[DogFoodie]

Hi Kathleen,

Take a look at Victor Yukon River, Acana Pacifica, and Orijen Six Fish if you’re looking for a fish-based alternative to the Merrick.

[chris]

Hello again,

Recently a family member of mine had decided to adopt a Old English Bulldog. Now I’ve tried helping them a ton of the matter of what he should be fed and how to keep a healthy weight amongst so many other things. However, they can’t decide on a basis dry food for him. They apparently researched online on several sites that are about and for English Bulldogs and have read that Diamond or Blue is the best and proper food for Bulldogs. I have argued this statement only because yes they might be good foods (opinions very) However that does not mean it is the proper food for any species of dog.

I gave them several of the top 5 star brands that I am sure would probably be great far as Orijen, Acana, Natures Variety, Merrick’s, Wellness Core. Though they seem to can’t afford those type of foods, so they’re looking for more of a cheaper route to go. Especially since this is not the only dog they have. They have 5 dogs total to feed.

Also for canned food they were feeding Pedigree and Gravy Train very very cheap foods that almost made me cry inside after hearing about it. I finally got them to switch to Tractor supplys brand 4 health which is still cheap but way better then most cheap canned foods.

Any help or recommendations to let them aware of would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Susan]

Hi, I had a white boxer Angie, she just had a tan patch above her left eye, her skin was good, she ate home cooked mainly, so that’s probably why her skin was good, (no Kibble)
Angie ended up having Mast Cell Tumor on the rump of her back leg & stomach, when she was about 9years old they were removed but they were high grade 2 cancer, broke my heart when I had to put her to sleep, she was a real lady & sooooo gentle….

Origen or Acana Regional is suppose to be good, high protein & less carbs….
I worry about the higher protein diets cause the fat % is normally high, that’s one thing my boxer didn’t do well on foods that were higher in fat… some boxer have a sensitive stomach…

“Earthborn” Grain free kibble “Primitive Natural” has only 17.5% carbs….their Great Plains Feast has 25% carbs the Coastal Catch has 29% carbs the Guaranteed Analysis tells you the Carb %
http://www.earthbornholisticpetfood.com/us/dog_formulas/primitive_natural/

I was feeding raw for breakfast & kibble for dinner with the dog I have now, he’s eating
cooked or wet tin for breakfast & kibble for dinner at the moment….

[InkedMarie]

You may want to try something other than chicken. Blue Buffalo isn’t a very good food. Some foods I like are Annamaet, Dr Tim’s, Farmina, NutriSource, Acana, Orijen.

[roxanna s]

hi,
Penelope, 10 yr old Chihuahua shithzu mix, has short hair like Chihuahua, 13 lbs, has been eating acana ranchland. On her 3rd 15 lb bag. She does not have fleas but she itches and has small dry red irritated areas on chest and legs. Not real bad but noticeable.
She rolls on her back a lot to scratch her back. She even uses whatever she can push up against that will serve as a back scratcher, she seems miserable sometimes.
Could it be the food? What do you recommend for a 10 year old couch potato that’s rather finicky. I would like to know of some canned foods that could be used to mix in the kibble to make it more palatable. thanks

[Bobby dog]

Hi t.n:
Sounds like there are allot of empty bellies at the shelter and eating a food with corn would be the least of their problems IMO. Since you are not in the states the foods you mentioned likely have different ingredients than they do here anyway. A food like Acana might cause digestive upset for some depending on the food they currently feed, but it does sound like any food is better than nothing.

If the shelter is in extreme distress as you have written, I personally would want to donate more of a volume in hopes it would feed more. I would try to find something within your budget that does not have chemical preservatives (bha, propylene glycol) dyes (added colors, iron oxide, titanium dioxide), or meat and bone meal if possible. Visiting clinics to see what your options are is a good idea. Check out prices and read the labels to see what brand has the least DFA “red flagged” ingredients.

I have several Pro Plan formulas (wet and dry) in my dog’s rotation, he does very well on them, and I have had great results in the past feeding PP to my JRT.

