# Brothers Dog Food?



## meggels (May 30, 2010)

Does anyone have any experience with this food?

I've emailed back and forth with the man who I think owns the company (Richard Darlington?) and he seems quite knowledgeable and like a great guy, but I'm curious about any actual first hand experience. He seems great, but he could also just be a great salesman LOL.


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## kathylcsw (Jul 31, 2011)

I have never fed the food but I have read many, many posts by Mr. Darlington on the Dog Food Advisor website and my impression is that he would also have done well as a used car salesman or politician. But that is just my impression based on reading his posts so take it for what it is worth.


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

Haha yes, he's all over dogfoodadvisor...he seems nice and genuine but I dunno if it really is just him trying to sell his product...


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## kathylcsw (Jul 31, 2011)

He really annoyed me when he made some vague claim on the TOTW review comment section that TOTW was using some ingredient that could kill your dog. Then he got all coy and said he was told about it in confidence and really couldn't share details. I knew then that even if he made the best food in the world I would never buy it. I just thought that was so sleazy. But again I know nothing about his food.


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## Tzubabies (Sep 27, 2011)

I've never heard of it or seen it sold anywhere. I just looked up the food and the ingredients look very good, but the price seems really high to me- $22.99 for a 5 pound bag. Right now I'm spending $11.99 for 4 lbs of a very good dog food. Here's the Brothers website:

Brothers Complete

It's the only dog food I've ever seen that sells other merchandise on their website. Seems strange to me.


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

Yikes, I didnt realize how expensive it was, just out of curiosity, I decided to compare ingredients of their fish formula to Natures variety instinct salmon which has similar ingredients'

Brothers:

Ingredients: Salmon fish meal, menhaden fish meal, turkey meal, peas, tapioca, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), natural flavors, dried eggs, flaxseed, pea fiber, sweet potato, pumpkin, alfalfa meal, carrots, brewer’s dried yeast, potassium chloride, choline chloride, salt, blueberries, cranberries, apples, celery, beets, parsley, lettuce, spinach, DL-methionine, L-lysine, taurine, mixed Tocopherols, rosemary extract, lecithin, Vitamin A supplement, Vitamin D3 supplement, Vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, niacin, folic acid, biotin, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, L-ascorbyl 2-polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C activity), zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite, cobalt carbonate, Vitamin B12 supplement, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, Amylase (Aspergillus oryzae), Protease (Aspergillus oryzae), Cellulase (Trichoderma reesei), Lactase (Aspergillus oryzae), Hemicellulase (Trichoderma reesei), Lipase (Aspergillus oryzae).

34% protein
3550kcal/kg – 376 kcal/cup

NV Instinct Salmon

Salmon Meal, Herring Meal, Menhaden Fish Meal, Canola Oil, Tapioca, Pea Starch, Pork Liver, Natural Pork Flavor, Coconut Oil, Sun-Cured Alfalfa Meal, Tomato Pomace, Montmorillonite Clay, Vitamins (Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Biotin, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin A Acetate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Carotene, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Potassium Chloride, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide), Sea Salt, Dried Kelp, Direct-Fed Microorganisms (Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Yeast Culture, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Extract, Dried Trichoderma Longibrachiatum Fermentation Extract, Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Extract), Taurine, Carrots, Garlic, Apples, Pumpkin, Mixed Tocopherols with Citric Acid (a natural preservative), Rosemary Extract, Freeze Dried Cod. 

35% protein
, 470 kcal/cup

NV is $62 for 25 lbs

Brothers is $80 for 30 lbs

or Wellness Core Ocean

Ingredients: Whitefish, Whitefish Meal, Salmon Meal, Menhaden Fish Meal, Potatoes, Dried Ground Potato, Canola Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols, a natural source of Vitamin E), Pea Fiber, Tomato Pomace, Natural Fish Flavor, Flaxseed, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Kale, Broccoli, Spinach, Parsley, Apples, Blueberries, Vitamins & Minerals, Choline Chloride, Chicory Root Extract, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate, Dried Lactobacillus plantarum, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Products, Rosemary Extract.

