[melissa m]

Hello! I am new to this forum and am seeking some help. 3 years ago we switched our bulldogs to Taste to the Wild to help with skin/allergy issues, and have had nothing but great success. We have raised a number of foster puppies on TOTW, encouraged friends to switch, and bragged on the product. However, at the end of this summer 2 of our dogs developed horrible allergies resulting in itchy raw skin and hives. We have tried everything from switching laundry detergents to cortisone shots and prednisone — and nothing seems to help. Yesterday when I was at my local pet store the owner told me that he had been receiving a lot of complaints about TOTW because they had changed their formula, now using fewer quality ingredients and more “filler” or low-quality items. He said the change occurred in late July, which coincides almost exactly to when my dogs allergies began to escalate.

However, I haven’t been able to find any reference online to anything other than a change in the probiotic they use that would suggest a big different in allergens control.

Before I spend the time and money on switching my dogs off of a food I had loved for years to another I would like to know if you have found any differences in TOTW recently. I was a little surprised not to see it on your list of favorites as I thought it was a top food. Now I’m really concerned. Thanks!

[InkedMarie]

If the changes occurred in July, I doubt the bags of food you were feeding, especially at the beginning, would be those. Is it possible this is an environmental issue?

[DogFoodie]

Hi Melissa,

TOTW is one of Diamond’s house brand’s of food. If you aren’t familiar with Diamond, they’re a sketchy company with a reputation for cutting corners and recalls. I don’t believe we’ll ever see any Diamond products on the Editor’s Choice list.

It could be that the probiotic formula change is the cause; but like Marie, I would tend to think it unlikely that you got a hold of product that has just been manufactured.

Ruling out environmental allergies is tricky. It could be something like laundry detergent, Febreze or new flooring, but could also be something seasonal like ragweed or leaf mould. Steroids are just a bandaid and mask symptoms, and can cause plenty of problems themselves. I’d definitely avoid further steroids use if at all possible.

Even if the problem isn’t food related, three years is an awfully long time to be on the same food. I rotate every bag of kibble I feed. I buy different brands with different proteins and binders. Subtle ingredient changes don’t generally affect my dogs because they’re used to switching. One of my dogs has food intolerance issues, so it’s hard to find things he can eat, but I’ve found a few that are good quality, that he likes and does well on.

So while it may or may not solve their immediate problem, a food change could prove beneficial to their overall health.

[Nancy C]

I used to feed TOW also to my dogs… but I switched. I agree with DORA (Dori) who might post here — I will not feed any RECALLED food. Ever. Shame on TOW and SHAME on DIAMOND! Dogs DIED because of their not paying attention! The dog food industry needs to STAY AWAKE and DO THEIR JOB WELL. That’s my simple little opinion, worth what you paid for it.

[melissa m]

Thank you all for the feedback! I didn’t mean to suggest we got the first bag of the “new” food, and I am not 100% certain of the date that they official switched, but as we progressed into new bags in late summer/fall the allergic reactions have gotten worse. I have now spoken to a few friends who have had similar issues and found that they ALL also use TOTW.

We will be switching this week.

I do appreciate the comment about switching foods more often though. I never really thought about that!!! Going to give Fromm a try and see how that goes. I wish I could afford to go raw, but with a 120 lb American Bulldog, an 80 lb American Bulldog/Catahoula mix, and a 50 lb pit mix I believe we would end up bankrupt!

[DogFoodie]

Personally, I wouldn’t rule out a brand simple because they had a recall. It’s the handling of the recall that’s important to me.

Now, if they’ve had a recall, failed to fix the problem properly and continued to have further recalls, then that’s a deal breaker for me. That’s Diamond’s MO.

Take for example, The Honest Kitchen. They had a single issue with parsley, issued a recall and were very straightforward about the matter. I have no issue with THK as a result. On the other hand, The Great Life refused to issue a recall and instead had a “silent recall,” simply to avoid having to remove the words, “Never Recalled,” from their product label. That’s a deal breaker, although they have truly never officially had a recall.

[DogFoodie]

No worries about not going raw! It’s not for everyone for various reasons. You can always added canned food as toppers.

Here’s a link to a great download (it’ll cost you $2.95): http://www.seespotlivelonger.com/home/sll/page_41_1. It’s written by Steve Brown, one of the authorities on raw feeding, and will show you how incredibly simple it is to add fresh whole foods to your dog’s diet. Simple, fresh foods like fresh cage free eggs, pureed dark leafy greens and sardines are amazing additions to a diet of kibble. So easy!

Fromm is a great choice! Other budget friendly foods that I really like are Dr. Tim’s, Victor, Horizon and Earthborn Holistics.

[InkedMarie]

I agree about the recalls. I feed THK, always will & their recall didn’t change that. Evangers…I not sure if they’ve ever had a recall but they’re so shady that I’ll never feed anything they make.

[Naturella]

Melissa, if shopping online is an option for you, websites such as http://www.petflow.com , http://www.chewy.com , http://www.wag.com often have great sales on food, especially on Petflow you can find stuff for about $1.00/lb, which is a great deal. Just check those sites about once/week or so and type in the word “trial” for Petflow and it will give you deals with “trial” sizes (usually smallest size bags – 4-5lbs, but for $1/lb). They have other great deals too, on food and treats and supplies. 🙂

But I second DogFoodie on her suggestions for budget-friendly foods – I have used Dr. Tim’s, Earthborn Holistic, and some of Victor (and a few friends have used it too) with great success and no issues, plus, they are quite affordable. One other option, if you must, you can also use Pure Balance from Walmart – it is not half bad for the price it is.

[Pat G]

Hi everyone, I have a Cavalier who has 25 different allergies and I have gone through many foods trying to find the right combination for her. This included Raw, Dehydrated, Kibble, Canned, you name it. When I got her at the age of 2 1/2 she was on a food called Dynamite Super Premium and had no problems, she was born and raised in Arizona. When I brought her to California her allergies exploded. Veterinarians say this is common. Had her tested and found she is allergic to 5 different foods, so the search began. Now I only took her off the the food she was used to because you get it from a Distributor and the shipping was killing me, I have since found a Distributor here in California. Since putting her back on that food and some of their supplements she has stopped itching, eye watering minimized, coat again shiny. All of my dogs are now on it and I am pleased with the results. I think taking a look at their website would be of benefit to you. http://www.dynamitespeciality.com. You can then decide for yourself. Their customer service is terrific and will answer any question you may have and can also help you find a distributor or maybe become one.

[Peter S]

I too have been feeding TOTW for several years due to one of my boxers having serious stomach and skin issues, which we finally figured out were related to grains. After trying many different foods we settled on TOTW and had great success. But just in the past month or two he has started back itching a lot and now has a couple of small bare spots and scabbing. I just switched foods today and then found this topic. Makes me wonder… There must be something to it.

[Author]

Posts