# Wellness Dog Food



## BubbaMoose (May 14, 2013)

I have two Weimaraners, an 8 year old and a 4.5 month old. I'm not 100% comfortable with the food that they're on now, and I am looking to switch. I've been highly considering the Wellness brand but haven't been able to find much information on it other than some scattered opinions over the Internet that its "good." If anyone has experience or knowledge of the Brand and its benefits, or other recommendations of a great brand of dog food, I would love to hear what you have to say.

Thank you. 


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

I've fed Wellness Core to my guys for the better part of a year. They love it, I love the results. It's moderately expensive, but it's good at keeping weight on my prone to starve himself dog. I will say if you have a chowhound, you're going to end up feeding very, very little and the result of that can be a dog who acts more starved than usual and may be a pest or end up overeating and gaining weight. It's seriously calorie dense stuff.


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## BubbaMoose (May 14, 2013)

No chow hounds in this house! They eat their breakfast and dinner when I serve it to them but don't bug me for it. I've been mixing in the Wellness Just for Puppy wet food into my little guy's current dry food for extra protein and to help with weight gain and he loves it. Thanks for your help, I definitely plan to make the switch now. 


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

I like Wellness Core. I especially like that they have a fish based formula that does not contain any chicken, so you can switch back and forth and give the dog a little break from chicken. The fish based formula is stinky, but Kabota loves it.


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

I fed Eddee Wellness when I first adopted him. It made his coat soft and super shiny! He loves it.  I loved it too! He was/is super active so it was good for keeping weight on him. He was bony/skinny at first. 

I switched to Chicken Soup For The Dog Lover's Soul for all 4 dogs now. But I will use Wellness as a rotation or as a mix to their other kibble along with 4Health.


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## BernerMax (Mar 15, 2013)

Yup Wellness is good food, good to hear you making the switch..


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## Zilla (May 11, 2013)

Wellness CORE is an awesome food. High protein grain and gluten free low carb.... Everything you want in a dog food. Their regular line is ok. It just contains grains so the carbs are going to be higher on it... 


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## BubbaMoose (May 14, 2013)

I checked out some prices at the local Petsmart and was pretty surprised to see that the Wellness Core cost over $70 for 26lbs. That's higher than I was expecting to pay. What do you all think of the regular Wellness brand? Any suggestions on good foods to consider other than Wellness? Thanks!


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

BubbaMoose said:


> I checked out some prices at the local Petsmart and was pretty surprised to see that the Wellness Core cost over $70 for 26lbs. That's higher than I was expecting to pay. What do you all think of the regular Wellness brand? Any suggestions on good foods to consider other than Wellness? Thanks!
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


I wouldn't bother with their regular brand. Check out Taste Of The Wild, maybe. It's a decent grain free for a reasonable price. I do feel a little bit compelled to say that that 26lb bag + a case of canned lasts my FOUR dogs, sometimes 5, (at 12, 16, 20 (the sometimes dog), and 65lb PUPPY) for a month. ToTW I go through two bags, so it balances out.


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## Emmett (Feb 9, 2013)

Wellness CORE is in our rotation and I have always felt my dog's do great in it. For sure the prices on the higher quality foods can be a "yikes!" moment, but as CptJack pointed out you can feed significantly less of the higher quality and it probably comes out very close to a wash. 

Have you considered ordering online? I've given up purchasing dog food in the store, I literally save $20 per bag of Orijen (no matter the variety) and since we go through nearly 2 large bags of food a month that really adds up! I've had pretty good success with Wag.com and with the free shipping the deals are even sweeter. I think CORE is $55 for 26lbs right now through them. If you don't do online I feel like ToTW and the Merrick GF are both pretty good foods at better price points than CORE.


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## jaylivg1 (Dec 5, 2011)

We do wellness to all of our three dogs . Our 3rd dog we just adopted on saturday and about half of her weight .. so she needs to gain . 

But experience from my other 2 dogs .. they love wellness core and their coat always so good and shiny .


