[DogFoodie]

Hi Samantha,

Sweet little Pennie has had some challenges. I bet she’s been lonely. I’m sorry that the elderly gentleman had to release her, but am glad she has found a living home with you. I hope he’s doing OK without her.

When it comes to fish, I feel your pain. It’s everywhere. I’ve tried several different types of fishes and fish oils, but my dog reacted to all of them. It is very difficult to find a fish free food. I’ll be reading an ingredient panel and think it looks good and then down at the bottom of the list I’ll see menhaden meal or salmon oil. It’s frustrating, I know. My dog has some other intolerances that make more challenging.

If I’m not mistaken, the only Victor that’s an option is Lamb & Brown Rice. That’s quite a step down from Orijen Six Fish. I have used, with great success, Nature’s Variety Instinct Limited Ingredient Diets. I know there are more options than those I’ll list, but those that I’ve found have to exclude other ingredients beyond fish…, so a couple more recommendations are Addiction Viva La Venison, Acana Duck & Bartlett Pear (the original, not the Singles), The Honest Kitchen Thrive, and Canidae Pure Sky (I HATE that it’s a Diamond product, but it works for my dog so I use it sparingly) and Wysong Fundamentals.

I’ll see what others I can come up with.

[DogFoodie]

Do the Champion foods you can buy include Acana? Acana is usually quite a bit more affordable in the USA than Orijen.

[Sarah]

Hello Dog Experts!

I would love to get your suggestions on what would be the best food to get for our new puppy Pearl who is 3/4 Golden Retriever and 1/4 Border Collie mix that the breeder refers to as a Coltriever. We have had her since she was 10 weeks old and is now 13 weeks and weighs 12 lbs and is a very active and happy pup. She is currently on Taste of the Wild Puppy which was what the breeder was feeding and we have switched between the Wild Prairie and Wild Pacific Salmon formulas and she has done well on both but seems to like the Wild Pacific Salmon formula more. She has a long and very fluffy puppy coat still and the Vet suggested having her on a fish based puppy food for both her longer coat and to help with the cancer that is so prevalent in Goldens. My understanding is TOTW is a good food for the price point however, I am looking to find what the best food would be for her. I joined the Editors Choice but the large breed Puppy foods listed were not fish based. I don’t mind paying more $$ as it is important to me to have her on the best food possible. Our vet is not pro Raw food and we currently are not looking to go that direction except for possibly supplementing. If anyone has suggestions on supplements we should be adding I would love to hear those as well! I am also scratching my head on whether I should be doing all dry or a wet/dry combo for her food.
These are some of the suggestions we got from Mud Bay for her dry food (a local high end pet store):
1. First Mate Puppy
2. Instinct Salmon (it’s not a puppy formula but they said that it has the same protein and fat ratios as a puppy formula would have)
3. Acana (they didn’t carry but said was great)
4. Orijen (they didn’t carry but said was great)
I appreciate the help, the more I research the more confused I get and would love to hear from people’s personal experiences!
~Sarah

[Sarah]

Hello Dog Experts!

I would love to get your suggestions on what would be the best food to get for our new puppy Pearl who is 3/4 Golden Retriever and 1/4 Border Collie mix that the breeder refers to as a Coltriever. We have had her since she was 10 weeks old and is now 13 weeks and weighs 12 lbs and is a very active and happy pup. She is currently on Taste of the Wild Puppy which was what the breeder was feeding and we have switched between the Wild Prairie and Wild Pacific Salmon formulas and she has done well on both but seems to like the Wild Pacific Salmon formula more. She has a long and very fluffy puppy coat still and the Vet suggested having her on a fish based puppy food for both her longer coat and to help with the cancer that is so prevalent in Goldens. My understanding is TOTW is a good food for the price point however, I am looking to find what the best food would be for her. I joined the Editors Choice but the large breed Puppy foods listed were not fish based. I don’t mind paying more $$ as it is important to me to have her on the best food possible. Our vet is not pro Raw food and we currently are not looking to go that direction except for possibly supplementing. If anyone has suggestions on supplements we should be adding I would love to hear those as well!

