[aquariangt]

there are a lot of people who have issues with merrick, and they aren’t very responsive for customer service, and there aren’t many apparent reasons for the issues.

I haven’t compared exact ingredients, but you could look closely and see where the differences are

[aquariangt]

When was this list posted? Now that Nat Bal is owned by Del Monte, are they still able to make that claim? On a quick glance through that list, Fromm’s and Solid Gold will both be a bit cheaper than the natural balance bags, of the ones I’ve used on there. Solid Gold has 1/2 their products manufactured by Diamond, so you have to be careful there as well.

[aquariangt]

Keep going with what you’re doing-and I second with what mom2cavs said. It won’t happen overnight, but if you keep working at it, they’ll learn!

[aquariangt]

I’ll maybe try one of those out then. Thus far within my “regulars” Earthborn GF would all be out if I go this route-the small breed would be ok, but a bit lower in protein. Fromm’s 4star same issue, the grain inclusives are low in protein. Simply Nourish-I only like source. Acana all have peas.

Could maybe switch to grain inclusive recipes and go half kibble half canned instead of toppers I suppose as well

[aquariangt]

I don’t think they make Supermix now? I haven’t seen it in a while and isn’t on the website

[aquariangt]

Unless they aren’t being truthful, Wellpet severed all ties with Diamond. A food can be rated 4-5 stars regardless of manufacturer, as DFA rates based on paper alone. The Editor’s Choice and forums are where we get other tidbits of information

A few of my favorites: Simply Nourish Source, Earthborn Small Breed or the Grain Free (don’t love the the other grain inclusives outside of small breed), Fromm 4Star Grain Free, Acana Regionals-I’ve used others but those 4 are most often in rotation. Fromm’s is pretty easy on the stomach. You may try supplementing with some canned or raw to help get the pickier one to eat. You also may try out a dehydrated food-I like Honest Kitchen and Sojos, and one of the two of them will surely be available at your smaller pet stores

If you’re looking for a weight loss food-Wellness Core Healthy Weight has been praised on here, as has Annamaet Lean. I’ve never used either

[aquariangt]

Jennifer- Fromm’s Classic is only rated 3.5 stars I believe, so it’s not eligible for that list.

Barbara-it’s a pretty common food for budget conscious people, It is made by diamond which is a bit concerning. We don’t have TS here, so I’ve never tried it myself, but a lot of people like it

[aquariangt]

They have 3 different lines, and I haven’t looked to closely at the differences. 1 is in grocery stores and walmart/target (best food you can get at most of those IMO, though King Sooper’s out here now carries I and Love and You, haven’t used it though) 1 is in petsmart/petco/other petstores, and the new one is in whole foods. I don’t know if I’d use the rolls too much-I use some rolls as training treats- but the soft kibble interests me

[aquariangt]

I wouldn’t use just a wee bit (made by diamond) but I would try switching. Check out the list of 4 and 5 star foods here and see what you can get in stores near you, clearly the wellness didn’t work out. What stores do you have that you shop at?

[aquariangt]

I’m not super adverse to paying a bit more for brands that aren’t everywhere (read: PetSmart and PetCo, though I have things I buy from there) I use Acana, and Honest Kitchen, for some reason Nature’s Variety and Wellness’ prices just really bother me, haha.

[aquariangt]

I use simply nourish source for dry, alternate between Chicken/Turkey, Rabbit/Chicken, Fish/Chicken. I don’t use the Chicken/Shrimp to keep the amount of fish she’s getting down.

Merrick never sat well for my dogs so I never tried it for my cat either, and wellness-while I like them-in general I find them so commercial that they’re a bit overpriced for my taste. The dogs get more of a rotation than the cat, because she’s so picky, heh, but I use 4 different brands regularly for them (for dry, they have a myriad of canned and dehydrated options)

[aquariangt]

So, as it’s too hot for me to possibly do actual work, I’m just bouncing around some food sites. Have any of you tried Earthborn? The Monterey Medley looks promising for her. I love their dog food, especially their tubs

[aquariangt]

Grains are inflammatory, and to my understanding, makes a bigger difference in large breeds than in smaller ones-in addition to being a common allergy (the whole group of grains in general)

I don’t shy away from good grains in my dog food-brown rice, oatmeal, barley, etc… as none of mine have issues with it. In fact, one of mine may be reacting to peas (still testing this) so I would be leaning towards grain inclusive more anyway.

