# Trying to find the best kibble....



## karladupler (Mar 22, 2016)

So far I know I would LOVE to buy Orijin for my Duke or switch him to raw diet....unfortunately I do not have that kind of budget right now :crying: So by today or tomorrow I have to buy his food and I haven't decided what to buy him... he's...a really active dog to be honest and he's only 2 years old....so what do you feed to your doggies? I am in-between Taste of the Wild High Pairie dry food or Wellness....any people feeding their pets with this brands? :smile2: What's your experience!? 0


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## BrodyRoo (Aug 10, 2016)

I've fed both and liked them both just fine. I will say that my dogs didn't seem to find the Wellness very palatable...

If you like Orijen (me too, though it is pricey!), have you looked into Acana? It's made by the same company, has great ingredients, and is a little less expensive.


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

Taste Of The Wild is manufactured by the Diamond Company. 
Personally, I would never purchase anything Diamond makes (which is QUITE a few!)!

Acana has higher quality ingredients than Wellness.

Make sure you wean him slowly on to the new food to avoid gut upset!

Moms


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## karladupler (Mar 22, 2016)

BrodyRoo said:


> I've fed both and liked them both just fine. I will say that my dogs didn't seem to find the Wellness very palatable...
> 
> If you like Orijen (me too, though it is pricey!), have you looked into Acana? It's made by the same company, has great ingredients, and is a little less expensive.



You're the best! Hahaha still a little bit pricey but! I feel is going to last more than the food I give him now....i feed him 4 cups and i was reading the feeding proportions...and for active is 3 and a half i think cups...(the image is really small i can't read it clearly lol) and I love the ingredients...I think I'm going with Acana yes :grin2: thank you for the information!


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

If money is tight and you're comfortable feeding Diamond, then I would just go with Costco's Kirkland or Diamond Naturals (at most petfood retailers) or Tractor Supply's 4Health (they're all essentially the same food repackaged under different labels--the differences are trivial enough to view the foods as interchangeable, I think). That's at least $10 bag cheaper than TOW, with pretty close ingredients, from the same manufacturer. There are small improvements in TOW, but not enough to justify the price difference IMHO between TOW and Diamond Naturals for a food made in the same plant with very similar ingredients. You *must* monitor recalls and internet rumblings calling for recalls, and save your bag date codes, if you feed Diamond-made products--and know their history so that you are an informed consumer. That will get you into the $30 per 40/lb bag range.

The next step up would be to Victor. It's about the same prices as TOW. It's only slightly more expensive than Diamond foods, getting into the $40-ish range. It's made in Texas in a plant with no recalls. You may have to look on their website for a local retailer or order online -- it's usually sold at small independent retailers, or feed stores.

If you can go up to about $50-ish per 30 lb. bag, you can feed Fromm's 4-Star Line (with grains). It's a significant step up, to a family-owned company that has never had a kibble recall (one small canned food recall), and that owns their own plant in Wisconsin. Many dogs do very well on it, and it's designed to rotate flavors (fish this bag, duck the next, and chicken after that, etc.). It's only sold at small independent retailers, or online (no big box stores).

If you have a local independent pet food retailer, they may carry Grandma Mae's Country Naturals. It's in the $50 range, and has a very good reputation. It's made expressly for small, independent retailers (the idea is to put the money into the quality of the ingredients, and let the stores handle the marketing, so that the customer isn't paying for splashy marketing and the price can be lower).

In L.A., you might pop in any of the Centinela Feed stores around the Southland to browse and chat. I was always very pleased with those stores, when I had them nearby.


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## karladupler (Mar 22, 2016)

Magwart said:


> If money is tight and you're comfortable feeding Diamond, then I would just go with Costco's Kirkland or Diamond Naturals (at most petfood retailers) or Tractor Supply's 4Health (they're all essentially the same food repackaged under different labels--the differences are trivial enough to view the foods as interchangeable, I think). That's at least $10 bag cheaper than TOW, with pretty close ingredients, from the same manufacturer. There are small improvements in TOW, but not enough to justify the price difference IMHO between TOW and Diamond Naturals for a food made in the same plant with very similar ingredients. You *must* monitor recalls and internet rumblings calling for recalls, and save your bag date codes, if you feed Diamond-made products--and know their history so that you are an informed consumer. That will get you into the $30 per 40/lb bag range.
> 
> The next step up would be to Victor. It's about the same prices as TOW. It's only slightly more expensive than Diamond foods, getting into the $40-ish range. It's made in Texas in a plant with no recalls. You may have to look on their website for a local retailer or order online -- it's usually sold at small independent retailers, or feed stores.
> 
> ...


