# What if....



## Angela Adams (Mar 27, 2011)

If you had to feed kibble... which brand/product/food would you feed or try out?

I need some options for a grain free kibble to try out. I've been feeding Orijen for 2 yrs, then recently switched to Acana(Grain-Free) and have not been pleased with the results besides small poops. I've been looking into Nature's Logic.


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

Umm... probably Evo red, or This if it was ever affordable :lol:


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## Savage Destiny (Mar 16, 2011)

I... don't really have a choice. The only thing Riddle can eat even in puzzle toys without instant diarrhea is Orijen. I suppose I'd consider Nature's Variety Instinct if I had to feed Melon kibble for some reason.


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

If I had to feed kibble, it would be either EVO or Orijen.


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## CavePaws (Jan 25, 2011)

ZiwiPeak...But you asked for kibble.
So I think Orijen of Evo.

edit: What don't you like about Acana?


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## Loki Love (Jan 30, 2011)

Another vote for EVO (Red Meat) or Orijen. That's what we were feeding Loki prior to switching to raw - he did relatively well on it too (when he decided to eat it!)


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## Jackielyn (May 27, 2009)

If money was no object I'd feed a rotation of EVO, Orijen and Nature's Variety Instinct


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## 1605 (May 27, 2009)

Angela Adams said:


> If you had to feed kibble... which brand/product/food would you feed or try out?
> 
> I need some options for a grain free kibble to try out. I've been feeding Orijen for 2 yrs, then recently switched to Acana(Grain-Free) and have not been pleased with the results besides small poops. I've been looking into Nature's Logic.


Another vote for EVO: Turkey/Chicken. (Our dog can't tolerate beef.)


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

Earthborn Holistics Primitive Naturals looks pretty good.

Turkey Meal, Chicken Meal, Whitefish Meal, Potatoes, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols, a source of vitamin E), Dried Egg Product, Tomato Pomace, Apples, Blueberries, Carrots, Peas, Spinach, Garlic, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Taurine, Cottage Cheese, L-Lysine, DL-Methionine, Beta-Carotene, Calcium Carbonate, Zinc Oxide, Magnesium Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Niacin, D-Calcium Pantothenic Acid, Vitamin A Supplement, L-Carnitine, Vitamin B12 Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Ferrous Sulfate, Biotin, Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Thiamine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B1), Calcium Iodate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Manganese Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Dried Lactobacillus Plantarum Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product.

As with any kibble adding canned or cooked meat on top is always a good thing.


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## Angela Adams (Mar 27, 2011)

CavePaws said:


> ZiwiPeak...But you asked for kibble.
> So I think Orijen of Evo.
> 
> edit: What don't you like about Acana?


I really liked Orijen and Acana - I have 6 pit bulls and none of their coats were ever soft or shiny - Always dull and sheddy. I thought maybe they needed oil supplements, so I used to add Salmon Oil with Vit E. and still nothing.... So I just figured after 1.5 yrs of feeding Champion kibble, it was time to try something else. 


I've never fed Evo - I might try it!! Thank you all for the replies!


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

i'd have to go with ziwipeak.


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## Ania's Mommy (Feb 8, 2009)

Another vote for Evo & Orijen. My rotation would include Orijen Regional Red, Orijen 6 Fish, Evo Turkey & Chicken, and Orijen LBP.

But if money were no object, it'd be Ziwi Peak hands down.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

although, i gotta ask...why is chicory an ingredient in so many foods...not just ziwipeak.....?


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## wags (Jan 31, 2009)

Maybe try wellness core. This has worked well for my dogs. But I am an Orijen /Acana fan!


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

magicre said:


> although, i gotta ask...why is chicory an ingredient in so many foods...not just ziwipeak.....?


