# Which dog food do YOU prefer?



## Bella67 (Jun 22, 2014)

I am planning on switching my dog from Diamond Naturals after her bag is done, and after doing research on some brands I've heard good and bad things about them. I've narrowed it down do these: 
*Fromm
*TOTW
*Merrick 
*Orjien

Which dog food you feed? What are your personal opinions on these? I am getting a puppy in March and the breeder is planning to feed them Adult TOTW. Comments?


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## Mary Beth (Apr 17, 2010)

I feed Solid Gold Barking at the Moon, but it is for adult dogs. Their Wolfking which is for large breed adults is also very good. Since I am in favor of feeding puppy chow, I would give the pup Solid Gold Wolfcub which is for large breed puppies. Since you seem to have decided on one from your list since the breeder is feeding TOTW, I would give that.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

Adult TOTW might have too much calcium phosphorus for a large breed pup. Which formula is the breeder using?

I've had good results on Fromm and Merrick


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I like Farmina and I'm sticking with that. They eat less, poop less, and have great energy levels. Midnite was doing quite a bit itching and after a month on that food it's pretty much gone. We are very happy with it. It's more expensive food, but it balances out nicely because of how much less they eat.


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## Cheyanna (Aug 18, 2012)

None of those. I feed candidae pure. It has less than 10 ingredients depending on flavor. Although I have not actually tasted it. I like it because of limited ingredients that I recognize. But then I do another no no. I feed 1 pound of raw as a separate meal.


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## VanLee (Sep 6, 2014)

llombardo said:


> I like Farmina and I'm sticking with that. They eat less, poop less, and have great energy levels. Midnite was doing quite a bit itching and after a month on that food it's pretty much gone. We are very happy with it. It's more expensive food, but it balances out nicely because of how much less they eat.


Agreed, same experience here. It is a much better quality product than the ones listed, it even looks and smells better as well. The only one on the OP's list that should be avoided is Merrick, shady company and just a big box store quality food that is well marketed. Merrick foods also have very high calcium and phosphorous that they don't list on the bag or website.

But....we are a Farmina house now.


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## Pawsed (May 24, 2014)

Farmina here as well. It's not available locally, so I order online. Even then, the choices of merchants are limited. If I do some shopping around and use online promo codes, the prices are pretty reasonable, at least in my opinion for food of that quality. Also, I always order enough to get free shipping so it works out well for me.


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## Debanneball (Aug 28, 2014)

Personally, I haven't had any of them.. however, I do feed Fritz Fromm LBP Gold. I tried Blue, too much calcium; Royal Canin Maxx, he didn't like it; and Vet Healthy Advantage, he liked it, but the ingridents suck.. What I am looking for is a puppy food with large kibble pieces, he seems to choke and spit out the little ones...


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## mydogs (May 4, 2012)

I feed Fromm LBP. My pups came home to me on Solid Gold. I don't care for TOTW. Or feeding grain free to a puppy. Diamond doesn't have the greatest track record either. Orijen can be too rich I've tried it when grainfree first came out. I would choose Fromm over the rest. Then Merrick. Fromm has never had a recall. That's most important to me


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## Bella67 (Jun 22, 2014)

qbchottu said:


> Adult TOTW might have too much calcium phosphorus for a large breed pup. Which formula is the breeder using?
> 
> I've had good results on Fromm and Merrick


The breeder didn't tell me what formula she is planning to use yet, I'll ask her though. She listed that she feeds all of her dogs TOTW supplemented with eggs, gizzards, etc.


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## Waffle Iron (Apr 3, 2012)

I feed both my dogs wet and dry Taste of the Wild. Great food.

I used to feed Merrick but stools were always loose.


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## Bella67 (Jun 22, 2014)

So it seems like either Fromm or Farmina would be my best choice? I was planning on feeding Fromm gold large breed puppy (blue bag) Does that sound okay or should I feed Adult food from Fromm? I'm looking at Farmina's website and there is so many different kinds of formulas. Which formula would you recommend for an 8 week old pup?


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## Bella67 (Jun 22, 2014)

Heres a link: 

Fromm Gold Life-stage and Lifestyle Dry Recipes - Fromm Family Foods


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Bella67 said:


> So it seems like either Fromm or Farmina would be my best choice? I was planning on feeding Fromm gold large breed puppy (blue bag) Does that sound okay or should I feed Adult food from Fromm? I'm looking at Farmina's website and there is so many different kinds of formulas. Which formula would you recommend for an 8 week old pup?


I just messaged them(Farmina)yesterday and they told me all their foods are all life stages. I feed the Herring formula.


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## Bella67 (Jun 22, 2014)

Could you send me a link of it? I can't find it on their website.


