[Merlin's Mom]

Alright!! Here goes.. I know there will be a lot of different opinions, but I want to see what everyone says about what they are feeding their dog!

My breeder feeds a raw diet and all the dogs get Urban Wolf, which I will be following for the first couple months of Merlin's life.

However, it is expensive! It is a raw food diet and requires a lot of effort and time.

I spoke with the breeder about it and she suggested that if I am adamant to switching to a kibble that I try Taste of the Wild. There was a recent recall, but other than that, I have heard great things.
Suggestions, Thoughts?
:wink:

 

[Fuzzy Pants]

I feed Honest Kitchen and ZiwiPeak because mine would refuse kibble. I'm happy with the results and see no reason to change. Both, especially the ZP are expensive but since my dog is only 9lbs it isn't too bad.

 

[DJEtzel]

I feed TOTW to all three of my dogs and have found bags of food unneffected by the recall just fine. I've never had an issue with it and it's the cheapest for the quality that I can find.

 

[InkedMarie]

I personally want nothing to do with a food made by Diamond. Too many mistakes too often. There are way too many dog foods out there that I have to. I feed The Honest Kitchen in the morning and kibble in the afternoon. Currently they're on Orijen but we also feed Acana, I'm going to try Earthborn, Fromm and NutriSource.

 

[Tainted]

I personally want nothing to do with a food made by Diamond. Too many mistakes too often.

I agree. I switched from TOTW to EVO when I got word of the recall. Mine are doing better on the EVO than they've done on any other kibble so far. I've already noticed a big difference in their coats and there are less stools.

 

[georgiapeach]

I'm currently feeding Innova Prime, their new grain free food. My dogs like it a lot. It uses pea protein, rather than potatoes, which gives it a lower glycemic index.

I have a westie mix that seems to be sensitive to potatoes (I tried several grain free foods with different proteins; the common factor was potatoes and she reacted unfavorably to all of them - crazy itching and rash). I'm now on day 4 of this food, and she's still a little itchy, but it's better, so I'm going to stick with this one for awhile and see if she continues to improve. My only other option is to feed her raw, but I'd rather not - personal preference, due to cost and the fact that we travel frequently.

My poodle can eat almost anything, as long as it's grain free. Foods with grain in them make his eyes run. I've fed TOTW with good success. I also like Wellness Core. Acana grain free is also a good one.

 

[peznite]

Raw feeding is a very niche market. I've tried it for awhile with my dogs - just wasn't cracked up as people said it was. I still had to brush their teeth daily, their coats looked the same, their energy levels were the same. I've tried 100% raw, 50% raw / 50% kibble. 100% kibble. They're the same on either diet. So they're just 100% kibble now and I sometimes I do meal replacements for them with whole steaks/fish.

But then again the kibble I feed is Australian made an only available in Australia...and it's using human grade meat product...can you even buy kibble with human grade meat in the US?

 

[ThoseWordsAtBest]

I'm content on continuing TOTW, but I have heard good things and am interested in Earthborn.

 

[LittleFr0g]

I feed Acana, Kuma loves it and does extremely well on it.

 

[JohnnyBandit]

Raw feeding is a very niche market. I've tried it for awhile with my dogs - just wasn't cracked up as people said it was. I still had to brush their teeth daily, their coats looked the same, their energy levels were the same. I've tried 100% raw, 50% raw / 50% kibble. 100% kibble. They're the same on either diet. So they're just 100% kibble now and I sometimes I do meal replacements for them with whole steaks/fish.

But then again the kibble I feed is Australian made an only available in Australia...and it's using human grade meat product...can you even buy kibble with human grade meat in the US?

Yes you can get some very high quality kibble diets here...

And Raw done right is still the best.... If you have to clean their teeth you are not feeding the right bones.

 

[Amaryllis]

I feed Wellness Core. I like the results. I have a 45lb dog and the 26lb bag (I think? It's a weird amount.) lasts me 2 months or so.

Of course, with any kibble you have to check for recalls these days. Wellness just had one, too.

 

[melaka]

I recently started feeding Annamaet (had switched from TotW not long before the recalls) and am very happy with the food and with what I've heard about the company. I'd also consider Acana and have heard some good things about Earthborn lately. But, we're sticking with Annamaet for now.

