# Go natural dog food



## Evangeline (Aug 23, 2011)

Hi I had my dog on acana grasslands and pacifica but I just got the blood test results back from the vet and the vet said his creatine levels are sligtly higher then normal. She said she wanted him on a lower protein food because of his kidneys. I went to the pet store and came home with a bag of Go natural chicken fruits and vegitables. Does anyone no if this is a good food, he is very active and has a sensitive stomach. I like grain free but all the grain free foods have to high protein.


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## Hadley (Jan 6, 2011)

Not sure if Now is available to you, but it's made by the same company as Go, and its grain-free with a lower protein level. I know the Go chicken/veg/fruit is high in calories. That is one thing to remember. For a grain-inclusive food, I think it's pretty good. I feed Go/Now products and I've always had good results.


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

Hadley said:


> Not sure if Now is available to you, but it's made by the same company as Go, and its grain-free with a lower protein level. I know the Go chicken/veg/fruit is high in calories. That is one thing to remember. For a grain-inclusive food, I think it's pretty good. I feed Go/Now products and I've always had good results.


Idk which GO product yo uwere looking at OP but the go endurance formula is a moderate protein grain free. I doubt it would be lower than acana though. I prefer the GO endurance to the Now line. i havent looked at any of the grain inclusive formulas as those aren't foods I wish to feed.

I understand your concerns about protein though. My pup is on food with 42 percent protein , and I'm thinking after another bag I will put him on totw high prairie(hopefully he eats it). I ust read too much bad things about high protein and since there are plenty of foods in the 32-35 range, I see no reason to keep feeding this food for more money. FYI 32-35 is still pretty high for kibble, but it is a perfectly safe range imo

Also, if you email GO they will send you a coupon for a free product of your choice. They sent me a coupon for a free 1 pound bg of GO, and a 5 dollar off coupon...however the closest store to me is a good 30-45 minutes.


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## Evangeline (Aug 23, 2011)

The Go now is to high in protein. The vet wants the protein no higher then 27%. Go natural looked ok to me and it sounds like a good company. I always had better luck with grain free though. Fewer stools, and he kept on weight. The problem I have with grains is the high carbs. When you go grain free the protein goes up of course the only low protein I found was taste of the wild pacific stream but I tried it in the past and he had horrible gas and loose stools. I am going by what my vet says. Atleast I am not puting him on vet food that she suggested.


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

Were you adding water to the kibble before? That can make a big difference.


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## DaViking (Sep 27, 2011)

Caty M said:


> Were you adding water to the kibble before? That can make a big difference.


Good point, water is very important when feeding kibble. Many do not train their pupps to eat the food wet.


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## DaViking (Sep 27, 2011)

Evangeline said:


> The Go now is to high in protein. The vet wants the protein no higher then 27%. Go natural looked ok to me and it sounds like a good company. I always had better luck with grain free though. Fewer stools, and he kept on weight. The problem I have with grains is the high carbs. When you go grain free the protein goes up of course the only low protein I found was taste of the wild pacific stream but I tried it in the past and he had horrible gas and loose stools. I am going by what my vet says. Atleast I am not puting him on vet food that she suggested.


Hard to recommend a completely grain free alternative with no higher protein levels than 27%. Nutram, if you can get hold of it, have a grain free alternative at those levels. However it contains a low dose of k3 which I am personally not thrilled about. If you can accept low levels of grains Fromm Gold and 4 Star products are great alternatives.


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## StellaLucyDesi (Oct 29, 2008)

I like the Now! dog foods. I've never used the Go!, though, due to unavailability. Anyway, check into Now! The adult is 26% protein as fed, the Senior/Wt. Mgt. 
is 24% protein as fed and the Small Breed is 27% protein as fed. They are all completely grainfree and do not use rendered meats.


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## PDXdogmom (Jun 30, 2010)

Slightly higher creatine levels are not always a huge reason for concern. Sometimes that's just the case for grain-free fed dogs. If your dog is otherwise healthy and seems to be thriving on the Acana, maybe you could have his values rechecked in another 3 months. Otherwise, the brand suggestions is this thread seem good.


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## Jacksons Mom (Jun 13, 2010)

I am feeding Taste of the Wild Sierra Mountain (25% protein and 15% fat). Just a suggestion  I've always been happy with TOTW.


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## Evangeline (Aug 23, 2011)

Jordi has been on the go natural chicken and vegetable. He is almost done a 8 Ib bag. My question is he has mashy stool since he has been on it. Does this mean its not working or have I not given it long enough. I need to know because I am almost out of food and not sure what to do. He has always had problems on foods with grains. His stool starts out firm and goes to mash. I wasnt adding water to his kibble because he enjoys crunching his food and I thought it was better for his teeth but he does drink lots of water.