These are some of the suggestions we got from Mud Bay (a local high end pet store):
1. First Mate Puppy
2. Instinct Salmon (it’s not a puppy formula but they said that it has the same protein and fat ratios as a puppy formula would have)
3. Acana (they didn’t carry but said was great)
4. Orijen

I appreciate the help, the more I research the more confused I get and would love to hear from people’s personal experiences!

~Sarah

[DogFoodie]

I was planning to start Sam on Acana Duck & Bartlett Pear, but he reacted to a new food I was trying (which now causes me to suspect tomato for him, too), so I put him back on NVI LID Duck so he could stabilize before I try something else. If the Acana works, I’ll have three kibbles he can eat (only three) and I’m concerned because all three are duck based.

I did recently pick up some THK Thrive for him, so if he’s OK with that, I’ll be able to add chicken into the rotation.

[theBCnut]

My dog also does great with Acana Pacifica and Ranchlands.

[Charlotte P]

What foods have you all switched to/had success with? My dogs have always been on grain-free, supplemented with pumpkin and goat yoghurt. Right now I have two, both are rescues… Phoebe is about six years old, she came to me four years ago, and her health is fine except for a reaction to yeast supplements which I tried as a flea treatment alternative (They are both on Comfortis now). Leo, also about six, came to me four months ago and has the anal abscess issues, was underweight, and ended up having TWELVE teeth removed – he was already missing five! Over the years, dry and canned foods I have tried include Natural Balance, Spring Naturals, I and Love and You, Wishbone Lake, and of course, home-cooked meals. Has anyone had success with any of these? How about Orijen, Acana, Blue Buffalo, or Taste of the Wild? Do I need to go raw? For the dry, I had the best outcome with Wishbone Lake.

[Hater and Molly’s Mom]

My girls had NVI Lamb and Salmon kibble topped with Zignature Zssentials canned. The each had a Etta Says duck chew. Next bag on our rotation is Acana Ranchlands.

[Melissaandcrew]

Hey there…Pugs is right and my crew eat average sort of levels..no more than 16 percent. When I wish to incorporate a higher fat one, I mix with a lower fat one to keep the overall level the same. Ex..Acana Grassland is 17percent fat so I might mix it with Natures Variety Prairie or Nutrisource etc etc. Hyperlipidemia is also a schnauzers problem so kust use caution in higher fat foods.

[bill c]

Hiya,

I’m abroad (stationed in Singapore). I posted in the regular site but, thought I’d also do it here.

1. What’s the best dry food with 22-26% protein; 8-14% Fat; and 340-360 calories
2. Same question for dehydrated food
3. Same goes for canned food.
I currently feed Honest Kitchen and Acana Grassland but, am confused about the percentages on the packaging.

This is us:

[Nelson P]

Hi everyone,
It’s the first time I post on this thread but have been learning a lot from reading it (specially from HDM). So, first of all thanks! Now, hopefully you guys don’t mind if I ask for a little more help. I have a 3 months old Golden Retriever. I have been feeding him Royal Canin Golden Retriever Junior (recommended by the vet.) but as you all know, it’s not the best choice. I want to do better. Unfortunately I don’t have the time or money to feed him a proper raw meal. Not now, maybe in the future (who knows). Good Canned is also very expensive (maybe I can add it as a topper sometimes). So I have to stick with kibble. Would like to choose from HDM list but I live in Europe (Portugal) and we don’t have those brands here (stores or online) and buy it from a international online store would also be too expensive for the shipping. I had to look for other brands and try to stick with the guidelines I learn here. As sad as it may look I couldn’t find too many brands to choose from (there are plenty but not that good). Basically I found 2 options: Orijen/Acana large breed puppy (I know it’s borderline with the calcium levels) or Naturea. Naturea is a portuguese brand but they produce there food in a UK factory tucked into a rural area (as they stated in their website). They have the same Biologically Appropriate concept that Champions have. It’s possible none of you ever heard about this brand (I too didn’t know them until yesterday). I don’t know if I can post the website here for you guys to help me analyse their food so I’ll copy/past their Technical Information:

Composition:
Chicken (includes Fresh Deboned Chicken and Chicken Meal), Sweet Potato, Egg Powder,
Chicken Fat, Potato Protein, Lucerne, Linseed, Chicken Gravy, Salmon Oil, Minerals,
Vitamins, Glucosamine, Methylsulfonylmethane, Chondroitin Sulphate, Apple, Carrot,
Tomato, Spinach, Psyllium, Rosehips, Camomile, Burdock Root, Peppermint, Marigold,
Seaweed, Cranberry, Dandelion, Fructooligosaccharides, Aniseed, Fenugreek, Yucca
Schidigera Extract, Thyme, Marjoram, Oregano, Parsley, Sage.