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

You can also rotate around types, brands instead of looking for one good food and always feeding it, if you transition well, and know what ingredients your dog does/doesn't do well on. I used to feed only Timberwolf, and I haven't seen that food in a while! 

I try not to get stuck on one food or brand, because inevitably something happens where it changes, or the company owner has a psychotic break or things like that! 

I like/use foods from - 
Acana
Wellness (cats mostly)
Orijen (cats)
Stella & Chewy (cats)
Nature's Variety
Earthborn
Pinnacle
Fromm
Nature's Logic
California Natural
Merrick 
Tractor Supply brands
Canidae Pure
Farmina 

I am liking what I see on the Farmina, but need to feed something other than fish based foods all the time, so will have to continue to rotate foods without fish, and without chicken or lamb, pork, which my dogs (really my GSD mostly) don't do well on.


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

I use BeaverDam. It is a family owned company in Delaware. They use only US sources. It is similar to Victor which may be more widely available. 

You sure can make yourself crazy researching dog foods. 

If you really want to have "fun" with it I recommend this site :
Dog Food Reviews and Ratings | Dog Food Advisor


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## Bella67 (Jun 22, 2014)

Yes I agree! It's frustrating finding the right dog food ): I'll be getting him in March and I want to do everything ahead of time responsibly.


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## Pawsed (May 24, 2014)

Farmina has more than fish-based food. They also have chicken, lamb, and wild boar. I think those all come in grain free or ancestral low-grain formulas. They also have puppy food.

The websites I have found that carry it are Chewy, Sportdogfood, PetFlow, Dogfooddirect, Amazon and eBay. There may be more, but those are the ones I've been able to find. The selection and prices vary greatly from site to site, so it's a good idea to shop around.


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## Bella67 (Jun 22, 2014)

I'm leaning towards Fromm Gold LPB, then once it gets older to feed Fromm Four Star so there's variety. I was looking at it from Chewy.com and it's priced for $50.94 + free shipping. Does that sound like a good deal? Or could I find it for less money?


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Bella67 said:


> Could you send me a link of it? I can't find it on their website.


If you go to their Facebook page Farmina USA and message them, they replied back to me really fast.

I used Fromm for a long time. Great company, no recalls, but 2 of mine got sick on it. I'm not sure if the food was bad or what but it was almost $1000 in vet bills. We immediately switched and no problems since. It was something with the pancreas. I had just put another food into the rotation a couple weeks prior. The vet told me that rotating foods can be a bad thing. I don't remember how she explained it but it made sense. I do not rotate foods, even within the same brand. I'm not a big believer that dogs need to get different foods. They get that with the treats.


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

Ohhh - for a puppy you will want to read up on stuff for healthy puppy feeding. That's what I feed adult dogs. Puppies I feed CA Natural Herring and Sweet Potato (I think both of these are the right varieties - I go with the lower calcium) at the very beginning then Pinnacle trout and sweet potato to start, then around 8-10 months, foods with more ingredients. 

Yes, Farmina has other than fish based foods - but not ones that I can use on my dogs - chicken, lamb, and pork are all things they have had issues with, particularly foods with chicken. If that isn't a problem, it's a good variety.


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

I don't eat dog food. My dogs eat Dr. Gary's Best Breed.


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

Russell was fed Fromms LBP when he was younger. 

I've been rotating between Fromms Large Breed Adult Gold and Victor Professional and just now added Farmina Chicken with Ancestral Grains. My breeder feeds Victor, so when the dogs go stay with her, it works out that the food she feeds is one of our rotation foods. Even if I am currently feeding them Fromms, they can go to her house, eat the Victor, and not have any stomach upsets. 

Locally I can get a 40 lb bag of Victor Pro for $33, a 33 lb bag of Fromms LBA Gold for about $50, and just put the 26 lb Farmina Chicken on autoship with Chewy.com for about $35.


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## Pawsed (May 24, 2014)

Thanks, Jean, for clearing that up for me. Obviously, I was very confused by your post! Sorry that you are so limited with what you can feed your guys. That really makes things complicated.


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## Nikitta (Nov 10, 2011)

I feed both mine Natural Balance. They do well on it and both like it.


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## Galathiel (Nov 30, 2012)

I've fed BB LBP, Fromm LBP, Fromm Gold and tried a few of the Fromm GF foods. Varick got where I had to practically coerce him to eat, not sure if something was going on with the bags I was getting. I do know one was bad and suspect issues with some of the others. I got tired of begging him to eat and switched him to Merrick GF Chicken. He's now back to loving his food, feeding less and output is less and really firm for the first time (never was that great with any other food).


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

Delgado ate Fromm LBP until he turned one then he joined Jazzy on a rotation through the flavours of the grain free Four Star line. It's been a great food and both dogs absolutely love it


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I am sold on Farmina. I am feeding much less than on any other quality food I have fed, my dog is finally adding some weight and has a glossy coat. I love this stuff! Their FB page has a coupon right now. I am feeding ancestral grains right now.


