[RiverFlash]

I received an email from the company regarding the following information, because I know a lot of people are probably doing a lot of searching for the right kibble for their beloved pet, so here's some TOTW info:

1. The High Prairie and Wetlands formulas are 60% meat. On the guaranteed analysis, both the formulas are 28% carbs (they both have 32% protien). This is less than Orijen, but I don't know about Wellness because they haven't emailed yet. However, TOTW is less expensive, so I kinda assumed it would have a little less meat than Orijen.

2. The Pacific Stream is 54% meat. On the guaranteed analysis, it is 36% carbs. According to the contact, the Pacific Stream is formulated for large breed and senior dogs, and large breed puppies.

3. They do not use any chemical preservatives, and the fish are NOT preserved with ethoxyquin. Here is the direct quote I received from the contact:

"After the heat process (extrusion and drying), we apply natural tocopherols (Vitamins A & E) in order to carry the shelf life of the food. Diamond does not preserve (or purchase) any of its products with ethoxyquin, only with mixed tocopherols. We get the salmon fresh, held in a slurry, just above freezing, so no preservatives are used (true with all of our meats)."

Orijen and Wellness do not use any chemical preservatives, either.

4. For anyone who has a cat, too, the Rocky Mountain Feline Formula is 65% meat, and the guaranteed analysis on carbs is 20%. Again, Orijen has more meat and I haven't heard from Wellness yet. (BTW, my cat started eating TOTW 1 year ago and went from a 'senior' cat at 14 years to a PLAYFUL cat at 15 years!).

 

[mosbysmom]

Thanks for sharing the info! I know a lot of people express concerns about some of the ingredients, so it's nice to see such a clear email from the company.

My 14-year-old pup has been doing great on Taste of the Wild!

 

[LauLeaf]

How coincidental! I e-mailed them the same questions. Their customer service is wonderful.

I e-mailed Wellness as well, in regards to their meat percentages and recieved an e-mail that said that it was proprietary information. Not exactly what I was looking for...

Anyways, I was curious about the calcium and phosphorous ratios. High Prairie and Wetlands is 2.1 for calcium and 1.4 for phosphorous. Pacific Stream is 1.9 for cal and 1.1 for phos.

I'm feeding Pip their High Prairie formula at the moment and am getting good results. I just discovered their calc/phos ratio today and I am not happy with the calcium - it is too high. I'll be switching Pip to something else as soon as we finish the bag.

I forgot to add this..which is what they sent me regarding ethoxyquin:

"The preservation systems used by our vendors are considered proprietary information. The heat from our pet food process destroys antioxidants that are used in the ingredients that we purchase. The cooking process at our facilities is at or above 240 degrees. After the heat process (extrusion and drying), we apply natural tocopherols (Vitamins A & E) in order to carry the shelf life of the food. Diamond does not preserve any of its products with ethoxyquin, only with mixed tocopherols. "

That is quite different from what they sent you. They said that they don't purchase any products preserved with ethoxyquin in your email and then in mine, it says that IF they do, it is burnt in their cooking process. Quite odd, wouldn't you say?

 

[Hallie]

Ah I have great memories with this food. I had just brought my sick puppy home she was allergic to corn and just about everything else and to top it off had a GI tract infection. We tried all kinds of foods,the one that saved my wallet and my carpet:TOTW wetlands! It's an awesome food

 

[RiverFlash]

How did you phrase the question? I asked, specifically, how does the meat/fish arrive to your company? Is it fresh frozen or is it preserved, or both? Then I got the answer that all the meat arrives on the slurry without preservatives.

I also asked how do they preserve the meat after cooking, and then I got the other answer about adding the preservatives after cooking.

Is Pip a large breed and that is why you are worried about the high calcium?

 

[LauLeaf]

I asked if they preserve the fish with ethoxyquin OR if they bought it already preserved with ethoxyquin.

Pip is a small/medium breed, but either way I am still concerned with the calc. I honestly wish I could stick with it since it's so great..

 

[RiverFlash]

What would be a better ratio for Calcium to Phosphorous? I feed TOTW and my pets look great and are really strong and healthy; should I be concerned (my dogs are small breed).

I think Orijen is the best kibble out there, and if we weren't strapped for cash, I would buy it online (no one supplies it here). Maybe you should look at Orijen. I know the food is just about the best.

Let me know what you find!

 

[melgrj7]

My dog did horrible on orijen.

 

[RiverFlash]

Well, you could always try Canidae Grain Free ALS. They have a lower calcium to phosphorus ratio and they use human grade meats. According to my calculations using PetFoodDirect, TOTW is $1.53 per pound, Canidae is 1.83 per pound, and Orijen/EVO are $2.02 per pound, if you are looking at price (for a mid size bag). That may help you think about the budget.

 

[LauLeaf]

I won't ever buy Orijen - not found at around here AND it's really expensive.
Canidae ALS is a good price, around $1.00 per pound here but it's really grainy. The main grains are brown rice, white rice, rice bran, oatmeal, and cracked pearled barley. Another grain is millet. I think for the price, I can find better.

I like Canidae Grain Free, Pinnacle, California Natural, Wellness, Eagle Pack, Solid Gold, and a bunch more.

 

[Taz Monkey]

I like TOTW a lot, and my dogs love it. I wanted to try it for my cats, but I have 10, so I didn't want to buy a nag and then have them not eat it. I emailed TOTW and they sent me two 6 oz. samples PER CAT! That's 20 samples! I was thoroughly impressed,and my cats liked it as well, so I bought a bag. I think their customer service is about the best I've experienced.