[slap]

Hi, all. I know this is a bit of a Ford vs. Chevy vs. Dodge question, but I'll ask it, anyway. (For the record, you'll never convince me there's a better truck than my Ford F-150!)

I just got back from our local holistic pet food store with a small bag of Canidae dry food and a few cans of wet. Oscar is 4.5 months old, and eats Eukenuba large breed mixed with a little Mighty Dog for extra protein. (This is my breeder's recipe - I realize Eukenuba is full of corn meal, and that Mighty Dog is just plain nasty, but I figured I wouldn't deviate from what he's used too until he got bigger.) He is a very big boy, very healthy, and good weight for his size.

Anyway, the owner of the store talked me into Canidae. My previous dog, a yellow lab, ate Wellness and did very well on it. While this store carries all three brands, they told me that Canidae was the best value and that all three were A+ foods. (I didn't actually ask the price difference between the three.)

Any strong opinions on any of these food choices? All three have grain free varieties, which I am considering, too. Worth the extra $$ for grain free, regardless of brand?

For now, I am going to keep with the Eukenuba mixed with a little of the Canidae wet instead of Mighty Dog to see how his system deals with new food. Over time I'll mix in the dry and then slowly transition. I don't want to do a full transition to Canidae only to find out it's not so good, though, and then have to transition, again.

Thanks, all!

 

[MILLIESMOM]

I feed California Natural Herring and Sweet Potato.

 

[Dallas Gold]

You need to go with whatever brand your dog does the best on. For us, Fromm caused very soft stools (even though I was impressed with everything about the food and manufacturer), so we went with Wellness, found success and we will stick to it.

 

[slap]

You need to go with whatever brand your dog does the best on. For us, Fromm caused very soft stools (even though I was impressed with everything about the food and manufacturer), so we went with Wellness, found success and we will stick to it.

Sound advice. My last dog had colitis and did poorly on almost everything (except for Wellness), so I'm not surprised to hear that your getting firmer results with that brand.

For now I'm running on the theory that he has an iron stomach and can eat anything, so I want to start off based on popular opinion and work backwards from there if he has trouble.

 

[Megora]

I think all those foods are good, though I choose to feed something else (Merrick) to my dog.

Fromm - I chose not to use that with my dog because it seems like you have to feed twice as much to maintain decent weight and coat with your dogs. Which considering the price of these bags....

Wellness - I really like it. The only issue I noticed with my dogs is they ate the kibble slowly. Which to me means that they weren't thrilled with the taste. That's mainly why I didn't stick with it.

Canidae - I've never tried because it's so expensive. It does seem to be highly recommended by a lot of dog people though.

 

[Sally's Mom]

Here, Canidae is less expensive than Wellness. I have fed Wellness for eleven or so years. The only litter I raised on Canidae was the only time I had different issues...probably a coincidence. I had switched because I often have loose stools in my pups around weaning and friends recommended Canidae. Now, it's back to Wellness and the pups get a probiotic several times(benebac) and things are good again. I pay $48.99/bag for Wellness Chicken(not LB).

 

[newport]

I like that the grain free Canidae has no added sodium-- and most of their line is free of added sodium. I feed Lola in the morning either EVO or Canidae- I trade every other morning. At night she gets totally raw- no dry. I add pumkin and ground vegies morning and night plus other supplements.

 

[rhondas]

I feed none of those listed

I have had good results with Orijins and Acana Grain Free.
The puppy gets Acana Grain Free ALS. My 4.5 year old gets home made and Orijins or Acana since it works best for him because he had stomach issues when he was younger.

 

[kcapone]

For us, it is Fromm all the way, after trying and do much research, doggiefood.com has free shipping for $50 or more, so if you can't find it locally, worth it.
I do not feed grain free. started on Purina, went to Blue Buffalo, then Canidae, then Fromm. CHicken may have given Nicki gas, not sure, but no allergies. SHe did not seem to like Canidae and she eats everything. Have not tried wellness, but heard it is very rich. Nicki is very active and is 65 lbs(female). We feed her 3.5 cups split over 2 days. Her coat is gorgeous, shiny and silky, she poops once a day nice consistency. I have tried all the Fromm line (4 star) and the nice thing is they are interchangeable without a transition, you can go directly to the new bag. Duck/sweet potato and Pork/applesauce seem to be her favorite. After all my research, those that know Fromm, seem to highly recommend it and I agree!!!!!!!
(By the way, I always hated the responses that said...whatever food your dog does well on is a good one......silly since we are looking for recomendations...good luck)