Animal Ingredients (63%):
Chicken Meal (low ash) 31.17%
Fresh Deboned Chicken 13.85%
Egg Powder 8.22%
Chicken Fat 7.36%
Chicken Gravy 1.73%
Salmon Oil 0.86%

Typical Analysis:
Crude Protein 32%
Crude Fat 21%
Crude Fibre 3%
Moisture 8.5%
Carbohydrates 27.5%
Crude Ash 8%
Metabolisable Energy 387 kCal/100g
Calcium 1.21%
Phosphorus 1.04%

Coat, cardio & Joints:
Linoleic Acid (Omega 6) 3.09%
Linolenic Acid (Omega 3) 1.07%
Glucosamine 889 mg/kg
Chondroitin 625 mg/kg
Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) 889 mg/kg

Other Vitamins, Amnio Acids & Minerals:
Vitamin A 25730 IU/kg
Vitamin D3 1730 IU/kg
Vitamin E (as alpha-tocopherol acetate) 231 IU/kg
Vitamin B1 10 mg/kg
Vitamin B2 23 mg/kg
Vitamin B6 10 mg/kg
Vitamin B12 127 mcg/kg
Biotin 323 mcg/kg
Folic acid 1.73 mg/kg
Niacin 35 mg/kg
Choline Chloride 240 mg/kg
Pantothenate 20 mg/kg
Potassium 1.04%
Sodium 0.36%
Chloride 0.63%
Magnesium 0.1%
Zinc (as zinc sulphate monohydrate) 285 mg/kg
Zinc (as chelate of amino acids hydrate) 342 mg/kg
Copper (as cupric sulphate monohydrate) 41 mg/kg
Copper (as cupric chelate of amino acids hydrate) 51 mg/kg
Manganese (as manganous sulphate monohydrate) 112 mg/kg
Iron (as ferrous sulphate monohydrate) 309 mg/kg
Iron (as ferrous chelate of amino acids hydrate) 21 mg/kg
Iodine (as calcium iodate anhydrous) 1.58 mg/kg
Selenium (as sodium selenite) 0.51 mg/kg

Sorry for the long text. I need to decide on a food sooner than later to start the transition. In the future I would like to rotate different brands (If I can find good ones), and add toppers as suggested here. But for now I really have to decide. Origin, Naturea or other world available brand? Can you help me? So afraid to make the wrong choice. Any other advice on dog/puppy health would be great 🙂

P.S. As for the toppers, besides eggs, tinned sardines, plain yogurt, kefir, cottage cheese, and veggies what can I add without throwing off the balance?

[DogFoodie]

In addition to the Victor C4C mentioned, my picks would be Fromm Four Star Beef Fritatta (includes pork), Acana Ranchlands (includes lamb, fishes and bison), Nature’s Logic Beef (includes sardine), Earthborn Great Plains Feast (actually bison as opposed to beef), and Regional Red (includes a bunch of other proteins, too many for my liking, but still a quality product).

Annamaet Manitok is an excellent red meat formula, but the first ingredient is lamb, followed by buffalo and it includes herring.

[Lynn J]

I am in the same boat. I was feeding a rotation of Orijen and Acana foods, but despite the fact my dogs were doing great on them, it’s really beyond my budget to keep it up. I’ve added Wellness Core to my rotation, both the original and the ocean. Wellness Core is still a 5 star food and the company seems to be reputable. For a cost comparison using Chewy.com, Acana Grasslands (15 lb) is 45.99 or $3.066/lb. Wellness Core original (12 lb) is $25.95 or $2.16/lb. My dogs are doing very well with this in their rotation.

[evan v]

Some of these brands I have not seen locally. I do have a few more stores I would like to check out.

