# Fromm Gold or Fromm Grain Free?



## Brown314 (Jun 18, 2010)

I am switching my dog to Fromm from TOTW and I was wondering which formula would be best? The Gold or a Grain Free? 

Is there anything like Fromm that might be cheaper or anything that you guys would recommend that's like Fromm? 

Thanks for any assistance in this, and I greatly appreciate it. Also does anyone here have good experience with Fromm?


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## fuzzybunny (Apr 29, 2011)

I had Bunny on Fromm for a short period and she did amazing on it. Best food for her, but unfortunately I can't afford it.


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## LongFunRun (May 6, 2012)

Brown314 said:


> I am switching my dog to Fromm from TOTW and I was wondering which formula would be best? The Gold or a Grain Free?
> 
> Is there anything like Fromm that might be cheaper or anything that you guys would recommend that's like Fromm?
> 
> Thanks for any assistance in this, and I greatly appreciate it. Also does anyone here have good experience with Fromm?


Fromm has a safe plant but it is a horrible value. I would recommend Precise Foundation, Precise Chicken & Rice or Precise Competition over Fromm Gold. All the standard Precise foods are reasonably priced, very high quality and come in large bags. I think some come in 44lb bags for the price of 40's.

If you must use a GF, then Earthborn is very good. Good company.


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## GrammaD (Jan 1, 2012)

I prefer the Fromm Gold. The GF line doesn't give my dogs anything I see as superior, but the price is higher. My lab is maintaining weight (and this is a bitch who lost weight on Orijen and Evo) has a great coat and skin, and good stooling on it. My GSD puppy is growing well with good coat quality and skin and also stooling well. 

In my area Precise is more expensive than Fromm. I happen to think Fromm is a superior product, but not by a wide margin. Sort of in the vicinity of Nutrisource, but more costly. At least for me in my location. I plan to use Pure Vita (from the makers of Nutrisource) in the near future since I want to have several quality foods in a rotation in case of a recall. Although I believe none of the 3 companies have ever had one. And they are all made "in house."


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I like the gold line. Pup has done well with it and think it is a good value. I think if grain free was important to me, I would check out others because I think the Fromm is overpriced in that arena. But I am not impressed by looking at the Precise Grain free either. I think there is not a ton of difference between most of them at this point. A lot of similarities.

Actually for me the Nutrisource was more expensive and I may put it in a rotation because I like some of the ingredients.

The Nutrisource formulas look pretty good as do some (but not all) of the Earthborn. The Earthborn Holistic Primitive is even higher in ash than Evo was so it is one I would avoid..but I think the others in their line seem to be good values.


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## LongFunRun (May 6, 2012)

GrammaD said:


> I prefer the Fromm Gold. The GF line doesn't give my dogs anything I see as superior, but the price is higher. My lab is maintaining weight (and this is a bitch who lost weight on Orijen and Evo) has a great coat and skin, and good stooling on it. My GSD puppy is growing well with good coat quality and skin and also stooling well.
> 
> In my area Precise is more expensive than Fromm. I happen to think Fromm is a superior product, but not by a wide margin. Sort of in the vicinity of Nutrisource, but more costly. At least for me in my location. I plan to use Pure Vita (from the makers of Nutrisource) in the near future since I want to have several quality foods in a rotation in case of a recall. Although I believe none of the 3 companies have ever had one. And they are all made "in house."


Fromm Gold is 35% more expensive per lb than Precise Foundation where I live. Precise Endurance 30/20 is the same price per lb as Fromm Gold 24/16. 

Some foods appear to be good values but when they are in smaller bags the cost is deceptive.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I think it gets down to splitting hairs....most of these foods are very close....one has a little more protein, one a little less one a little more calcium one a little less and prices are different where you are located.

I have to look at tweaking what I want which does not mean I think "my choice is right and yours is wrong" I may or may not be willing to pay more for certain ingredients or nutrient profiles.

These are all in the same general price and quality range with nuances of differences. The Fromm is somewhere in between the Precise Foundation and Precise Holistic Complete so there is some level of apples to oranges in the comparisons. Depends on what is important to you.

