Hi Jan-
It was the duck variety we had the issues with as well, that I was talking about on the review section. I had three dogs vomiting undigested kibble, some had gas that could kill a maggot(horrible sulfur odor), a few had “off color stool” and I was just generally unhappy and very disappointed in the products results. I returned the second bag that I had purchased and that was unopened. In contrast, I picked up a bag of Fromm Salmon a la veg as well as a bag of Grandma Mae’s country naturals(grain free) that same day. I mixed half a bag of each in my bin with 1/2 bag of Grasslands-despite these both being new foods, stool was normal and better than it had been in several days-no gas either. Point in telling that part is that its not my rotating or a fail to properly introduce it. For some reason, my dogs just did not do well at all with the new Merrick grain free. right now, should be the time I rotate in Acana Lamb/apple, but my store here has not had it in a while, hence the Fromm addition : )
thanks for the responses, guys! going out to get him pumpkin today-just took him out and his poop was super foul, loose, and there was some mucus and a small bit on red blood. He has had the small amount of blood before when he had some stress issues, so I figure this is just from inflammation. Otherwise he is acting fine and normal!
Hi all. I’ve been feeding Merrick’s new grain free kibble (and one bag of their Small Breed) since right before Christmas. I’ve also been using their small breed canned food as a topper (of course, along with other brands). I’ve fed two bags of the Chicken, one bag of Buffalo, one bag of Pork. It was going great, even better than when they were on Fromm, until this second bag of Pork that was just added last week (the first bag of Pork was a different lot #). I’ve been buying the small bags, except right before this “episode” I did buy a large bag of the Duck which they haven’t had yet. Anyway, I dumped the new bag of Pork in with the other bag that was already in the bin. I didn’t check it closely because I was getting ready to go out of town. My daughter would be the one to feed them while I was gone. She helps me sometimes and knows what to do. The evening meal before I left I fed them. I didn’t feed the next morning meal but did notice that someone had some weird looking stool when they went out first thing in the morn. It had some formed and the rest was runny. It was also a weird color…..dark green or dark grayish to almost black. I didn’t see which one did it. My immediate thought was that Hazel was stressing because I was leaving, as she is my “stressy” dog. I told my daughter to go ahead and feed but no treats and to watch them and call me. I would be back in 3-4 days. Well…this went on for all the time I was gone! No one acted sick, though, and they had no accidents in the house (thank goodness!). When I got back I immediately checked everything out. I started inspecting the kibble and noticed something odd. This new bag of Pork had some pieces that were longer, thinner, way darker and looked very dense throughout the bag. It looked like maybe the extruder had an issue. I immediately took them off this food, of course, and started chicken and rice. Everything was fine. All dogs actually had this bad stool, not just one, and all dogs went back to somewhat fine (still getting there) afterward. I’m switching off Merrick now. I will say this is the first time I’ve had firsthand experience with a food having something “off” in it and I’m not happy. I called Merrick with the lot number and they, of course, weren’t much help. They said no one else has had a problem or contacted them with anything and that they would send me a coupon. I told them I had been very happy with Merrick until this and I didn’t want a coupon because I wasn’t going to take a chance on poor quality control with them again. I may go back to Fromm, but right now I’m going to give Acana’s Single line a chance. I’m phasing in their Lamb and Apple currently. The dogs love it (using it as treats now and putting a few kibble in their chicken/rice mix). I’m just so disappointed. I am going to take the Duck bag back. I had a little of the small Chicken bag left and looked in it to see if the dark pieces were there and they were not. I just don’t want to take a chance with Merrick again, even though they did fine until now. I’ll keep you guys posted. Sorry this is so long, but I needed to rant and wanted to alert others to this possibility. 🙁
To add to Melissa’s post….Acana also contains botanicals which might be bothersome for some dogs. Just a consideration. 🙂 Btw, we’re now trying the Duck and Pear and the Lamb and Apple (had an issue with Merrick recently and needed something new). We’ll let everyone know later how it goes. I hope it goes well.
Hi there-
My crew eats all varieties of the Acana, and Ii generally don’t have problems with it. They will however get funny stool if on the Pacifica for too long(soft). While a higher protein food can cause the gas, imo, so can a food that does not agree with them. Some of my crew get the sulfur gas on lamb based foods(and they are lower protein than the Acana) and recently on Merrick grain free-that was coupled by vomiting as well for a few of them. My new policy is that I need to breath the air and it simply must be sulfur bomb free, lol. When it happens, I have not found that it clears up anytime soon, so I simply nix the offending food from future rotations. You might also consider going with a variety that is lower fat as I find that affects my dogs’ stool. The lamb/apple is only 15 or 16 percent, whilst the other two are 17%.