I am sure whatever you are able to donate will be greatly appreciated by the shelter and the dogs. They are lucky to have you thinking of their well being!

[tnesla]

Hi again and thank you all for your tips and suggestions.

Had the shelter of concern was half a decent one, collars, toys, blankets or gift cards would certainly have made into my ‘items to donate’ list. Long story short, it is a canine dystopia more so than a shelter really, located in the outskirts of the city where the number of kennels or the common hedged area or vet services is simply not enough for the large population there. Except for the puppies, the old and sick, most dogs are left unattended; they have to roam around to find food- be it day or night, summer or winter. As you can imagine, things can and does get pretty gruesome at times. So, the priority is food rather than anything else.

Thus the reason why I wonder if my concerns about kibble dominated by a filler-ingredient like corn is really meaningful under these circumstances. I will visit a number of clinics to see which brands they carry (just to have some alternative to Hills or Pedigree-like brands which dominate the markets here). Again, I don’t wish to donate low-quality products just to get their stomach filled, but I can’t donate more than 11-lbs of Acana-like kibble at a time. What do you think?

[Dori]

All Orijen is grain free, so is Acana Singles. The Honest Kitchen has a few grain free formulas. It has for quite some time.

As for freeze dried grain free foods there is Primal, Vital Essentials and I believe Nature’s Logic makes a grain free freeze dried food. I feed commercial frozen raw diet for my three but I do use freeze dried in a treat jar near the back door when calling them in. They consider it a reason to come flying into the house regardless of what they were up to outside. From time to time the only dehydrated food that I will use is The Honest Kitchen grain free fish formulas. Zeal is one and I believe they have just come out with one that has even less ingredients in it, I believe it’s called Brave (?) something like that. I just got an email about it last week or could have been this week. I don’t care for any of the other dehydrated foods that I’ve tried although Grandma Lucy’s is not bad.

[Pitlove]

Hi- Unfortunely without the help of a specialist (dermatologist) it’s going to be very hard to determine what the skin issue is and what is causing it. There are a lot of different types of skin conditions from seborrhea to demodex, so you would need to be able to identify what his exact skin condition is through the diagnois of a dermatologist. You can certainly change the food and see if it helps. My dog has symptoms that mimic seborrhea, but it has not been diagnosed as that yet, though I intend to meet with a dermatologist. For the mean time my vet suggested a food for skin support that is fish based. So if your dog will eat fish based foods and you are looking into Orijen and Acana (I’m assuming this based on you saying a food made in Canada), I would try the Six Fish or Pacifica. My dog liked the Six Fish, but did not like Pacifica. Your dog might be different than mine though.

[Kevin R]

Hi all, I have another question regarding changing my dog’s food. I mentioned changing to a lower glycemic food due to yeast issues. The yeast issue is not major at this time, however, I figured this couldn’t hurt anything. Is there a typical carb percentage I should look for when choosing a food? I know it may vary from dog to dog, but just how low should the carb count be in order to maybe make a difference in this situation? Reason I ask is because I tried her on Orijen a few years ago, but it went right through her. I don’t know if it was the higher protein or the fat percentage, but I know I’ll probably need something a little less “rich.” I thought about Acana Grasslands since it’s a little lower protein, but the fat is about the same I believe. Feel to give any other food suggestions as well. Thanks for your time.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by Kevin R.

[tnesla]

Hello All 🙂

Just registered to ask for your advice about how to pick the right kibble for shelter donations. I’ve never had a dog but having lost my feline-friend about year ago after 18 years of great memories together, I’d like to make the time and the budget for stray animals around- particularly shelter dogs.

Acana was a rather late yet very fortunate discovery when my cat was still with me but it is pricey, especially if you need to buy in large quantities to feed multiple animals. I’m aware that corn is a filler-ingredient not dog or cat friendly but do you think kibble with corn should really, really be avoided at all times, under all circumstances? I’m torn between my budget, dogs’ health and poor conditions of the shelter here (read: little to no food at all). I certainly don’t want to donate just anything that would fill their stomach but I can’t afford more than an 11 lbs-donation at a time- which I fear, would be a minuscule amount considering the shelter population. Do you think there’s a middle ground I can find? I don’t live in the States and we don’t have much options here: most popular/ easy-to-find kibble is Hills, Pedigree and Proplan. And I haven’t read any glowing reviews about either one of them. I’d love to hear your suggestions. Thank you for reading.