I got a sample bag of Nutrisource small/med puppy. He seemed to like it the most. But is that’s just for puppies isn’t it?

As for the rotational diet. One store really close to me sells Fromm. I like all the different choices?

Just about every store carries Wellness. They have a few small breed/smaller kibble which is pretty cool.

The high protein dry foods seem to be higher priced. EVO,Acana & Orijen just to name a few are freakin expensive and have over 40% protein. A few other people I talked to all said the higher protein diets are better suited for active dogs. Which does make sense. I just won’t worry about protein levels. I’d say most good dry dog food has 27%-33% anyway.

I read Dr Mike Sagman’s story. It’s inspiring. I understand how he rates the food in all. Regardless of knowledge this website is GREAT! It’s easy to just look up food and compare one another. =)

[Vianca V]

No Victor distributor and all other food are either taste of the wild, acana and origen as well as anf will se if chewy ships.

[Melissaandcrew]

No snow yet in my part of NY but the cold is nasty for the dogs. They go out, run around a bit then want in..15mins tops. Just cut back on amounts. My crew just finished a bag of Orijen senior and the new bag in their bin is Acana. These days they get dry perhaps once a week, and the rest raw depending on the dog.

[aquariangt]

None of the Acana Classics are available in the states. My assumption is because of limited manufacturing capabilities from their plant. They are opening a plant in Kentucky sometime in the coming future, so that should make more of acana’s formulas available

[Renate W]

Acana Light and Fit, is a very good dry food for dogs with weight issues. Why is it not available in the USA like all the other Acana formulas?
From: Renate, Cleveland Ohio

[Naturella]

Here are the feeding recommendations Acana suggests: http://www.acana.com/products/regionals/grasslands/

Just click on “feeding”, and go from there, watch out for their body condition and weight, and adjust accordingly.

[iggymom]

I’ve been researching dog foods for about two weeks now and I just can’t decide on what I think is best for him. He’s 4 months and about 7 pounds, and IG’s typically need a high protein high fat diet but I can’t help but be cautionary of very high protein foods (Orijen?) because he’s so tiny. I’ve been looking at Canine Caviar, Acana, Orijen, the Petcurean Now!/Go! line, etc…. Thoughts?

Please help! 🙂

[Burr A]

I have misplaced the bag it came in and so, do not have any guideline on hoe much to feed.
We have 3 – a Yorkie, a Malti-Poo ( both about 9 lbs) and a Bichon-Poodle (weighs 22 lbs.)

Anyone have suggestions? I understand that the feeding amounts on the bag are excessive.

Thanks.

beachgul1@gmail.com

[theBCnut]

Nature’s Variety Instinct, Nature’s Logic’ Earthborn, Canine Caviar, Annamaet, Acana, and any others that my dogs tolerates and I like.

[Hater and Molly’s Mom]

When i tried to switch Molly to Orijen she did the same exact thing. She was eating a whole lot of grass, more than usual, and throwing up white looking liquid too. She did the same thing with Acana. As soon as i took her off both of those foods it all stopped. I had to take those two out of the rotation.

[Lord F]

I just barely made the switch to raw for two of my dogs, we feed them raw in the morning and kibble in the early evening. For my 4 month old puppy, he gets half of his food raw, so his full morning meal. We expect him to get 35lbs. For our senior, we starting off by feeding him 1/4 raw per day, so he gets the same portion as the puppy, with a cup of kibble added. He’s 100lbs! I just started this a week ago! I just went out and bought their meat for this week. I’m so new to making it completely balanced and that’s why I’m starting with half kibble, until I get this down. Here’s what they got last week each:
Friday/Sunday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday AM:
5.7 oz Boneless, skinless chicken breast
1.3 oz beef kidney
Saturday/Monday/Wednesday AM:
5.7 oz pork stew meat (boneless)
1.3 oz beef kidney
1 egg
They got turkey necks and cow feet throughout the week as well. This week I switched to a different menu:
Saturday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday:
1 pork rib
1.3 oz pork liver
2 oz beef heart
2 oz turkey gizzards
Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday:
1.3 oz pork liver
3 oz turkey gizzard
2.7 oz beef heart
1 tbs canned salmon
In the PM they get either Acana or Orijen, we switch between the two every night. I now give them an egg once a week, they get turkey and pork necks throughout the week. I’m gonna stop by a Whole Foods tomorrow to get whole raw sardine and feed them this twice a week in addition to the regular meal and omit the canned salmon. I know it’s really basic, but I just wanted to know what I can do to make it more varied and more balanced. I’d like to start now for when I switch them off kibble. My senior also gets probiotics in capsule form to help with his digestion, he gets gas easily. What can I add to his food instead of giving him 4 capsules a day? THANKS!

