[SummerRainAussies]

Hi Susan,

Are you a rep for Verus? I am just curious. I see on MANY posts you are always promoting Verus foods.

I have looked into Verus a couple times and its very low in protein and very high in carbs. They use way to much “pea like” ingredients for my liking. Not a food I would personally feed my dogs but if it works for you than great!

I think Victors has some great foods but the company is not the best. They aren’t transparent like you said. They ditch questions they don’t want to answer and a lot of the replys you get are not a real person.

[SummerRainAussies]

Oh I absolutely have the right email. After a few emails I got a little snarky with them and they called me. Now they email me back fine. To be fair I do ask a lot of questions that may be hard for them to answer.

[SummerRainAussies]

HA! Yeah im crazy about dog food….. maybe to a fault. I wish I could just pick a food and not have to research ever little thing about it.
I have a co op 1.5 miles from my house who carries it so thats half the reason its been a popular food for my house.
Other than poop coat quality is super important!
Yes I am a breeder however I am very aware of raising pups right and sending them to correct homes. I breed very rarely.

[SummerRainAussies]

When choosing a kibble I try and mimic their stool when they are fed raw since that is what they should be eating anyways. Raw poop is very small, firm, and dark. A lot of kibbles I have tried give them a light or even yellow colored bowel movement.
I am a raw feeder in the morning so my goal tends to be how close can I get their morning poop to look compared to their evening poop LOL 🙂
So far Victors Is the winner!
I have also looked at Nutrisource as they have a performance formula with 30/20 protein to fat ratio and is pea free.
Nutrisource also has the same 4 strains of fermented probiotic Victors has. Plus another one. Most foods really lack in this area. Annamaet has NONE.

dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Aspergillus niger fermentation extract, dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, dried Bacillus subtilis fermentation extract

[SummerRainAussies]

Hi C4C,

I actually about a week in a half ago switched back to the Victors because I was not getting the bowel movements I want. However.. Now they are having less than perfect (better than Annamet) on Victor but I get impatient and switch things around to quickly. Annamaet may have worked over a longer period of time. Perhaps I will try it again later.

I have tried all the grain free, Professional, and High Pro Plus.

I have in my never ending research discovered I am no longer going to give my dogs peas or at least until they are retired. I am a competitor and my dogs are in a breeding program. Peas (along with a million other factors) can cause infertility issues.

Since we talked last I have called Victor and talked to a guy who answered all my questions, was really knowledgable, and had great customer service so I am more comfortable with Victor than I ever have been.

I am currently feeding the High pro plus which is not grain free but pea free. I really do love their food. All the dogs are back to their dark stool even though its not perfectly firm YET.
🙂

[SummerRainAussies]

I add 3-4 teaspoons a day divided over her meals. Or a heaping tablespoon. I just eyeball it. Shes 45lbs.
Rule of thumb is a teaspoon per 10 pounds or a tablespoon per 30lbs. All dogs are different. I give it to a few of my other dogs but not even half the dose I give her. She is my problem child.. She also gets Braggs RAW apple cider vinegar, Fish oil, Spurlina, probiotic, and of course she doesn’t get any “crap” in her diet. Also a raw egg on her morning raw meal every other day. She used to be a nightmare scratching herself raw but i’ve got her pretty much under control now. 🙂

[SummerRainAussies]

I dont like that Alfalfa ingredient either. sometimes you have to gain some and loose some… especially with kibble.
I actually know a ton about Annamaet. I did a bunch of research on them. The company is amazing. Has never had a recall. Its a super small family company with great customer service. What really sets Annamaet apart is they make their own vitamin and mineral pack and by doing this they can guarantee nothing is sourced from China which most companys can not do. They also seem to change the formulas somewhat frequently as they learn more about what is best and what isn’t. This could be a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it. They have a wide selection. I tried my dogs on their Ultra 32/20 and after a couple weeks I simply couldn’t get solid stools. I may have not given it long enough and may try it again in the future.
I have a girl with skin issues and she seems to do best on Victor although her issues may not be food related. Coconut oil twice a day with her food has made a worlds difference. 🙂

[SummerRainAussies]

Hi Catherine,
I will be honest with you, I would never give Evangers. The company has had a lot of issues and are very untrustworthy.
Eaglepack I have not personally tried but I know people have used it with good results. Grains are not always the enemy. All kibble needs some kind of starch as a binder. Your looking for a kibble that is meat based with less of that said binder (carbs).
Victors is a great option. They have both grain inclusive and grain free. The kibble is VERY small and dark. Looks kind of like rabbit poop ;). Dogs tend to produce small dark firm bowel movements.
It’s price is also very reasonable.

[SummerRainAussies]

I agree with both zcRiley and Elaine. Raw food is the best to eliminate allergies but it is not an option for all. There are plenty of premixed raw formulas but a unbalanced raw diet is worse than even an average kibble.
I have a girl that was really itchy. Things that really helped my girl other than her homemade raw diet include Brags apple cider vinegar, coconut oil, fish oil, and a good probiotic.

