# Canidae



## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

I feed my three dogs Canidae All Life Stages. They all really do well on it, and it shows. I know that some of the members of this forum are against dry kibble form dog food, and I kindly ask for you to NOT voice your opinions about raw diets here because I'm not looking for anyone to tell me that I should feed raw because I am not going to feed my dogs a raw diet. I am only looking for info and advice on other high quality dry dog foods that I can rotate my dogs on. I'm wanting to switch up my dog food from one high quality food to another every once and awhile. I've heard that rotating foods is good for dogs and gives them a little variety when it comes to their diets, which cuts down on allergies. Any advice ON THIS TOPIC ALONE is greatly appreciated!
Thanks


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## bellamicuore (Jun 16, 2008)

I like to rotate foods also. Also, when I was just feeding kibble (I feed kibble and a dehydrated raw now), I liked adding wet food to the kibble. I stuck with the Merrick cans for the wet. It looks like real food and doesn't stink. Bella loved it. For kibble, good quality brands are:
Innova
Wellness
Solid Gold
Fromm
California Natural 
Wysong
Merrick


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## Guest (Jun 28, 2008)

Currently in my rotation is Orijen, Innova Evo red meat, Timberwolf Organics, and Great Life. All are grainless, with the Great Life being grainless and potato free as well as having a dehydrated raw coating. My senior boy does great on all of them, and tolerates food changes well without any sort of digestive upset. 

I'm thinking of trying the Merrick Before Grain next. We'll see though, it'll be over 3 months before I go through this big bag of Great Life.

He's been on Canidae in the past as well, and he liked that too.


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## BoxerMommie (Jun 26, 2008)

Solid Gold, Wellness, Innova, California Natural, Natural Balance, Blue Buffalo, Taste of the Wild, Chicken Soup, Merrick, Nature's Variety, Eagle Pack, Flint River Ranch, these are the ones I can think of off the top of my head.

I also feed Canidae but unfortunately my dogs don't do well on anything else, so I just switch between the original, Lamb and Rice, and Chicken and Rice formulas and call it good. 

Good luck!


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## Neon460 (Jul 1, 2008)

So, even with the changes to Canidae - you are confortable feeding it to your pups? I took away the Science Diet and I'm going to the store today so I was hoping for last pieces of advice....


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## BoxerMommie (Jun 26, 2008)

Neon460 said:


> So, even with the changes to Canidae - you are confortable feeding it to your pups? I took away the Science Diet and I'm going to the store today so I was hoping for last pieces of advice....



Only if your dog isn't allergic to any of the ingredients and doesn't have a problem with gluten otherwise no. My dog has had increased gas and now has tear stains due to the new formula, however if these things were not happening, yes it is still an okay food, although at this point I would probably recommend Innova, Wellness, Cailfornia Natural over Canidae.


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## mastifflover2 (Jul 1, 2008)

*eagle pack holistic*

I feed my Mastiff's Eagle Pack Holistic for large breeds. My 8 year old had no problem with the change over a year ago, and when I got my second pup he was on a low rated puppy food. I wanted to get him off it it right away but took my time, almost 2 weeks to make the total change. Eagle Pack also makes a good product called "Transitions" that I used while making the change. It help them have a lot less problems with food changes. So far so good with the EP holistic, Sully weighs a whopping 168 lbs at 15 months and his coat is just beautiful..if I notice him getting tired of EP I will probably go with Orijen..it is rated really high


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## BoxerMommie (Jun 26, 2008)

mastifflover2 said:


> I feed my Mastiff's Eagle Pack Holistic for large breeds. My 8 year old had no problem with the change over a year ago, and when I got my second pup he was on a low rated puppy food. I wanted to get him off it it right away but took my time, almost 2 weeks to make the total change. Eagle Pack also makes a good product called "Transitions" that I used while making the change. It help them have a lot less problems with food changes. So far so good with the EP holistic, Sully weighs a whopping 168 lbs at 15 months and his coat is just beautiful..if I notice him getting tired of EP I will probably go with Orijen..it is rated really high



Be careful with Eagle Pack, I'm 99% sure that it has beet pulp in it which many dogs are allergic to.


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## Brattina88 (Jul 2, 2008)

bellamicuore said:


> Innova
> Wellness
> Solid Gold
> Fromm
> ...


for me its these minus Wellness and Fromm - plus EVO and Taste of the Wild


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## BoxerMommie (Jun 26, 2008)

Brattina88 said:


> for me its these minus Wellness and Fromm - plus EVO and Taste of the Wild



You may want to nix Taste of the Wild, Diamond (which is who the food is made by) does not guarantee that their fish sources are Ethoxyquin free which is a cancer causing agent.


