Opinions on Canidae

MyRescueCrew · 05-21-2008, 09:58 PM

I have tried/used Solid Gold, Wellness, and Natural Balance in the past, and have flip-flopped back and forth with Dog Chow, which I am using now. Had coat troubles with Solid Gold, and dogs didn't seem to like the Wellness or Natural Balance. I have a couple of scratchers on the Dog Chow, and I really do want to feed my dog something better. So tomorrow, I plan to go out and buy a bag of Canidae and give it a try. I have spent so many (too many!) hours reading about different dog foods, ect. and I have just about worn the food section of this forum out just reading it. In doing so, I've read a quite a few diff. reviews thrown around here and there of those who have tried/used Canidae, but not too many.

I am looking for anyone who is currently, or has used for a time in the past, Canidae, especially the All Life Stages. I'm looking for any good experiences, as well as why it didn't work for you. I'm also curious as to how long the dog was on, or has been on it.

Thanks!

Inga · 05-21-2008, 10:02 PM

I use Canidae in my rotation. I rotate every bag between 4-5 brands of food. I think my dogs do alright on Canidae but of the brands I rotate between I would say they are less excited about the Canidae. It has a good ingredients list for the price though.

MarleyBoy · 05-21-2008, 10:10 PM

Hi RescueCrew,
Marley has been on Canidae ALS for about 4 months now. We switched from Wellness Puppy chow to Canidae. I have to say first that Marley does not seem to particularly like ANY kibble - and we've tried about 6 different ones (Taste of the Wild, Wellness, Solid Gold, EVO, etc...). That said, he does very well on the Canidae. His coat looks fantastic, he's been growing well and maintaining his weight - his stools are as good as possible (well, I mean, we are talking poop here afterall) and generally, I would highly recommend Canidae. We do mix the kibble in with some chicken soup and other goodies, otherwise, Marley wouldn't touch it unless he hadn't eaten in weeks. But then, he's like that with ALL kibble. We also mix in the Wellness Core sometimes and he does well on that too.

TeddieXRuxpin · 05-21-2008, 10:11 PM

Hmm have you tried Innova?

What are you looking for in the food? Because even if it's a really high quality and good food it may not be covering the needs of your dogs. I've also tried Solid Gold Hund-N-Flocken for 3-4 months, wee bits for 3 months, and now Ted's on Natural Balance Sweet Potato & fish. He's done the best on this food. He's got allergies and is a pretty picky eater and this has worked. Skin and coat are doing really good, no upset stomach.

I'm not such a huge fan of Canidae, but I know there will be plenty of other members that will chime in that do like/love this food. I'm a bit picky though.

I like the foods you've tried, Solid Gold, Wellness (I like wellness core), and NB. Others to look into are Innova both regular and Evo, Nature's Variety, Orijen (I really like), Taste of the Wild, Merrick, TimberWolf, Eagle Pack Hollistic.. Those are just a few that I've liked the ingredients and reviews.

Keep us updated on what you pick and how it works out.

btw welcome to DF!

Durbkat · 05-21-2008, 10:14 PM

Snoopy has been on canidae for almost his whole life. I'm not sure if its just him but he just isn't enthused about it. Once he starts eating, he will eat it quick. But he only eats it if I put a treat in or if he's really hungry.

4dogs3cats · 05-21-2008, 10:33 PM

My 3 dogs have been on canidae for the last 6 months or so. I have never had them all stick their heads in a bowl and eat the entire amount. They usually pick, and they never used to finish their nutro. They eat their whole bowls, and they love it. I have noticed backyard cleanup is a lot easier too. My dogs love it, but every dog is different. Why dont you buy a small bag and try it out?

Durbkat · 05-21-2008, 10:35 PM

Most feed stores have free sample bags. When I went to get canidae for the first time they didn't have the 5 pound bag so she gave me like 10 sample bags till she got her shipment in next week.

