[Christine P]

Any feedback about this food is greatly appreciated. I have 2 pups, 2 year old French bulldog and 1&1/2 year old lab/rottie mix. I had them both on Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream until news about the heart issues and now trying this food but for some reason I don’t have a good feeling about it. Honestly this whole food thing is stressing me out.

[joanne l]

I never heard of it, but why don’t you try something that been around a very long time. Maybe Victor or Purina pro plan, or Holistic Select it is made by Wellpet. Another good one is Annameat check it all out on Chewy’s website. And you can order these on there. If you are looking for fish formulas the Annameat has the Aqualuk and Holistic Select has a fish one and so does the others. Good Luck.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 1 month ago by joanne l.

[joanne l]

I hi again I just looked up Venture pollack and pumpkin it is earthborn, I wouldn’t use it. Earthborn is on the FDA list for DCM. Your instincts are right when you said you had a bad feeling about this food. IMO don’t use it. I don’t like the food at all even if it wasn’t on the FDA list.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 1 month ago by joanne l.

[GSDsForever]

Hi Christine. Though I’ve never fed TOTW, I’m also in the same boat looking for a new food, in light of the latest safety information re DCM.

I personally would not feed another GF formula, from another implicated company on the list (Earthborn) — even though this one does not appear to contain legumes or potatoes. I just think it is an unnecessary risk. And the carb base (tapioca/pumpkin) is still relatively more novel, less traditional and proven safe.

Re joanne’s recommendation, I can tell you that I also am considering the Holistic Select fish formula (Anchovy, Sardine, & Salmon) — though in my case, the vets and I are going to have to move my girl to any change in protein (for her) with a lot of supervision/planning, thought. She’s had pretty extensive & damaging/threatening allergic reactions and that’s scary.

I’ll share what I know re HS.

This HS line has existed for 20 yrs, and Eagle Pack (its sister company that it split off from), since 1970. Neither company has ever had a recall or major safety incident. They now are under Wellpet (Berwind family corporation), with Wellness, though operating rather independently.

HS exclusively uses its own manufacturing plant in Mishawaka, Indiana (dry food). (Cans are made by Simmons.)

HS informed me that they have a full time nutritionist on staff who formulated all the foods and remains involved. I asked if it was a veterinary nutritionist, i.e. board certified as DACVN. I was informed by phone that it is a PhD in animal nutrition. (I probably will follow up in writing to confirm and clarify.)

HS readily provided me with amounts of Taurine, prescursors Methionine & Cysteine. They stated that they have had no cases reported to them or to the FDA of DCM/heart issues from those feeding their foods.

The base looks good, as pretty traditional with primarily rice (brown and white) and oats, with a little pumpkin at #10. (Flaxseed rounds out the carb base at #8. ) They noted that 69% of the formula’s protein is animal protein (fish). Aside from the of course wild sourced sardines & anchovy, the salmon (#5 ingredient) is 96% wild and less than 4% farmed with their efforts being to have 100% wild caught fish in their formulas.

If I feed or include this formula, I would be adding sardines boosting the protein/fat and contributing some fresh/real food, along with continuing my rx’d therapeutic dosing of EPA/DHA via the wild Alaskan salmon oil I add to the food. (I use & recommend Grizzly’s brand.)

joanne, just fyi, the Annamaet GF formulas, and specifically the Aqualuk, were implicated in the FDA incident reports, and contains concentrated peas & legumes. The company was much less cited . . . which may speak well of the company . . . but still. I’d steer clear of their GF legume base formulas.

[GSDsForever]

Grain inclusive formulas, using brown rice —

One concern with rice, most especially brown rice, if fed daily, is that it’s been found in recent years to heavily be contaminated with arsenic at toxic levels when sourced from the US other than California, typically from Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas area. (This is due to how the rice is grown, naturally absorbing arsenic from the land in those areas as residue from former cotton growing.)

I’d love for the companies to source it elsewhere, but I’m not sure the advisories to humans on the issue, for our own diet, (like don’t eat brown rice from there more than a couple times a week) have made it over to the pet food companies to be on their radar.

I prefer seeing oats for that reason, and they have so many health benefiting properties. White rice is fine. At least this formula has a good mix.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 1 month ago by GSDsForever.

[pugmomsandy]

I’ve rotated through all the recipes. I don’t feed one recipe or brand all the time. The pugs did well on it.

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