Our terrier mix was on Royal Canin HP for years, and we recently tried to switch to Acana Chicken and Burbank Potato (12/31/12). We transitioned correctly, and at first the only issue was an increase in the amount of stool and the frequency in needing to go, along with very strong sulfur like gas. Acana told me that switching to a higher protein food does that, and they explained it very well. Well now, 5 weeks later, he has an upset tummy (stomach making crazy sounds and solid stool followed by diarrhea) and then had some formed but very soft stool, and even pooped in the house last night (formed stool) which he never, ever has done before. I am suspecting a food intolerance, which confuses me because we have always given him plain chicken to ease upset stomach, and potato was in his other food. I have him on plain chicken and white rice for a few days waiting for the Acana Duck and Pear I ordered…hoping that since Duck is a novel protein he was do well on it. Planning on giving it to him with some pureed pumpkin at first per Mike’s instructions. Has anyone else had food intolerance issues with an Acana variety and then had better luck with a different type of Acana or Single protein Acana?
Bryan-
No, she is saying the reason she is thinking grain free is due in part to the arsenic reports : )
Jessie-
Why did your vet say 21% protein or under? That to me is way too low unless there is a medical reason necessitating it. For the record, my dogs range in weight from just under 6lbs to 110lbs. They range in age from 2 yrs to 16 yrs. They are all “house dogs” with activity levels proportionate to their ages(some are very active, some prefer to loaf around the house) All of them eat Acana at 30-31 percent protein, and to that I add raw, canned etc-further upping it.
I rescued a 1 year old Rottie. My vet recommend I put him on Medi-Cal Hypoallergenic. It seems to be helping as well as the antibiotics but I do not want to keep him on this food and people have suggested a few different foods. Merrick grain free, blue wilderness, acana. Im just wondering if anyone has a dog with skin issues and feeds them any of these foods or if anyone has any opinions or suggestions on these foods. Thanks.
I would indeed stay away from common ingredients, particularly chicken, lamb, and beef. However, I would dump the Royal Canin as soon as possible. Your vet probably put your dog on it as it doesn’t contain any meat/animal-based protein, which is fine as that should allow your dog to heal up from the allergic reaction. But I would NOT feed it long-term, since dogs should be fed meat.
You can search the 5 star foods here at DFA, then weed out the ones that contain chicken. Some may not be available in your area, but you can always find places on the net to buy it for little or no shipping cost.
If you have questions about specific foods, then feel free to ask. But make sure to put it in the proper forum, so that way it’s seen by more people.
And FYI, here are a few I’d suggest if you were in my store, as they are grain free and don’t contain any chicken, lamb, or beef…
Merrick Grain Free Duck or Pork
Zignature Trout & Salmon or Turkey
Acana Pacifica
You may want to check out a dehydrated/freeze-dried food such as those made by Honest Kitchen and Grandma Lucy’s, or even raw.
I have a 1 year old Rottie who is currently on Medi-Cal Hypoallergenic dry dog food. The vet recommended this because they think he has a food allergy (when i rescued him he had patches of fur missing and is itchy and scratches) he has been getting better since he has had antibiotics and on this food. But I have been recommened by fellow Rottie owners to switch to Blue Wilderness the Duck one or Acana (the one with duck in as well) Im just worried that the blue wilderness one might trigger the allergies as it has chicken in it as well and i was told to stay away from foods that have common ingredients in them because his old owners fed him cheap food and that could be the cause to his skin condition. Any suggestions or opinions would help. Thanks.
Hi I have never posted before.But I am on here all the time reading the dry food reviews.I Am now totally confused? I currently feed Pro-Plan small bites chicken and rice I now know it is not the best.My Yorkies are VERY PICKY and I usually have to add canned food to get them to eat.ANY suggestions on a good dry food for small Yorkies that are very picky!! I have tried Nutro, Taste of the Wild and Acana and they will not eat any of these.If anyone has any suggestions I would greatly appreciate them
Thank You
AnonymousInactive
a note to Chauncey, the Acana Regionals Grasslands kibble was a good size. Slightly larger than what I would normally feed my Pom but she chewed it up just fine. I would say the pieces were just slightly smaller than a dime. Round disk shaped and maybe an 1/8th of and inch thick. So if you are looking for a bit larger kibble this might work well for you.
AnonymousInactive
thank you for the input! My pom did not get sick from her food. One incident I think was too many rawhides at a friends house and another was frosty paws treats. So I am VERY careful now what I feed her.