MyRescueCrew · 05-22-2008, 04:45 PM

Hey guys, thanks for all the great reviews on the Canidae! I went out today and bought a 40 pound bag. After some coupons, I ended up getting the bag for only $27! Plus, the store let's you bring the food back within 30 days, no questions asked, as long as there is even one bite left in the bag. I also bought a few cans of the Canidae as well, since all my dogs are used to having a small amount of canned mixed with their kibble for extra hydration and taste.

I'll let everyone know how my guys like it!

FriendsOfZoe · 05-22-2008, 04:51 PM

Glad you decided to go for it. My Zoe does very well on it. She was fully switched by about the time she was 5 months (breeder had her on puppy chow) so now she has been on it for almost 9 months. She does very well on it and she LOVES it. I even usually use it as training treats (she does have a sensitive stomach so switching around doesn't work for her)--but Canidae is fine on her stomach. We briefly tried using a bit of Nature's Variety venison & sweet potato and she wouldn't even touch it--so anyway, my girl loves her Canidae. Hopefully your dogs will as well!
Remember, you can argue all day about which food is best, but the best food is really the one that your dogs do best on.

Mycathinks hesadog · 05-22-2008, 05:08 PM

Swithced my boys to Canidae a couple mos. back, and all has been very well, but as TR said, there are folks here for whom this food was not right for thier dogs. For mine though, coats look good, less itching, and thier stools are poop-tastic!

digits mama · 05-24-2008, 01:19 AM

Geaux Tigers!!

Its nice to see another Tiger fan around here!

I have my crew on Canidae and 3 out of 4 love it!

The other one prefers Natural Balance..

Billiie · 05-24-2008, 02:38 AM

I have Owen on Canidae as well; Lamb and Rice though, he was on ALS, but he is allergic to chicken. Him and Dugan do really well on it, but I would say that Owen is a bit picky with it, while Dugan loves it.

Bextastic · 05-24-2008, 09:58 AM

Bex has eaten Canidae as long as we've had him. He eats it very enthusiastically - and he eats a lot. Three meals of two cups each per day as per vets instructions (hes growing super fast!). To shake it up we switch between the regular ALS and the Lamb and Rice ALS for taste variation. We also throw in some TimberWolf with a random meal or two per day to keep it exciting. He needs no prompting to just eat pure Canidae ridiculously fast though. Maybe he's just a chow hound

Purplex15 · 05-25-2008, 03:55 PM

despite anyones opinions, canidae IS a good food with good ingrediants. like any other food, it isnt right for every dog, but is a good food, and at a much better price than most foods in the same catagory. when i got my puppy, the girl who had him was feeding him iams puppy. i quickly switched to natural balance and saw a huge improvement. after a few months though, his skin was very dry. even after adding salmon oil, his coat was just dry all the time. i made a short switch to innova puppy to bulk him (plus i got a 45 pound bag for like 20 bucks, who can beat that?), and after i finished that bag made the switch to canidae. not only is it giving me a little more spending money, but he is doing better on it than any other food, and likes it better than the innova. he just went about four months without a bath and still looked great. i know not every dog does well on it, but it is always worth a try. hope it works out for you

ChrissyBz · 05-25-2008, 06:19 PM

Well I hope mine like it. I just bought 210 pounds of it. It's on a ship right now to be here on Tuesday. I'll let you know how they like it after we clear it from customs.

MyRescueCrew · 05-26-2008, 04:30 PM

Well, the verdict is in -- my guys LOVE this food! I mean, all 6 of them love it and eat every bite and then lick the bowl clean! I'm so thrilled, I couldn't be happier. Just wanted to let everyone know, thanks again for all the reviews and opinions!

ChrissyBz · 05-26-2008, 05:30 PM

Well THAT'S good to hear.

TomN · 05-30-2008, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inga

I use Canidae in my rotation. I rotate every bag between 4-5 brands of food. I think my dogs do alright on Canidae but of the brands I rotate between I would say they are less excited about the Canidae. It has a good ingredients list for the price though.

I'm curious here as to why you feel the need to rotate foods so often? If your dog likes one brand and does well on it, I fail to see the need to switch every bag or even at all unless they develope an intolerance to or your supplier quits carrying it. I'm sure the dogs could care less and would think that such frequent changes could eventually lead to a picky eater. Just curious.