# Switching from TOTW to Nature's Variety Instinct



## Sapakus (Aug 10, 2010)

Hello All,

Ice is 22 months now and weighs about 90 lbs. I have been thinking about switching him from TOTW to another brand... reason being:

Its a 40 mile trip for me to get this food unless i order it online.
keep hearing negative things about Diamond foods.
Ice has lost interest in it, doesnt eat it very happily unless i mix something in the food or if he's really hungry.


I ordered TOTW thru petcarerx.com yesterday and today they told me that its "Out of stock". When i called, the reason they gave me is that something is going on with Diamond foods and even though they havent recalled it, they have put their sale on hold as a pre-caution until they figure out if anything is wrong. -- i'm not sure how much truth is in there because i havent seen anything about that online.


SO, I am thinking of switching to Nature's Variety Instinct - grain free.

I have only read good things about it, but havent heard too much. I know there are a lot of different opinions when it comes to food, but is there any reason i should not go with Nature's Variety Instinct ? 

Also, 30lb TOTW food last me about a month, and even though NVI only comes in 25lb bag, i see that feeding guide only calls for about 2,5 cups instead of TOTW recommending about 4 cups.... i believe thats because NVI is 490 cal/cup while TOTW is 370 cal/cup?? 

I do not want Ice to gain anymore weight, hes already at 90lbs.... i do not think he's fat, just muscular built, but i'm not an expert so i'll take some pics and have the experts critique him!


----------



## sashadog (Sep 2, 2011)

I tried switching to Instinct a while back and it gave my pups horrible gas... I think it was just too rich for them. I know a lot of people whose dogs do really well on it. I do feed Instinct's pre-made raw food as well as Natures Logic kibble and my dogs do really well on that. I think it just depends on the dog


----------



## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO (Oct 4, 2006)

I've fed NV Instinct for a few years (in conjunction with raw) and my dog has always done well on it. He's had the duck formula (which is my favorite), the chicken, and the rabbit, which is harder to find. NV does get the rabbit for their raw diets from China- but the rabbit for the kibble is from Europe (France I believe).

I find them to be a very reputable company with good customer service and I think their food is excellent.


----------



## Sapakus (Aug 10, 2010)

@Sasha, ya, i believe that probably vary from dog-to-dog... hope mine does fine.

Thanks for the input guys, I'm planning on switching it today since i have TOTW left to make the switch!


----------



## sashadog (Sep 2, 2011)

Sapakus said:


> @Sasha, ya, i believe that probably vary from dog-to-dog... hope mine does fine.
> 
> Thanks for the input guys, I'm planning on switching it today since i have TOTW left to make the switch!


Good luck! If your pup does well on it that'd be awesome! I've heard it's a wonderful food/brand/company  Just wish it didn't make my guys stink so bad :crazy:


----------



## Sapakus (Aug 10, 2010)

sashadog said:


> Good luck! If your pup does well on it that'd be awesome! I've heard it's a wonderful food/brand/company  Just wish it didn't make my guys stink so bad :crazy:



haha, i hope not!! he hasnt had any issue with that TOTW, but he does have loose stool every once in a while, but i think thats because my parents like to feed him things from around the house when i'm not around lol


----------



## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

I used to feed Nature's Variety Instinct Rabbit and Stosh liked it but it was too rich for him so he eats TOTW now and is doing much better. I didn't like that the rabbit is raised and processed in China. Now with the Diamond plant situation I'm thinking of switching to Victor. It's made in TX, everybody that uses it loves it and it's a lot less expensive.


----------



## Sapakus (Aug 10, 2010)

what do you guys mean by "too rich" ?

Also, i was planning on going with Chicken formula to start with, not rabbit! so i'm not worried about the China issue.

and seems like there are no dealers of Victor around my area.


----------



## sashadog (Sep 2, 2011)

The chicken was too high in protein and fat for my guys especially coming from TOTW. 42% and 22% respectively. 

I thought it was weird because they do fine with raw and raw bones which are almost nothing but fat and protein. I guess they just process cooked meat differently? Also maybe the lack of any potato or grain plus high protein and fat? I have stopped trying to analyze why my dogs react certain ways to certain foods. However, I do know what their poops look like when something is too rich as well as the gas they get


----------



## Gretchen (Jan 20, 2011)

We had good results with NV. We've also used their prepared raw. One nice thing about this company is that if you register your e-mail with them online, they will send you lots of coupons, usually about $3.00 off something.

Currently we are not using them, I've opted for formulas for large breed dogs that contain more glucosamine and larger kibble size.


----------



## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

By too rich, I mean that it gave him loose stools and a rumbly stomach. He doesn't tolerate chicken so that's that only formula we tried.


----------



## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO (Oct 4, 2006)

Stosh said:


> I used to feed Nature's Variety Instinct Rabbit and Stosh liked it but it was too rich for him so he eats TOTW now and is doing much better. I didn't like that the rabbit is raised and processed in China. Now with the Diamond plant situation I'm thinking of switching to Victor. It's made in TX, everybody that uses it loves it and it's a lot less expensive.


It's not. Only the rabbit in their raw and canned is from China- the rabbit for the kibble is from Europe (France). I've specifically called and asked them about this a few years ago. It is also an FAQ on their website:



> At Nature's Variety, our nutritional philosophy is to source the highest quality, safest, and most nutritious ingredients in the world. We look for our ingredients domestically first. In the case of rabbit meat, we've found that the best supply of high quality, human grade rabbit is found in China. Therefore, we are currently sourcing rabbit meat specifically for our raw and canned rabbit diets from a trusted supplier in China. To help ensure that our strict quality and safety standards are rigorously enforced, this rabbit meat is regularly inspected and monitored by the PhD food scientist we have on staff. Additionally, members of the Nature’s Variety leadership team have personally visited and inspected the facility in China. We also employ extra testing (at an independent lab in the United States) to ensure that the rabbit is nothing short of our strictest standards for quality and nutrition.


----------



## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

Oh, well that is a change. When I emailed them they said that the rabbit was farmed in China but they had a employee on site to supervise. Thanks for that info, it's worth revisiting NV again


----------



## Sapakus (Aug 10, 2010)

i did it! bought NV instinct last night and started the transition last night! he should be completely on NV in about 5 days!

hope its good for him


----------



## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO (Oct 4, 2006)

Stosh said:


> Oh, well that is a change. When I emailed them they said that the rabbit was farmed in China but they had a employee on site to supervise. Thanks for that info, it's worth revisiting NV again


 
Might want to call or email to clarify first because I first called about it probably four years ago and they said the kibble's rabbit was from France and I haven't looked into it since then, but recently noticed on their FAQs that they included this question with the answer I posted above.


----------



## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

I had to do a full 100% switch from TOTW. I bought Acana Lamb & Okanagan stools were mushy for one day and are perfect now.

Champion Petfoods | ACANA | Our Products


----------