I think I’ve chosen to go with the Acana brand. They have a high rating and I like what they have to say about the source of their ingredients. But no one in my area carries the small breed or light and trim choice. I bought a bag of the grasslands variety and will slowly work it into her diet. She seemed to like the Acana last night. She picked out the few pieces that were in her bowl and ate those first!
I’m eager to see if there are improvements in her weight and energy!!
AnonymousInactive
I’m also interested in any suggestions here. I have a 3 year old Pom who needs to lose 2-4lbs. I’ve been feeding her Royal Canin weight control but recently started looking into better quality options. Our vet suggested Royal Canin. I’m thinking of switching her to either Acana or Wellness brands. Both have weight control options but not sure if she really needs that. I have 2 specific questions:
1. I’m cautious about switching to a grain free option because some folks have mentioned lose stool. I have had 3 BAD diareha episodes with her that resulted in expensive vet visits. Any suggestions?
2. Some folks have said their dog has “more energy” after switching to Acana. Any comments? Even their website says your dog will show signs of more enegy. I guess this is due to higher protein?
Hi all, I would just like your opinions. I own a pet store and am bringing in some new foods. Currently I carry Acana, Orijen and Lifetime. I am most probably bringing in a few Blue Buffalo skus as well. I am probably going to bring in 1 or 2 more lines. I am leaning towards taste of the wild for one. For the other I am really not sure, I would like a food that is 4-5 stars, but hopefully around the 40-50 dollar range. Soooo with that info what do you think would be a good choice?
We have been following the Going RAWR dog food diet for awhile now and our 2 Golden Retreivers will NOT stop eating their (and our 10 year old Lab/Border Collie Mix’s) own and each other’s poop and one of the Golden’s has gas constantly.
They are just over a year now and we have had them on the RAWR diet since they were approx. 4 months old.
We feed them ground raw chicken for dogs from our local butcher and a recipe for a vegetable/fruit slop and raw chicken hearts or liver.
The veggie/fruit slop contains: romaine lettuce, celery, beets, carrots, squash, bananas, oranges, apples, pineapple, kelp powder, whole eggs (including the shell) and plain yogurt.
Their daily meals are:
Morning – 1cup raw chicken meat, 1/2cup veggie slop, 2 raw chicken hearts or liver.
Evening – same as above.
ANY suggestions on how to cure the poop eating behaviour or the gas, I would certainly appreciate it!!
I am even considering going back to a dry kibble…tried several “premium” brands (Acana, Fromm) and found them to be gassy on them as well…maybe they were too rich?
Thanks
Hi lonimck –
Check out Earthborn Primitive Natural – it’s 5 stars, grain-free and contains chicken, turkey and fish just like Acana Wild Prairie. It runs about $48 for a 28 lb. bag
Hello. I am currently feeding my two dogs (one is an Old English mix of some sort and the other is a Cocker Spaniel) Acana Wild Prairie but I can’t really afford to buy this food anymore. Can anyone make a suggestion of a good quality food that might be comparable to the Acana but that is more economical? Thanks!
I was just wondering if there is a fiber supplement of some sort just to bump up her fiber. Kira, my min pin had an anal gland rupture on thanksgiving, october for us Canadians, the vet recommended pumpkin, but she absolutely hates it so I am looking for something else. I have her on acana ranchlands as it has a 5% fiber content.
Hello! This is EXACTLY the thread that I was looking for. We have a 1.5 year old vizsla/lab mix who has hip dysplasia. While I feel as if I didn’t feed her the best food during her first year (Nature’s Recipe – Large Breed Puppy), I have been feeding her better food since. I’m definitely more educated. She’s currently transitioning to Fromm’s Four Star Grain-Free Game Bird recipe from Acana Ranchlands due to itchiness from Acana.
We are fostering a lab/mastiff mix whose parents were a 60lb lab (mom) and a 150lb purebred mastiff (dad). I have been trying to find the “best” food to feed him — and I am thrilled that I might be able to feed the same food to both of my dogs!
I do have a question, though. You state that Dr. Tim’s Kinesis (grain-free) has 1.3% calcium — where did you get this number? His site (http://drtims.com/grain-free/) states 1.51%, unless I’m reading it incorrectly.
I’m trying to choose between Fromm’s Four Star line (I love that you can swap flavors to give variety and I also love that you can feed less because they have a bit higher protein/fat content than the grain inclusive Four Star!) or transitioning both of my dogs to Dr. Tim’s Kinesis (GF).