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## BubbaMoose (May 14, 2013)

Okay, okay. Thank you both for talking sense back into me! I'll be purchasing within the next week and a half to two weeks, when the boy's current food supply starts to get low so I can begin making the switch! I'm a firm believer in feeding quality food and although a lower price would be appreciated and welcomed by me with open arms...the price is fair. 

I will absolutely look into buying online. Thanks again for all of the helpful suggestions! So happy that I joined this site. 


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## Zilla (May 11, 2013)

BubbaMoose said:


> I checked out some prices at the local Petsmart and was pretty surprised to see that the Wellness Core cost over $70 for 26lbs. That's higher than I was expecting to pay. What do you all think of the regular Wellness brand? Any suggestions on good foods to consider other than Wellness? Thanks!
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


I second the Taste of the Wild suggestion! I used to feed that to my pup. Also instead of Welllness Core take a look at Innova Evo or Innova Prime. They are my favorite because they don't use potatoes in their formulas so the carb content on them is the lowest you can buy. If you were wanting to rotate some formulas defiantly take a look at them! 


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## Zilla (May 11, 2013)

Also as far as online ordering. I've always ordered my stuff from Chewy.com. It's so easy and they are super quick. They also don't charge sales tax so you save money and its free shipping above 49 dollars. I always order over that anyway so I never worry about paying for shipping! Most of the time their prices are cheaper than in store too.... 


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## BubbaMoose (May 14, 2013)

Thank you Zilla! I will look into the other food brands and definitely plan on checking out Chewy.com!


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## Zilla (May 11, 2013)

If you order off chewy there's so many you can look at! Some others to consider Back to Basics, Annamaet, Nature's Variety Instinct, GO Natural, Canidae, Evangers, Natures Logic, and Pinnacle.... There is also one called Earthborn Holistics that is very similar in price to Taste of the Wild only not made by Diamond if that doesn't sit with you well... Great quality for the money! All their grain free foods are 5 stars but their primitive natural formula is very nice quality made without pea protein and is low carb. Almost the same carbs as Evo.... Very surprised considering the price is so low. The reason I say that is because I believe all of Taste of the Wild formulas use pea protein... Check it out here: http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/earthborn-holistic-primitive-natural/

http://www.chewy.com/dog/earthborn-holistic-primitive-natural/dp/28999


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## Ashbury's Mom (May 17, 2013)

I feed my guys Kirkland - yes, the Costco brand. They have a few different varieties now, including grain-free. They are all corn-free and have a really good nutritional balance for a kibble. if you go through the ingredients it's comparable to a lot of high end foods out there, quite surprisingly. I found that when I switched (was eating Nutro) the coats looked better, the poops were fewer (always a good sign) and they were more interested in eating. 

They also get some wet food mixed in. I usually buy Wellness canned (for the cats as well) and I like Evangers because they're single ingredient and have lots of great protein varieties (duck, buffalo, rabbit, etc) that are suitable for both the dogs and cats. They get Rollover brand food and treats on special occassions.

Just make sure you look for foods that are corn free, provide details like chicken, beef, etc rather than "animal meal" or "animal fat", avoid food colouring, and always be wary of "endorsed by...." slogans. Then find out what your pup likes best! Many pet stores - and even the food companies themselves - provide free samples. Always a good way to test out new foods.


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

Wellness Core Reduced Fat is one of the few weight loss foods I like and feel like is really effective for dogs. 

Not that your dog needs to lose weight, I'm just sayin' while we're on the subject of Wellness.


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## Damon'sMom (Aug 2, 2011)

BubbaMoose said:


> I checked out some prices at the local Petsmart and was pretty surprised to see that the Wellness Core cost over $70 for 26lbs. That's higher than I was expecting to pay. What do you all think of the regular Wellness brand? Any suggestions on good foods to consider other than Wellness? Thanks!
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


I would recommend these if you don't go with Wellness Core.

4Health (they also have a grain free line)
Taste of the Wild
Fromm Classic
Innova
Kirkland 

I love the Wellness dog food brand. My dogs all love it. I use it as part of my dogs rotation diet. And I always have some of their wet food cans in the house. All 5 dogs choose that brand of wet food over all others.


