# Holistic Select vs Taste of the Wild



## jewels (Jan 3, 2011)

Does anyone have any opinions on which of these brands is better? My Petco just started carrying Holistic Select and I have recently located a local source for TOTW. I would also appreciate hearing opinions on favorite dog food brands... I need something without chicken in any form (turkey or fish seems to be best for my dog) and would prefer grain free. Thanks!


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## stajbs (Jun 5, 2010)

Far as I know none of the Holistic Select formulas are grain free. We have fed the duck, and anchovy, salmon sardine formulas in rotation with grain free formulas. Our guys loved both formulas but with Blaze having an issue while on the second bag of duck I have gotten hesitant to try it again, and we are looking at cooked and canned only for both dogs. 

I have fed TOTW before and not had problems, our one sibe was pretty grain intolerant so he got TOTW. He seemed to like it. So did tthe other dogs.


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## jewels (Jan 3, 2011)

You are right about Holistic Select not being grain free. I am not positive that grains bother my boy, so I'm open to trying it, but I would prefer a grain free formula if there is something with turkey or fish that seems to be well tolerated by dogs with digestive issues. It just seems like the fewer ingredients to potentially irritate him the better! I've read several of your posts and have to say I sympathize with your situation. It is so hard to figure out digestive issues!


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

I would say TOTW is better than holistic select. I only recommend the TOTW praire and wetlands. The only problem is both contain chicken. The other 2 formulas have to many potatoes, which raise the carb levels to high. If your looking for something in that price range, Nutrisca lamb, earthborn holistic coatal and earthborn holistic great plains do not contain chicken.


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## baggie (Jun 2, 2010)

Maybe California Natural? It has a very limited ingredient list. They have grain-free formulas as well. They are low in protein and fat but you could add canned or home cooked to bump that up. Obviously if you're scared of P&G, nevermind.


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## jewels (Jan 3, 2011)

What about Pinnacle turkey and potato grain free? Is the potato content in that too high? I have been referencing brands that I can find locally because it's easier to deal with than on line purchasing if the food doesn't work for my dog. I am open to suggestions for brands in a higher price range though, even if I have to order it.


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## jewels (Jan 3, 2011)

I will look in to California Natural. I don't know if I have an opinion on P&G...yet! Thanks!


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

It's not about grain free or not, it's about higher protein and fat and lower carbs. With TOTW, They use potatoes instead of rice. Potatoes have more carbs than rice, but since the protein level is at 32% and the fat is at 18% the carbs are down to somewhere in the 35% range. A food like holistic select is at 24% protein, 15% fat and about 50% carbs. I've been hearing good things about nutrisca. You might want to give it a try and see if it helps out.


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## jewels (Jan 3, 2011)

Thanks! I wouldn't be surprised if grains or high carbs in general don't sit well with him. He has had chronic gas issues for 1-2 years (he can clear the room every five minutes). I have tried a lot of kibbles (slow transition and giving time to see if it works etc) and nothing has helped. I recently switched him to canned food only and noticed a big improvement. I've been using the Core fish formula, Merrick Thanksgiving Day, Wellness 95% Turkey and 95 % Salmon. Chicken seems to bring the gas back, as does bison and beef. I'm going to try a lamb recipe and see what that does. I'm trying to narrow down what protein source works best and whether grains or other carbs bother him. Then I'd like to see if I can find a dry formula that I could add in, instead of strictly canned (because of expense... 4 cans a day can get steep). I live in a small town in Idaho without much access to upper end pet stores that carry quality foods. I'm lucky to have a Petco!


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## baggie (Jun 2, 2010)

Have you considered home cooked? May be cheaper. Also, if you stick with canned, look around online. You can generally find MUCH cheaper prices than in local stores. I keep my cost of either 95% or 100% canned meat at $1.50 a can (13 oz) and often less than that. When you find a deal, LOAD up.