[Mom2Cavs]

The new Acana Singles have 6.5%. Fiber minimum as fed.

[Elyse K]

Susan,
Yes she has been on the Metro and yes it does help, but the lousy poops and blood come back after awhile. That being said I do not want to keep medicating her and if a change in food can make that happen like it did with your pup then I will be a very happy Mom 🙂
In looking for grain free and low fat (not that easy to find) I think I have narrowed it down to 3 choices…Wellness, Acana and Annamet. Will keep you posted

[Lord F]

A local pet store called Theresa’s is selling these little packs for $1 a piece. All these for $29! This is 20lbs of Acana.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by Lord F.

[Nancy C]

I decided this was why my GSD could not transition to ACANA or ORIGEN food….

[pugmomsandy]

Pro PAC Ultimates grain free and Castor & Pollux Grain Free-Poultry Free, Zignature, Acana singles might be options.

[DogFoodie]

Orijen and Acana are 20% off at Petflow through midnight on 10/21. Use promo code ORIJENACANA at checkout. That never happens! Champion is strict with their pricing requirements.

[Naturella]

I know Earthborn Holistic is available outside the US but not sure where. Also, I believe Annamaet and Victor are sold some places – Czech Republic I think – all three are great brands. Also, I second Farmina – should be easier to find, it’s an Italian brand, but not all formulas are that great – I saw a moderately-good one in a pet store in Bulgaria this past summer. If you can, look for the N&D Farmina formulas. Also, Orijen and Acana should be available – I know some Bulgarian stores carry them, but I think only in bigger cities.

[Melissaandcrew]

High Trek, and Arcana are not available I all areas. Some of you will have to settle for plain old Acana and Hi Tek. Lol

[anne a]

Thank you all! As several said you can change ingredients,it is a decent pet foodbut definitely misleading if you are sucked into it & I am not liking some of the basic ingredients in Petbrosia -I am sticking w/my rotation of Orijen six fish/Nutrisca Sal & chickpea/Acana Pacifica/Fromm Tunalina/Merrick GF Sal. Will try Dr Tims next month GF Kinesis as recommended here.

[Edith H]

I really would like to share some experiences and get some help if possible!!!
I have an amstaffy 4 years old. He has a very sensitive tummy that was treated with diarrhea for a month after we got him ( Back in early Aug this year). Ever since, his stool had been stable with Acana Grassland. Few weeks ago, we took him for a general check up in vet and got recommended with Purina FortisFlora as well. It did made his stool seems drier and harder for the three days that I had been feeding him with Purina, but soon stopped since I was really concerned with not knowing what animal digestive is?! However, it got me all interested in adding probiotic into his diet. Then I was trying out raw goat milk from Primal. Giving little spoon to a 50 lbs dog for straight three days, he ended up with really bad diarrhea in the past two days. Therefore, adding goat milk to aid as probiotic doesn’t seem like an option to me.

Though his stool is normally fine with just Acana, I was hoping to improve his whole digestive systems overall and started research about probiotic and prebiotic…etc. I have problem getting a good result as many probiotic recommended online are sold in USA only.

Are probiotic a waste of money? is prebiotic a really better and safer option even it might feed both good and bad bacterias? any good suggestions in Canada available?

or am I just simply too greedy?! should just stay the same…leave it simple with just Acana kibbles….>,<

[Mary M]

You need a lowfat food. Probably 10% or less. What does your vet recommend?

Here, Mike posted a nice summary of some lowfat foods for dogs with these issues. I’d suggest Acana Light and Fit. But if you need wet…there’s a suggestion for that too.
/best-dog-foods/suggested-low-fat-dog-food/

• This reply was modified 11 years, 5 months ago by Mary M.

