# TOTW, so cool



## coolstorybro (Nov 3, 2010)

i received a package in the afternoon and had no idea what was in it until i opened it. there were 8 small packages of TOTW dog food, 2 of each formula. i guess i filled out a survey on their site, and them being nice, sent out samples. nice of them to do that.

i also bought a 5 pound bag of the sierra formula at the local food store to make the switch from blue buffalo to TOTW.

after i make the transition, is it ok to feed him the samples i got? some formulas have higher cal/phos levels, but would it do any harm to my puppy feeding him those? 

he is labrador/mix, around 30-35 pounds, and 4-5 months. thanks!


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

Nah, have some fun:smile: It's such a small amount, don't even worry. You can use them as treats for training. Let me know if the allergies go away.


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## Guest (Nov 21, 2010)

Just wanted to say, I'm a huge fan of TOTW. My dogs are doing excellent on this brand of kibble, more so than any other brand I have tried out on them - and that's a whole lot of kibble brands. I'm sticking with TOTW for the long term. It's reasonably priced and easy for me to get which is a big plus. I hope your dog does well on TOTW.


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

i would like some samples. wanna try the duck and bison


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## wags (Jan 31, 2009)

OOOH Don't you just love doing a simple survey and getting a freebie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:biggrin:


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## coolstorybro (Nov 3, 2010)

LabbieMama said:


> Just wanted to say, I'm a huge fan of TOTW. My dogs are doing excellent on this brand of kibble, more so than any other brand I have tried out on them - and that's a whole lot of kibble brands. I'm sticking with TOTW for the long term. It's reasonably priced and easy for me to get which is a big plus. I hope your dog does well on TOTW.


i am going to feed him the sierra formula for now b/c of the cal/phos levels until he is 1 years old. when can i feed him the other formulas? would a sample bag of the other formulas hurt him or upset his stomach? do you need to make a transition between formulas or is changing formulas the next day fine because its the same brand? thanks!


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## Guest (Nov 22, 2010)

My dogs haven't had any problems switching from one formula to the next, but, they aren't puppies neither do they have sensitive digestive systems. I wouldn't know what to advice for a younger puppy.


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

coolstorybro said:


> i am going to feed him the sierra formula for now b/c of the cal/phos levels until he is 1 years old. when can i feed him the other formulas? would a sample bag of the other formulas hurt him or upset his stomach? do you need to make a transition between formulas or is changing formulas the next day fine because its the same brand? thanks!


Hey bro:biggrin: I would mix half and half with the samples and sierra formula. There so small that I would just use them as treats instead. Your going to need them with your lab. They love to work for food:smile: If he's anything like my sisters lab, there's no need to buy treats. In the beginning she bought all these treats. Than we found that the kibble worked better. He thinks it's a treat and it's easy to carry in your pocket. Just grab a hand full and stuff your pocket. As far as switching, wait to about a year when he's finished growing. I don't do slow transitions between food. What I do is when the bag is getting low, I open another bag and feed half and half, until the old food is done. It works out easy for me. Each dog is different, so see how your dog reacts to changes. Some people have to go slower and others do not do any change. If I remember correctly, you changed your dogs food without any transition with no problem. I'm sure your doggy will do fine. Are you still feeding Blue Buffalo? Is your dog still itching?


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## coolstorybro (Nov 3, 2010)

cast71 said:


> Hey bro:biggrin: I would mix half and half with the samples and sierra formula. There so small that I would just use them as treats instead. Your going to need them with your lab. They love to work for food:smile: If he's anything like my sisters lab, there's no need to buy treats. In the beginning she bought all these treats. Than we found that the kibble worked better. He thinks it's a treat and it's easy to carry in your pocket. Just grab a hand full and stuff your pocket. As far as switching, wait to about a year when he's finished growing. I don't do slow transitions between food. What I do is when the bag is getting low, I open another bag and feed half and half, until the old food is done. It works out easy for me. Each dog is different, so see how your dog reacts to changes. Some people have to go slower and others do not do any change. If I remember correctly, you changed your dogs food without any transition with no problem. I'm sure your doggy will do fine. Are you still feeding Blue Buffalo? Is your dog still itching?


ya still on blue buffalo, but probably will be done with the bag this week. im going to mix it in with the bag of TOTW i have and see how it goes. as for the itching, he is still itching lol. i want to see he will stop it while on TOTW. and u are right about the treats. i buy him the wellness treats that are $3.99 and those run out in a week. thanks for all the help!


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

coolstorybro said:


> ya still on blue buffalo, but probably will be done with the bag this week. im going to mix it in with the bag of TOTW i have and see how it goes. as for the itching, he is still itching lol. i want to see he will stop it while on TOTW. and u are right about the treats. i buy him the wellness treats that are $3.99 and those run out in a week. thanks for all the help!


No problem, I don't mind helping out fellow dog owners. Don't waste your money on the treats. Just use those sample bags and you'll be good. Someone else on here recommended a kong wobbler. My sisters lab wolfs his food down in under a minute. This would be useful to slow his eating down. You can also use it as a toy to keep your dog busy. Make sure you switch your dogs food over in about a weeks time. Let me know how it works out with the itching. 