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## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

Natural Balance has lower protein in their formulas, the different formulas range from 21% protein, and I think their highest goes to 28% protein. Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance® ALPHA™ Dog Formulas

The problem with feeding kibble without added moisture is the dogs body uses its own water to break down the food which can cause mild dehydration. When I fed my dog kibble that used to happen too, her poops would be fine for a while and then would start getting softer and softer. The only food that worked for her before switching to raw was Natural Balance. Whichever company you decide to go with, they have canned foods aswell, you can always mix in a tablespoon of canned food mixed with a bit of water to make it more soupy, that way it gives more moisture, and more taste too. If you feed it right after mixing, the food should stil be crunchy enough, but it will break down faster in his stomach, and his body wont have to use its own reserve to break down his meals.


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

Sorry to "hijack" but I've never put water in with Abbie's kibble...should I start doing that? She also is a dog that doesn't seem to drink much (or enough IMO but doesn't seem dehydrated)....


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

I think it's always helpful since kibble is so dry... I'd think it would be good to make it around 70% like raw.


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## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

Yeah, I would add moisture (either just water or water mixed with some canned) into the kibble food. When it's mild dehydration there usually are no physical signs


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

Ok, I'll start doing that  Should I let it sit till it's mushy?


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## frogdog (Aug 10, 2011)

Meggels, when I fed kibble, I just added a little water...stirred and served...never waited for it to be mushy. My dogs would lap it up.


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## PDXdogmom (Jun 30, 2010)

Evangeline said:


> Jordi has been on the go natural chicken and vegetable. He is almost done a 8 Ib bag. My question is he has mashy stool since he has been on it. Does this mean its not working or have I not given it long enough. I need to know because I am almost out of food and not sure what to do. He has always had problems on foods with grains. *His stool starts out firm and goes to mash.* I wasnt adding water to his kibble because he enjoys crunching his food and I thought it was better for his teeth but he does drink lots of water.


Stools starting firm and ending very soft is often a sign of overfeeding - even if it's just by a small amount like 1/4 cup. You might see if slightly reducing the amount you feed makes a difference before switching to another food - especially if you otherwise like how your dog is doing on the food.

I add about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup warm water to the kibble right before serving. Dry kibble doesn't clean the teeth any more than humans eating some dry cheerios. Gnawing on a bone is a better help for cleaning teeth.


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

meggels said:


> Sorry to "hijack" but I've never put water in with Abbie's kibble...should I start doing that? She also is a dog that doesn't seem to drink much (or enough IMO but doesn't seem dehydrated)....


I would think if the kibble were dehydrating the dog, then the dog would drink more to avoid dehydration? so if the dog isnt drinking a lot feeding dry kibble would probably be fine?

either way this thread has me curious so im going to add about 1/8 cup of water to see what happens. should i see firmer stool?


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## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

Since eating kibble doesnt cause serious dehydration, you wouldnt see any symptoms of it. Its just slight dehydration when feeding kibble alone. I dont know if it would neccessarily make the stool firmer, but it does make the kibble easier to digest, so maybe it would firm up


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

The way i look at it is-nothing in nature that's alive is 10% or less moisture whether it be plant or animal. I know cats don't drink enough to make up for the lack of water in the diet and so i doubt the dogs do either. Not enough moisture taxes the kidneys especially.


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## Evangeline (Aug 23, 2011)

I will start adding a bit of water stir it and feed it right away that way its not mush but he is still geting the extra moisture. I am only feeding him 3 cups a day which isnt much for him. He has lost 7Ib so I dont want him losing any more weight. So I should by another bag of the same food and keep feeding instead of trying something different.


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## DaViking (Sep 27, 2011)

Thread turned out great  Yes, add a little lukewarm to cold water to the kibble. Water is life and it makes the breakdown process easier. Waterpenetration from a cpl of minutes to half an hour is fine.


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

Kat said:


> Since eating kibble doesnt cause serious dehydration, you wouldnt see any symptoms of it. Its just slight dehydration when feeding kibble alone. I dont know if it would neccessarily make the stool firmer, but it does make the kibble easier to digest, so maybe it would firm up


does kibble size effect digestibility? Winston is on the large bites evo wondering if the small bites would be more digestible


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## Oso (Oct 6, 2011)

DaViking said:


> Thread turned out great  Yes, add a little lukewarm to cold water to the kibble. Water is life and it makes the breakdown process easier. Waterpenetration from a cpl of minutes to half an hour is fine.


This. 

I used to just give my dog his 1.5 cups and I swear 30minutes later he would puke up his food. I think it upset his stomach and like dried it out, so he threw up. Well I float my dog and cats kibble and so far so good.

I recently learned about the kidney issues that can come from straight kibble, and I am glad both my pets are young and I started putting water in when I did. Plus they seem to like their soup better than a bowl of plain cereal lol


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