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

doggiefood.com has $5 flat shipping reguardless of the quantity;0)


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## stajbs (Jun 5, 2010)

Our kibble plan, which we have put to the side for the present was GO Natural Salmon and Oatmeal. You can look at the Petcurean thread I started asking people their experiences with this food. It was pretty positive and the Salmon formula is more or less like limited ingredient. It can be a bit costly and depending on where you live may be tough to find but you may find some online options that make it affordable. I had called the company and told them about Blaze, they recommended the Salmon formula to me as their first choice and their second choice was the NOW Senior Weight Management formula. It's a turkey based kibble. The NOW line is grain free but I think it has potatoes and other meats although I do not think there is chicken in it. The meats in the NOW line are also not rendered but seem a bit low on protein to me. They did send me coupons for two free 1 pound samples of each which is a really nice size to try out a kibble. Also, someone can feel free to correct me but I think oatmeal may be gluten free, so while it's a grain it is different and I know is gentler on the digestion. 

Overall, I did feed Holistic Select about 3 times a year prior to the recent issue. We always added canned topper...BG Merrick, and other higher end canned. The dogs did like it, it was a bit more afordable than some foods, and it is not the worst kibble in the world by any means.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

jewels said:


> Does anyone have any opinions on which of these brands is better? My Petco just started carrying Holistic Select and I have recently located a local source for TOTW. I would also appreciate hearing opinions on favorite dog food brands... I need something without chicken in any form (turkey or fish seems to be best for my dog) and would prefer grain free. Thanks!


 I used to use Holistic Select back when it was called Eagle Pack Holistic Duck and Oatmeal. At that time it only had duck and oatmeal in it (no rice). I had a chow with severe skin allergies and it was the only thing that let him grow back his hair. I"m not sure I would use it now that they've changed the formula.

I also used Pinnacle Trout canned food and he did fine with that. Anything chicken based would make him pull all his hair out. 

I have used TOTW bison formula recently and the dogs seemed to love the taste. They did fine on it and I rotated with Orijen, and Evo. 

Chelsy can't eat any of those brands except EVO without getting sick so I think you may just have to try some and see what works for your guy. You can always rotate them plus add the homemade food for extra meat. My idea of 'homemade' is just cooked meat (no vegies or anything added) so it's really not hard to do. As long as you supplement with the canned food or kibble you don't have to add anything to the cooked meat.


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## jewels (Jan 3, 2011)

Thanks guys! I was thinking I should just bite the bullet and try one of them, and then late last night while I was watching a movie in bed with my husband, and of course my dog, I noticed that Shiloh was having gas issues. The last couple days he has been fed the Core Salmon, Whitefish and Herring canned food. I've been wondering recently if that was getting to him, but I told myself I was being paranoid. Now I don't think so. I've been rotating every couple days between Core Salmon, Whitefish and Herring (sometimes adding Wellness 95% Salmon) and Merrick's Thanksgiving Day (sometimes adding Wellness 95% Turkey). It's easier to find a kibble that is fish based than turkey (with no chicken) based. My petco doesn't stock the Core Salmon, Whitefish and Herring in the kibble, so I was considering the TOTW Pacific Stream or the Holistic Select Anchovy, Sardine and Salmon. Now I don't know! I guess I should keep rotating a little longer on my canned schedule and see if he consistently has gas on the fish days. I really hope that doesn't happen but I'm kinda thinking it will. What scares me is the thought that he might be doing what he previously did on kibble.... start out looking like something might work but then developing an intolerance soon after. Pretty soon there won't be anything left to try! AAAHHHHHH!


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

cast71 said:


> I would say TOTW is better than holistic select. I only recommend the TOTW praire and wetlands. The only problem is both contain chicken. The other 2 formulas have to many potatoes, which raise the carb levels to high. If your looking for something in that price range, Nutrisca lamb, earthborn holistic coatal and earthborn holistic great plains do not contain chicken.


don't you feed pacific stream?


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## chocolatelabguy (Nov 17, 2009)

We feed our lab TOTW - we rotate all four varieties. She has no health issues, and tolerates all four varieties just fine, including the Pacific Stream. She loves her TOTW!