[FoxEyeX]

If you like orijen I’d go with Acana in your case…add water to the meal if you can get away with it…cainine caviar is a great kibble also look them up!

• This reply was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by FoxEyeX.

[Laura S]

I have a 22 mo. old female frenchie, Stella. I am searching for a new high quality kibble that is grain free and potato free. She has horrific allergies and is on Atopica. Allergy tests were pretty inconclusive with what she is allergic to. She is also a very picky eater. She was on Amicus, which she liked, but about every 2 to 3 weeks she would have awful bouts of diahrrea. So I started transitioning her to Acana Pork & Butternut squash and now she has terrible gas. I have also tried Grandma Lucy’s PureFormance in the past and it made her vomit. I think this food was too heavy handed on the garlic. So I’m not sure what is making her gassy that is in the Acana, perhaps the garbanzo beans??? The Amicus and Acana both have red lentils so it shouldn’t be that. Also, her vet put her on a food trial a while back of Royal Canin Duck & Potato and it completely constipated her and made her really sick. Any suggestions would be welcome. Kind of at a loss at this point as to what to feed her that will not cause ear infections, gas, etc. I do give her a probiotic too.

[Elyse M]

Ok, new to this site and need help!!

Bella’s history. Adopted at 3-years-old from shelter. No history.
Switched to grain free (Wellness), then to Merrick BG in November 2011. Switched to Acana Pacifica in May 2012.

She has had numerous health issues, but we have battled allergies from the start. This spring I ran the Heska environmental/food panel. She came back allergic to sweet potato, peas, and flax. I put her on raw diet to see if it would help iron out these issues. We don’t notice an allergy difference and now I am treating salmonella. I also have a 15 month old human child at home. I can’t continue raw.

So KNOWING she can’t tolerate sweet potato, peas, or flax- any suggestion on kibble? Or is my best bet to cook for her?

[Stephen K]

Try the Acana large breed puppy food (Dry). It is working very well with our 10 week old Labrador Retriever.
The breeder had him on Purina’s Pro Plan Puppy and we did not like the ingredients in it, the transition went very well, no soft stools!

• This reply was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by Stephen K.

[Pitlove]

Debbie- Awesome, glad the first bag is going well so far. Orijen is an excellent food. Wish I could continue to feed it now, but it’s just too expensive for a large breed dog. I have Acana right now, which my dog hates, but it’s interesting how the pieces are a lot different in Orijen than Acana. Definitely looks like its cooked differently.

[Diana W]

Our 4 year old rescue Maltese (adopted in December 2014) has struvite crystals in his urine. I was feeding Acana Pork and Butternut Squash but now vet put him on Royal Canin SO. So many articles that I have read state that diet doesn’t change struvite crystals. He is also very itchy and I don’t like feeding SO because it’s not grain-free. This is very confusing. Does anyone have any suggestions how to simplify diet for Casper? Thank you!

[Tyler G]

Within the past two months I’ve switched from Eukanuba Dachshund mix to orijen adult and now I’ve started Acana Ranchlands. Within the past two weeks I’ve noticed that my dog has had this very strong metallic/fishy odor coming from her backside. Well I pinpointed it to being her anal glands. I watched multiple videos on how to express the glands. Well I’ve probably had to do it at least three times in the past 10 days or so. Is this due to the food switch? I’ve been doing it slow. I’m beginning to think the protein content in her food may be too much? Do I need to switch to switch to the acana singles or to the chicken and potato one? Her stool with the eukanuba was a lot larger so that’s why I’m thinking she may need some grains in her diet. Now with acana and orijen, her stool seems to be smaller and she seems to be “constipated” because she squats and strains for longer while doing her business. Help please!