Hopefully we can all agree we are avoiding corn meal, wheat, animal digest, meat meal, etc.


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## GatorDog (Aug 17, 2011)

I'm feeding Aiden Fromm Duck&Sweet Potato. It was pretty much identical in price to the Canidae Beef&Ocean Fish that I was feeding and he is thriving on it! He ate his Canidae well, but he absolutely LOVES the taste of this stuff!


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## GrammaD (Jan 1, 2012)

LongFunRun said:


> Fromm Gold is 35% more expensive per lb than Precise Foundation where I live. Precise Endurance 30/20 is the same price per lb as Fromm Gold 24/16.
> 
> Some foods appear to be good values but when they are in smaller bags the cost is deceptive.



Nutrisource Performance is where I could save real money. $45 for a 40lb bag of 30/20 with 491 Kcal ME for cup. Available locally. 

Precise Endurance would run me $65 for the same amount. No local vendors so I have to have it shipped and it isn't available via a site with free shipping either.

Fromm costs me $42 for the 33lb bag. Available locally or I can have it shipped at slightly more cost ($44 per bag) 

Using a food calculator to determine cost to feed, Fromm is .25-.30 less per dog per day. Granted that is not a huge margin, but since I feel better about the named sources (versus generic "fish meal" etc) I'm sticking with it.


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## LongFunRun (May 6, 2012)

GrammaD said:


> Nutrisource Performance is where I could save real money. $45 for a 40lb bag of 30/20 with 491 Kcal ME for cup. Available locally.
> 
> Precise Endurance would run me $65 for the same amount. No local vendors so I have to have it shipped and it isn't available via a site with free shipping either.
> 
> ...


Yeah shipping food doesn't make sense. What you said about Nutrisource Performance is interesting. That is a popular hunter's food and the pricing is adjusted to that market, which is very thrifty. 

So yeah take advantage of that. That food is very low in carbs and great quality. There is also a Super Performance version.

Grammy are you in the Upper Midwest?


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Its all shipped anyway......either to me or the vendor.
If I can get the same food for less for shipping + food and know it is in a higher turnaround (fresher) situation I will buy online.


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## ParkersPopLou (Apr 15, 2012)

Parker is currently on Fromm Puppy Gold for Large Breed (the light blue one)

he loves the taste and from what i heard from a friend that is a trainer at the ICNDF (International Canine Narcotics Detection Foundation) in St Augustine, he uses Fromm for all their German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois. 

So far so good for Parker. Although the food is a little pricey, I try to feed my pups the best food they can get. If price isnt an issue, i would suggest the Fromm Gold for Large Breed.

good luck!


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## GrammaD (Jan 1, 2012)

LongFunRun said:


> Yeah shipping food doesn't make sense. What you said about Nutrisource Performance is interesting. That is a popular hunter's food and the pricing is adjusted to that market, which is very thrifty.
> 
> So yeah take advantage of that. That food is very low in carbs and great quality. There is also a Super Performance version.
> 
> Grammy are you in the Upper Midwest?


I'm in Ohio. Currently prepping my lab for trialing so I am surrounded by guys who feed regular old Diamond, not the naturals, just the high test corn based stuff.

I can get the Super Perf for the same price as the regular perf. Which I find odd.



> Its all shipped anyway......either to me or the vendor.
> If I can get the same food for less for shipping + food and know it is in a higher turnaround (fresher) situation I will buy online


I like to support local business, but I am very tempted by the idea of not having to lug bags of kibble from store to car and car to house. So I am going to try a 6 week schedule of regular delivery so I can save 15% and save my back  If it ends up being complicate I'll go back to my local supplier(s)


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## SusiQ (Jul 27, 2007)

Gramma - where in Ohio do you live?


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## GrammaD (Jan 1, 2012)

SusiQ said:


> Gramma - where in Ohio do you live?


The Dayton area.


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## LongFunRun (May 6, 2012)

GrammaD said:


> The Dayton area.


Isn't the largest community of brick homes in that area? Huber?


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## GrammaD (Jan 1, 2012)

LongFunRun said:


> Isn't the largest community of brick homes in that area? Huber?


