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Acana
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I recently switched my allergic to practically everything to golden to their pacifica formula. He's doing really well on it. Because they only use fresh ingredients sometimes supply doesn't always keep up with demand so I learned after the store we usually get it from didn't have any in stock and couldn't tell us when it would be back in stock to always keep an extra bag on hand. (Turns out a few stores 10-20 miles from us had it in stock, so it wasn't as big of an issue as I thought.)
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I like the grain free Acana alot but have a real problem finding it.... even online. They also recently had a formula change and added duck to the prairie.... haven't used it since the change. I also use the Fromm 4 star line and Innova large breed... which is in reality is a good all round maintenance food.
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BTW... Wylie Wagg carries it.
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If I needed another food to try any of my guys on, it would be grasslands. I have one it took 4 years to find a food that worked for him and another with severe allergies, so as I'm trying not to feed 3 different foods, the third gets what the others get. I know a couple of people who have recently switched to grasslands and have been very happy.
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I like that it's free range and the guy at my favorite pet shop went on and on about the results he saw in his dog but his dog is a pitbull and they are so muscular, I would imagine they need more protein.
I still am unclear on how much protein my dog should be having. I asked my vet when my dog was a pup and he said 26% is good. I just recently switched to something that is 21% but we also got a trial bag of Acana and he LOVED that food.
I have heard great things about Acana though and Harvey loved his sample of grasslands.
If you're looking for places that sell it, maybe you can look up the Acana website and see if there are providers around you. I know Fromm has something like that on their website.
I still am unclear on how much protein my dog should be having. I asked my vet when my dog was a pup and he said 26% is good. I just recently switched to something that is 21% but we also got a trial bag of Acana and he LOVED that food.
I have heard great things about Acana though and Harvey loved his sample of grasslands.
If you're looking for places that sell it, maybe you can look up the Acana website and see if there are providers around you. I know Fromm has something like that on their website.
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You have to watch as they recently added duck to the formula. My Mom's dog is allergic to everything and that is the only food we have found that works for him. Otherwise she has to make it and although I don't think much of homeade diets I have looked as well and that all she can do. If not he itches his little self raw. Thankfully, she has not noticed that the duck caused him problems. They also added it to the regular formula I feed and other then some loose stools on Taylor it has been fine. I am hoping it will do a little something for the coat as well as duck is pretty greasy. BTW, I would not want to feed my pups a food with less then 30% protein. I find they do great on a 30%-35% protein level but all dogs are different.
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Riley's breeder had her on Eukanuba. I wanted her on a higher quality food so we switched to Wellness. She tolerated it for a couple of months then starting having liquid poops. I switched her cold turkey to Acana Wild Prairie and she's done well ever since. The difference between Prairie and Grasslands is the first is chicken and the second lamb. They have a third in the line, Pacifica which is fish. The Wild Prairie and the Pacifica have 33% protein and the Grasslands has 32%. I don't think you could go wrong with any of them.
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I have noticed, at least here in my area, that some of the mom and pop stores are so eager to have your business that they will order whatever food you want. When I was thinking about switching from Wellness to Fromm I couldn't find it anywhere locally. A couple of shops said they would order it as I needed it. Same with the Acana we now use.
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I put my dogs that I hunted over this fall on the Acana Lamb. First hunting season in years that Winter maintained his weight. He used to lose 5 pounds even with me increasing his ration. Great muscle tone, and he kept coat as well. So I like it! Everyone else is still on Fromm.
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I feed Acana Grasslands to my pup and have used the previous and current formulae. The addition of duck didn't have any effect on her stools and I am happy with her overall coat condition because it is a glossy, shiny black and lots of people have commented on her coat being healthy and beautiful.
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So far I've tried the following:
Castor & Pollux UltraMix (his original food).
Orijen
Taste of the Wild (taken off the table once I discovered it was made by Diamond).
California Natural
Acana Grasslands
Here's the problem. The boy just don't eat like I'm used to seeing a Golden Eat.
He will rarely touch breakfast. Even if I put in Yogurt with it. I put it down, and he just snuffs his nose up at it. Part way through the day, maybe around 2 or 3pm, he may eat some.
The only meal he will eat, at least most of the time, is his dinner that has raw ground beef mixed in with it.
He also eats funny. He doesn't 'dig in' like most dogs. He goes and grabs a couple of kibbles, steps away, eats those, and then goes back for a few more. It makes him a slob as half of it ends up on the floor !
Could I have the only Golden in existance that will only eat when he feels like he needs it, and only on his schedule and NOT mine?