I want to make sure that I am feeding my dogs one of the best foods! I know that either of these choices would be okay for Quinn, but I am really worried about hip dysplasia in a second dog. Any advice or feedback would be really appreciated. 🙂
Sandy,
I found a couple of good sights for freeze dried tripe, one of them is http://www.bellaspainrelief.com/ and the other is http://www.aplaceforpaws.com/ On both of these sites have freeze dried tripe. You can get 5 oz for about $9.00, which isnt too bad. To ship to Fl it is about 13.00 which is ok as well. Until I can find some local tripe, I will probably order some of the freeze dried. I will probably just add a couple of pieces to maybe one meal a day. I’ve found a great butcher for meat, bones, and organs, but I will definintly look for a mexican or asain market. I think theres one in my town, I will just have to look up the address. Yeah, we have one more week left of his Acana kibble food, then we will be transitioning to raw. I cant wait, it will be cheaper plus so much better for my weimaraner. It’s a little confusing/overwhelming at first trying to figure out the ratios and which supplements and veggies to give, but im sure once I get started it will be easy!
Hello,
I have a 4yo spayed Siberian husky that is about 8-10 lbs overweight.
She has been on a low calorie diet, for almost a year with no results. We’ve tried all different kinds of food trying to find one that will help her loose weight to no avail. We have tried high protein diets like Orijen, (taking into great consideration the amount of calories she gets a day) and are now on Wellness healthy weight recipe as our vet recommended. (I’d like to get her on the Acana light & fit, but it is not available in the U.S.) All blood results came back normal, except the high cholesterol, due to her being overweight. Her excercise consists of a 2.5 – 4.5 mile run daily, or 1 – 2 hours at the dog park running and playing.
We have 3 huskies, and the other two are in great shape, and get just as much exercise, and more food (Orijen.)
The only thing I have not definitively ruled out is Cushings, however, the vet said it was unlikely she had Cushings.
Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do to help her lose weight? I am concerned that the amount of food she gets is not sufficient for the amount of excercise she gets. She just won’t lose weight!
I am at a loss, thoughts and suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Tay
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This topic was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by
husky3.
That’s sort of what I was thinking-Since the dogs full weight is going to be under 40 lbs “by design” it would no longer be considered a large breed, and the lower calcium etc would not come into play. I was thinking the Acana line would be fine, but wanted others opinions on whether or not they think the dog should be fed low cal/phos, or if it should not matter.
HDM-
I have read that switching cold turkey will probably will be best for me, because Shadow has a very sensitive stomach. I have reviewed some websites, and many of them say that it is easier on their digestive systems, because it dosent have to try to digest two different kinds of food. I have always fed Shadow a five star kibble. He has eaten the Acana fish formula, as well as the lamb. He has also eaten chicken, liver, and beef treats. I have also heard that chicken is usually a great starter food. As far as the type of chicken, do I just buy ground up chicken? Or do I need to get a chicken with bone and organ? I dont think i need organ and bone because I will be using a pre-mix, but what part on the chicken should I start out feeding? (wing, neck, back, etc?) Sorry for my question overload, I just want to make sure I do this right!
Shawna,
oops, I meant dehydrated. Thank you for all of you help. I have researched other dehydrated brands, and I also like the honest kitchen because of its lack of potatoe. Thanks for clarrifying that I dont need to add bone, I was concerned about the ratios of bone, organ, etc. I also think the commercial dog food are great, but can get a little pricey, For that reason I think I will go to a local butcher that other raw feeders use and get them to grind up the meat for me.
HDM,
Thank you for all of your help as well! You seem to be so educated with raw feeding, and I hope one day it comes as easy to me as it does to you! Yesterday, I fed Shadow (my weim) a raw lamb bone from Primal, and I added a bit of the Grandma Lucys to his Acana kibble to see how he likes it. He LOVED the raw lamb bone, and ate almost half of it. He also seemed to love the Grandma Lucys pre-mix, but at 1 AM he woke up and threw up. It wasnt alot. Most of it looked like the Grandma Lucys, but he did throw up a small peice of sharp bone. Is this common for a dogs first time eating a raw bone? Or was it the type of bone I bought?
Hi poochie1059 — I agree with everything Hound Dog Mom wrote. Many better quality foods are appropriate for puppy, adult and senior dogs.
I wanted to add, MANY of us here on DFA, including Dr. Mike, believe in rotational feeding. We switch our dogs food regularly. Some switch daily, some with each new bag of kibble, some every other month and so on. If you start when the dog is a puppy and feed the same quality of foods you can switch between foods without having to “transition”. Dogs should be able to eat whatever (that is appropriate) you put in front of them. By only feeding one food we actually create sensitive tummies.