[SummerRainAussies]

Hi Maureen,
Most weight loss foods are very low in protein and fat which boosts the carbs. I would simply find a good meat based food and feed a smaller amount. I personally don’t pay any attention to the “feeding recommendations”. I adjust the food on a regular basis depending on how my dog looks/feels.
If I have dogs who needs to loose weight I tend to cut their normal food intake in half. If the dogs act like they are starving you could add some green beans to make them feel like they are getting more food.

[SummerRainAussies]

I agree with Jane E that adding a meat based food with some grains would help add some weight. I would actually find a performance food. They tend to have a min of 30% protein, 20% fat, and some grain as a source of energy/carbs. I raise Aussies and these are very high energy working dogs that until about the age of three are really hard to keep weight on without a decent amount of fat in the diet.
The two that I have had the best luck with are Victors High Pro Plus and Annamaet Ultra. I know Nutrisource has a couple performance foods also.
Best of Luck!

[SummerRainAussies]

Victors used to state on their website that they were GMO free (except their formulas with brown rice). With their formula change they no longer make this statement. They are currently updating their website so perhaps it will come back.

[SummerRainAussies]

I also have used Victors grain free and High Pro Plus and all my dogs have done great on it. I have also nominated it.
I think it is not nominated because the companys customer service is terrible. If you ask them a question and they don’t want to answer they just ignore you. Don’t call you back and really “beat around the bush”. I am currently switching my dogs over to Annamaet ultra. Only been on it for about a week but so far I don’t have the perfect stools I had with Victors. I’m hoping that will change after some more time. The company is amazing.

[SummerRainAussies]

Rating the dog poop! Thats hilarious! I love that.
Do you have a opinion on grain vs grain free? Lets say you have a grain free and grain exclusive food and both foods have exactly the same amount of meat content and carb content but one uses brown rice as a binder/carb source and one uses potato as a binder/carb source…. Brown rice has more nutrients than potato but it is a grain which so many people are afraid of.

[SummerRainAussies]

This morning was a perfect poop! Funny how excited I get about dog poop. I also used the perfect form. This morning was the 4th serving. Day 2. We will see what happens when I take them off of it in a week.
They adjusted pretty quick actually considering some of my dogs haven’t had grain their whole life. It is a higher protein and fat than the grain free diet I was feeding with more meat but still a totally different adjustment.

[SummerRainAussies]

They have been a lot better today!! YAY! Not perfect but absolutely improving which is wonderful! I have used pumpkin before in the past with client dogs and it has seemed to help but its mostly just a filler.

[SummerRainAussies]

Well….. I must admit I did that for a couple meals and than ran out of their old food so I went ahead and just started giving them the new food 100%. I really cant blame them for have a little bit of loose stool. Its not bad its just a little softer than I would like. I could go and buy a small bag of their old food to mix in but at the same time their poop isn’t that bad and I could just wait it out…
I did add some canned pumpkin this evening.

[SummerRainAussies]

Right, completely agree. We will see if this works and if it doesn’t I will go back to victors because I have never had an issue with them. The only issue is me myself and I. I have tried many kibbles and end up back on Victors although I tend to give up pretty early. How long do you normally give a dog after they are transitioned before you would consider the food to not be working?

[SummerRainAussies]

Yes they did eat the whole serving without much problem. My dogs eat very quickly and aren’t real picky. I have not seen a difference at all. If anything maybe it’s worse.
They have only been on this new food for a few days but I really want it to work. I am willing to try the purina FortiFlora. I wouldn’t want to give it to her long term but if it’s something that would help during the transition that would be great!!!!

[SummerRainAussies]

Thanks so much. I went and got it last night and gave them the full amount. I am going to cut it back just a little as it seems like a lot. I cant even imagine giving it on just dry kibble. Eww LOL. Thanks so much for the recommendation.

[SummerRainAussies]

Okay so I bought the Perfect form stuff… How do you give it? It says you can make it into a gel…. Can i just put it on top of the food and get the same effect?

[SummerRainAussies]

Hi Crazy4cats!

Yeah I haven’t heard anything bad about them I just don’t like their customer service. They act like they are hiding something all the time. But I am pretty anal about dog food companies ;). Just a couple days ago got Annamaet 32/20. So far only after a couple days there has been a little bit of loose stool but I will give it some time. We will see how the annamaet plays out.. I LOVE the company but if their stools don’t firm up like I like back to victor we will probably go!
My dogs eat about 50% raw so the kibble doesn’t take up their entire nutrition.
Thanks for the reply!

[SummerRainAussies]

Hi Linda,
I am only unsure about the company. I want to like the company. I really do!
There are a lot of positive things but they seem to simply ignore questions they dont want to answer. Customer service is not great. Because they ignore some of my detailed questions I wonder what they are not putting out on the table.

