# Acana OR Taste of the Wild???



## Victoriasnyder (Feb 9, 2018)

Hello Hello....

So on March 12th we will be welcoming a 8 week old white GS into our home. I am going crazy on the type of food to feed him!!!! What do you all recommend? I have seen great things on both Acana and TOTW.. as well as bad...so I need help. I would LOVE to get him on grain free.. I have seen the difference it can make. 

I had Rotties in the past and fed a raw diet BUT 6 kids later that's just not possible 

Please Help... 

(When it comes to budget I am "open" to the cost) 

Thanks
~Victoria


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## robk (Jun 16, 2011)

This is not a recommendation. It is just my own observation that my dogs seem to do better on Acana.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

Only use grain free if your dog has grain allergies. The ingredients added to dog foods to replace grains are not always good for them. I used TOTW for my rescues, based on what the rescue groups told us to use. It was not the best food. When I got my most recent puppy, I used Fromm large breed puppy and then switched all my dogs to Fromm 4 Star and rotate foods. One of my dogs was very sick, not food related, and Fromm helped me personally with a diet plan when I needed to make decisions about food. I have never worked with a dog food company that helpful.


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

Acana was too rich for my dogs. I have fed Taste of the Wild for years and my dogs have done well on it. Ultimately, it comes down to which food YOUR dog does best on.

March 12th will be here before you know it. Congrats! You must be so excited.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

Acana


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

You suggested that you fed raw in the past, and cost isn't an issue. If kibble is just a convenience compromise, maybe look into a convenient alternative diet that gets closer to what you'd prefer to feed.

The Honest Kitchen has a few formulas that are labeled as OK for puppies (it's just-add-water human-grade food) -- Thrive (chicken-quionoa-veg) is specifically one that says it's suitable for puppies. Sojo's likely has something too. ZiwiPeak's dehydrated jerky food is also labeled for puppies, I think. A ready-made commercial balanced raw diet suitable for puppies would also be an option (though a pretty pricey one).

Cost is usually the barrier for most people to these convenient alternative diets. If that's not a barrier, you have a lot of great non-kibble choices!

I think of TOTW as a solid mid-grade food, to be honest, like most of what Diamond's plant produces. It's okay. We feed a lot of Diamond-made foods in rescue because of the price/value ratio. The recall history of that plant means you have to save every lot code til it's gone. All things considered, I think there are brands with better histories and more reliable/transparent ingredient sourcing, at a higher price point.


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## JBjunior (Feb 8, 2018)

I use Taste of the Wild for an older lab. She does well on it but I am looking for something else for a puppy.


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## Victoriasnyder (Feb 9, 2018)

Thank you everyone.... Yes March 12th is almost here and I can't wait and neither can my family.


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## tc68 (May 31, 2006)

Victoria, congrats on your new puppy. I just put a deposit down this past weekend on a puppy too and will also be picking him up around the 10th of March. Back 10-11 years ago, when I first joined this forum, the dry food brand many were raving about then was TOTW. Now it seems to be Acana, Fromms, and Victor. I ended up feeding my previous dog...TOTW Pacific Stream with a mix of Royal Canin GSD for 10 years. He loved it and did fairly well on it. The breeder that I'm buying my puppy from this time just started the puppies on Victor. She swears by that brand. So, I'm going to stick with that since it's supposed to be one of the better rated foods anyway. I'm going to have to order from Chewy.com since the closest store that sells it is over an hour's drive away. Surprisingly, in the DC metro area, where there's a lot of dog owners, you can't find a store that sells Victor within a short drive. Anyway, I can't wait either. Just saw him this past weekend for the first time....so cute....a sable male.


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## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

Acana is made by a great company with a great track record. TOTW is made by a company Diamond, that has had a sketchy past and mass produces so many different brands.


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## Love my boy (Jan 14, 2018)

Only Acana, my GSD feels and looks grait. Sorry but in mine opinion the Taste of the wild is garbage. I feed my pup the puppy formula bison&venison he looks like disaster, itching, red ears, coat in very low condition. No no no only Acana and as we all know GSD suffering from different allergies issues a feed mine Fidel single formula duck and now he eats lamb.


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## Ldes77 (Aug 24, 2016)

My now 8 month old puppy has been on Acana from the start. She loves it and does very well on it. Vet even commented on how shiny her coat was at our last visit.


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## Whiteshepherds (Aug 21, 2010)

Victoriasnyder said:


> Hello Hello....
> 
> So on March 12th we will be welcoming a 8 week old white GS into our home. I am going crazy on the type of food to feed him!!!! What do you all recommend?



You probably already know this but just in case, whatever you choose, start with the food the breeder was feeding him and gradually switch (mix half/half etc).


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## Tolkien (Apr 9, 2021)

I have been using Acana for my dog for many years, however, she is over 10 years old and this food is causing her digestive problems. Now I try to use only natural foods that contain more vitamins to keep my pet healthy. And I am having some problems with the leftover feed. I often began to notice how traces of wild animals began to appear in my garage and, perhaps, they are attracted by dog food. There was a need to seek help from the wildlife management service to solve the problem. If you have food that you are not using, give it away immediately or throw it away.


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