[Susan W]

I keep beating the VeRUS dog food drum – and will continue. On the surface, it looks expensive but when you consider the fact that your dog’s system will use if more efficiently than cheaper dog food AND that you will likely not have to feed as much in volume, it’s really not anymore expensive than say Pedigree. I checked the price against the foods at PetCo recently and VeRUS is a better quality at a slightly lower price. Also, if you use PetFlow’s auto-ship you’ll get a discount.

[Susan W]

Ugh! I feel your pain. I’ve had issues almost identical to yours pop up out of nowhere this summer. My Golden has – for the 1st time ever – mites. Scabies/mange mites. you can do a puff/powder with DE powder on the dog to kill the mites, and treat your yard, carpet and dog bedding for them with DE powder, too. (Food Grade DE Powder!). The problem I’m having is that the dogs that are carrying these mites all over the neighborhood aren’t my dogs. Anonymous 101 is spot-on with their info, too.

[Susan W]

I feed VeRUS. They’ve never had a recall & you can do auto-ship from Pet Flow. I recently checked pricing vs. other premium foods and found VeRUS to be at least as economical and often more economical than many of the others. If you want to try it, fill out a contact from on their website (do a search for verus pet foods) and they’ll send you some really nice samples. This food has been REALLY great from my dogs.

[Susan W]

I feed mine VeRUS Advanced Opticoat because of the Omega-3’s and the great ingredients. They also have a cold water fish formula. VeRUS has been in business for more than 25 years and they’ve never had a recall. Their website has loads of great information including the nutritional values of each of their foods. You can also fill out a contact form and receive free samples. The samples are GREAT.

[Susan W]

VeRus has some excellent canned food choices. They are all BPA & BPS free. While they don’t specifically mention a diabetic formula, all flavors will work well with a diabetic dog. If you have questions, just contact them via the contact form. They’ll answer quickly & help you out.

[Susan W]

Opals – you are correct. I apologize. I didn’t realize you were in Australia. Be sure to check BarkPost’s list of 15 foods without a recall. That might help.

[Susan W]

BTW – on the surface, VeRus doesn’t appear to be inexpensive but my dogs use it very efficiently so I end up feeding less than I expected and we get a lot less waste. On the whole, it’s very cost-effective.

[Susan W]

Contact VeRus for some suggestions/samples. I was looking for an alternative to homemade food (I got tired of the mess/smell) and found them on a list of 15 foods with no recalls. I used the contact form on their website & had a nice conversation with someone there who asked useful questions and gave suggestions. They then sent me several sample bags (free!) and I have fed VeRus ever since. It’s FANTASTIC! It doesn’t stink, it isn’t sticky or gross, and their food is produced/packaged/sourced here in the US. (Except for a New Zealand lamb formula) Do a web search using the name VeRUS.

[Susan W]

I went from feeding commercial/garbage food to better food to really good food. I’m calling VeRus really good food. I have a big dog and a small dog & feed them both VeRus Opticoat because the little dog is an itchy thing when she isn’t eating this food. Their energy levels are fantastic and we don’t have a lot excess poop.
I found VeRus on a list of 15 dog foods that had never had a recall. I contacted the company thru their contact form on their website and had a very nice email discussion with a live person who turned out to be the company VP (I think). They asked questions about my dogs, explained why they thought each dog would benefit from which formulas, and sent me free samples to try. These were NICE samples, too. I decided on the Opticoat & have had no regrets. I order it from PetFlow & they send it automatically so I don’t run out.
Their website (VeRUS’ website) has a lot of great information. Their food is manufactured and sourced in the US (except their New Zealand Lamb formula). They have been in business for almost 30 years (I think) and have never had a recall. It’s a great food from a great family-run company.

[Susan W]

Brandon & Alex –
I have a 10 y-o Golden and a little rescue mutt about 7 y-o. The little one tends to be itchy and very sensitive to foods. I have them both on VeRus dog food. This food has a 4 Star rating from this website and is on Bark Post’s list of 15 foods that have never had a recall. This food is made/packaged/sourced in the US (except for the lamb formula which uses lamb from New Zealand). If you go to their website, you can fill out the contact form & converse via email with a human who will help you choose the food that is right for your dogs. After that, they’ll send you free samples.
My dogs have BLOSSOMED on this food. I can’t give you the exact website here but just do a search for verus pet foods. You won’t regret it.