[SummerRainAussies]

I guess I have more of a question than anything. Other than their homemade RAW they have done the best on victors kibble. High pro plus to be exact. Small dark firm bowel movements.
I switched to Annamaet 32/20 (my dogs need high fat) and it gave them soft stool that was much lighter in color and had a yellow look to it. Now I will admit I gave them the new food cold turkey.

The only reason I switched in the first place is because Victors wasn’t on the editors choice list and I am concerned about the quality of the food and their customer service.

Someone with knowledge on this please give me their thoughts.

[SummerRainAussies]

Victors is one of the only foods (other than raw) that my dogs have done really well on. Perfect bowel movements. I am not so sure about the company though which sucks. Every time I try a different food I end up back on Victors.

[SummerRainAussies]

This is a very good point. I have Aussies who I do all kinds of trailing with. It is near impossible to find a 30/20 food that has decent ingredients and is grain free.
Annamaet has a 32/20. Not grain free but a very good company
Victors has a 30/20 that my dogs have done really well on.
Victors also has a 42/22 grain free and you could mix it with their other grain free formulas and it would make about a 37/20

[SummerRainAussies]

Thanks Susan. I probably cant get myself to touch anything food that is associated with Diamond Pet Foods.
I will take a look at “Sprort Dog Elite”.

[SummerRainAussies]

YESS.. The new oral flea meds (Bravecto, Nexgad, Simperia) are only trouble. Dogs are having reactions anything from slight skin rash to death.
Just like with any flea and tick preventive some dogs will react and others wont but these are the worse of the worst. Check out the facebook group “does Brevecto kill dogs” with over 30,000 members who are sharing stories. Its a great page with a lot of support. Also check out “does Nexgard kill does”

[SummerRainAussies]

I have tried every premium food you can think of and Victors is one of my favorites. All my Aussies from weaning puppies to senior dogs do well on it.

[SummerRainAussies]

Victors Grain Free and High Pro Plus

[SummerRainAussies]

Chicken meal is in a sense dehydrated chicken. Chicken with all the water removed. Chicken meal is much more protein dense than fresh chicken because it weights much less, although it is a rendered meat. They were using all fresh meats and now they have added a “meat meal” im sure to cut down on costs.
Named meat meal is not strictly a bad thing. I would rather see named meat meal as a first ingredient than a fresh meat before lets say a brown rice. Simply means more of the overall protein in the food is coming from meat sources.

[SummerRainAussies]

Other than raw my dogs have has the smallest firmest stools on Victors Grain Free

[SummerRainAussies]

I feed now fresh food.
There is no better company. They also have GO! food which is a moderate protein.
Good Luck!

[SummerRainAussies]

I wont touch anything that has any relation to Purina. I personally don’t understand why its still on editors choice list. I feed raw and Now Fresh. No one can beat the company “PetCurean”.

[SummerRainAussies]

Wow thanks for all the great information. I am going to be ordering carlsons fish oil off Amazon. Could anyone tell me how much you would give a 50lb dog? In milligrams.
Also i’ve been reading that people squeeze the fish oil out of the capsules. Is this needed or could i just give the whole capsule with the oil in it?

[SummerRainAussies]

I was looking at the Carlson brand. I read an article that new studies are saying that fish oil can cause prostate cancer in men.. Do you think their would be any of the same risk in a in-tact male dog?

Also I was wondering if it was there is a pill/powder for all the needed vitamins and minerals that i could give that makes the calcium and phosphate levels correct and whatnot. At least until I have the portions of the meat down.
It feels less overwhelming if I could learn in it two phases. LOL

[SummerRainAussies]

Thanks SandyandMila!

I looked that website up and it seem wonderful!
Im really glad that i ran across this site, it seems as though it may help me out alot! Real people i can talk to! 🙂
I cant wait to get started! 🙂

[SummerRainAussies]

HDM

Thank you so much! I will absolutely be purchasing that book later today. Hopefully it will be pretty self explanatory 😉
I had NO idea it could be that inexpensive to homemake raw. Wow crazy! I have looked at some butchers in my area and they all want to charge me a lot. Do you have any suggestions for finding a place that will charge me wholesale? Maybe a online distributer?
I’m new to this.. Is their a specific place I can go to chat with you or is it just in these forms?

[SummerRainAussies]

HDM

There are so many reviews to read here! WOW!
I have been reading a lot of your reviews the last few weeks and you are so educational for raw feeding I thought i would join and try and chat with you.
I have been feeding my Aussies pre-made raw such as darwins, and vital essentials. I have always wanted to make my own raw but was afraid of not making it balanced and That and it seems so expensive for my 22 year old self. But am totally willing to spend more on my dogs than myself. I was reading and discovered Hare-today from a earlier post and that seems like a good place. Human grade?
I was trying to maybe find a good book.
I want to maybe start with half homemade than when i get better at it switch to full homemade.

I dont know what vitamins to give and how much.

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