• This topic was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by Tyler G.

[Andrea P]

I have a cocker spaniel that has allergies to wheat, corn, egg and chicken. I am currently feeding Merrick Backcountry and he’s never felt better, but with Purina picking it up.. it makes me nervous.. and I want to know about other brands out there aside from Orijen and Acana..
Thanks!

[Andrea P]

Hello! I am currently feeding Merrick BackCountry, but if Purina changes the formula I am going to change brands. It was hard enough finding one my dog did really well on.. does anyone know of any brands that have more than one flavor of dog food that is grain free, chicken, and egg free? No matter how any of them are processed, cooked, whatever, my dog reacts to them. Aside from Acana and Orijen, what else is out there?

[Pitlove]

The way Orijen is made, the kibble ends up being all different shapes and not uniform like a lot of foods including it’s partner Acana. However, the pieces are fairly big. If your girl likes small kibble this might not work. Since you ordered it though, don’t just junk the idea of feeding it. It’s an excellent food. Let your girl have a chance to decide if she’s comfortable eating it.

I’ve used Orijen Regional Red, Adult and Six Fish and my dog is eating Acana Pacifica atm, but we will be going back to Orijen since he likes it better.

[Lisa O]

Hey Lorrie, I basically do the same thing you are doing. I use Acana kibble and top off with no more than 25% of her meal with Sojos freeze dried raw, which is a phenominal food. It has gone up in price, so now I went back to adding homemade which includes wild salmon, chicken, etc., sweet potato, quinoa and/or hard boiled eggs.Inthrow in some Chia as well.
seems like Earthborn is another food with decent ingredients and affordable.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by Lisa O.

[Mark C]

My dogs had issues with another food and I switched to acana. It’s been good but a bit costly, especially for three dogs. Now I am looking at Farmina’s low grain. I think it will be an alternative that’s affordable. The Acana for my guys worked really well and their waste has become more normal too. Hope it helps.

[Pitlove]

Orijen is an excellent food, that being said, it is not for every dog. I know a few people who’s dogs have severe allergies (they are GSD’s not pitbulls but still) and their dogs can ONLY eat Acana. My pit was the same exact way about food. He was not interested in eating. He would eat for a few weeks then he would walk away from the food and I had to hand feed it to him. When I introduced canned food into his diet, he instantly starting eating again. Now he loves eating so much I can add just 3 spoonfuls of canned food on top of his dry and he eats no problem. I can make 1 can last for 4 meals that way! Whereas before, I was blowing through 2 cans a day.

As I highly recommend keeping him on a high protein food given that for a large breed he is considered a senior and they do have a higher protein requirement.

If your bulldog is not allergic to chicken I would highly recommend looking into the Wysong Epigen 90. It’s the only food on the market that is completely starch free which would help with the gunk build up in the ears which sounds like yeast.

[Jonathan S]

I’m switching my dogs to Acana. I chose to go to Acana rather than Orijen because of their varieties, especially the single protein source versions they have.

Have you considered making your own raw or cooked food and actually have that lovely food come from your own hands? I do that and it makes me feel very in touch with my dogs.

[Jonathan S]

I have two border collies… 9 months and 11 months. They’re very fickle about their protein sources… Both are intolerant of bison and venison, one can handle beef but the other cannot. Both are sensitive to changes in fats in their diet… too much fat causes them some nasty stools, but too little and they get dry and itchy.

I had them on Taste of the Wild for a long time, but they get really twitchy moving from one mix to another. I’m starting them on Acana Sport and Agility this week. I feed them half raw food as well.

Remember with borders that their metabolism tends to run hot due to their need to work and possibly work long past exhaustion. If you normally feed once a day you might want to consider twice a day for the BC.

[Carter S]

Thanks for taking the time to reply and for sharing your thoughts!

Bamm-Bamm is 7 and has been on and off of Orijen a few times. It was the first food I fed him but when his stools failed to solidify (the best it got was something between diarrhea and soft serve ice cream), I switched him to a brand that I’m having difficulty remembering but it was much like Acana. Unfortunately, after a few years, it was bought out by one of the large companies (Hills or such) and some change occurred that I’m just vaguely remembering. I then had him on Acana for a couple years.