34% protein
417 cap per cup

$60 for 26 lbs


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## DaViking (Sep 27, 2011)

If it's better (or worse) quality or not I don't know. But in the end I am pretty sure the price difference boils down to Brothers being so small that production (and distribution?) costs kills any possibility to be competitive on price. And as long as that is the situation they better show me additional value like tons of meaningful endorsements, impeccable history, super duper customer service, traceable ingredients, etc etc.


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

I know one of their big draws, or at least, one that they advertise, is both the freshness of the food and the "encapsulated probiotics" but I dunno if that's just a gimmick or not...


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

meggels said:


> I know one of their big draws, or at least, one that they advertise, is both the freshness of the food and the "encapsulated probiotics" but I dunno if that's just a gimmick or not...


the fish food look pretty good...it's 77 dollars for 25 pounds that's a lot of money, but nothing crazy


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> the fish food look pretty good...*it's 77 dollars for 5 pounds that's a lot of money, but nothing crazy*


What????

:twitch::twitch::twitch:


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

Scarlett_O' said:


> What????
> 
> :twitch::twitch::twitch:


orijen red costs more and many recommend it..orijen fish is similar in price....if the calorie COUNT WAS HIGHER ID SAY THIS WOULD BE A GREAT FOod


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

Seems like just a standard food one step down from Orijen and EVO.. a good option but not for the cost.


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## CavePaws (Jan 25, 2011)

Wellness CORE has me sold for best bang for buck.


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## shellbell (Sep 24, 2011)

I've heard of Brothers, I think they are based out of Florida or something, and have their own store that they sell their food in. Otherwise you have to order it and have it shipped. It seemd super expensive to me was all I remember taking away from it when I looked into it....


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## D Stone (Mar 1, 2014)

The Beef & Egg currently being sold by Brothers Complete is over 1 year old! It was manufactured on 2/19/2013.

I emailed Brothers Complete to ask what the date of manufacture and the expiration date are for the Beef and Egg Formula. Pierre Earling the CEO of Brothers Complete wrote that the Beef and Egg formula they are currently selling has an expiration date of 8/19/2014. This batch was delivered to Brothers by the people who make it for them on February 26 2013! Making it over 1 year old. It might seem I am overreacting but one of Brothers Complete marketing angles is how FRESH their foods are!

This is from the Brothers Complete FAQ's page

WHY IS BROTHERS CONSIDERED THE FRESHEST KIBBLE IN THE WORLD?

1) "... Within 24 hours of being made, the small batches of Brothers are delivered to it's warehouse where it is kept cool and fresh for the short period of time we have it before shipping it directly to our customers."

If you make a claim like this then how can you sell dog food that is over 1 year old?

I went to their so called open chat room to ask them why they are selling OLD dog food and they deleted my questions. I also went to The Dog Food Advisor to let people know that Brothers is selling OLD Dog Food and they deleted my comment! Maybe they have an agreement because the Brothers Chat room and The Dog Food Advisor both delete bad reviews for Brothers Complete!


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## InkedMarie (Sep 9, 2011)

D Stone said:


> The Beef & Egg currently being sold by Brothers Complete is over 1 year old! It was manufactured on 2/19/2013.
> 
> I emailed Brothers Complete to ask what the date of manufacture and the expiration date are for the Beef and Egg Formula. Pierre Earling the CEO of Brothers Complete wrote that the Beef and Egg formula they are currently selling has an expiration date of 8/19/2014. This batch was delivered to Brothers by the people who make it for them on February 26 2013! Making it over 1 year old. It might seem I am overreacting but one of Brothers Complete marketing angles is how FRESH their foods are!
> 
> ...


Heh, I know who you are on DFA! No agreement between them but DFA did have to close the Brothers reviews to comments.


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

I never ended up trying the food. Got a weird vibe...too gimmicky and like a sales person.


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## Shamrockmommy (Sep 10, 2009)

D Stone said:


> I also went to The Dog Food Advisor to let people know that Brothers is selling OLD Dog Food and they deleted my comment! Maybe they have an agreement because the Brothers Chat room and The Dog Food Advisor both delete bad reviews for Brothers Complete!


I dunno, I'm highly suspicious of DFA, as they will give a low rating to some so-called 'inferior" foods and 5 stars to other foods, like Orijen, that also ingredient split. I used to think it was a great site, but now I just go there to read other peoples' experiences and ignore the stars. 

