TOTW HP Opinions?

upendi'smommy · 10-27-2009, 11:50 PM

I'm thinking of switching the girls over to TOTW High Praire, but I want some opinions on it.

Would it be good for a one year old gsdxhusky and a six month old aussiexlab. I mean I can't think of any reason, but if there is please inform me.

nac1089 · 10-27-2009, 11:57 PM

My dog is currently eating TOTW High Praire and she loves it. She hasn't had any problems with it so far.

It's an all life stages food so feeding it to your dogs should be fine.

upendi'smommy · 10-28-2009, 12:11 AM

Thank you! I'm hoping Upendi will take to it, she's a very picky eater. I thought it was for all life stages, but I wasn't totally sure.

Keechak · 10-28-2009, 12:15 AM

Hawk does wonderfully on it, being a high energy dog and weighing 45 pounds

upendi'smommy · 10-28-2009, 12:17 AM

That's great because both of my girls are very active and are both around 40 lbs right now, although Mina's still growing.

Upendi is hard to keep weight on so I'm hoping the switch might help. I'm also hoping she likes the taste.

Keechak · 10-28-2009, 12:58 AM

Well when it comes to taste I will tell you Hawkeye actually growled at Kechara when she came within 3 feet of his food dish the first day I switched him to it, He liked it THAT much.

Nargle · 10-28-2009, 01:23 AM

I had really good results. Absolutely love it.

I switched to EVO and I like it more (Mainly because Basil goes nuts over the taste so it has become an effective training treat, and because since it's higher cal I feed less), but I still think TotW HP is still a really good food

Also, before we got TotW we had been feeding Blue Wilderness, which smells like a flippin' tackle box, lol! Anyways, it was really refreshing to open the bag and be all like "Hey, do I smell hamburgers??"

nico8 · 10-28-2009, 02:05 AM

I've gotta say that I was very unimpressed with TOTW. Out of 6 different foods that I've tried Nico on, she did the worst on TOTW HP. Horrible diarrhea, gagging , and forcing herself to throw up for 3 days was enough for me to discontinue use. I haven't seen her that bad before or since. It seems that many people in here swear by TOTW , so I guess it doesn't affect most dogs that way. I do know it's one of the few foods that I've tried that I would never go back to feeding.

pugmom · 10-28-2009, 06:43 AM

I love TOTW HP.....MY guys are doing great on it...they love the taste and they look wonderful

Ayanla · 10-28-2009, 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nico8

I've gotta say that I was very unimpressed with TOTW. Out of 6 different foods that I've tried Nico on, she did the worst on TOTW HP. Horrible diarrhea, gagging , and forcing herself to throw up for 3 days was enough for me to discontinue use. I haven't seen her that bad before or since. It seems that many people in here swear by TOTW , so I guess it doesn't affect most dogs that way. I do know it's one of the few foods that I've tried that I would never go back to feeding.

That's why I'm always nervous about recommending a particular brand. It may be a great food, but that certainly doesn't mean all dogs are going to do well on it or that it's the right food for all dogs. You just never know what sort of digestive sensitivities or even taste preferences a particular dog might have.

lovemygreys · 10-28-2009, 08:03 AM

We're feeding it to our 19 greyhounds (one is a 5 month old puppy) and everyone is doing great.

Looney Tunes · 10-28-2009, 08:05 AM

It is made my Diamond Foods...that should concern you.

The company seems shady to me.

I might suggest Orijen or EVO. I recently decided to switch my dogs and did a ton of research about companies, ingredients, etc. It seems that these two brands have excellent ingrendients and a safety record to match. I am introducing VERY slowly because of the change in protein content, but so far, no problems.

Keechak · 10-28-2009, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Looney Tunes

It is made my Diamond Foods...that should concern you.

The company seems shady to me.

I might suggest Orijen or EVO. I recently decided to switch my dogs and did a ton of research about companies, ingredients, etc. It seems that these two brands have excellent ingrendients and a safety record to match. I am introducing VERY slowly because of the change in protein content, but so far, no problems.

