[shannon J]

Hi,

There’s a food called Pet Wants that’s locally sourced and made in Cincinnati, OH (where I live) that we’ve switched our dogs to. Now I’m wondering if it’s really as good as they say. It’s made in small batches and you only buy enough to last 1 month so that your dog has fresh food each month.

Well, we have 2 younger dogs that eat the grain free whitefish and duck flavor and a senior dog (dachshund) that eats the less active senior formula. The dachshund gained 5lbs over the last couple of months and my sister insists it’s the Pet wants food. When I look at the ingredients/nutrition of this food and the Simply Nourish limited ingredient salmon and sweet potato they were previously on they seem about the same to me.

The Pet Wants website is: http://www.petwants.com/

Just looking for some more opinions. The other dogs haven’t gained weight, so. I’m just not sure what to think. We are going to switch the old dog back to Simply Nourish and see what happens, though.

[anonymously]

Just do some comparisons, and see what you think will work. Example:

Pet Wants Whitefish & Duck Grain-Free Dog Formula
Crude Protein, min – 30.0%
Crude Fat, min – 16.0%
Crude Fiber, max – 4.5%
Moisture, max – 10.0%
* Omega 6 (Linoleic Acid), min – 2.5%
* Omega 3 (Linolenic Acid), min – 0.53%
* Glucosamine, min – 800 ppm
* Chondroitin, min – 400 ppm
* Not recognized as an essential nutrient by AAFCO dog food nutrient profiles.
Calorie Count: 437 kcal/cup

Nutrisca Salmon and Chickpea, check at chewy.com
Crude Protein (min) 30.0%
•Crude Fat (min) 16.0%
•Crude Fiber (max) 6.0%
•Moisture (max) 10.0%
•Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA)* (min) 0.05%
•Vitamin A (min) 5,000 IU/kg
•Vitamin E (min) 100 IU/kg
•Omega 6 Fatty Acids* (min) 2.5%
•Omega 3 Fatty Acids* (min) 0.5%
*Not recognized as an essential nutrient by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles.
Calorie Content – Kcal/kg ME (calculated) 3,680 – Kcal/cup ME (calculated) 390

[anonymously]

Simply Nourish Salmon and Sweet Potato Limited Ingredients may have even less calories
Caloric Content: (calculated): 3,480 kcal/kg ME

[shannon J]

Thanks! The Pet Wants less active senior food is actually the same calories as the Simply Nourish (I think)…it’s listed as 348 kcal/cup..? That’s why I don’t understand how the old dog would gain 5 pounds eating the Pet Wants.

I did notice Pet Wants is higher in calories for their grain free selections than the Simply Nourish Salmon and Sweet Potato – the younger dogs aren’t gaining weight though. A lab and a labradoodle.

[anonymously]

Has he had a senior workup (labs, exam) to rule out medical causes for the sudden weight gain. If not, I would consider that first and schedule a visit to the vet.

[shannon J]

Yep he just had his bloodwork. He was already on thyroid medication but all came back good.

[anonymously]

Okay, then. If possible increase activity/walks. Don’t free feed, measured amounts twice a day. Maybe decrease amount…. or 3 small meals a day, sometimes seniors do better with that.

[Shawna]

I wonder if maybe the new food is being better digested and/or utilized than the old food in which case he would be getting more nutrients out of it and therefore need less overall food. Have you noticed any difference in size of bowel movements?

[Susan]

Hi Shannon, Shawna has a good point maybe the new food digests better & look at the poo size?? another thing I have found with some weight management & senior less active kibbles they put more carbs & less protein, if they put the percentage % of the protein meats & the Percentage % of the plant proteins you’d see a different in the analysis…I always look at the fiber % if its over 4% fiber I don’t feed….. When we read the protein % that’s plant & meat proteins, not just meat proteins…..if kibble companies were honest we would see percentage on the meat & the percentage on the carbs, % on everything… We need to start asking these companies what is the percentage on the meat proteins… some kibble companies write the meat % in the ingredients next to the meat…..another thing Duck isn’t a lean meat where salmon is more lean but when I looked the fat % was the same 16% but that’s min fat.. I wonder what the max fat % is… I always email the kibble company & ask what is the max fat%… I know when I buy a kibble with lower fat 8-11% the weight just drops off Patch…maybe try another kibble that’s lower in fat…..Was the Simply Nourish pea heavy?? eg; pea fiber, peas, chick peas, pea flour?? peas, potatoes & chickpeas all boost up the protein %….

[shannon J]

I haven’t really noticed a difference in his poo’s. I don’t recall Simply Nourish having peas…sweet potato, salmon meal, salmon are the first 3 ingredients. I don’t see any kind of peas listed.

The Pet Wants – because it’s fresh each month and slow cooked is supposed to have more/better nutrients, though according to their website.

This dog is old and very overweight already…He can barely walk. But he does get little walks and we take him to a swim club sort of place for dogs. I don’t think he could do much more :-/

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