[Lynn J]

A couple of questions:
What do you use to add taurine?
Wellness Core Original (which I use) does have peas, does that concern you?

[Lynn J]

I think TOTW is not on the Editor’s Choice list because it is made by Diamond and in 2012 Diamond had a recall that was handled pretty badly and many, many dogs were affected. It has been 4 years, so perhaps improvements have been made to their manufacturing facilities.

[Lynn J]

Can you tell me what you don’t like about Wellness canned?
I occasionally feed it and am unaware of any issues with it.

[Lynn J]

While these oral tick/flea medications will kill fleas or ticks after they bite, they do not repel. So unfortunately they don’t prevent your dog from picking up fleas or ticks. You shouldn’t find engorged ticks on your dog, but you might find them crawling around on the dog, or dead ticks where your dog sleeps or hangs out.

[Lynn J]

One thing to consider is that you typically want to finish a bag within 3-6 weeks. This is because the better foods do not have synthetic preservatives, and fats start becoming rancid after being exposed to air (when the bag is opened). I have read that some people open a bag and freeze half, you would need freezer space to do that. Maybe other people can comment on this.

[Lynn J]

I think you can backorder the issue of the Whole Dog Journal. There is a report in their February 2015 issue.

[Lynn J]

I personally rotate after each bag, allowing for about a week of transitioning. My main reasoning is that ideally I want to finish a bag within 3 – 4 weeks so that the fats don’t become rancid. I rotate through different brands and sometimes between flavors within brands. I also try to match the proteins in whatever toppers I am using to the proteins of the kibble.

[Lynn J]

I just want to comment, that although many of these products are effective at killing fleas and/or ticks, they often do not repel them. So your dog may pick up parasites while out and about and get bitten by them. Hopefully, for ticks especially, parasites are killed before they are able to transfer pathogens such as Lyme Disease. Tick collars may offer some repellant activity, but in my case, when I was using the Preventatic collar, the ticks were dropping off in my house, some still alive, I was not happy about that. Everyone has to balance their dogs tolerance to chemicals, parasite levels where you live, dogs allergic reactions to flea/tick bites, other pets/children in the home, etc.

[Lynn J]

Thanks to all, especially theBCnut. I was under the wrong impression that when the reviews said “plant based” it meant that a lot of the protein came from plants (peas, etc). So now I know better :-). My preference has been meat based, but many of the highly rated kibbles are plant based, so I was confused.

And I do rotate, and add toppers such as Stella and Chewys, eggs, etc.

[Lynn J]

My dogs like both, but in my area Stella and Chewy costs less than Primal, in case that is a consideration.

[Lynn J]

I am in the same boat. I was feeding a rotation of Orijen and Acana foods, but despite the fact my dogs were doing great on them, it’s really beyond my budget to keep it up. I’ve added Wellness Core to my rotation, both the original and the ocean. Wellness Core is still a 5 star food and the company seems to be reputable. For a cost comparison using Chewy.com, Acana Grasslands (15 lb) is 45.99 or $3.066/lb. Wellness Core original (12 lb) is $25.95 or $2.16/lb. My dogs are doing very well with this in their rotation.

[Lynn J]

Are you feeding the Orijen fish formula, or one of the others? I might suggest trying another formula if your dog is doing well on Orijen in general. Also, even a premium food like Orijen can go stale (the fats get rancid) if not stored properly or if the contents of the bag get too old. The general advice seems to be to use up the bag within 6 weeks. Just a thought.

[Lynn J]

I sometimes Stella & Chewys or Grandma Lucy’s Purformance as a topper. They are too pricey for me to use otherwise.

[Lynn J]

I’ve had good luck with on-line sources for buying food. For example, I can order through Chewy.com and if I order over a certain amount, not only am I saving the sales tax, I am saving shipping costs.

[Lynn J]

There are many 4 and 5 star foods that are not on the Editor’s Choice list. You can look at the FAQ for the details, but it’s my understanding that the Editor’s Choice Award is looking at the integrity of the company as much, if not more, as the quality of the food.