I wish dog food companies would stop with the marketing and gimmicky foo-foo ingredients and just produce simple, honest food for dogs. Stop with the cutesy names and gourmet marketing. Stop slapping the word "Natural" on everything- it now means nothing to me. As in: The “Natural” Effect – Spoof Ad | Ecomedia Studies

LOL SO frustrating to me!


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## Shamrockmommy (Sep 10, 2009)

And more specifically:The “Natural” Effect – Spoof Ad | Ecomedia Studies LOL


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## StellaLucyDesi (Oct 29, 2008)

I agree with your comment about all the marketing hype companies do to make their foods sound like they're the best out there. That's why I decided to start researching based on people's experiences with foods that actually work, i.e. digestible, palatable, etc. It lead me to thinking about hunter's, sports dog people, mushers, etc. Not that I have a dog like any of those lol!! However, I felt that they would need foods that perform well because they have to. Those kinds of people can't be having their dogs constantly having loose stool, bad coat health, etc. I figure if those foods work for those kinds of dogs, then within reason (right protein/fat content) they should work for my couch athletes lol! So....I have discovered a few that I've tried and I have to admit I'm sold. I have used Annamaet Option with success! I also have used Dr. Tim's, with hardly any transitioning at all, with success. Even my Cavalier that had problems with other poultry based products is doing well with Dr. Tim's Kinesis (grain free and grain inclusive). I am also gradually cutting down on the supplementation I've been doing. These kinds of foods don't rely on froo-froo marketing, but rely on results. I will keep buying them, too, as long as they keep working for my couch athletic stars!


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## Shamrockmommy (Sep 10, 2009)

StellaLucyDesi, I could've written your post, exactly! I figured, what are the gun dog people using, the field trialling people. It's all mid to lower grade foods and they are performing well and living 15-16 years. My last 2 dogs I had lived to 14 and 13 and were about 80% raw fed for their lifespan. The rest was expensive "high grade" kibble/cans. So maybe they're on to something with the lower grade foods..

I'm about to start my "feed trial" experiment soon as the last of the Fromm 4star is gone, about 2 weeks. 
In the line up is several of the 4Health grain frees, and a bag of purina one beyond (eep!)
My standard poodle breeder friend feeds purina. She has beautiful, healthy dogs. She DOES add a bit of cooked chicken or beef or pork to their food daily. She swears by it. 
So! We shall see.


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## Georgiapeach (Jan 24, 2011)

I'm almost done with all the hype regarding the "best" kibbles, too. I feed my allergy dog, Maddie, what she can tolerate (Zignature Turkey, Back to Basics Pork, and California Natural Salmon and Peas - all grain free). At least I've found 3 that I can rotate, which makes me a happy camper. I know all the nay sayers will poo-poo CN, but because I have a dog that's allergic to SO many common ingredients in kibbles, having something my dog can eat becomes the most important factor. 

My other dog, Nash, is much more tolerant regarding kibble, so I tend to buy what I can find on sale. He's currently eating Precise Holistic Complete Pork with Garbanzo Beans (grain free), and his coat is amazingly soft and silky! I snagged 2 six lb. bags of it from a pet store that was discontinuing it, for only $10/bag - SCORE! Supposedly, it's an okay kibble, but not the best; however, Nash is thriving on it. I wish the store had had more bags on clearance; I would have bought them all.


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## D Stone (Mar 1, 2014)

*Brothers Complete Closed Their Chat Room*

Brothers Complete closed their chat room. Finally a regular on the Brothers Complete chat room asked them - 

"Dlongno said
Richard. Could you please clarify the manufactured date of the beef and egg being sold for all of your customers that have purchased this formula. Thanks"

Instead of answering their customer's question Brothers Complete CLOSED THEIR CHAT ROOM! The poster who asked this question had 15 previous posts in the Brothers Complete chat room and is a fan and a customer!

When confronted with a legitimate question about how old the Beef and Egg formula that Brothers Complete is currently selling is. Brothers closed the chat room rather then answer the question. Not the actions of a company with nothing to hide.hwell:


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## Shamrockmommy (Sep 10, 2009)

Wow, that's really shady!!! I had thought about trying their allergy formula but I don't think I will now!


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