In the beginning he liked it. Then he’d eat it for 2 weeks and then start skipping meals. Then I’d change meats and he’d eat that for a week or two before sticking up his nose, until finally I switched him to NOW. It’s been great because the kibbles are big, the profile looks good and he loves it. Unfortunately, it is tied directly to the degree of build up in his ears.

I’ve tried a few others here and there over the last couple years but they’ve been worse insofar as the ear build up or GI distress to the point of liquid stools and constant audible stomach gaseousness prior to severe and ongoing flatulence.

As of right now, I’m thinking of going back to Acana and supplementing it with a raw frozen or freeze dried or canned equivalent for taste but will look into options you suggested.

Thanks again!

CS

[Diane G]

I too am heartbroken about Merrick… my Shelties do so well on it!!!! I have narrowed down to Origen, Acana and Wellness Core… looking for a 30% protein and 15% fat is hard!!

[Mark C]

I have the same issue with my guys and am seriously looking at Farmina. So far I like what I see and the low grain diet doesn’t have potatoes. Something else I have to avoid. The cost is better than Acana and it’s still rated five stars here. Good luck.

[Amanda R]

Hi!

Does anyone know what the best dog food would be for a dog who is sensitive to chicken? I have had her on Acana Pacifica for a year but now will no longer eat it and is really itchy and stomach is upset.

[Pitlove]

Hi Carter- I don’t have a bulldog exactly, but I do have a pitbull, which are known for the same problems as bulldogs as they come from their lineage.

My first question is how old is your boy? Second, can you list me the order in which you tried these foods?

My pit did excellent on Orijen. No issues that you are having. My boy has always been gassy though. We aren’t really sure what it is. Our vet said it’s likely a food allergy, but I disagree.

The others I haven’t fed so I can’t really give you an opinion on them. Go! is a good food from what I’ve heard and I have not heard anything about NOW. Obviously Acana is an excellent food as it is still under Champion.

Are you able to order online? I’m not sure if chewy.com can ship outside the U.S, but if they can look at Nature’s Logic or Wysong Epigen 90. They are excellent for breeds prone to yeast (which is likely what that build up in his ears is). Also, you may need to clean his ears out a lot more than normal because of the breeds predisposition to yeast. Also being consistant about cleaning the folds on the muzzle.

[Jonathan S]

I’m sure this has probably been covered before, but I’m looking for a recommendation for a supplement to help cover itchy, dry skin on my dogs.

I’m in the process of rotating my dogs off their current kibble (they’re on the last of their Taste of the Wild) and on to Acana/Orijen, so I’m hoping that the change in food will help. This bloom of dry skin comes with a combination of changing the TotW mix from fish to lamb, and some hot dry weather here in Seattle. I’m also feeding my dogs raw food as half of their diet and they’re doing well with that.

I’ve experimented with a number of food supplements. The most recent that seems to work well for them digestively is Flora4. I do include coconut oil in their diet, but sometimes the additional fat can have some effects on their stool quality. I see commercials on TV for Dinovite, but I’m pretty sure that’s not where I want to go.

Anyone have any suggestions?

[C4D]

Hi Tyler G!

Everyone has given you some good advice! As long as the food is working digestively, you can use whichever she likes. I do rotate my foods as the others do. If the Orijen gives loose stools, you might want to go with the Acana. They’re both good foods. I do think you might be feeding too much. I have an active 13 lb dog and she gets about the equivelant of 2/3 cup of food per day even though she takes long walks (over a mile) daily. If you need to get her to gain weight, you could also feed her a midday snack to get her weight up. A lot of fosters do this to get the skinny dogs to gain weight. How does she look? She should have a distinct waist when viewed from above and a distinct tuck from her ribs to her back legs. You should be able to easily feel her ribs without pressing in. You should not see her hip or spine. Sometimes we think they’re too thin because we are so used to seeing overweight dogs. As aquariangt said, you want to keep your Doxie on the slim side to prevent back issues.