[Susan W]

Hi Chris,
I climbed on the VeRUs pet food bandwagon when they had a person contact me and they sent me actual samples of their food (instead of coupons). I have had FANTASTIC results from feeding my dogs their foods.
Neither of my dogs is a puppy anymore. However, VeRUS HAS a large breed puppy formula in addition to their regular puppy formula. You can contact them via their website. They have a lot of info there and they will answer your questions, as well. Their website is veruspetfoods.com
They’ve never had a recall, either. It’s a great company with great products.

[Susan W]

I’m going to echo Anna O on this subject. I actually feed the VeRUS Advanced Opticoat and have noticed a huge difference in my dogs. My dogs used to be really itchy. When I bought a huge bag of my old dog food and it was moldy, I started researching other foods. When I contact VeRUS, they emailed me back and asked if I had questions or if my dogs had any specific issues. I told them about the itchiness and received a really nice response detailing itching in dogs. They then sent me some samples and we (my dogs & I) have been hooked ever since.
Contact VeRUS, tell them what’s going on, and give them a try. It won’t cost you anything but a few emails. http://www.veruspetfoods.com

[Susan W]

Oh. As I said, I’m really impressed their food and the response from their company. My dogs are much healthier now that they’ve been eating VeRUS for a while – in fact the benefits were almost immediately evident. I always recommend VeRUS because that’s what I feed. I recommended 4Health to everyone before I got a huge bag of moldy food. I’ve gone from Pedigree to 4Health to making my own to VeRUS. Let’s just say I NEVER recommended Pedigree. 🙂

[Susan W]

Um, no, DogFoodie. I am just really impressed with their food and their company. Why?

[Susan W]

Hi!
Try VeRUS. It is definitely NOT made by Diamond. VeRUS has NEVER had a food in recall and they’ve been making food for more than 20 years. The food isn’t stinky or sticky. Their website has a lot of great information and if you fill out the contact form they’ll have a person email you and ask questions before they send out samples. They have dealers in 3 PA cities or you can order the food from PetFlow or a couple of other online places (not Chewy, however). This is really, really good dog food. I went from making my dog’s food to buying VeRUS and I’ve had NO complaints.

[Susan W]

Hi Robb,
I have an 11 y-o female Golden. She was 85 lbs and moving slow until I did 2 things: 1) I stopped letting her free-feed & now only feed once a day. 2) I switched from commercial food, to better food, to REALLY good food. With the really good food & the set feeding time, she lost 10 lbs and gained about 5 years of energy. I’m feeding her VeRUS Opticoat because she was itchy. We actually have 2 females that eat this food and we have ZERO problems with grass burn. (Oddly, last night I was kind of wishing we did as I need to kill the grass in the area where they like to go!) VeRUS has a contact form you can fill out, they’ll actually contact you (a real person!) and send you some very nice samples. They are VERY helpful at VeRUS and the food is fantastic (well, my dogs love it!)

[Susan W]

Andrea,
While you’re researching puppy foods, please check out VeRUS. I have been feeding my dogs this food (adult formulas) for about 6 months and it has made a HUGE difference in them! They have a large breed puppy formula, they have canned foods, they supplements. If you fill out their contact form, someone will get in touch with you and ask/answer questions before sending samples. The samples are great. At least you’ll have something to try that won’t cost you anything.

[Susan W]

All of the VeRUS formulas are suitable for diabetic dogs and they are free of corn & gluten.

[Susan W]

I like the size of VeRUS’ kibble. It’s a little smaller than a dime but thicker. My little dog doesn’t have any trouble eating it and my big dog can keep it in her mouth. It seems to fit them both well.
You can contact VeRUS through their website. There’s a contact form you can fill out. They will email you back, ask you some questions about your dog and send samples.
I got interested in them because they’re on a list of dog food companies that have never had a recall. I liked that, filled out the contact form and received some really nice samples in the mail. My dogs love it, so we’re hooked!

[Susan W]

Do you let her free feed? If so, feed her once or twice a day & pick up the food she doesn’t eat after 10 or 15 min. I never thought this would matter much until my Golden started looking pudgy. It makes a HUGE difference.

[Susan W]

Contact VeRUS for a sample of their foods. (www.veruspetfoods.com) Each of their formulas is suitable for a diabetic dog. Most dog foods contain simple carbohydrates which are more difficult to digest, have empty calories, and raise blood sugar rapidly. VeRUS’ formulas offer complex carbohydrates, which slowly release glucose and energy into the body, as well as being metabolized better to reduce fat storage. This means there will not be a quick influx of sugars into the body, like the simple carbs do.
I have had really good luck with their Advanced Opticoat formula. My dogs aren’t diabetic but my little one is diet sensitive and extremely incredibly itchy when she ISN’T eating the Opticoat. This formula is also made with fish but it isn’t gross fishy smelling and it isn’t greasy or sticky. Picky little dog loves it, too.
VeRUS doesn’t get the greatest ranking on this website and I’m not really sure why. They have never had a recall (in more than 20 years). When you fill out their contact form, an actual person will email you, answer/ask questions, and send you samples. Nice samples.