Yes it is. I wouldn't live there if you paid me  

I live here:
Oakwood, Montgomery County, Ohio - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## SusiQ (Jul 27, 2007)

OK, I live in the Cleveland area. just curious!


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## fuzzybunny (Apr 29, 2011)

I just switched to Fromm Gold yesterday. I didn't realize it was cheaper than the grain-free line. Bunny was on Blue Wilderness but didn't like it so I got a sample of the Gold and she gobbled it up


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## *Lisa* (Nov 20, 2011)

We're going to be attempting to switch Jazmyn over to Fromm Gold LBP so we'll see how this goes!

All of the foods are significantly more in cost in Canada. The 15lb bag is $38.99, and I believe the 33lb bag is $70-75 here.


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## fuzzybunny (Apr 29, 2011)

*Lisa* said:


> We're going to be attempting to switch Jazmyn over to Fromm Gold LBP so we'll see how this goes!
> 
> All of the foods are significantly more in cost in Canada. The 15lb bag is $38.99, and I believe the 33lb bag is $70-75 here.


I'm in Ottawa and the 33lb bag cost me $62.49 plus tax. Came to $71 with tax I believe. It definitely is expensive here in Canada but the Fromm is cheaper than the Blue Wilderness I had initially switched her to.


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## Brown314 (Jun 18, 2010)

Well since my Dutch Shepherd is smaller then a German Shepherd I went with the Fromm Gold Nutritional, I hope he does well on it. 

Guess through anything is better then TOTW right now with the recall scare, even through Axel always did good on TOTW, just want a peace of a mind with his food.


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## LongFunRun (May 6, 2012)

fuzzybunny said:


> I'm in Ottawa and the 33lb bag cost me $62.49 plus tax. Came to $71 with tax I believe. It definitely is expensive here in Canada but the Fromm is cheaper than the Blue Wilderness I had initially switched her to.


I am curious what Nutram costs up there. That is a very well run company.


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## Dracovich (Feb 24, 2017)

Bumping. I have this same question and I'd like to know if anything has changed over the years.

(is non admin bumping against the rules? I'd assume old threads would be closed if so)


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## Galathiel (Nov 30, 2012)

That would be a lot of threads for our volunteer admins to close. Usually it's best to start your own thread.


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## Dracovich (Feb 24, 2017)

Galathiel said:


> That would be a lot of threads for our volunteer admins to close. Usually it's best to start your own thread.


Except you get bombarded with people saying "Theres already tons of posts about this already".

You can set it so that after a week or so of inactivity on the thread, or even a month or year, it gets closed. You wouldn't have to do it manually.


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## Ken Clean-Air System (Feb 27, 2012)

Fromm is still a great food. Not much has changed since this thread was originally started, aside from a few new formulas available. Not all of the Gold formulas have grains, and not all of the Four Star formulas are grain-free, so the question of formula choice is a bit vague. If your dog doesn't have a problem with grain, or a specific protein source, then it comes down to availability in your area, and price. I wouldn't hesitate to feed any of their foods.

As far as bumping an old thread ... meh, as long as the question gets an answer I don't see that it matters much one way or the other.


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

Dracovich said:


> Except you get bombarded with people saying "Theres already tons of posts about this already".
> 
> You can set it so that after a week or so of inactivity on the thread, or even a month or year, it gets closed. You wouldn't have to do it manually.


I'm not familiar with this particular forum host, but not all of them allow that functionality.

Not to mention, maybe the mods don't want that.


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## voodoolamb (Jun 21, 2015)

You have to watch the ingredient lists with Fromm. Some of their formulas are waaaaay over priced for the low meat content. $70 bag of peas. 

Some of the formulas are good though. Well regarded company.


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## Dracovich (Feb 24, 2017)

WateryTart said:


> I'm not familiar with this particular forum host, but not all of them allow that functionality.
> 
> Not to mention, maybe the mods don't want that.


I read all 20 rules and looked for stickys, no indication bumping is against the rules. I'm not looking for vague assumptions and your comment is irrelevant to the topic.


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

Dracovich said:


> I read all 20 rules and looked for stickys, no indication bumping is against the rules. I'm not looking for vague assumptions and your comment is irrelevant to the topic.


