# A hello! and a discussion on dry, grain-free food...



## Grey (Jul 6, 2012)

Hi, everyone!

I'm new to these forums (hello!); I came across them by researching dry dog foods online.

Currently, my vizsla/lab mix (Quinn) is on Taste of the Wild High Prairie formula. She's only 48 pounds and is a lanky, awkwardly-cute little thing.  She was recently diagonised with hip dysplasia, so she's been getting a lot of extra vitamins (fish oil, etc) in addition to her dog food. For the first year, I had her on Nature's Recipe Large Breed puppy. Then, realizing that it's not the best quality that I could be feeding her, I switched her over to Taste of the Wild Sierra Mountain (lamb) formula. This was right around the time during their recall, but our bag was okay. For her second bag, I put her on the High Prairie (bison) formula, thinking that the added protein might be good for her. If I were entirely honest with myself, though, I would have realized that she just was not as excited to eat TOTW compared to her Nature's Recipe formula. Plus, she started to get an allergic reaction to something (which I kind of attribute to the lamb formula but it could entirely not be that), so that's another reason I switched her to the bison formula.

She's nearing the end of the bag and I'd like to switch her to something else because I want her to have that excitement back with her food. She used to really hop around before I set in on the ground, but now she really doesn't as much. I thought it was curious that no one mentions much about Taste of the Wild on these forums, most likely due to the recall that scared away a lot of the customers.

The discussion on Wellness Core has sparked my interest! That might be a great choice. I know that I'm not interested in Blue, since I've heard from far too many people that the lifesource bits have caused stomach upset, and because I was approached by a Blue representative in PetSmart who really just tried to stuff their product down my throat (first impressions matter!). 

I've found Wellness Core for $54 on MrChewy.com for a 26 pound bag. Taste of the Wild was $45 for a 30 pound bag. I'm not saying that Quinn isn't worth all the money in the world, but $45 for 4 more pounds is a bit more appealing. 

Do you have any other suggestions? I like the idea of Innova, but it's not grain-free. I'll probably keep her on regular adult despite her having large breed genetics and she's just very petite, but any thoughts on that would be welcomed, too.

Anyway, while I know a lot has been discussed already, I kind of just wanted to post my own little message. 

Let me know if anyone has any ideas. I would love to hear them! Looking forward to being part of this community.


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## SaharaNight Boxers (Jun 28, 2011)

First off welcome! 

I wouldnt feel comfortable feeding Diamond, but that's just me. I really only Orijen and Canidae Pure. Back to Basics is nice too, but some people have found trash on their food, which turned me off. Maybe grain free Go! Still trying to figure out what exactly comes from China. I dont know completely about Evo, but it doesn't seem like its changed with the buyout. Wellness is also made by Diamond so I don't know about it. Plus, Duke refused to eat it. 

And as far as the Blue incident, I'm just glad they're pushing that instead of something like Eukanuba or Pedigree.


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## Grey (Jul 6, 2012)

Oh, you are right! I didn't realize that Wellness was also Diamond.

Since your post, I've actually now been looking at Acana. Problem is, there's so many flavors... how do you pick!


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## 1605 (May 27, 2009)

Grey said:


> Hi, everyone!
> 
> I'm new to these forums (hello!); I came across them by researching dry dog foods online.
> 
> ...


You are correct that the main Innova variety is not grain free. However, they do put out EVO, which IS grain free. We feed our GSPs EVO Turkey/Chicken. They also have fish & beef versions of dry.

However, just keep in mind that these formulas are quite calorie dense/rich. Even with super active dogs like ours, you have to be careful not to overfeed them: a little goes a long way. So even though the check out price may seem expensive, when you figure out how much less you are feeding them than other brands, it is a much more economical food than first glance would suggest. (Example: our dogs weigh 60 & 55 lbs. They each get 2 1/2 cups per day during the non-hunting/training season.)

Hope this helped,


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## kevin bradley (Aug 9, 2009)

Won't get any disagreement from me on Core. Nice food.

Fromm, Champion, Wellness, Honest Kitchen...all kind of in a special category from my perspective.

Nature's Logic has gained my attention lately. The ingredient lists seem a bit unnecessary and robust but I like the overall looks of the company and how they operate.


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## Grey (Jul 6, 2012)

Thanks, guys! This has definitely helped a lot.


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## kevin bradley (Aug 9, 2009)

SaharaNight Boxers said:


> First off welcome!
> I Wellness is also made by Diamond so I don't know about it. Plus, Duke refused to eat it.


Is this accurate? I'm not saying it isn't but its the first I've heard about it. Wellness made in a Diamond facility?


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## SaharaNight Boxers (Jun 28, 2011)

Grey said:


> Oh, you are right! I didn't realize that Wellness was also Diamond.
> 
> Since your post, I've actually now been looking at Acana. Problem is, there's so many flavors... how do you pick!


The Acana formulas have changed though. You can see a comparison of them on the forum in one of these threads. The new ingredients are a step down for me, they added more plant matter that delivers protein and probably lowered the actual meat level.

http://dogfoodchat.com/forum/dry-canned-dog-food/16384-rumor-acana-change-coming-soon.html


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## SaharaNight Boxers (Jun 28, 2011)

kevin bradley said:


> Is this accurate? I'm not saying it isn't but its the first I've heard about it. Wellness made in a Diamond facility?