[Susan W]

VeRUS has a puppy formula for large breed dogs (who will grow to be more than 60 lbs) and a smaller (average?) puppy formula. I’m very happy with their adult foods. Maybe you should try them. If you go to their website (http://www.veruspetfoods.com) you can fill out a form and they’ll send you samples. The samples arrive quickly and have a lot in them.

[Susan W]

VeRUS has a puppy formula for large breed dogs (who will grow to be more than 60 lbs) and a smaller (average?) puppy formula. I’m very happy with their adult foods. Maybe you should try them. If you go to their website (http://www.veruspetfoods.com) you can fill out a form and they’ll send you samples. The samples arrive quickly and have a lot in them.

[Susan W]

Jeffrey, are you one of those people who likes lutefiske? Just kidding. My dogs liked the sardines but I always managed to get just a little drop of juice on me somewhere then I’d have to smell it all day long. ICK!
Now, as for supplements…
There are certain supplements, such as Glucosamine chondroitin, that is always best as a liquid supplement added to the formula because the temperatures of kibble processing can kill off most of the nutrients. However there are certain ways to preserve the omega 3s and other essential nutrients without having to apply it afterwards. If there isn’t an immune deficiency in the dog, omega 3s can be utilized in the form consumed within the food. The Omega-3 in VeRUS’ Advanced Opticoat is sufficient as a preventative. If there IS an immune deficiency, it is best to apply additional supplementation. For people like me who don’t like the smell of sardines, VeRUS also has an Opticoat 2 supplement featuring Menhaden fish and flaxseed. I looked into purchasing the Opticoat supplement for mine but the VeRUS food I purchased took care of the itchiness my dogs were battling.

[Susan W]

I used to give my dogs sardines in water. I hated the smell when I opened the can, hated the smell in the kitchen, hated the fishy breath on the dogs, and it didn’t really help with their itching. I tried the VeRus dog food for this reason (among others) and my dogs virtually stopped itching all together. It was GREAT! And they didn’t have fishy breath while I didn’t have to worry about sardine smell everywhere.

[Susan W]

PitLuv – you are right, of course! I think I lost my brain somewhere yesterday. VeRus has a large breed puppy formula (which is where I think I was going…). That’s the beauty of their contact form: you fill it out, they write back with questions in order to recommend the best option, then they send samples. Their website has great info and their people actually put effort into customer contact.

[Susan W]

Hey all –
Here’s another option for the Danes and other large dogs: VeRUS pet foods makes a lamb formula, Adult Maintenance. The protein is a little lower on this formula so it’d probably work really well for your Great Dane. The kibble is more round than flat like their other formulas so it’s a little bigger. They also have a really awesome probiotic in their food that survives the cooking temperatures. No window dressing with them! Maybe send them an email and ask for a sample to see if the size of the kibble works well for your pup. You can fill out a contact form on their website & they’ll email you back with questions before sending out samples.

[Susan W]

Check out VeRus’ large breed puppy food. Their adult foods are excellent and they put a lot of research into making great formulas. In something like 28 years of production, they’ve never had a recall. Their website has a LOT of great information & they have a patented way to do probiotics. http://www.veruspetfoods.com
Also, if you fill out the contact form, they’ll send you really nice samples.

[Susan W]

I’ve had good luck with VeRus’ adult dog foods. They have puppy foods, too, including one especially formulated for large breed puppies. They also have canned food for dogs (and cats). They have NEVER had a recall in 20+ years of production and they will send samples (really nice samples) if you fill out the contact form. http://Www.veruspetfoods.com
They really are worth checking out.

[Susan W]

I’m a big fan of VeRus dog foods. http://www.veruspetfoods.com They have a puppy formula for small to medium (at adulthood) puppies and one for large breed dogs. One thing that’s really important with your pup is that his food supports his body while it grows. I had a German Sheppard once who grew too fast (for his cheap food) and ended up with joint issues. Had I known then what I know now, I would have fed him better food from the beginning. Of course, VeRus wasn’t around then.
Other great things about VeRus:
They’ve never (NEVER!) had a recall in their 20+ years.
They have a non-profit that helps train rescue dogs for veterans w/PTSD.
They have a contact form you can fill out – which they will acknowledge – and they’ll send you really nice-sized samples.
Check out their website – it has a lot of good info.
Good luck!