He is not skinny. He is on the smaller side of the scale (probably around 65 pounds at 1 year old next week). He has plenty of entergy. Oh, my there is NO issues with energy LOL And his poops seem to be frequent and substantial.
He seems totally normal, except he doesn't like to eat like a normal dog that I'm used to!
Castor & Pollux UltraMix (his original food).
Orijen
Taste of the Wild (taken off the table once I discovered it was made by Diamond).
California Natural
Acana Grasslands
Here's the problem. The boy just don't eat like I'm used to seeing a Golden Eat.
He will rarely touch breakfast. Even if I put in Yogurt with it. I put it down, and he just snuffs his nose up at it. Part way through the day, maybe around 2 or 3pm, he may eat some.
The only meal he will eat, at least most of the time, is his dinner that has raw ground beef mixed in with it.
He also eats funny. He doesn't 'dig in' like most dogs. He goes and grabs a couple of kibbles, steps away, eats those, and then goes back for a few more. It makes him a slob as half of it ends up on the floor !
Could I have the only Golden in existance that will only eat when he feels like he needs it, and only on his schedule and NOT mine?
He is not skinny. He is on the smaller side of the scale (probably around 65 pounds at 1 year old next week). He has plenty of entergy. Oh, my there is NO issues with energy LOL And his poops seem to be frequent and substantial.
He seems totally normal, except he doesn't like to eat like a normal dog that I'm used to!
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So long as he is maintaining healthy weight and good body condition I would not worry about it too much. That said, I personally will not cater to fussiness by putting goodies in the food. If I am feeding a good quality food, eventually they will get hungry and eat. It is a pain to have a picker though if you are travelling and need them to eat on a schedule. To encourage them to eat at feeding time, I take the bowls up after 10 minutes. They learn to eat when the food is presented because they soon realize it disappears shortly thereafter!
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The added goodies (Yogurt, Cottage Cheese, Bone Meal and Raw Hamburger) were not because of the fussyness. They were part of his normal diet as established by his breeder.
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Is he holding out for better? I would say if he'd eat if you added those things then he's playing you. Of course if he still snubbed the food with the fixins on it then he just doesn't want to eat.
I went through the pickiness with my first golden. I sat the food in front of him and he would look up at me as if I were nuts and would even get up, walk away and lay elsewhere, still staring me down as though I was ridiculous and owed him better. I moved it over in front of him again and hand fed him a few pieces like a treat (which he took) then after giving me the eye for about 2 minutes he would pick up a piece at a time and eat until it was gone then lick the bowl clean.
I wasn't able to give him special food until he got over his pickiness then he was fine. When he wouldn't eat I took it up within 10-15 minutes. He eventually became a hog like the rest and it was the same old food as always, Eukanuba at the time.
When he was 8 mo old we added another pup that was a total pig and his eating habits changed quickly.
Having a 2nd dog pigging down in front of them does work wonders for their appetite.
I wish I had that problem now, instead I have 3 that would all eat till they burst. The vet had told me to let them eat all they wanted in 10-15 minutes then take it up. HA! these guys would not stop until they burst. They get 2 &1/2 cups twice a day for a total of 5 cups. Parker and Sammi are very stocky built and will have to be careful not to get fat, but Tilley is lean (some would say skinny) but its her frame, no ribs show, she's just smaller built.
I went through the pickiness with my first golden. I sat the food in front of him and he would look up at me as if I were nuts and would even get up, walk away and lay elsewhere, still staring me down as though I was ridiculous and owed him better. I moved it over in front of him again and hand fed him a few pieces like a treat (which he took) then after giving me the eye for about 2 minutes he would pick up a piece at a time and eat until it was gone then lick the bowl clean.
I wasn't able to give him special food until he got over his pickiness then he was fine. When he wouldn't eat I took it up within 10-15 minutes. He eventually became a hog like the rest and it was the same old food as always, Eukanuba at the time.
When he was 8 mo old we added another pup that was a total pig and his eating habits changed quickly.
Having a 2nd dog pigging down in front of them does work wonders for their appetite.
I wish I had that problem now, instead I have 3 that would all eat till they burst. The vet had told me to let them eat all they wanted in 10-15 minutes then take it up. HA! these guys would not stop until they burst. They get 2 &1/2 cups twice a day for a total of 5 cups. Parker and Sammi are very stocky built and will have to be careful not to get fat, but Tilley is lean (some would say skinny) but its her frame, no ribs show, she's just smaller built.
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