Wellness goes to WellPet, which goes to Diamond. It was in the recalls too. 

Wellness Dog Food Recall
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/lv?key=0AqXofIEZWSjudGRBazFxaTZpdXNLd0F5ZDlQaHpIZUE


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## DaViking (Sep 27, 2011)

Grey said:


> Hi, everyone!
> 
> I'm new to these forums (hello!); I came across them by researching dry dog foods online.
> 
> ...


Hi and welcome :wave:

Lots feed TotW and are happy but anything Diamond is certainly not in fashion right now. Do you have a budget? Some other alternatives in the price range you already looked at are Holistic Select Anchovy, Dr Tim's Kinesis, Earthborn Coastal Catch, Fromm Gold, Go! Refresh+Renew, Native Level 2 and Nutrisource Seafood Select. If you can't find any of them close to you there is always the option to order from Petflow.com or Petfooddirect.com


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## DaViking (Sep 27, 2011)

SaharaNight Boxers said:


> Wellness goes to WellPet, which goes to Diamond. It was in the recalls too.
> 
> Wellness Dog Food Recall
> https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/lv?key=0AqXofIEZWSjudGRBazFxaTZpdXNLd0F5ZDlQaHpIZUE


WellPet is not Diamond, they had 1 product line made by the SC plant as far as I know.


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## DaViking (Sep 27, 2011)

SaharaNight Boxers said:


> they added more plant matter that delivers protein and probably lowered the actual meat level.
> 
> http://dogfoodchat.com/forum/dry-canned-dog-food/16384-rumor-acana-change-coming-soon.html


Not saying they didn't but how do you know? Did you ask them about the new ratios of say the top 10 ingredients? Potato contains protein too and is to a large extent removed. All in all I don't think the changes have done much to the ratios. It will show when they start to ship the new bags bound for the European markets.


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## SaharaNight Boxers (Jun 28, 2011)

The thing I'd be thinking of though is who knows when they may add another to be made at Diamond.


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

ToTW is not a very calorically dense food for a grain free- so adjusting the feeding levels with CORE, you might be surprised in that they are not too different price wise to feed- even though the price on the bag is higher. I will never again recommend a Diamond food to anyone, the FDA report stated the plant was in a state of disrepair and was dirty, that's not an accident, that's neglect and lack of care. Acana, Orijen, EVO, Horizon Legacy, Nutrisource are good brands, as well as Fromm, Back to Basics, Darford Zero G. 

No matter what you choose it's a good idea to add fresh cooked protein to the meal too- egg, chicken, etc.


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## Grey (Jul 6, 2012)

SaharaNight Boxers said:


> The Acana formulas have changed though. You can see a comparison of them on the forum in one of these threads. The new ingredients are a step down for me, they added more plant matter that delivers protein and probably lowered the actual meat level.
> 
> http://dogfoodchat.com/forum/dry-canned-dog-food/16384-rumor-acana-change-coming-soon.html


Oh, thanks. Unfortunately, I did just buy the Wild Prairie Arcana formula from MrChewy ($56 for the 29.7 pound bag), thinking I made an okay choice. The problem that I need to realize is that there's no "RIGHT" answer -- there's always going to be different opinions. I just want to feel like I'm doing the best I can for her.

I'm definitely happy that I'm moving away from TOTW. I originally thought people were overreacting, but Quinn actually started losing hair when I switched her originally. I thought it was just outside allergies (and maybe it is), but I still have seen hair improvement since switching formulas.


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

Grey said:


> Oh, you are right! I didn't realize that Wellness was also Diamond.
> 
> Since your post, I've actually now been looking at Acana. Problem is, there's so many flavors... how do you pick!


Why pick? Feed them all. I'm a big supporter of feeding a variety of "foods" . I feel it can help prevent a few "issues". So why not start with "one", and using a rotation method you like, work through the rest.


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## InkedMarie (Sep 9, 2011)

Celt said:


> Why pick? Feed them all. I'm a big supporter of feeding a variety of "foods" . I feel it can help prevent a few "issues". So why not start with "one", and using a rotation method you like, work through the rest.


^^^^^ This!


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## Grey (Jul 6, 2012)

I've been thinking about this since Celt commented on it! I think I might switch up flavors, yes. Do you think I need to transition each flavor by weaning her off the old one each time or just immediately swap?


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

Grey said:


> I've been thinking about this since Celt commented on it! I think I might switch up flavors, yes. Do you think I need to transition each flavor by weaning her off the old one each time or just immediately swap?


There are different rotation methods. I personally just fed a different food "every" day. I admit I'm not a big believer in transitioning. I usually had at least 2 bags (most of the time it was 4) and just fed whichever one I wanted. Like I said I'm a great believer in feeding a variety. So, I fed different "flavors" and different "brands" of foods (with or without a variety of add ins). Others switch by the bag. When they finished one bag, they bought a different one to feed. Some transition between bags. I'm not sure if you said your pup had any problems with foods (not the best at "new" memories) because that can determine how you rotate through foods.


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## Grey (Jul 6, 2012)

We haven't had any serious problems with food, save her losing hair after starting TOTW (weird, I know). She's doing good now. I think I'd switch after each bag, since I'm a bit on a budget and can't really afford another bag at the same time right now. 

P.S. Thanks so much for giving me the idea! I know it's nothing new, but I didn't even think about it.


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