My comment on Fromm’s 4star is because the grain inclusive are all lower in protein, and I try to stay around 30%, and am pushing even higher now that I’m down to 2 as of this month, as the third couldn’t handle the higher 35% and higher proteins.

[aquariangt]

Erin-I don’t do large breeds, but all 4 of the companies you mentioned are (in general) safe brands to feed. Of course no one is immune to a recall, but they are all solid companies. I use both Fromm (4 star GF only, the gold and 4star grain inclusive can be a bit low in protein) and Earthborn in my rotations, and have used the other two as well-though in my opinion both have become so big that they are a bit overpriced.

[aquariangt]

BDog: I’ve tried NVI medallions (chicken) with no success whatsoever. In fact, I think she was insulted… the monologue in my mind “Listen, <insert namecalling here>, this is more expensive than anything you’ve ever touched, so don’t give me that look” not that it did any good, she wouldn’t eat it.

I’ve got an HK sample from an event I did this weekend to try out, we’ll see!

I also tried Precise at the recommendation from someone at work, almost the exact recipe of the wellness pouch, wouldn’t touch it. While it’s chunky, it was really more a pate.

Nat Bal I’ve read can be chunky but the company makes me nervous, so I don’t really feed anything by them

[aquariangt]

arwryu-i am a HUGE advocate of the Kyjen slo bowls! I absolutely love them, and recommend them to all my clients when they have that issue-or even for energy use. It makes a huge difference in energy levels in the evening when they eat out of those for dinner time. Can’t say enough-they’re also really sturdy and can be washed easily.

The other plus: on mornings that I mix honest kitchen or another really soupy mix (mornings they get 1/2 kibble and 1/2 something else) they’ve slowed down eating out of their normal bowls

[aquariangt]

Huh, yep. I avoid TotW in general (and all Diamond foods), but in my mind I didn’t think they made any cans. The only thing I’ve fed (to my knowledge) that is connected to them at all is Barking at the Moon from Solid Gold, but that one isn’t actually manufactured by them

Also-that’s a good idea on the Pouches vs canned (Why are cats so picky?! My dogs would eat the packaging if I would let them) I’m gonna test a few more wellness cans and pouches to see the difference in how fast/much she eats, and also test out some of the BFF Cans vs Pouches, and maybe I’ll just live with pouches.

The other weird thing about the BFF which leads me to think you may be right, is that the BFF was shredded, which she has adamantly refused in the past, HOWEVER, I don’t think she’s had red tuna before, so I may research and find what else has that

Very helpful posts, thanks a ton arwryu!

[aquariangt]

TotW canned isn’t diamond made though, correct? I’m fairly sure the dog cans aren’t at least

[aquariangt]

Hi all, update on some food for Shinku:

The wellness pouches are still her favorite, haha. She did eventually eat the sliced wellness cans, so that’s a bonus, I think she will eat them more if that’s what she gets.

I’ve had a booth for a few events the last two weeks, and one bonus for that is we all give each other tons of samples, so I’ve had some new cat foods to try. The BFF pouches from weruva she LOVES (of course, another pouch) the Weruva can-nope, wouldn’t touch. I’ve got some Honest Kitchen Prowl as well, so we shall see if that goes well!

[aquariangt]

Thanks All! That’s the link I was looking for, and thanks for the Solid Gold info. My client was asking about Just a Wee Bit so I was a bit stumped, but I can share a little better with her now

[aquariangt]

I meant sometimes FDA doesn’t rate foods that are specifically for something (weight loss, joint health, etc) because they are made for normal dog maintenance, and may need to have certain parameters, dr mike doesn’t always review them.

What stores do you have to shop at? Can you order online?