No, I don't think bumping is against the rules. That would lend credence to my guess that the mods don't mind.


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## Liffey (Jan 12, 2017)

I've fed both Adult Gold (oats, barely, rice) and Heartland Gold (grain-free) to my dog and it hasn't seemed to make a difference. I think he prefers the taste of Heartland Gold which is most of what he's eating these days. But @voodoolamb has a point - look at what else is in there, if they are not using grains then they might be using fillers like peas. But overall I think they're a very reputable company.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

It would be nice to stick to the topic. Fromm grain free is loaded with peas and split ingredients. Dogs don't need grain free unless they are allergic. Grain free is like low fat for humans. They load up low fat foods with sugar for flavor, grain free with peas and pearotin which dogs don't need. Fromm has four 4 Star foods without junk fillers, Whitefish potato, Salmon Veg, Duck and sweet potatoes and pork with Applesauce,


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

Grains or peas pick your poison - dogs would be better off with either no doubt. We had no luck with grains. our last dog was on a diet with grains and had a big battle with obesity. Happy with the Fromm grainfree diet Max loves the game bird. I would like that it had less peas- definately. Our dogs are doing great on it otherwise. Our chihuahua looks amazing- we had him on wellness complete in the past and since the switch to Fromm grainfree his coat looks and feels incredible and his eyes are no longer a Teary mess and he lost a pound since we switched him to Fromm grainfree. Our pup is on large breed puppy gold she is just started to get very picky now even though we add fresh meat, or an egg, or goats milk thinking of switching to try puppy grainfree. I would not hesitate or will not hesitate to switch the food if I did not like what I saw or see. I'm very happy with the company and their reputation.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

You only neeed grain free if a dog is allergic to grains. If not, going grain free and restrictive can cause more allergies to develop. I got that directly from a vet.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Dracovich said:


> Except you get bombarded with people saying "Theres already tons of posts about this already".


I can assure you that if the most recent thread about the topic in question has had no posts for nearly 5 years, nobody is going to say that.


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

LuvShepherds said:


> You only neeed grain free if a dog is allergic to grains. If not, going grain free and restrictive can cause more allergies to develop. I got that directly from a vet.


Starches which grainfree dog food has such-sweet potatoes and potatoes can cause allergies just as grains can cause allergies. One piece of advice I myself would not take from veterinarian is about food. Three different vets always advise science diet, iams or eukanuba all three crappy foods but were highly regarded by some vets. If my dogs are doing well and look great it is the feed back I'm looking for.


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

I think the sourcing of grains and meats is becoming at least as important as the label contents. Grain OR grain-free kibble can agree with most dogs -- if the quality of the ingredients used is high. The problem is that a great-looking label can hide grains, legumes, vitamin mixes and more imported from China...with all the risk of adulteration that entails. Sourcing is the hardest aspect of kibble the kibble-compromise for me right now. 

I've been satisfied with Fromm's responses when I've called them with sourcing questions -- this thread captures one of those conversations:
http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...38-fromm-merrick-others-labeling-lawsuit.html

Seriously, don't hesitate to call them if you have a question about _anything_ in their formula.


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## Dotbat215 (Aug 19, 2015)

Dracovich said:


> I read all 20 rules and looked for stickys, no indication bumping is against the rules. I'm not looking for vague assumptions and your comment is irrelevant to the topic.


Waterytart was simply responding to _your_ comment about automatically closing threads. Folks are being cordial and responding to you and you're getting snippy. What's up with that?


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

Magwart said:


> I think the sourcing of grains and meats is becoming at least as important as the label contents. Grain OR grain-free kibble can agree with most dogs -- if the quality of the ingredients used is high. The problem is that a great-looking label can hide grains, legumes, vitamin mixes and more imported from China...with all the risk of adulteration that entails. Sourcing is the hardest aspect of kibble the kibble-compromise for me right now.
> 
> I've been satisfied with Fromm's responses when I've called them with sourcing questions -- this thread captures one of those conversations:
> http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...38-fromm-merrick-others-labeling-lawsuit.html
> ...


Yes I agree very happy with the quality of ingredients being used and not saying grain or grain free is healthier then another.


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