[Susan W]

I was going to try Blue Wilderness with my dogs. Just about the time I got ready to buy it they had their issues. I did some research and found a list of companies that had never had a recall & settled on VeRus Pet Food. Granted, my dogs aren’t puppies but VeRus has a large breed puppy formula – as opposed to their formula for small & medium puppies. This tells me they put some thought into it. The protein amounts are different in the 2 formulas, too. Best thing: They send samples! http://www.veruspetfoods.com

[Susan W]

Check out VeRus dog food. Their formulas run in the 24 – 26% protein range and they have a variety of choices. If you fill out the questionnaire on the website they’ll help you choose the right formula for your dog and send you samples to try. BTW – one thing I love about their food is that it doesn’t smell like dog food. http://www.veruspetfoods.com

[Susan W]

Have you looked into VeRus? They have several different formulas/flavors depending on your needs. I don’t know what their carb ratio is but they have a contact page on their website where you can ask questions and get an actual human-generated emailed response. They also send samples – good-sized samples.

Family & Veteran Owned Pet Food Since 1993

I did this when I was looking for an alternative to the food I’d been buying. They (VeRus) asked questions about my dogs and sent some really good samples. My dogs and I are very happy with this food.

[Susan W]

Give VeRus Cold Water Fish a try. They use Menhaden fish oil to add Omega-3s & the food doesn’t stink. It smells like fresh fish and it doesn’t make their breath stink. (At least it didn’t make my dog’s breath stink.) Here’s their web site:http://www.veruspetfoods.com/canine-coldwaterfishdetail.html
Their website has a lot of good info & there’s a place where you can request a sample.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 11 months ago by Susan W. Reason: I wanted to click the notification button

[Susan W]

I’d like to Nominate VeRus Pet Foods – specifically their Cold Water Fish

[Susan W]

Hi!
VeRus has a Cold Water Fish formula that uses Menhaden fish. Remember that your dog actually needs Omega-3s for a healthy coat. VeRus’ Cold Water Fish formula actually smells like FRESH fish – not disgusting fish. My little mutt eats it, LOVES it, isn’t itchy anymore, and her breath only smells [fresh] fishy right after she eats. I’m really impressed with this food.
Their website is http://www.veruspetfoods.com. There’s a form you can fill out about your dog and they’ll get back to you on recommended food. There’s also a LOT of good info on their page.

[Susan W]

I’ve had really good luck with VeRus Cold Water Fish. I have a little rescue mutt who used to have to stop to scratch about every 3 or 4 steps. I saw VeRus on a list of 15 companies who’ve never had a recall. Turns out they’ve been in business for something like 20 years w/o a recall. Anyway, I filled out the contact form and they sent me samples – good-sized samples that got here within a few days. It’s great food and smells fresh & healthy. The lady that wrote back mentioned that chicken is frequently an allergen for dogs. I think it’s due to the all the stuff they’re given (the chickens) while growing.

Anyway, their website is http://www.veruspetfoods.com. There is a lot of good information there.

[Susan W]

Sadly, chicken can be an allergen, too. As well as beef. Something about all the hormones and growth chemicals they ingest. VeRus is also wheat/corn/soy and artificial/chemical preservative free.
Also, you can give your dog plain yogurt (about a teaspoon) for probiotics.
Good luck! Keep us posted!

[Susan W]

Hi!
My dogs aren’t picky eaters by any stretch of imagination but one does have a finicky digestive system. I’ve had SUPER luck with VeRus dog foods. They have both canned and dry food (we’ve only used the dry). BTW – their dry food doesn’t stink. As in NO STINKINESS AT ALL. It’s great. Well, actually, the Cold Water Fish smells like a live fish but that’s all.
VeRus also sends samples of dry food. Contact them via their website @ http://www.veruspetfoods.com. It’s a really good, informative website, too.
Another REALLY important fact: In more than 20 years of making dog food VeRus has NEVER had a recall.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 11 months ago by Susan W. Reason: Forgot to mention something

[Susan W]

Hi!
I’ve head really good luck with VeRus foods. You can check them out at http://www.veruspetfoods.com/
I have a little mutt that has a very finicky digestive system. She’s had no problems eating VeRus’ Cold Water Fish and has even stopped itching. If you contact them, they’ll ask you questions and likely send samples to try.
Good luck!

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