[aquariangt]

Have you ever heard of wellness, acana, Orijen…. Are you kidding? Yes everyone here has heard of them, and yes, they are still high in carbs, and yes they are still considered kibble, as all dry food is kibble. Maybe less carbs than all the low quality corn and soy kibble, but still carb heavy none the less.

The thought process that wet food rots teeth is a very old wives tale. And forgive me for saying so, but you did already tell someone that this message was just for hdm so Not to respond.

Spaniel39, I recommend a bit more research before making comments like your last one

[spaniel39]

Kibble is carbs???
Yah, I guess it is if that’s what you feed your dogs! lol
Benful, alpo, old roy
yes, dogs were not meant to have grains/carbs!
Meat!
Have you ever heard of Orijen, Wellness Core, Acana
I do brush my dog’s teeth which most people find it hard to do, but not time-consuming!
Well, keep doing what you’re doing, Grizzly Adams, and feed your wet food and throw
your dog a bone!
As KIM pointed out, no need to be rude!

[aquariangt]

I will preface by saying that those tests are a bit uneven. You could go get it done again and get different results. It’s not a bad starting point but the best way to find out what ingredients your dog is intolerant of would be via elimination diet.

I certainly wouldn’t consider SD your best or even a good option, unfortunately.

First Five Ingredients:
Starch, Hydrolyzed Chicken Liver, Soybean Oil, Hydrolyzed Chicken, Powdered Cellulose

That freaks me out a bit. ok, a lot. If it were me, I would try a couple 5 lb bags of food to get a few things figured out and go from there. A recommendation I would give to start would be Acana Pork and Butternut Squash-it’s got peas but they are a ways down. Nature’s Variety Instinct has some LID diets as well that you could try out. Wellness does as well. So does Natural Balance but I don’t particularly like that brand enough to recommend it

If all else fails and none of these LID diets work for you, I would go for homeade or commercial raw before going onto that science diet thing they’ve got you on

[Nancy C]

Cyndi:
First your dog is beautiful! I love the way he looks right into the picture! And with seeming purpose! 🙂 I know he’s a sweet one.

Thank you for your post also. You all are really helping me. My GSD was gone for three months for training and while he was gone I decided on RAW. Like you, I read the major books, watched Becker’s videos, took notes, read on line, and my binder is jammed. He had all those troubles on Origen and Acana and i just decided kibble was not worth it.

I will brush his teeth in addition to doing the bones. Thank you for that info. Have some HARE TODAY turkey necks frozen now but he is not YET on raw. I am working with a Homeopathic Vet who is wonderful and who has recommended Big Dog Natural although DFA people did not feel good about what BDN not coming forth with info re GA. I asked BDN about it and they said they could not tell their “secret” (which she inferred had to do with the fermentation of the veggies and the air drying process). The Homeopath vet feeds BDN to his 6 dogs – several are Great Danes – and he loves the food and the company. He also feeds Darwins. He has suggested that I go cold turkey when I transition the GSD using chicken and the turkey formulas (BDN) to begin with for several weeks. One Protein. (THat is what Tracy at HARE TODAY also suggested.) Once he’s doing great on that I will pull out the Turkey necks. After that I think I can start veering out a little. Tracy at HARE TODAY emailed me to take my time and NOT PUSH IT — that getting in a hurry will mess up his digestion. She’s SELLING RAW and TOLD ME TO SLOW DOWN! (That’s a sign of a good person!)

The woman who 1/2 owns Ziwipeak has two labs and she said she feeds them Ziwi at breakfast everyday and then gives them a raw very meaty bone for supper at night. I never got into Ziwipeak myself but it was interesting to hear that she does that. Says they are a picture of health.

Now it appears I must find out about CALCIUM so I do not overdo it. Any references about that?
Thank you again for your input. This is such a great site and I have met wonderful people.
With Gratitude,
Nancy C.