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> don't you feed pacific stream?


I use to, but recently changed my mind, after seeing how bad my sisters dog did on it. Way too many potatoes in it. I never seen a dog do so horrible on a food;0( I'm using TOTW praire and wetlands, nutrisca lamb and chicken, and I'm going to try out the earthborn formulas. I also add raw meals into the mix.


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## doggiedad (Jan 23, 2011)

i'm always switching my dogs kibble and can food.
i've used Holistic Select and TOTW and my dog
did well on both.


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## _Trish (Jan 31, 2011)

cast71 said:


> I would say TOTW is better than holistic select. I only recommend the TOTW praire and wetlands. The only problem is both contain chicken. The other 2 formulas have to many potatoes, which raise the carb levels to high. If your looking for something in that price range, Nutrisca lamb, earthborn holistic coatal and earthborn holistic great plains do not contain chicken.


What's your beef with TOTW Pacifica? The lower protein %? I've noticed when your suggesting that people use certain brands of food, you'll only list specific formulas on some of them. What about the TOTW Sierra Mountain? I've used all four of the formulas and have had excellent results.

ETA - just read your post about your sister's dog on TOTW. It has a lower protein percentage because of the protein source, not because it has more potatoes in it. My dogs actually do way better on the Pacifica and the Sierra Mountain formula than they do on the Wetlands or High Prairie formula. I think you have to judge it by each individual dog, and how your own dog does on it, and not someone elses dog. My dogs seem to do better on fish formulas in general, though. Better stool, less gas, no itching.


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

My beef is there's not enough beef ahahahaha and too many potatoes. There is less protein because there's less meat. I would of liked them to charge more for the food, rather than match the price of the praire and wetlands. It has around 42% carbs while praire and wetlands has about 32%. Way too much for me. I feed raw as well which brings the carbs even lower. I use to use these two formulas, but will no longer use or recommend them. I also now recommend feeding extra meat(cooked or raw) and less kibble. I don't care about grain or grain free. What I care about is protein, fat and carb levels. Out of all the grain/grainfree fillers, potatoes and corn are the worst. Raw feeders often state that a raw diet is between 18%-24% protein, comparing it to a lower protein kibble. One big difference is one contains water and the other contains carbs. I'd rather feed a mid protein food and add meats to cut down on the carbs. Too much carbs are a problem waiting to happen.


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

Well, if you compare any other brands to totw, the fish and lamb formulas are always more expensive, while totw keeps the prices the same for all 4 formulas, because fish/lamb cost more, they use less meat and bulk up with potatoes. So I'd have to agree, judging based on ingredients alone, I'd pick either prarie or wetlands. But then again, every dog responds differently. I know several people that have dogs with allergies and they can only eat fish based food, totw makes it affordable. If I fed the fish one, I would also add some canned sardines/salmon, etc to increase protein content.


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## _Trish (Jan 31, 2011)

Thanks for the info, very helpful.. I never thought of it that way. I'd have to go back and read my post but I think I called the TOTW fish based food Pacifica, if I did, Imeant to say Pacific Stream, I feed Acana too, so I mix up their names sometimes. Oops. I do pay more for the Acana Grasslands, Pacifica, and Ranchlands, vs. the Prairie formula.

Has anyone heard about the FDA putting a hold on Acana's Grassland formula? I'm a little bit worried about it, and am wondering what that is all about.


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

I knew what you meant when you said TOTW pacifica;0) I think what Unosmom and I was trying to show you, is that fish and lamb foods are always more expensive to there chicken formulas. So we were comparing grasslands, pacifica, and ranchlands to TOTW pacific and Sierra. Like I stated before, I wish they would of added more meat, instead of keeping the cost the same as praaire and wetlands. I use to recommend pacific and sierra, but know I know better;0) Those formulas are just like a lower protein formula food, but instead of rice they contain potatoes. I'd rather use rice, lesser of the evils;0) Here's an easy way to figure carbs in dogfood. How to Estimate the Hidden Carbohydrate Content of Any Dog Food

Heven't heard anything about the FDA putting a hold on Acana Grassland. Do you have any links?