That's a very good point....going to Local Independent pet food....right now I just order Arcana cause my dog needs the food by Monday I would say lol I will see how he does with Acana if it doesn't work I will totally do my research on independent food retailer...I like Centinela too! And a lot people keep telling me to get Lotus I believe Centinela are the only ones that carry that brand here....have you tried that brand? Or heard about it?


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

My boy is doing well on Victor right now and it is reasonably priced compared to some food I have bought in recent memory...


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## Dotbat215 (Aug 19, 2015)

karladupler said:


> That's a very good point....going to Local Independent pet food....right now I just order Arcana cause my dog needs the food by Monday I would say lol I will see how he does with Acana if it doesn't work I will totally do my research on independent food retailer...I like Centinela too! And a lot people keep telling me to get Lotus I believe Centinela are the only ones that carry that brand here....have you tried that brand? Or heard about it?


Well if you're willing to order food online I would suggest sportdogfood brand. The food is manufactured by pioneer naturals. They just got a five star review on DFA and they're free of a lot of filler ingredients like peas.


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## Galathiel (Nov 30, 2012)

I ordered Acana from Chewy when I was feeding it as I can't get anything like that locally. Chewy also sells the other brands mentioned, including Victor. Nice having it delivered to your door and usually arrives pretty quickly!


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## cdwoodcox (Jul 4, 2015)

Where I am at Fromm is only $8 a bag more than TOTW . Seems like $8 a bag Fromm is by far the better choice.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

I went with Fromm after reading all the posts I could find here on kibble. I needed to get my puppy off chicken, which eliminated a lot of food. I found a local independent store that carries it cheaper than the chains. Some of those chains are very expensive.


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

@ LuvShepherds - Just fyi......I believe all of the Fromm's products contain eggs and/or chicken fat, if you are trying to stay away from chicken items. 

Moms


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

Momto2GSDs said:


> @ LuvShepherds - Just fyi......I believe all of the Fromm's products contain eggs and/or chicken fat, if you are trying to stay away from chicken items.
> 
> Moms


No, they don't all contain allergens. I am avoiding chicken protein, not bones. I did a lot of research and the allergens are in the meat or skin. Someone mentioned that to me here.


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

LuvShepherds said:


> No, they don't all contain allergens. I am avoiding chicken protein, not bones. I did a lot of research and the allergens are in the meat or skin. Someone mentioned that to me here.


My holistic vet told me if you are doing an elimination diet, or variation of it, and they are sensitive to a certain protein, to stay away from any ingredient of that protein.

"There is some risk that she may be allergic to the eggs as well, so if you wish to avoid all risk then you should definitely avoid feeding chicken eggs to a dog that is allergic to chicken meat." Vetinfo.com 

But, your pup may be perfectly fine on this food. They are all so different!

Moms


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

Momto2GSDs said:


> My holistic vet told me if you are doing an elimination diet, or variation of it, and they are sensitive to a certain protein, to stay away from any ingredient of that protein.
> 
> "There is some risk that she may be allergic to the eggs as well, so if you wish to avoid all risk then you should definitely avoid feeding chicken eggs to a dog that is allergic to chicken meat." Vetinfo.com
> 
> ...


Thank you. He was having loose stools after antibiotics and I nearly changed his food. But with probiotics and patience, it stopped three weeks later. So, I think he is OK now. He is having some itching but I think it's another cause. His chicken allergy showed up as bight red skin inside his ears.


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## karladupler (Mar 22, 2016)

Galathiel said:


> I ordered Acana from Chewy when I was feeding it as I can't get anything like that locally. Chewy also sells the other brands mentioned, including Victor. Nice having it delivered to your door and usually arrives pretty quickly!


 That's what i did hahaha I went to Chewy.com I will see how he does with Acana


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## CarrieJo (Oct 1, 2016)

I wouldn't do diamond either.


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## karladupler (Mar 22, 2016)

Well I did Acana so far he LOVES IT, I catch him TWICE trying to open the food container (no he doesn't starve, i feed him properly) and is just a matter of time to see how his body likes this food too  thank you everyone for the advice!  Just look at that face when is feeding time....He love it so much that he just give a lot of eye contact so he can eat it asap


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