[Nancy C]

I had a very scary experience. Our GSD dog ( approx16 mos old) in March had had bad diarrhea from transitioning OFF TOW to Origen, then Acana. Spent lots of $ at vet for cure. A week later the dog had gotten back to normal. The vet did a “well check” w thumbs UP and on the way out I bought the Solesto HORRIBLE Collar. Everyone at the vet was raving and the vet herself told me it would probl be better than an oral flea/ tick med due to his sensitive stomach. So I BOUGHT IT and they put it on.

Within 24 hours this dog was so sick. He was literally CRYING in the crate and scratching the door to get out and poop total syrup. One night he woke me three times scratching and crying AND MOANING with discomfort. This was over the weekend. I put him on broth and no changes. Back to the vet on Monday COLLAR STILL ON. Long horrible story short: I finally realized it was the collar! I yanked it off and within 24 hours he was much better. I called Bayer, had to “work it” bec nobody wanted to refund me. I finally got my money back. The VET TECH secretly told me that the rep told HER that they have had a LOT OF TROUBLE with that collar!

It’s not for everyone.

[Jenny Rellick]

Cecile,

I am sure you already have tried cutting back, but you need to know by how much. Every dog food label I have read overestimates the serving size. On this site, the Dog Food Calculator is helpful, but I have personal advice on how to use it, it worked for my Leo-he lost 12 pounds in a year and has kept it off. I’ve taken the liberty of using it for Koda.

First, websites differ on what a Bichon should weigh. In the breed standard, the range is 7-12 lbs. On sites that are not sticklers for the breed standard, they say a healthy weight is between 10-18 lbs. Ultimately, the right weight for Koda is one where he has a physique that has a well-defined indentation at the waist and that does not feel feel flappy on the ribcage. If Koda ever had that physique you can use that weight as your target. If you don’t know what his personal target should be I would suggest 14 lbs. for the time being.

I looked up the Acana Fit and Light food and it has 360 calories per cup. I notice that the Fit and Light food uses oats as the second ingredient, unlike any other Acana products. That makes me a uncomfortable because I don’t even know That it would get 4 stars, let alone 5 stars. Dieting dogs can’t afford to waste calories on oats! You should consider going to the 5-star low glycemic product line from Acana, even though it will make the serving size smaller. For this exercise, I used the Fit and Light calorie count since that is what you used to. The dog food calculator says that for an overweight dog with a target weight of 14 lbs, Koda should be consuming 280 calories per day. With the Acana food you’re using that comes out to 0.78 cups per day (just over 3/4 cups).

You have to keep in mind that calories from treats count in the daily total. A couple of dog biscuits would be the equivalent of half a day’s food. You are going to have to find an extremely small treat. I would suggest Zuke’s Mini-Naturals which have about 3 calories each.
As another member mentioned, Bichons do have a risk of kidney problems. Many dogs don’t drink enough because they are trying to accommodate their owners’ availability for walks. I pour lukewarm water on my dogs kibble, just enough to cover it in a flat-bottomed dish. The food retains some of its crunchiness, but he automatically consumes more water and feels more full. Green beans and sliced carrots are very low in calories and high in fiber. They also help the dog feel more full. I put two heaping teaspoons of canned green beans (no salt added) on both meals, and that is only 10 calories per meal.
Therefore, I would suggest two meals a day, each with just over 1/3 cup of dog food, water to cover, and two heaping tablespoons of green beans. I hope that this specific recommendation will work for Koda. When you are dealing with a small breed, there’s a fine line between cutting back appropriately and malnourishing your dog. My dog really looks forward to his meals and he does not beg for food excessively after meals. Before, when I did not add water and green beans, he would put his paw on the bag of food and whine after he ate!
One last piece of advice: make sure that everyone in your household understands that a little bit of table food or a few too many treats will have a huge impact on Koda. If Koda is not losing weight, somebody is cheating.

[Cecile C]

Koda likes acana, this is the only food he will eat. Fit and Light. I think I am feeding him too much of it, as he still isn’t losing weight. He is sooo fat, I need your help fast. Thanks ahead of time for your assistance 🙂

[aquariangt]

Nancy-Are you a member of Editor’s Choice here? None of the brands there are Diamond made. I feed a pretty rotational diet myself, a few brands that I recommend that are NOT diamond associated: Fromm (I use 4star, and grain free mostly, just not for my pea intolerant girl), Earthborn (again, I like grain free of theirs), Acana/Orijen, Simply Nourish Source, and if you are interested in the dehydrated route, The Honest Kitchen. Victor is also a top food recommended on here, but I haven’t tried it myself-hard to find here

[Anna S]

Thank you. I thought they were doing well on Acana but this summer two of them had to go to doctor for steroids and antihistamines were not working. So I am going to try changing foods before I have to spends hundreds of dollars on allergy testing.

