners but beyond that those reviews doesn't mean much imo. Way too shallow/cookie cutter in how they rate foods. Their other articles and discussions are a better source of knowledge.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

Our dogs growing up(2 Lhasas and a Basset Hound) did pretty well on Canidae, but I wish they would have had their grain free line when we had Clara-Belle(the Basset) she would have done SOOO much better on it!!!


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## greygoose (Dec 12, 2011)

After looking at TOTW high prairie canine and TOTW high prairie puppy, it appears that the only difference between the two is more probiotics and the addition of chicken meal in the canine. It’s weird though because it says the canine is not for puppies, but the puppy has feeding guidelines from puppy to adult? Am I missing something? 

Would the canine be good for both dogs? Would this be better than the Canidae I am feeding them now? 

Canine

Protein: 32% Minimum, Fat: 18% Minimum
Calcium: 2.1%, as-fed; Phosphorus: 1.4%, as-fed
Calories: 3,719 kcal/kg (370 kcal/cup) Calculated Metabolizable Energy
Available in 5lb, 15lb and 30lb bags.

Puppy

Protein: 28% Minimum, Fat: 17% Minimum
Calories: 3,656 kcal/kg (364 kcal/cup) Calculated Metabolizable Energy
Available in 5lb, 15lb, and 30lb bags


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## 1605 (May 27, 2009)

greygoose said:


> After looking at TOTW high prairie canine and TOTW high prairie puppy, it appears that the only difference between the two is more probiotics and the addition of chicken meal in the canine. It’s weird though because it says the canine is not for puppies, but the puppy has feeding guidelines from puppy to adult? Am I missing something?
> 
> Would the canine be good for both dogs? Would this be better than the Canidae I am feeding them now?
> 
> ...


I have become convinced that "Puppy" formulas are simply a marketing gimmick. As I mentioned in my previous post, most dog foods keep the calcium & ingredients to acceptable "puppy" levels in their "adult" formulas, so why bother? It's easier to keep them on the same feed. The only hitch in this is if you have a large breed puppy (e.g. great dane) where higher protein levels are not a good idea.

That being said, not all kibbles are created equal. We feed our dogs EVO Turkey/Chicken, a grainless, high protein/high fat food.


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## kevin bradley (Aug 9, 2009)

Canidae is a very good food from a shear ingredient perspective.


For some reason, when they changed formula's a couple years ago, it didn't agree well with some Dogs and started a firestorm on many forums. But I wrote it off to just a few disgruntled owners.

So I went ahead and tried a rotation about 2 years ago. It made one of my Dogs violently ill. Vomitting to the point I had to pick up her limp body from the floor and carry her to the car for an emergency Vet visit. She had vomitted at least 7-8 times over the course of about 4-6 hours. IV fluids and some meds overnite had her fine within a couple days. 

Can I say for CERTAIN it was the Canidae? No. But I am highly suspicious. 

This was far more than the food simply not "agreeing" with her or giving her soft stools. To this day, I'm honestly not sure she would have made it thru the nite.


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## nupe (Apr 26, 2011)

greygoose said:


> Mainly because when I started using Canidae it was considered to be a better than average food. Now that they have reformulated it I’ve seen a lot of ho-hum reviews on it. I just figured I would re-evaluate our food since we have a second mouth to feed now.


OK I see......well as far as kibble I think Orijen is the best out there....but next and at a better price i WOULD say TOTW. IMHO.


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## greygoose (Dec 12, 2011)

nupe said:


> OK I see......well as far as kibble I think Orijen is the best out there....but next and at a better price i WOULD say TOTW. IMHO.


Thank you for your input, I appreacite it.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

nupe said:


> OK I see......well as far as kibble I think Orijen is the best out there....but next and at a better price i WOULD say TOTW. IMHO.


Acana is better then TOTW, IMO!:wink:

But TOTW is VERY height on the list for me too!:thumb:


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## PDXdogmom (Jun 30, 2010)

I believe that Canidae and TOTW are both made by Diamond; so I doubt there is much difference in the quality of the ingredients.

Fewer people seem satisfied with the grain-inclusive Canidae since they changed the formula a couple of years ago. I haven't fed either TOTW (because I don't like their inclusion of smoked meats) or Canidae. But if I were to choose, I'd try the Canidae Pure Sky grain-free formula first. I like the 32% protein level and its ingredients better than the other grain frees. You should be able to feed it to all ages of dogs.


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## kevin bradley (Aug 9, 2009)

as I understand it, Canidae is not a Diamond food. However, Canidae contracts with Diamond to have their products made in a Diamond facility. 

I'll let you guys debate the differences.


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

You can also try Earthborn holistic primitive, its around $40 and similar to totw (little more protein/fat). 

Primitive Natural : Earthborn Holistic Pet Food


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