 

[PackMomma]

My dogs eat approximately %50 commercial raw (Urban Carnivore/Carnivora) which comes in a wide variety of proteins, turkey, duck, quail, bison, beef, lamb, rabbit, elk & chicken which is the whole animal - meat, bones & organ so it is nutrionally complete, they also have fruit/veggie mixes, beef tripe, offal patties, etc. Its pretty expensive here but I have a connection and save %10 on it compared to buying it from a store so I save a bit there. The rest of their diet consists approx of %30 prey model raw, which consists of cheap stuff that I find at a grocery stores, and I also order from this place http://www.courtlyncustomdogfood.com/ and they sell a wide variety of proteins, RMB's, muscle meats, whole animals like rabbits, piglets, chickens etc. Decently priced for sure, I also give them a couple raw eggs with the shells each week. then the other %20 is kibble, which I have to feed occasionally for convenience, or when my raw supply is running low or i'm on a tight budget and can't replenish the raw stuff for a week or so, and we camp alot and travel so raw isn't always convenient then so I will feed them kibble mixed with the occasional canned food, and the kibble brands I usually mix a few together and rotate through different proteins each time I buy, but lately i've been sticking with Acana all life stages grain free, Natures variety instinct, Fromm's grain free, Timberowlf Organics grain free and NOW!.

Both my dogs are in incredible health so far, never do I see a vet, I dont have to brush their teeth, their poops are always fairly good and small, not too smelly but becuase of their variety in diet the consistency and color does change after different meals usually, their coats are good especially Thumper very shiny, Cash has a good Shiba coat, nice and thick. They aren't itchy, nor do they have any food sensitivties or allergies, so i'm happy with the variety, they seem to be okay with it, and so far I've been able to stick to a budget but with the two of them, with everything I feed, I probably spend just under $200/month for a 20lb and 50lb dog, including their recreational chewing treats like bully sticks, elk antlers, marrow bones and rib bones which act as their daily toothbrush lol.

 

[kafkabeetle]

I just got a bag of Earthborn in the mail and I am really happy with it. Sydney likes it as much as she did ToTW, which was important to me because I use her kibble as training treats on a daily basis. She hasn't had any transition issues, but she really never does. I like that the bag is resealable so I don't have to pour it into an airtight container like I used to. I also like their UPCs for Trees program. It was only $2 more for a 14 pound bag than it is for a 15 pound back of ToTW (It's higher in calories, though, so probably breaks down to about the same price, if not cheaper, practically). It's one of the few companies I would really like to get behind and support with my purchases that I can actually afford!

 

[GreatDaneMom]

i was on TOTW before the recall. i have one dog on Earthborn and im not really thrilled with the food. she doesnt look as good as she used to and has a lot of gas, and my other dog had nothing but diarrhea on it. the only reason the one dog is still on it is because i cant afford to feed both of them Back to Basics. i am completely in love with this food. ive never seen poops so small and my dogs look SOOOOOO good from it. i love that it includes a lot of organs as well as meat which means more useful nutrients. and it shows when the poop is only a small handful!

 

[InkedMarie]

I feed Wellness Core. I like the results. I have a 45lb dog and the 26lb bag (I think? It's a weird amount.) lasts me 2 months or so.

Of course, with any kibble you have to check for recalls these days. Wellness just had one, too.

I got an email from Wellness today, they have different Core's now. A puppy one and small dog one, if I remember correctly, is now added to the line

 

[Laurelin]

I feed raw, mostly premade with some supplements. Kibble if I'm in a rush though. Kibble I keep is usually TOTW or Blue buffalo wilderness. Raw I use is usually Stella and Chewys.

 

[upfromtheashes]

The best combination of price/quality I've found is Canidae ALS. Rated 5 stars on http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ and I can get it for about a dollar a pound.

 

[xxxxdogdragoness]

TOTW is made at diamond along with a good many others including solid gold (not barking at the moon), natural balance... There are others but off thr top of my head I can't remember.

I feed natures variety (instinct) right now with their raw (the fresh frozen) right now & so far I am happy with it.

 

[Itoys_Mummy]

My lhasa Apso itoy is on "human consumable foods" NOTE: not table scraps.
He eats what my partner and I eat - although no salt, sugars, spices etc. Also avoid the foods toxic to doggies. He's happy and very healthy.