I rotate with every new bag of food and buy the smaller 5 and 6lb bags. I rotate proteins as well as brands. I use a variety of 5 star “all life stage” foods for all the dogs in my home including the foster puppies the adults and the seniors (I have 8 dogs and foster for Boston and Papillon rescue). The foods I use include Acana, Orijen, Brothers Complete, Merrick, Earthborn, Nature’s Variety, Nature’s Logic etc.
Additionally, many of us put “toppers” on our dogs’ foods. The topper can include canned foods, dehydrated, commercial raw, sardines, raw or lightly cooked egg etc. All these add extra nutrition and variety — sardines as an example are a great source of extra protein and omega 3 fatty acids.
Good luck with and best of health to your puppy!!!
AnonymousInactive
I have read many reviews and done research about brothers complete, and its two brothers just trying to sell their way in the dog industry. I’m going to try blue buffalo again or go to acana.
AnonymousInactive
I had been using various Merrick grain free and canned Tripett, but now I’ve moved on to Weruva Human Style. It’s excellent. Human grade meats, free range, no hormones, etc. I was buying it locally but it was really expensive. I’ve found it on Amazon considerably cheaper with free shipping. They have kibble in the morning (Brothers, Acana grain free) topped with canned Weruva. One can split amongst three dogs. Dinner is Darwins raw. They love it all and seem to be thriving.
AnonymousInactive
Diet can absolutely cause eye staining, but its important to remember that the breed of the dog can have just as great of an effect as well. Dogs with bulging eyes, like many chihuahuas for example, routinely have eye staining regardless of diet.
Eye stains are usually a sign of some sort of food intolerance or allergy. I have a dog in particular who gets massive staining when eating a pea-heavy food, which many grain free kibbles qualify as. This dog gets no eye staining when eating a food who’s carbs are majority grain or majority potato based.
But, I also have two chihuahuas who had massive staining while on puppy chow in their foster home and now have some, but not much, eye staining with quality foods (honest kitchen, acana, etc). I credit whats left of their eye staining to their breed and their bulging eyes.
So anyways, if your dog did not have much staining before but has massive staining now then consider switching foods. Also, you can do even better by stocking five or so foods at your home and switching every meal. That way your dog’s body will not develop new allergies and will not be lacking in any nutrients or minerals that any one food may be lacking in.
I’ve also had success with weight loss just by increasing the protein and decreasing the carbs of a grain-inclusive food by mixing it with a higher protein grain free food, ie Merrick Wilderness or Turducken (discontinued formulas) cut with Blue Buffalo Wilderness. For me, at any age, the increased protein and decreased carbs helped the dogs with weight loss. There are some high protein grain-inclusive foods as well, such as Merrick Classic and Acana Classic, and foods designed for puppies generally have a higher protein content as well (but not always) like Nutrisource Large Breed Puppy. I would chose the Nutrisource Performance formula over the large breed puppy formula for weight loss and yes for your senior. It is rated for all lifes stages. You would of course be able to feed a lesser amount.
Hi Rainisdog ~~ no, high fiber is not as good.. Actually higher fiber does make the pup feel better but it also causes nutrient loss. Fiber prevents certain minerals from being absorbed. Like Sandy, I’ve had the best luck (with my foster dogs) feeding above average protein, moderate fat and low carbs. I even add high protein canned food as a topper to up the protein even more. My Papillon lost 15 pounds on a diet like this.
I rotate as well so my Pap was getting a variety of foods — Orijen, Brothers, Acana, Nature’s Variety Instinct etc. Even now, at 14 pounds she only gets 1/4 cup per meal with a teaspoon of canned. Any more than that and she gains weight. I only give treats when I leave the house and then only give a treat about the size of a dime or less.
Mimi, my once obese Pap, was 6 when she came to us and started her diet.
Normally my response to questions regarding weight loss mention lowering carbohydrates, and feeding a food with more meat/animal-based proteins, based on the fact that a dog’s system is designed for digesting animal-based proteins moreso than carbs.
However, you’re feeding a food that I’d normally think was good. So perhaps we need to take another step and look at the calorie content of the food, along with possibly adding a supplement. What you can do is try the Pacifica from Acana, which is the sister brand of Orijen, as both are made by Champion Pet Foods out of Canada. The Pacifica is 421 kcal/cup, where as 6 Fish is 480 kcal/cup.
You can also try adding pumpkin or green beans, and cut back on the food a bit. The pumpkin and green beans should add minimal calories, without any added, but will “bulk up” the feeding. Now, you don’t want to cut back on too much food, as you still want to give your pup enough of the vitamins and minerals that a full diet provides.