Whole chicory root is a proven prebiotic which promotes healthy digestion (in humans). Supposedly when added to dog food, it serves as the "food" that the beneficial bacteria which are present in your dog's intestinal tract

Thing is... it seems like it would be a cheap filler IMO as its a relative to the Dandelion, and dogs in nature wouldn't walk by and be like hey look! a natural prebiotic omnomnom...


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

Tobi said:


> Whole chicory root is a proven prebiotic which promotes healthy digestion (in humans). Supposedly when added to dog food, it serves as the "food" that the beneficial bacteria which are present in your dog's intestinal tract
> 
> Thing is... it seems like it would be a cheap filler IMO as its a relative to the Dandelion, and dogs in nature wouldn't walk by and be like hey look! a natural prebiotic omnomnom...


so it's like giving your dog the shot of caffeine we all need to get things moving? just being tongue in cheek but that's what it sounds like. no offense meant to anyone. i've always wondered.


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## Savage Destiny (Mar 16, 2011)

I'm surprised reading through the thread how many people still recommend EVO after the P&G buyout. The whole line makes me very nervous now, as P&G is just so shady with their practices.


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

magicre said:


> so it's like giving your dog the shot of caffeine we all need to get things moving? just being tongue in cheek but that's what it sounds like. no offense meant to anyone. i've always wondered.


I guess, from how i understood it dogs didn't prebiotics and stuff i guess its just a practice of if it's good for people it must be good for my dog kinda thing... oh, and the caffeine thing i don't know if you meant it literally or not lol but there isn't any in natural chicory but they do add it to coffee in allot of blends which can actually decrease the caffeine content :biggrin:


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## AmeliaPond (Mar 25, 2011)

I'm going to be switching my dog to Wellness Core soon. I've heard a lot of great things about it so I have high hopes for it. I like that it has a lot of protein from meat in it so that's pretty much the main reason I've chosen it.


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## SamWu1 (Oct 15, 2010)

RawFedDogs said:


> If I had to feed kibble, it would be either EVO or Orijen.


Only if I *had* to, Orijen would be my only choice as well, the Regional Red. I'll be broke as a joke even with a 30lbs. dog, that stuff is pricey but you pay for quality.


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## Serendipity (Aug 13, 2010)

I second Evo & Orijen, along with Holistic Blend Grain Free. Evo & Orjien used to be my favorites to feed before I switched to all canned food. 

Ziwipeak is freeze dried raw.


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## Serendipity (Aug 13, 2010)

magicre said:


> so it's like giving your dog the shot of caffeine we all need to get things moving? just being tongue in cheek but that's what it sounds like. no offense meant to anyone. i've always wondered.


The amounts are very minimal, close to nothing.


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## Serendipity (Aug 13, 2010)

Savage Destiny said:


> I'm surprised reading through the thread how many people still recommend EVO after the P&G buyout. The whole line makes me very nervous now, as P&G is just so shady with their practices.


There's no proof that the quality is going down and the last time I fed Evo (almost 2 months ago), my dog was doing great. I know many people feel uncomfortable about P&G and I don't know if anything will happen later on. But, right now, there's no proof that it's going downhill and many people are still feeding it with good results.


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## jdatwood (Apr 13, 2009)

Janet At Nutro said:


> Hi, I work for Nutro, if you need any help please let me know.


Um.... Ok?

Seems to me you've left some unanswered questions in your welcome thread. Your energy might be better spent establishing trust with the members here, not pushing Nutro


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## 1605 (May 27, 2009)

Serendipity said:


> There's no proof that the quality is going down and the last time I fed Evo (almost 2 months ago), my dog was doing great. I know many people feel uncomfortable about P&G and I don't know if anything will happen later on. But, right now, there's no proof that it's going downhill and many people are still feeding it with good results.