Kong Wobbler Food and Treat Dispensing Dog Toy | PetFoodDirect.com


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## buddy97 (Mar 29, 2010)

coolstorybro said:


> i am going to feed him the sierra formula for now b/c of the cal/phos levels !


do they list those now? ive never seen those levels on their site.


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

buddy97 said:


> do they list those now? ive never seen those levels on their site.


Hi, they do list it in the faq section. Don't know why they just don't list it under Guaranteed Analysis  Sierra Mountain Dog-- calcium: 1.6%, as-fed; phosphorus: 1.0%, as-fed. I called them up and they told me that that it is the exact amount as fed. I would think that they would have a max and min, but they said this is the exact amount. Whatever as fed means, it still is alot lower than the other higher protein formulas. It's also lower than the salmon formula. It seems to be a safe level going by there "as fed" numbers. Here's a link to the cal/phos numbers.

Taste of the Wild : Faq


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## rottensheperd (Oct 27, 2010)

I actually just switched to TOTW myself. Apparently I spoke too soon when I said Blue Buffalo forever because Jonesy ended up with some nasty dandruff. Dandruff is all gone!


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

rottensheperd said:


> I actually just switched to TOTW myself. Apparently I spoke too soon when I said Blue Buffalo forever because Jonesy ended up with some nasty dandruff. Dandruff is all gone!


That's great. We got the same results, from switching my sisters lab, to TOTW from healthwise. I ran into someone the other day complaining about her dog is itching alot. She feeds blue buffalo wilderness. I wonder if they messed with the formula????


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## rottensheperd (Oct 27, 2010)

The other thing I like about it is that my dog actually wants to eat his food. I used to have to tempt him to eat anything with some egg on it or a little bit of fish oil. He eats his TOTW plain.


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

Same here. My dog was a pain about eating. He would eat his food good for like the first week, than he still ate it, but you can tell he lost interest. That's how I started rotating foods. He decided he wanted a new food every month ahahahaha. He seems to like TOTW the best out of everythin I tried so far. It's doggy crack ahahahaha


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## coolstorybro (Nov 3, 2010)

rottensheperd said:


> I actually just switched to TOTW myself. Apparently I spoke too soon when I said Blue Buffalo forever because Jonesy ended up with some nasty dandruff. Dandruff is all gone!


my pup has crazy itching going for him, and his poop is so soft, sometimes wet. i also notice dandruff as well. im almost done with this blue buffalo bag, lets see how TOTW treats him. :smile:


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

coolstorybro said:


> my pup has crazy itching going for him, and his poop is so soft, sometimes wet. i also notice dandruff as well. im almost done with this blue buffalo bag, lets see how TOTW treats him. :smile:


How much are you feeding?


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## coolstorybro (Nov 3, 2010)

cast71 said:


> How much are you feeding?


2 cups a day. 1 time in the morning, 1 time in the evening


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

I was just wondering because you said he had soft stools. Your definitely not overfeeding him. How does he look? You shouldn't be able to see his ribs, but can easily feel them. Since you have been feeding BB for a few weeks already and his stools aren't good, he's probably not doing well on it. Are his stools big or small. If there big, he's not digesting the food well. I guess you'll see when you change foods.


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## coolstorybro (Nov 3, 2010)

cast71 said:


> I was just wondering because you said he had soft stools. Your definitely not overfeeding him. How does he look? You shouldn't be able to see his ribs, but can easily feel them. Since you have been feeding BB for a few weeks already and his stools aren't good, he's probably not doing well on it. Are his stools big or small. If there big, he's not digesting the food well. I guess you'll see when you change foods.


his body is fine i would say. when he sits down, i can see layers of skin over-hanging from his legs, but not a whole lot. does that mean he is fat? i dont see his ribs, but can easily feel them. for his poop, sometimes he poops a lot, and sometimes very very little. 

he can finish a cup of BB within a minute or so. im not sure, but he doesnt seem to chew the food? he just swallows them? he also burps too lol.


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

coolstorybro said:


> his body is fine i would say. when he sits down, i can see layers of skin over-hanging from his legs, but not a whole lot. does that mean he is fat? i dont see his ribs, but can easily feel them. for his poop, sometimes he poops a lot, and sometimes very very little.
> 
> he can finish a cup of BB within a minute or so. im not sure, but he doesnt seem to chew the food? he just swallows them? he also burps too lol.


If you can feel his ribs that's good. you also want to easily see his waste outline from looking above. Here's a recent thread about the weight a dog should be. http://dogfoodchat.com/forum/general-dog-discussion/5482-do-you-any-you-get.html

Someone on this site recommended the kong wobbler for my sisters lab. He doesn't chew his food either. He eats in under a minute. I am going to get it to slow him down. It looks like it will work. Kong Wobbler Food and Treat Dispensing Dog Toy | PetFoodDirect.com


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