I don't mind Diamond foods. almost every pet food company has been involved in a recall, Diamond is definatly not the worst.

wolfsnaps · 10-28-2009, 06:26 PM

Just wanted to chime in and say that I feed Taste of the Wild (among other kibble) and my three really like it. I have an 11 month old mastiff pup, a 5 year old doxie mix and a 8 or 9 year old lab mix. Puppy, adult and senior...

They all really like it and do well on it. But of course, every dog is different. What works for one may not work for another. The only way to know is to try it and see. I think it is a good quality grain free kibble and the best price I have seen for something like that. I have heard some not so great things about the fish formula (something about ethoxyquin I believe.)

I feed them High praire (bison and venison) and also wetlands (turkey and duck).

Good luck.

Keechak · 10-28-2009, 06:54 PM

I sent a letter to Diamond about the Fish Meal and Ethoxyquin content and I got a letter back from them I will post it when I have time. it states that they do not add Ethoxyquin to their food but they said that fish meal is required to contain ethoxyquin by law and that the amount of ethoxyquin in their fish meal is far less than what is considered safe by the USDA.

dieterherzog · 10-28-2009, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keechak

I sent a letter to Diamond about the Fish Meal and Ethoxyquin content and I got a letter back from them I will post it when I have time. it states that they do not add Ethoxyquin to their food but they said that fish meal is required to contain ethoxyquin by law and that the amount of ethoxyquin in their fish meal is far less than what is considered safe by the USDA.

So they don't add Ethoxyquin but their fish meal contains Ethoxyquin?

I don't understand. I thought Ethoxyquin was a synthetic additive - maybe I'm wrong, but even if it's required by law, Wellness and Orijen doesn't add them.

pugmom · 10-28-2009, 07:10 PM

This is how it was explained to me on another Forum....The thing you need to understand about Ethoxyquin is that it is quite clear from the product packaging whether or not the food manufacturer uses it. IF they do, they are required to state so on the labelling. That bit is nice and simple.

HOWEVER: they are not required to disclose anything at all about what happens to ingredients prior to receiving them. Most perishable ingredients - meats, meat meals, fish, etc - will have been preserved with something prior to the manufacturer receiving them (they don't all make their own meal, after all). And that information is NOT given to the consumer.

When it comes to fish products, in the US it is required by law that all ocean fish products destined for pet food meal be preserved with Ethoxyquin (yes, the law stipulates that chemical specifically). For anyone to NOT be using fish meal products preserved with ethoxyquin, then their suppliers must either be supplying non-ocean farmed fish or else they must have a special dispensation from the law (i.e. allowed to use some other preservative instead). As you might imagine, that would be a tiny minority. And if it were the case, you'd expect your dog food manufacturer to be shouting it from the rooftops as a marketing point

dieterherzog · 10-28-2009, 07:17 PM

Urgh - technicalities!

The one thing I've learned in researching foods for my dog is to be more conscious about what's going into my own diet. If you're getting any kind of preserved food, chances are there are just too many weird things in the production line that when it eventually ends up in your tummy, the amount of additives and preservatives offsets the actual nutrient content.

Orijen uses fresh fish - and their marketing line is "Fresh fish! Never preserved!" So I guess there we have it.

pugmom · 10-28-2009, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dieterherzog

Urgh - technicalities!

The one thing I've learned in researching foods for my dog is to be more conscious about what's going into my own diet. If you're getting any kind of preserved food, chances are there are just too many weird things in the production line that when it eventually ends up in your tummy, the amount of additives and preservatives offsets the actual nutrient content.

Orijen uses fresh fish - and their marketing line is "Fresh fish! Never preserved!" So I guess there we have it.

They could also not be using OCEAN fish ?....And I think Orijen is made in Canada right? so they might not be required to add it in or they might use a substitute

dieterherzog · 10-28-2009, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pugmom

They could also not be using OCEAN fish ?....And I think Orijen is made in Canada right? so they might not be required to add it in or they might use a substitute

From the Orijen website: "Our Fresh fish are wild-caught from clean northern lakes of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Winnipeg and the North West Territories of Canada."

And if it were the case, you'd expect your dog food manufacturer to be shouting it from the rooftops as a marketing point

I meant that's why Orijen displays the fresh fish thing prominently on their bags of kibble.