Deanna Y, I think the Orijen has been reformulated with a lower calcium level, but I’m not feeding any LB puppies currently. Here’s the DFA forum link that’s really helpful:

/forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/

[Carter S]

Members,

I’m hoping for some advice. I have a bulldog that I’m trying to find a food for and it’s been a challenge of late. Here’s what I’m facing –

Orijen and go fit and free: Likes and seems to respond well to but gives him terrible gas and loose stool (doesn’t firm up, irrespective of introduction, length on the food, etc).

NOW large grain free: His favourite food, firm stools, minimal gas, and I like the size of the kibbles but his ears build up gunk over time.

ACANA regionals: responds the best to it in all respects but doesn’t seem to like the taste – especially after a week of eating it.

I’ve looked at the ingredient lists but I’m unsure exactly what it is about orijen that leads to the super loose stools and what it is about NOW that leads to the ear gunk. Any insights?

Can anyone recommend something very similar to Acana? Or a suggestion of a daily additive to enrich the flavour and thus encourage him to continue to eat Acana? In particular any bulldog or bulldog-family owners go through anything similar?

I’m in Canada so I don’t have the full range of food options listed under the editor’s picks.

• This topic was modified 10 years, 8 months ago by Carter S.

[Tyler G]

Update:

I ended up buying a 5 lb bag of orijen to give her a run of. I also bought a trial bag of acana grasslands and Pacifica. I’m gonna let her do side by side taste test and then rotate flavors every couple months. She loves orijen so far. I did have her on eukanuba and she picked through it straight to the orijen.

[aquariangt]

Acana is nice if you have food intolerances, but if cost is no concern, Orijen is where I’d lean due to the great protein levels. Acana is on the lower end of protein that I feed. There are 4 varieties all with a wide amount of animal protein within them. Classic, Red, Six Fish, and the new Tundra (I haven’t found that online yet though ~.~) I don’t stick to one brand however, and certainly would recommend rotational diet even with Champion’s outstanding track record

[Jonathan S]

I have the same dilemma. I wanted to go directly to Orijen as it seems to get higher ratings here, but I decided on the Acana because there are more varieties to choose from and fewer protein sources per formula. I also like the idea of the single protein source varieties.

I feel good about either choice as they are the same company and I’ve seen very good feedback on them. I’m making the switch this week!

[Kristin C]

If those are the 2 you are deciding upon I would say start with Acana and move up to Orijen. Although, Orijen sounds like they are changing their formula next year since they now have a Kentucky plant.

Have you looked at Farmina?

I feed mostly raw, but I feed kibble a few times per week and have been rotating the brands for variety. If I fed kibble exclusively I would probably change the brand with each bag to give the most variety.

[Pitlove]

Hi Tyler- Why not feed her both? Both Orijen and Acana are very high quality foods and offer a lot of different formulas to use in a rotational diet. Variety is very healthy for dogs, just like it is for humans.

If she needs to gain weight I would feed her the recommended amount for her weight or maybe just a little bit more and then add something like coconut oil to her food. Coconut oil is very high in calories, but also offers great health benefits for humans as well as dogs and cats. Once she is at an ideal weight you can cut back on the coconut oil.

[Tyler G]

I’m wanting to start my rescue dog (Dachshund 1.5 years old) on some better food. I currently have her own eukanuba dachshund mix and I just recently bought a trial bag of orijen adult and she picks through the eukanuba and eats all the orijen. She’s a very lazy dog and needs to gain some weight but I’m having trouble deciding which between the two to put her on? She needs to up her energy level and gain a few pounds but not too much more than that. Do I go with the high protein orijen or start her on some acana?

[Gracie’s Mom]

I get what you’re saying. I have been feeding Gracie dehydrated and freeze-dried raw, having not been successful with frozen, but I need more options in rotation so that she doesn’t get tired of any one food after a few weeks. Also, the expense of straight-up, prepared raw is very high. And, lastly, there’s the sometimes quite high fat content that is of concern (e.g., K9 Natural) in the dried raw foods. So, I’ve been on the hunt for several high quality kibbles and canned options to mix with dried raw, both to lower the overall cost and to put the fat in better balance. Does that make sense? I am willing to concede that allowing in some starches is going to be inevitable with this plan.