[Lynn J]

Even dogs with excellent nutrition and a robust immune system can be subject to problems with fleas and or ticks. If you have a real infestation or a pet that is allergic to flea bites, you may have to break down and bring in some prescription flea/tick medication. As for your dogs not liking certain foods, you are right not to waste money on a product that they won’t eat. Hopefully you can find a good quality food that you can afford, they like, and aren’t allergic to any of the ingredients.

[Lynn J]

That’s very interesting about hot water from the hot water heater. When my parents had a “water conditioner”, I believe it was hooked up to the hot water heater and we didn’t drink it because it had a higher sodium content from the water conditioner. But our house has an “instant hot” water under the kitchen sink that avoids the hot water heater and is made for hot water for tea, hot chocolate, instant oatmeal type of stuff – human consumption. Anyway, I do let it cool down before the dogs before the dogs eat.

[Lynn J]

I always add hot water and let it sit a moment. I think as long your dog eats the food in a reasonable amount of time there is no problem. If it sits out all day then I would either pick it up or not add water. One of the complaints people have about kibble is that it is dehydrating, so I think adding water is a good thing to do.

[Lynn J]

Scott, what foods would you consider after Orijen starts manufacturing in the US? Just curious…..

[Lynn J]

I believe that you need exposure to an allergen for awhile before you develop the allergic reaction. That’s not to say that pork didn’t agree with your dog, or that you didn’t need a longer transition period.

[Lynn J]

So the question remains, should Merrick be an Editors Choice food, given it’s questionable response to recall issues? I was going to try Merrick, but there are quite a few iffy reviews about not only the food, but the company.

[Lynn J]

We just started a new bag of Acana Grasslands. So far it looks fine, but I’ll double check it each time I feed.

[Lynn J]

I’ve been using Wellness Core wet food to fill my dog’s Kongs. Both dogs love it. I haven’t used the Wellness dry yet, they are on Orijen/Acana/Fromm.

[Lynn J]

The easiest thing to do is to reduce the amount of food. My agility instructor told me my 34 lb border collie was a few pounds over weight. So instead of changing foods I just reduced everything. She gets fed twice a day so each meal went from 1/2 cup Orijen and 2 TB Grandma Lucy’s Purformance chicken as a topper (then rehydrated) to 1/3 cup Orijen and 1 TB Grandma Lucy’s. I upped the exercise a bit, and she has lost two pounds in just a couple of weeks. AND, the amount of poops has dropped as well. Other than being a bit more eager to eat her meals, she doesn’t seem overly stressed. Stay will high quality foods, no need to go to diet formulas for weight loss, IMHO.

[Lynn J]

Some people switch from the Orijen to Acana. Same company and good quality. Most dogs will experience loose stools when switching foods, unless you go slowly.

[Lynn J]

Do you still have the bag with the date on it? What size bag? I can only by the 15 lb bags because the larger bags last too long. It’s recommended that you use up the food in 3 to 6 weeks (depending on whose recommendation you use). So even if the food is stored in an air tight container, it can still go bad if it has been opened too long. Worms, though, thats odd unless it’s some sort of pantry moth that got in your container,

[Lynn J]

Thanks Nutrella, what are your feelings about Fromm Surf and Turf and one of the Merrick grain frees? I think I once checked out the Nature’s Variety Instinct and the ash levels were a bit higher than I liked…but that was awhile ago and I don’t remember which one it was. I’ll look at Victors.

[Lynn J]

Adding to the thread…. my dog do well on Orijen Adult which is primarily chicken/other poultry. I have rotated with Acana Grasslands, but if I want to go to another 5 star food, that is not chicken does anyone have any suggestions and is from a different company. Orijen is really at the top of my price range, especially since the larger bag lasts too long so I need to buy the 15 lb. So, other protein sources, other carb sources, similar protein/fat/carb ratio to Orijen.

[Lynn J]

Yes, thank you, it does clarify how those lists are put together.

[Lynn J]

I was confused too. I was thinking that the Budget Friendly and non-GMO foods were subsets of the Editor’s Choice selections, as opposed as being from the entire list of reviewed foods.

[Lynn J]

So The Honest Kitchen did’t make the list because of the Parsley recall? Or, is there another reason?

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