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## _Trish (Jan 31, 2011)

I don't have any links, but a friend of mine feeds Orijen and Acana, and she lives in New Mexico and has no local suppliers that carry Champion products, so she buys her dog food online. When she went to place her order for Grasslands, it did not send her a conformation e-mail, so she e-mailed the supplier and received this message:

*The Acana Grassland has been placed on a FDA Hold and I am unable to get the any of the Bags.*

So far we haven't been able to find any information about it, not even on the FDA's web-site.


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## DarDog (Sep 6, 2010)

_Trish said:


> I don't have any links, but a friend of mine feeds Orijen and Acana, and she lives in New Mexico and has no local suppliers that carry Champion products, so she buys her dog food online. When she went to place her order for Grasslands, it did not send her a conformation e-mail, so she e-mailed the supplier and received this message:
> 
> *The Acana Grassland has been placed on a FDA Hold and I am unable to get the any of the Bags.*
> 
> So far we haven't been able to find any information about it, not even on the FDA's web-site.



Let us know if you hear of any updates!


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## tem_sat (Jun 20, 2010)

_Trish said:


> Has anyone heard about the FDA putting a hold on Acana's Grassland formula? I'm a little bit worried about it, and am wondering what that is all about.


This is what I found in the Itchmo Forums: FDA Import Refusal

I assume that may have been the cause. I have not emailed Champion for further information.

-- Tara


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## ACDMOM143 (Mar 27, 2011)

After a lot of research, one of the best dog foods out there is from Champion Pet Foods -- Orijen and Acana. Orijen changed their formula and it seemed to affect my 4 dogs stool so the guy at the dog store where I purchased the food from said to try their Acana line (it has less protein). He recommended the Ranchlands formula...its Beef, Bison and Lamb Champion Petfoods | ACANA | Products - Puppy Small Breed I always had my dogs on a chicken/turkey diet so I was concerned if they'd like it so I bought their trial size and all 4 loved it! Their stool has been great so far. The Ranchlands was just released and I think the store just got it in about 2 days ago so they haven't been on it for long but so far everyone is happy  Also, I have a 3 mo old puppy and this, like Orijen, is grain-free and acceptable for all life stages. Hope this helps.


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## simplypaws (May 27, 2011)

*Truth behind Acana Grassland*

In early Jan. 2011 - the FDA pulled a bag of Acana Grasslands off a pallet
being delivered to the West coast distribution. When the FDA swabbed that
food for testing it came back with a positive for Salmonella. Keep in mind,
Salmonella when tested can come up very easily if the food wasn't handled
appropriately before the test was administered. So, another test was administered on that same bag and came back negative. Then a follow up on 5 other test all coming back negative. After all these several test came back, the FDA required Champion Pet Foods to source their testing outside of their company to a 3rd party who had further testing done. At this point, shipments to the West coast were stopped and Grasslands was put on hold until further testing results. After 100s of sampling and much time, all test came back negative from this out sourced company along with a 25 page report explaining these results. Basically, what happened on that first test was a result of a "false" positive. Right now the FDA told Champion they would be on a 4-6 week review period before the FDA would remove theinformation on the Salmonella.

Issue was that was months ago and THEY STILL arent letting it across the boarder. I am a retailer - pet store and I am getting peaved at the FDA. Not Champion. There has been an ongoing battle between the FDA and Champion for the past few years.


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## Serendipity (Aug 13, 2010)

Orijen 6 Fish and Evo Herring & Salmon might be good kibbles for your dog. I also recommended Holistic Blend Grain Free (high protein, all turkey with a smidge of salmon, no chicken) before...have you tried it?


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## dmgmn (Apr 24, 2011)

As far as ingredients and price, the TOTW is definately the better of the two
I would take a look at the TOTW Sierra Mountain


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