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## Bella67 (Jun 22, 2014)

Does Farmina have a LBP formula?


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

They do have a LBP forumula but, honestly, I would be inclined to feed the adult formula ancestral grains. It is lower in protein and in calcium than the LBP forumula and the values look suitable for puppies.


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## Bella67 (Jun 22, 2014)

I have a 8 month old now, and she eats Adult Diamond. After her bag I'm going to be switching her onto the same food I'll be getting in March, should I put her on LBP formula like the other dog I'm getting, or just give her regular gold adult food from Fromm?


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

Bella67 said:


> I'm leaning towards Fromm Gold LPB, then once it gets older to feed Fromm Four Star so there's variety. I was looking at it from Chewy.com and it's priced for $50.94 + free shipping. Does that sound like a good deal? Or could I find it for less money?


You can get Fromm LBP for less right now through the Pet Tango storefront sites (which benefit local animal shelters, giving up 10% of what you buy back to the shelter). Here's the storefront for my local shelter (it's just the regular Pet Tango store, labeled as the shelter's storefront):

https://www.caabrstore.com/Fromm-Large-Breed-Puppy-Gold.aspx

Fromm LPB is regularly $52.99 here, but there's a 25% off code (JOY2014), bringing it down to under $33 this week. (I've ordered Fromm foods from this site many times, and they are fast and reliable.)

(NOTE: this code is good for 25% off site-wide, through 12/31, so it will also work for any other brand they sell, including Orijen and Acana. They don't sell Farmina though).


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## Bella67 (Jun 22, 2014)

Do you think I should keep the one I have now on regular adult food because she's 8 months, or put her onto Fromm LBP like the one I'm getting in March? Because she did get pano and it is partly my fault because I am feeding her Diamond which I heard there is a lot of recalls on so I want to switch her to the same food for the new puppy, but I'm not sure if I should keep her on adult or put her back on puppy food due to amounts of calcium. /:


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

Pawsed said:


> Thanks, Jean, for clearing that up for me. Obviously, I was very confused by your post! Sorry that you are so limited with what you can feed your guys. That really makes things complicated.


It does! The chicken is the one that gets more than the GSD. I am tempted to try the lamb to see if it's better luck now then it was years ago (diarrhea!) and pork is a true no go for my GSD - she probably had 20 pieces of pork kibble a couple of weeks ago and we went out 3x that night. I try to feed everyone the same food so I don't make a mistake!


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## tonyb11 (Apr 4, 2011)

I just picked up my pup. Shes almost 3 months. The breeder had her on Purina one. I had my last shepherd on 4health. Is she to young to switch to 4 health?


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## Mary Beth (Apr 17, 2010)

tonyb11 said:


> I just picked up my pup. Shes almost 3 months. The breeder had her on Purina one. I had my last shepherd on 4health. Is she to young to switch to 4 health?


4health has a puppy formula - so you may want to feed her that instead of the adult. But I would suggest you take it slow - first keep her on what the breeder feeds her for a couple of weeks as you have just gotten her then slowly adjust her to the new food to avoid tummy upset.


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## Hineni7 (Nov 8, 2014)

I've used natural balance but Areli didn't like it, then Fromm LBP which she liked, then Fromm gold puppy which she loved, then tried TOTW Prairie and she again does not care for it, so next is Fromm adult gold which should come next week from petflow . com ($43.99) plus 20% off (love their bargains, some are soo amazing!) Areli is super skinny so her pickiness is what has caused the changes although she seems to really like Fromm. Akivah eats everything (probably the malamute part overriding the gsd, lol) Areli is 8.5mos and Akivah just shy of 10mos and Areli is large for her age (over 26" and 82+ lbs and Akivah is 77lbs and 26.5") so time for adult dog food


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## ofl52 (Apr 11, 2013)

I went through several different brand before I settled on Victor super performance with the added Glucosamine & Chondrotin to support joint health-fortified with Sel-Plex-supports immune and digestion-No added wheat, corn, soy or gluten and it is USA made.
I have to get it at the feed store-cost about $35.00 for 40lb
My pup started on it at about 6-8mo of age-I had him on the LBP diamond brand until then and that brand was okay, however, he didn't do all that well on it.
The Victor rated a 5 star on the dog food rating sites-it was the 3rd one I tried before I settled on it due to problems he had on a few of the other for one reason or another-He seems to like it pretty well and he doesn't have any digestive issues with it-plus, his overall condition is spot on-I didn't want him to gain too much weight too fast.
He will be 2 yr in Feb and pushing 100lb-full of energy and picture of health..


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## zetti (May 11, 2014)

Wellness adult. Huge difference in the pup's skin & coat.


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