Here’s what I’ve come up with that could work for Gracie. The fat percentages are approximates based on the flavor that Mike reviewed.

Base Mix
Honest Kitchen Preference

Canned
Against the Grain (20% fat/protein ratio)
Chicken (but does contain potato starch)
Beef (but does contain potato starch)

Addiction (53% fat/protein ratio)
Hunter’s Venison
Herbed Duck Confit

Tripett (58% fat/protein ratio)
Green Bison Tripe
Original Green Beef Tripe
Green Beef Tripe and Venison
New Zealand Green Lamb Tripe
Green Beef Tripe, Duck and Salmon

ZiwiPeak (71% fat/protein ratio)
Beef
Lamb
Venison
Venison and Fish
Tripe, Lamb, and Venison

Dry Kibble:

Nulo Freestyle (48% fat/protein ratio)
Turkey and Sweet Potato
Salmon and Peas
Lamb and Chickpeas

Nulo Medal (51% fat/protein ratio)
Lamb and Lentils
Chicken and Peas
Salmon and Sweet Potato

Nature’s Variety Instinct Limited Ingredient (68% fat/protein ratio)
Turkey
Lamb
Duck

Acana Singles (56% fat/protein ratio)
Pork and Butternut Squash
Duck and Bartlett Pear
Lamb and Okanagan Apple

Wysong Epigen 90 (25% fat/protein ratio)
Chicken

Freeze Dried, Air Dried, or Dehydrated Raw:

K9 Natural (90%+ fat/protein ratio)
Venison (but does contain eggs, a borderline allergen)
Lamb (but does contain eggs, a borderline allergen)

Fresh Is Best (50% fat/protein ratio)
Chicken
Beef

Vital Essentials (79% fat/protein ratio)
Tripe
Beef
Chicken
Turkey

ZiwiPeak (79% fat/protein ratio)
Venison
Venison and Fish
Lamb
Beef

[Pitlove]

Hi Jack- Congrats on the new puppy first off! Secondly it would definitely be wise to avoid Diamond products as you will see recalls fairly often with them. They have a long recall history already.

My dog is currently on Nature’s Logic which is an all life stages food, so your puppy can eat it. So far I really like this food and others have commented with positive results from it as well. Other brands to look into would be Orijen/Acana both made by Champion Pet Foods out of Canada (no recalls) and Fromm Family Foods out of Wisconson (no recalls either).

[Gracie’s Mom]

I’ve been looking more closely at the foods that the wizard identified as not having the ingredients I eliminated based on allergies. One thing I’m struck by is how many starches are included in some of the foods. For example, the various flavors of Acana and Nulo have four starches each. Of course, that doesn’t in any way indicate what percentage of the ingredients are starches, but I suspect that some, like lentils and peas, are pretty significant proportionally, given the limited ingredients of some of the foods. Gracie hasn’t tested allergic to those, but I am not convinced they belong in dog food any more than grains. The Epigen 90 does seem to stand out as a food with no starches.

I’m curious to know what everyone’s thoughts are on starches and how much you consider those in choosing foods.

P.S. The starches I’m talking about in these limited ingredient foods are 1) lentils, 2) peas, 3) chickpeas, 4) sweet potatoes, 5) pumpkin, and 6) tapioca.

[Gracie’s Mom]

Thanks, PitLove, for your interest in Gracie. I did try to give complete information without writing a treatise; it seemed like a long post as it was! Gracie did not test allergic to chicken, though it is definitely her least favorite source of meat/protein. For example, she will eat all the K9 Naturals flavors except the chicken. Nevertheless, I try to keep some form of chicken in rotation, because it is a leaner option. I keep thinking that I will find a source of chicken that works for her.