Exactly! I have been monitoring not only my dog's reaction to the food but the labels on all the EVO I have bought since the company was taken over by P&G and there is no difference.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

I have to vote for Evo and Orijen. Chelsy can only have EVO since she can't have any food with any amount of salmon in it and everything Champion makes has salmon or salmon oil in it (plus a lot of berries and vegies that she can't have). I actually prefer the EVO because there are far less ingredients then Orijen so less chance of any kind of reaction to the unnecessary ingredients. The boys can eat Orijen, although Rocky only liked the taste of the LBP version. We have a fairly new bag of Evo here right now for Chelsy (until she is eating all raw) and there hasn't been any change that I can notice singe the buy-out.


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## PUNKem733 (Jun 12, 2009)

Janet At Nutro said:


> Hi, I work for Nutro, if you need any help please let me know.


I would keep the fact that I work for Nutro a secret if you want people on here to take your answer seriously. Nearly every post you have made has this exact line in it. Are you a bot?

Also besides Evo, and Orijen, and Acana, don't forget Horizon Legacy. I rotate to that also, but the puppy formula it seems slightly higher quality, as they changed the adult formula, and left the puppy alone.


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## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

If I had to feed kibble, I would feed Acana. I prefer the more moderate amount of protein of Acana compared to Orijen. I do think that Orijen is a wonderful product though, just a bit high in protein for my taste. I would also consider Nature's Variety Instinct. 

Before raw I fed Acana Pacifica. My girl did wonderful on it. My mom's dog did great on NV instinct.


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## BoxerMommie (Jun 26, 2008)

I bounce between Taste of the Wild and Earthborn Primitive.


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

I really like Orijen and Evo, but Orijen isn't readily available to be, and I know for a fact that two of my dogs to terrible on Evo, as I fed it before I fed raw. 

Based on these two facts, I'd say probably Wellness CORE. Two dogs lately at work that I've taken notice of how healthy they look, and after asking the owners, BOTH were on wellness core. 

But Do I ever see myself feeding kibble again? no.


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## Angela Adams (Mar 27, 2011)

When feeding raw its about 16-18% protein but the kibble like Evo and Orijen have 42% protein - Why would one choose to feed a high protein(42%) kibble? I asked a friend of mine about feeding Evo and she told me not to feed it b/c it had too high protein levels. Can someone help educated me on why feeding the levels of protein Evo and Orijen are OK or not OK?


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

Angela Adams said:


> When feeding raw its about 16-18% protein but the kibble like Evo and Orijen have 42% protein - Why would one choose to feed a high protein(42%) kibble? I asked a friend of mine about feeding Evo and she told me not to feed it b/c it had too high protein levels. Can someone help educated me on why feeding the levels of protein Evo and Orijen are OK or not OK?


 Raw is lower proteing because of the much higher water content. If you took away the moisture, the protein percent would be MUCH higher in pmr. 

Kibble is pretty much a completely DRY product. Most dogs on higher protein kibbles tend to drink more water, generally right after eating.


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## AmeliaPond (Mar 25, 2011)

PuppyPaws said:


> Raw is lower proteing because of the much higher water content. If you took away the moisture, the protein percent would be MUCH higher in pmr.
> 
> Kibble is pretty much a completely DRY product. Most dogs on higher protein kibbles tend to drink more water, generally right after eating.


So is that bad? We'll be switching to Wellness Core soon.


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

As far the the meat content goes, Orijen and Evo are probably the top 2, but my dog does best on 30-35% protein levels, so Acana is a good choice, followed by NV instinct (they recently added a red meat formula too).


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

AmeliaPond said:


> So is that bad? We'll be switching to Wellness Core soon.


That's something that you have to decide for yourself. 
In my book, more meat = good. 
If you add water to the kibble, it lowers the protein percent, because it increases the moisture.


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## AmeliaPond (Mar 25, 2011)

PuppyPaws said:


> That's something that you have to decide for yourself.
> In my book, more meat = good.
> If you add water to the kibble, it lowers the protein percent, because it increases the moisture.


I guess it all depends on how my dog handles the food.
I never add water directly to her kibble though.


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