[aquariangt]

I have no experience with this food, I think Naturella uses it though, if she pops in. Wysong is nice. The protein on the vet’s choice lite is pretty low (24%), so it may actually not be 4 stars-however, certain specific dietary needs foods aren’t rated on this site for that reason. They have specific criteria they need to get, so they don’t fall into DFA’s rating system.

Comparison for two weight loss foods I’ve seen a lot of people use (no experience myself)

Wellness Core Reduced Fat: 33% Protein
Annamaet Lean: 30% Protein

[aquariangt]

Natural balance is good in theory but as they were bought out by del monte, they won’t very likely make this list. It is nice for pinpointing allergies

[aquariangt]

Authority grain free and fromm Classic are the two that jump to mind- in addition to hdms suggestions

[aquariangt]

I would start with 5 star rated foods and glance through the ingredients, most of them are high in protein

[aquariangt]

That comment about doing both is odd. I feed a topper on every meal-either canned or dehydrated. I agree with Betsy now that she laid it out, something in that WEF canned was causing the problem, so avoid that and see if the problem goes away.

[aquariangt]

I’ve never used WEF myself, and while there are no majors jumping out at me on the beef stew recipe, there are people that have issues with that brand/merrick.

Maybe try adding something a bit less rich than beef stew for your canned for a few days to try it out. What other brands are available at your store? Or, what store do you shop at? I don’t particularly like Nutro or Canidae, but that’s just my opinion.

[aquariangt]

Were there multiple foods during his sick time or just one? What were you feeding? Did you make a change very quickly from what he was eating?

[aquariangt]

Both are considered better than kibble if it’s a quality product

[aquariangt]

isn’t Kirkland made by Diamond? Or is the nature’s domain line not?

[aquariangt]

Also- what Betsy said about crumbly treats rings true. It’s why I don’t use soft and chewy buddy biscuits which are quite popular. I end up tossing a lot of them

[aquariangt]

My new favorites are the sojos simply (meat) 3 varieties, turkey, lamb, or beef. 100% meat freeze dried. You also get a ton of pieces in the bag, so they last a while. Also lower calorie than a lot of other treats since there aren’t many other ingredients which is nice because I do a lot of training

Plates eos are large but soft, without a ton of ingredients. Also stinky, so work as a high value reward. I like to use them when I teach classes because they are big enough that the big guys get more than a taste, but soft enough that the little guys can have them torn up.

Zukes are pretty good and quick, but being bought by purina I’m keeping my eye on them

We have a brand here called boulder dog food company (they don’t make food though, lol) that makes chicken bits and turkey bits, another meat item that have a lot in the bag so I can really make them stretch

[aquariangt]

I believe there is a few other threads around here that discuss this very topic if you poke around.

Editor’s Choice really focuses on not just the food but the company itself. Blue is a bit shady in a lot of their practices, and while it looks excellent on paper (and many people do well on it) there are also a lot of people who don’t do well on it for no real reason, which can be concerning. Purina recently sued them for false advertising, but I haven’t actually seen the outcome, though Blue’s response didn’t win them any points with me. I’ve only used it as a transition once for a puppy that I got, so I don’t have much experience for it myself.

My other comment, is because Blue has become so commercialized, it’s sort of expensive for the quality, and there are other foods from companies that are more trustworthy, in my opinion

[aquariangt]

Sojos new meat treats are pure freeze dried meat. They have proven very popular with the dogs at work, and are healthy without extra fat or carbs. I’m a fan, and they aren’t very expensive for the amount you get in that bag. Beef and Lamb are out for you? but turkey is one as well.

The brand Real Meat is good and pretty much pure meat. Cloud Star is ok, I use their tricky trainers from time to time. I like Zuke’s but gotta keep an eye on them, they were purchased by Purina, so I’m skeptical of the recipe now. Platos EOS is a nice line as well.

[aquariangt]

Wellness Core Reduced Fat many people have recommended, though I haven’t used it myself. I believe some people have mentioned Annamaet Lean as well.