When I ran the wizard, I got the Acana Singles Duck, Lamb, and Pork; Addiction Herbed Duck and Hunter’s Venison; Best Breed Grain-Free Chicken and Salmon; Canine Caviar Open Sky GF, Wild Ocean GF, Wilderness GF; DogsWell Nutrisca Chicken; Nulo Freestyle Adult Lamb, Salmon, Chicken, Turkey, Cod; Nulo Medal Series Adult Chicken, Lamb, Salmon, and Wysong Epigen 90.

I didn’t get PetCurean Go! – Sensitivity + Shine, I think because I eliminated tapioca on the basis of its similarity to a grain in digestive terms.

Allowing tapioca brings in several other options worth considering, including one that I just ordered but haven’t yet tried, Nature’s Variety Instinct Turkey Meal Formula. We’ll see how that goes. Any opinions on the tapioca?

Thanks, again, PitLove. Your help is much appreciate!

[Pitlove]

I’m gonna take a guess and says she allergic to chicken too? If she isn’t look at Wysong Epigen 90.

This is what I got when I put in the limited information you gave us::

Acana Singles – Duck and Bartlett Pear

Acana Singles – Lamb and Okanagan Apple

Addiction (canned)- Hunter’s Venison Stew

Canine Caviar- Lamb and Pearl Millet Dinner

Canine Caviar- Large Breed Puppy Dinner

Canine Caviar- Open Sky GF

Canine Caviar- Wild Ocean GF

PetCurean Go!- Sensitivity + Shine Venison

Check some of those out. Not sure what else your dog is allergic to or what results you got using that tool, but thats what I got with what info you gave.

[Gracie’s Mom]

I was just going through limited ingredient dry foods that I could add to the Against the Grain canned food, and it looks like Nature’s Variety Instinct Turkey Meal Formula may be an option. It doesn’t appear to contain anything that Gracie is allergic too. Potatoes, rice, flax, and alfalfa appear to be very difficult to avoid. I would rather have a five-star food, but haven’t found one yet. It takes a long time to look up complete ingredients for every food!

P.S. In my previous post, “Arcana” should have been “Acana”, obviously. Sure would be nice to have the ability to edit posts.

[Jonathan S]

I’m in the same boat… I have two border collie pups 34 and 36 pounds. Half their diet is raw food of my own creation, so the kibble goes a long way. I want to be able to feed them a variety to keep them interested and I think I’ve finally found the brand I want to switch to as they have lots of choices for flavor mixes (going with Orijen/Acana). I’ll probably stick with the 15ish pound bags so they can be rotated to different flavors on just about a monthly basis.

I was just curious about if there is a concern over freshness, what is the threshold for that concern. I think I’ll be fine if I keep rotating.

[Kevin W]

Both my dogs loved the duck acana and the pumpkin 🙂 I just hope so much that my baby can finally not suffer so badly. We are using a cortisone stayon 1% lotion for her right now from the vet to offer some relief so hope it kicks in. She wears a doggy shirt all the time to keep her from scratching till she cuts herself so we can avoid yet another staph infection.

I so greatly appreciate all of you for taking the time out of you life to help me and my babies. I will look into the probiotics/supplements as well as shampoos to help keep her safe and comfortable. I’m just glad she is so bullheaded and outgoing so she doesn’t let this keep her down.

How often should I give the pumpkin as well? The people there said a tbs or two with each feeding. Should I give it more often or larger amounts?

[Pitlove]

Great Life pulls Buffalo Kibble

Eh, I mean, that isn’t something that would honestly concern me. But thats just me. They pulled it off the shelf for a rancid smell. Thixton doesn’t state how they handled it at first, which I’m surprised she doesn’t.

I looked on Ace’s website and found mainly Purina, Science Diet, Nutro, Blackwood and the like. Wonder where Kevin lives that they are carrying Orijen/Acana!

[Pitlove]

Kevin– You can do that however, I would look into a probiotic to help the tranistion. If you are shopping at a store that carries Orijen and Acana you are probably shopping at a small pet store similar to where I work. They carry different probiotics. See if any of the store employees are knowledgable with that kind of stuff.