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## Brattina88 (Jul 2, 2008)

BoxerMommie said:


> You may want to nix Taste of the Wild, Diamond (which is who the food is made by) does not guarantee that their fish sources are Ethoxyquin free which is a cancer causing agent.


I e-mailed TOTW and asked them this a few months ago -- I'll shoot out another and ask again.
Thanks for the heads up


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## Brattina88 (Jul 2, 2008)

Here is their respones - thoughts?



> The preservation systems used by our vendors are considered proprietary information. The heat from our pet food process destroys antioxidants that are used in the ingredients that we purchase. The cooking process at our facilities is at or above 240 degrees. After the heat process (extrusion and drying), we apply natural tocopherols (Vitamins A & E) in order to carry the shelf life of the food. Diamond does not preserve any of its products with ethoxyquin, only with mixed tocopherols.


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## BoxerMommie (Jun 26, 2008)

Brattina88 said:


> Here is their respones - thoughts?



It's a nice way of saying that DIAMOND doesn't preserve it with Ethoxyquin HOWEVER that doesn't mean that the places they purchase it from don't. If the places that they purchase it from do they do not have to disclose that on the ingredient list. So, they do not guarantee that whoever they purchase it from doesn't do it.


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## 1pup3kittties (Jul 9, 2008)

What is wrong with Canidae? What are the "changes" that you guys are talking about? I feed Canidae and Felidae.


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## BoxerMommie (Jun 26, 2008)

1pup3kittties said:


> What is wrong with Canidae? What are the "changes" that you guys are talking about? I feed Canidae and Felidae.


If you go to their website www.canidae.com they have a whole page of information. It is no longer gluten free they're adding barley, millet fillers like tomatoe pomace, peas and rice bran, they've now stopped identifying their fish source and changed it from herring meal to "ocean fish meal", among other things. It's definitely better than some but a far cry from what it used to be.


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## pandapants (Jul 10, 2008)

*myths about beet pulp*



BoxerMommie said:


> Be careful with Eagle Pack, I'm 99% sure that it has beet pulp in it which many dogs are allergic to.


I'm sure there are some dogs allergic to beet pulp, but there is also a lot of misinformation on it also. Here's what dogfoodproject has to say about it:



> Beet pulp gets its bad reputation undeservedly, which is the reason it’s not listed under Ingredients to avoid on this site.
> 
> It is a gentle, beneficial source of fiber that is not only generally very well tolerated, but it also has specific properties that make it suitable as a source of nutrition for the beneficial bacteria that reside in the intestinal tract (in a supplement you would call this a "prebiotic"). The same people who malign beet pulp also often state rice bran is a better fiber supplement, but in truth it's a much harsher kind of fiber and may lead to vomiting and diarrhea in sensitive dogs or if it is used in too large amounts.
> 
> ...


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## BoxerMommie (Jun 26, 2008)

I've had 3 dogs of my own and 4 fosters, all have been allergic to beet pulp. Maybe it's the breed, but my friend has a schnauzer/poodle mix and it's allergic to beet pulp too. It's a common allergen, not too much different than corn and it's a very unnecessary and cheap ingredient (IMO).


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## basschica (Dec 3, 2008)

BoxerMommie said:


> If you go to their website www.canidae.com they have a whole page of information. It is no longer gluten free they're adding barley, millet fillers like tomatoe pomace, peas and rice bran, they've now stopped identifying their fish source and changed it from herring meal to "ocean fish meal", among other things. It's definitely better than some but a far cry from what it used to be.


Ah yes, precisely the reason I came to this forum today. I'm not at all happy with the changes. I'm debating between Innova and Merrick and have some of both to work on the transition. I have cats that have been fed Feliade too who have recently been throwing up, which they have never been prone to do. I picked up Innova for them since there isn't a dry Merrick cat food yet. I e-mailed Canidae about the changes stating my frustration with the lack of communication and cheapening of the ingredients, while decreasing bag size and increasing prices. I don't want anything mfg'd at a Diamond plant. They essentially said sorry you're upset, we won't be able to change your mind, we feed millions of dogs everyday and they aren't having issues, and we didn't do things out of greed. Well, the marketing works for many people as proven by many of the major brands, but imho people seek out brands like Canidae (was) for the sole purpose of knowing it is human grade ingredients from known sources and who have a vested interest in maintaining the quality and safety of their products. They have alienated all of those people like myself that helped them grow so rapidly, by recommending their products via word of mouth due to satisfaction. I won't any longer...


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## Rescue Squad (Nov 26, 2008)

My only concern for you is that Canidae has been outsourced to the Diamond Manufacturing company (alpha toxins poisoning) and their track record isn't all that good...