 

[Taracherrie]

i fed Canidae Lamb because Fromm is not available in my country (yet??) and it is the only one that keep my 1 year old fem's poop steady and not loose/runny. i've tried Avoderm, Oven Bake in past and getting messy bowel movement, gassy stomach even she likes the tastes better (she is eating them faster)

 

[Madigan]

Found a small pet store locally that sells Fromm four-star. They offer buy 12 bags and get 1 free. Also spend $350 and get $15 off.

I just put our puppy onto the Salmon a la veg. Once our 1 yr old finishes his current bag I am switching him to this too.

 

[MGMF]

I feed my "Canidae ALS Grain Free Elements" I love the food my dogs do fantastic on it. They never have skin or allergy issues. I do not feed any supplements as I feel they don't need them. Wellness years ago made my puppies sick and Wellness didn't offer much advice except it had to be my fault. I have been using Canidae Grain Free Elements now for 5 years now and have feed it to my brand new pups to my Seniors and they look great. I don't know much about Fromm to offer help without doing some research.

 

[slap]

Well, we're several days into our transition and Oscar is not doing well on the Canidae. I started by mixing in 25% and his stools were softer than usual. Moved to 50% the night before last and it was squirt city all day yesterday. :-( I mixed a baked sweet potato with his usual Eukenuba last night and he was back to normal this morning.

Going to give him a few days of Euk to regulate him, and will then give Fromm a try... thinking sweet potato 4 star to start, since he always seems to digest real sweet potato very well.

 

[mayapaya]

Fromm's fan here--the breeder had Maya on Cannidae, but I had a hard time trying to find it locally, switched to Blue Buffalo, bad luck with that, and then after reading some suggestions here, switched to Fromm's--I also like that you can switch flavors--we've done that with no issues already--Maya seems to love it, I have to put her food in a Kong Wobbler now, as she can eat a cup an a quarter in about 20 seconds!

 

[bowdense]

I give my pups Canadae ALS. Just switched Remington (7 months) at 6 months old from Blue Buffalo LBP. Coats look good. No problems. Very happy. Olive, 5 years old, has been on Canidae for a couple of years now and looks great and is very healthy.

 

[MGMF]

Going from a Eukanuba to a Canidae or any high protein diet is a big difference for many pups. You need to make the transition much longer if they show loose stools. Add the 25% and then wait until he firms up, then add a little more. Some puppies it makes not difference at all but the ones with the sensitive stomachs need some time. The end result to put your dog on a good diet is worth it.

 

[Blondie]

We like the Fromm Duck and Sweet Potatoe and Fromm Salmon a la' vegie. We usually rotate between the two. Maggie gets one cup in the morning and 1.5 to 2 cups in the evening depending on her activity level for a particular day.

 

[slap]

Several days into the Fromm transition and he's doing great! So well that I just went ahead and started feeding 100% Fromm. He loves the taste and digests it very well. petfooddirect.com has pretty good prices when you configure to auto ship.

Anyway, thanks for all the feedback!

 

[fostermom]

Several days into the Fromm transition and he's doing great! So well that I just went ahead and started feeding 100% Fromm. He loves the taste and digests it very well. petfooddirect.com has pretty good prices when you configure to auto ship.

Anyway, thanks for all the feedback!

And that's why you were given the advice to use what works. Just because someone's dog does fabulously on one food doesn't mean your dog will.

By the way, he is a gorgeous puppy!

 

[softballmom]

Watney has been on Canidae which the breeder recommended but I have never been impressed by her poops, a little soft for me, and she has been tested multiple times for parasites. Saturday night she started have puddles of poop at night and then again Sunday night. Dropped off a poop sample at Vets and have switched her to Hills KD but not happy the first ingredient is corn. I'm hoping for a quiet night but we'll see. Not sure what I will do if it is food related. Watney's vet, Sally's mom, has her dogs on Wellness so I might switch to that since she has had success for quite some time with that. I will know more tomorrow I guess.