I’m glad you are taking a look at this, dogs with arthritis definitely need proper weight. Very sorry for your loss on the shelties 🙁

[aquariangt]

Shinku was a rescue cat, and has definitely been on dry food her whole life. I’ve had her for 4.5 years, so part of the fault lies in me. I gave up pretty quickly, feeding the dogs well, I was aware of what proper nutrition was but since she was so finicky kind of “called it good” with a grain free high protein dry food, until recently when I decided to take up the challenge of getting her on wet food again.

[aquariangt]

Shinku won’t eat fancy feast. Or sheba. or simply nourish-pate, stews, or bisques. doesn’t eat wellness pate. no blue buffalo…. i’m going to try those sliced wellness you said, and also the weruva and tiki cat. She’s a peach

[aquariangt]

There are some people whose dogs have done poorly on Fromm, though mine do well, so a lot of it is a test. That goes for most foods-one of mine doesn’t do well on Orijen-some people swear by it. 2 of my 3 don’t do well on Solid Gold, but it’s rated well, etc…

The other thing with Fromm is it is fairly low in protein %. The grain free gets a lot of its protein from peas, so some people don’t love that either. I supplement with canned and dehydrated food for extra meat protein, so I am not super concerned by it. I only use the 4star Grain free regularly, I have used Gold in the past as well. Never used the original

[aquariangt]

I can’t seem to get a picture to load on here, but if you google wellness healthy indulgence, the 2nd picture looks about like the one I took

I stopped and picked up an authority stew yesterday, no go. I’ll try the wellness cubed-the google image search looks about the same consistency. I’ve never been able to get her to go for any sort of pate (too bad, wellness duos look cool) and I’ve tried a few shredded stews as well, so that cubed one may work out.

Has anyone tried freshpet?

[aquariangt]

at the very least, I would rotate orijens varieties so that you don’t get them too comfortable with just the one. Beyond the health benefits, who knows what could happen…orijen could have a recall (unlikely) your store could be out in a pinch, etc… so it’s good to get them to be able to eat multiple proteins and flavors on that level as well as it being good for your dog. I rotate canned as well as kibble, and actually, I rotate canned a lot more than I rotate kibble. I don’t buy cases of cans, I just go buy big varieties

[aquariangt]

my mistake, I kinda just assumed honest kitchen was the same as sojos-who does call themselves dehydrated raw, thought maybe it isn’t. It still may help get your dog to eat, Marie. You can get it online, or smaller pet boutique type stores will have some variety of it. Petsmart and Petco both carry nature’s variety, and they have a dehydrated product as well

[aquariangt]

The honest kitchen, sojos, natures variety, etc

[aquariangt]

Have you tried adding canned or dehydrated raw?

[aquariangt]

I’ll take a picture today, but it’s kind of stew like but with big chunks, not shredded

[aquariangt]

So, my cat has always been terrible about eating any wet food. I kinda just bought high protein dry food and called it good. After reading catinfo a while ago I started hunting some wet food she would eat, with no success. I think after three month or so, I may have found one, the wellness pouches. That said, they’re a bit messy… Does anyone know of a canned food with a similar consistency?

[aquariangt]

You wouldn’t 🙂

Also, totoro terrifies me, though I’m a big fan of his work

[aquariangt]

Tina is always rude, unfortunately USA. Hopefully someday we can report posts

[aquariangt]

I’m not a large/giant breed person (done a bit of research as my sister has a dane mix) but as far as fromm’s, her list has 4 star on there too, and while Gold is ok, 4 star has higher protein. If I used gold I would certainly add extra protein in the diet

[aquariangt]

I don’t really check which forum it’s in either. I do scroll up to see if it’s in the Editor’s Choice forum if I’m posting information I got from the Editor’s Choice section to make sure I’m not doing anything wrong, but that’s about it. I just click on latest articles

[aquariangt]

Right, that was my problem when I was on it. Insomnia, insane hunger, a bit aggressive… wasn’t my favorite. Worked though, and it’s definitely a cheap medication for what it does

[Author]

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