Changing foods for your dogs on a regular basis isn't all that adviseable. Dogs don't need that much variety in their food. The dog's digestive system either tolerates the food or it doesn't. That should be your only concern. If you have researched the foods and find one that is pleasing to you nutritionally as well as pleasing to your pocket book then you have succeeded. Changing foods isn't going to prevent allergies from surfacng unless the food you are feeding has an allergen in it and you remove that allergen by changing the food but how will you know? Sometimes it takes weeks, even months for an allergen to surface, how will you be able to tell what caused the outbreak? To change foods monthly or even twice a year isn't going to prevent allergies it's going to make it harder to identify what the dog is allergic to. If you want to change foods do it permanently.


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## ChattyCathy (Nov 22, 2008)

bellamicuore said:


> I like to rotate foods also. Also, when I was just feeding kibble (I feed kibble and a dehydrated raw now), I liked adding wet food to the kibble. I stuck with the Merrick cans for the wet. It looks like real food and doesn't stink. Bella loved it. For kibble, good quality brands are:
> Innova
> Wellness
> Solid Gold
> ...


I'm real new at this... how long should I keep my dogs on a food before rotating them to another? And, why should I rotate if they really like the food? Doesn't this cause the dog to become a picky eater? (I already have one picky eater. And, I've also been told to add water to the kibble which I've been doing and my dogs seem to like it. Is this also something I should keep doing? 

Also, one of my dogs when I first got her had a bout w/diarrhea that wouldn't go away until I changed her food. I'm not sure if it was because she was a rescue in a new home or if it was the food - I have a feeling it was a little of both. But, I've been hearing alot about rotating diets but don't know how to go about doing it.


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## [email protected] (Dec 6, 2008)

*Canidae Allergies*

My dog seems to have developed a food allergy to the new changes to Canidae. She did great before the changes. I liked canidae because it was a good food for a good price. It's about $43 for a 35 lb bag. Now I'm struggling to find a good quality food I can afford. I can't afford something like Orijen. Any suggestions? I need to start changing over before Daisy scratches her fur off!


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## mederic24 (Nov 18, 2008)

*Canidae Problems*

I ran into a similar problem with the Canidae formula changes. I have a healthy, happy Golden Retriever who has been fed Canidae since she was a pup, with good results. Without any warning, the Canidae people decided to make formula changes and move their production operation to the Diamond facility. Our Golden developed a major skin infection that just happened to coincide with these changes. 
Following a vet bill of $250 and a period of medication she is finally back to being her happy self. We changed to California Natural and she loves it and really looks and feels good. I plan on using the CN for another month or so until things settle down completely and then switch to Merrick, Innova or Wellness with a rotation program. You will note that many who comment on this subject agree that these brands are among the top kibble products available. 
Good Luck.


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

Yeah, those are good brands. I was also going to suggest Natural Balance too since it's really comparable in price. Some of their formulas are way too grain-heavy for the price and hype, but some of them are still pretty good, like their regular, blue bag formula that has lamb, chicken, duck and salmon in it I do believe.


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## LoveNewfies (Jun 18, 2008)

Some foods in a similar price bracket to Canidae that may be worth trying: Nature's Variety Prairie, Taste of the Wild, Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul, California Natural, Fromm and Innova.


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## danesandhorses (Sep 14, 2008)

I feed Solid Gold, Kirkland, Wellness and Merrick. I have also fed Eagle Pack a couple times. I have never had any issues switching up my dogs food and they get a variety of treats, 100% chicken jerky, I get a lot of merrick's treats that are lamb lung, whole cow feet etc. My dog's love that stuff. A few times a Week I add in cottage cheese, egg etc. Occasionaly I will buy liver or heart at the butchers and cook some up for them and mix it in to their kibble.


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## zomo (Nov 24, 2008)

[email protected] said:


> My dog seems to have developed a food allergy to the new changes to Canidae. She did great before the changes. I liked canidae because it was a good food for a good price. It's about $43 for a 35 lb bag. Now I'm struggling to find a good quality food I can afford. I can't afford something like Orijen. Any suggestions? I need to start changing over before Daisy scratches her fur off!


If your dog is now having an allergic reaction to Canidae it might be the barley and millet she is reacting to . Try a grain free formula or one that has very similar ingreidients to Canidae before the change. My dogs are on Orijen, Evo and I would like to try TOTW and would like to add some Wellness Core to thier rotation. One of mine has an allergy to grains and I am not interested to find out what grain it is. He was a mess before he started eating grain free. But on the bright side the vet really liked me :biggrin:


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## Jacksie2006 (Jun 23, 2008)

basschica said:


> Ah yes, precisely the reason I came to this forum today. I'm not at all happy with the changes. I'm debating between Innova and Merrick and have some of both to work on the transition. I have cats that have been fed Feliade too who have recently been throwing up, which they have never been prone to do. I picked up Innova for them since there isn't a dry Merrick cat food yet. I e-mailed Canidae about the changes stating my frustration with the lack of communication and cheapening of the ingredients, while decreasing bag size and increasing prices. I don't want anything mfg'd at a Diamond plant. They essentially said sorry you're upset, we won't be able to change your mind, we feed millions of dogs everyday and they aren't having issues, and we didn't do things out of greed. Well, the marketing works for many people as proven by many of the major brands, but imho people seek out brands like Canidae (was) for the sole purpose of knowing it is human grade ingredients from known sources and who have a vested interest in maintaining the quality and safety of their products. They have alienated all of those people like myself that helped them grow so rapidly, by recommending their products via word of mouth due to satisfaction. I won't any longer...