[DogFoodie]

I would TOTALLY second C4C’s post!

Wellness products are excellent. I hope the new food helps to quiet their allergies / intolerances. I never had good luck with any Acana products, even for my dog without food sensitivities.

Good luck!

[Anna S]

Does anyone know why this brand only receives 3 1/2 stars? I just purchased this to try on my sensitive allergic dogs switching from Acana Ranchlands.

[aquariangt]

I wouldn’t worry yourself over staying within the brand, that’s a bit of a myth. I switch between brands with every bag, and i don’t even bother to mix them unless i dont have enough left to give a full meal. Depending on how you switched though if your dog isnt used to a rotational diet, you may have switched Acana too fast, as that is a fair amount lower in protein than orijen (which i can’t use either) I do like acana, though alot if their kibble sizes are a bit big for my liking.

I don’t recommend blue buffalo at all-any line of them. sketchy company, if you nose about on the forums you will see a lot more in depth comments about tham

Some dogs dont do well on certain proteins, so that could have been the case with the beef there, though it could have been changing him too quickly if he isn’t used to it.

As far as that range of protein %, I would try out Fromm, especially the 4 star line, they have plenty of flavors to pick from. I also like Earthborn, and the small breed i use a lot in my rotation as I have one that has issues with peas so a lot of grain free blends don’t work for us (though sometimes I just buy her a separate bag and the other 2 can share) but the Earthborn grain free line is a favorite of mine as well, though it’s a bit higher in the protein than what you are looking for. Go! is manufactured by Now Fresh and they have Now Fresh and Summit you could look into. Nature’s Variety prairie is a bit lower and from a solid company, precise is a good company…you will find that in the 20%s for protein, you probably won’t be at 5 stars, but as long as the red ingredients are kept to a minimum, i wouldn’t balk at the food if it’s what you need to do for your dogs stomach

[Ly]

Oh, he can’t handle anything over 30%. I tried Origen and Acana (diarrhea) and Holistic Select (wouldn’t touch it) and Wellness Core (wouldn’t touch it) and BB, now I’m trying Go!. I wanted something with a few different flavors/protein choices so I can rotate within the same brand (I was told I wouldn’t have to transition then). The best poops he has is on BB chicken and rice puppy. But he doesn’t do well on the beef. And I was also told to not stick with one protein source b/c they can develop an allergy. So changing within the brand is ideal. It seems he does well around 27%. And with all the BB issues I just wanted something else. Researching I found that Origen/Acana was like the “best”, but that’s not an option for his tummy.

[Zanes Mom]

It’s interesting that you would say that about the kibble because about the time his problems started the dog food he was on ( not Acana) was suddenly unavailable for a period of time and the reason given was manufacturing issues. Hard to know of course.
When I first visited this site I could never imagine feeding raw but as I learn more I really want it to play a part in Zane’s diet so I appreciate your good wishes. Thank you again for your insight and suggestions.

[Zanes Mom]

Hi All! I have a 150lb. Bullmastiff that will be 2 in October. I have followed this site since we got him at 4mos. and the advice has been sooo helpful. Having said that I wish that I had done what someone said in the past and kept note cards for future reference. Zane has been on various formulas of Acana Regionals and the singles Duck with various toppers like eggs, sardines and kefir. I also use Earthborn Holistic tubs, Natures Logic and Hound and Gatos canned as light toppers. I would like to add some additional brands into his kibble rotation and have a small bag of Farmina chicken to try but here is my question/concern, do i need to be concerned about the fat level in foods and does anyone have suggestions? He is at a good weight but shouldn’t add any and his activity level is pretty low. We live in Florida and with the summer heat I try to get him out for early morning walks and again late in the day but the rest of the time he is happy to sleep and hang out. All input will be considered and appreciated!