Before Grain is Merrick, my cats love it!


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## ILuvLabs (Oct 27, 2008)

danesandhorses said:


> I feed Solid Gold, Kirkland, Wellness and Merrick. I have also fed Eagle Pack a couple times. I have never had any issues switching up my dogs food and they get a variety of treats, 100% chicken jerky, I get a lot of merrick's treats that are lamb lung, whole cow feet etc. My dog's love that stuff. A few times a Week I add in cottage cheese, egg etc. Occasionaly I will buy liver or heart at the butchers and cook some up for them and mix it in to their kibble.


I hope that chicken jerky is not a brand made in China. A lot of dogs got really sick on it here in the US & now dogs are getting sick in Australia.

I used to feed that to Hannah until I found out dogs were getting sick.....there are a couple of brands made here in the USA but they are very expensive.

I say make your own.....but I wouldn't touch the stuff from China.

JMHO, of course, but I just thought I'd mention it.:tongue:

ETA: I post & read on other forums & a lot of dogs aren't doing well on the new Canidae formula.


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## ILuvLabs (Oct 27, 2008)

Just as a point of interest, dogs still not doing well on the new formula of Canidae.......

Consumer complaints about CANIDAE Pet Foods


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## Kim64 (Dec 30, 2008)

*Share your Canidae success, please...*

I just posted asking questions about Canidae. An all natural pet store owner pointed me in that direction for my basset hound who has Addison's Disease. However, websites have freaked me out, quite honestly! Do you like the food, even with the 'changes'?

Thanks,

Kim


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

My friend's dog has been on Canidae for 2 years now. He tried to switch it to Natural Balance and his fur started to fall out. He switched back to Canidae and the dog is all better again. However, I know many dogs have had issues with it. My point is not all dogs are falling apart on this food, some are still doing quite well. For your dog who already has issues, I'd say avoid it and try something that hasn't caused as many problems.


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## wlgjallen (Dec 16, 2008)

Canidae is still an excellent food.The ingredient changes are consisent with other good foods. Canidae will remain on the Whole Dog Journal approval list. As for Diamond Petfoods i would note that Solid Gold, Natural Balance, Chicken Soup, Artemis and Premium Edge are prepared at the Diamond plant in Meta,Mo..


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## basschica (Dec 3, 2008)

Jacksie2006 said:


> Before Grain is Merrick, my cats love it!



Thank you thank you... I will see if they carry it at my local pet stores and if not, generally they are willing to order.

As an update, the cats are doing well on the Innova dry and the pups are doing great with Merrick (they've had both pot pie and turducken). My more fussy westie now really enjoys kibble / gets excited. Before w/ Canidae even before the changes she was like ehh ok I'll have some. Now she wags her tail and licks her lips. Plus the Merrick food has done very well for their tummies. No more puking or runny stool, yes!


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## basschica (Dec 3, 2008)

wlgjallen said:


> Canidae is still an excellent food.The ingredient changes are consisent with other good foods. Canidae will remain on the Whole Dog Journal approval list. As for Diamond Petfoods i would note that Solid Gold, Natural Balance, Chicken Soup, Artemis and Premium Edge are prepared at the Diamond plant in Meta,Mo..



Yah I would say better than average, but not great like it was originally. Aside from the changes causing various allergic reactions and runny stool, the fact they went to cheaper ingredients (ingredients used to read herring meal and now you see "ocean fish meal") tells me that the bottom line has become a motivator above product quality / pet health. I did use to like Diamond many years ago, but I had noticed a drop in quality w/ my 1st cat before the recalls took place and had switched to Canidae and Felidae at that point.


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## kayharley (Jan 8, 2009)

*I'm new here but...*

One of the reasons I joined this forum was for information regarding the Canidae controversay.
I fed my terriers Canidae from day one and now I'm in search for a replacement due to vomiting and other bad reactions my dogs are recently experiencing.
Research has me leaning towards Fromm, Eagle Holistic or Blue Bufflalo. 
One of my Cairns is prone to pancreatitis so she needs a lower fat diet but still with adequate protein and high quality ingredients.
Enough to make one dizzy.......


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