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## meggels (Mar 8, 2010)

Zilla said:


> I second the Taste of the Wild suggestion! I used to feed that to my pup. Also instead of Welllness Core take a look at Innova Evo or Innova Prime. They are my favorite because they don't use potatoes in their formulas so the carb content on them is the lowest you can buy. If you were wanting to rotate some formulas defiantly take a look at them!
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App



That doesn't make sense. Just because a company uses potato vs. tapioca, peas, chickpeas, etc...it doesn't mean that they have the lowest carb amount. You can have low carb amounts no matter what carb source the company uses. It's just a matter of....how much they actually use...regardless of what KIND it is...


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## Zilla (May 11, 2013)

meggels said:


> That doesn't make sense. Just because a company uses potato vs. tapioca, peas, chickpeas, etc...it doesn't mean that they have the lowest carb amount. You can have low carb amounts no matter what carb source the company uses. It's just a matter of....how much they actually use...regardless of what KIND it is...



Hmm look here: Innova Prime

Then look here: Wellness Core Reduced Fat

Which is lower?


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## Zilla (May 11, 2013)

I stand corrected on the kind thing... I thought Evo was the same as Prime but Evo does have potatoes...


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## meggels (Mar 8, 2010)

You're missing the point. Whether or not it has potatoes does not relate to how low the carb amount is. Natures Variety Instinct has a pretty low carb amount and they use tapioca.

It doesn't matter which carb the company uses, just how much when comparing percentage of carbs.


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

You can't tell the actual carbohydrate content of a dog food by looking at the ingredients or the label. It's not a requirement for it to be listed on the label like it is in human food, and it rarely is (gee, wonder why?). You have to calculate it from the rest of the guaranteed analysis, I can't remember how to do it offhand but it's surprising how many carbs are in foods you would think are low carbohydrate based on the ingredients.


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

Ah I forgot dogfoodadvisor calculates them all out, too.

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/innova-prime-grain-free-dry/

Innova Prime has 35% carbohydrates on a dry matter basis, 30% on a calorie-weighted basis. Which is less than many foods (many dry dog foods run in the 40% range) but hardly "low carb" at 1/3 of the calories.


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## meggels (Mar 8, 2010)

sassafras said:


> You can't tell the actual carbohydrate content of a dog food by looking at the ingredients or the label. It's not a requirement for it to be listed on the label like it is in human food, and it rarely is (gee, wonder why?). You have to calculate it from the rest of the guaranteed analysis, I can't remember how to do it offhand but it's surprising how many carbs are in foods you would think are low carbohydrate based on the ingredients.


Its 100-protein-fat-water-fiber-ash=carbs %


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

meggels said:


> Its 100-protein-fat-water-fiber-ash=carbs %


Well that makes sense.  For some reason I always remember it as being more complicated than that.


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## meggels (Mar 8, 2010)

sassafras said:


> Ah I forgot dogfoodadvisor calculates them all out, too.
> 
> http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/innova-prime-grain-free-dry/
> 
> Innova Prime has 35% carbohydrates on a dry matter basis, 30% on a calorie-weighted basis. Which is less than many foods (many dry dog foods run in the 40% range) but hardly "low carb" at 1/3 of the calories.


I'm questioning how accurate Dog Food Advisor is too...they list Earthborn's GPF at 34% carbs, but on Earthborn's own website, they state that that formula is 25%.

It also seems that the lower the carbs, the higher ash the food is a lot of the time. I would take a slightly higher carb count if I knew that low ash meats were being used. But that's just my personal preference.



sassafras said:


> Well that makes sense.  For some reason I always remember it as being more complicated than that.


I think it would be ideal if company's stated it in the Guaranteed Analysis....but sigh...life is cruel and unfair sometimes


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

meggels said:


> I'm questioning how accurate Dog Food Advisor is too...they list Earthborn's GPF at 34% carbs, but on Earthborn's own website, they state that that formula is 25%.
> 
> It also seems that the lower the carbs, the higher ash the food is a lot of the time. I would take a slightly higher carb count if I knew that low ash meats were being used. But that's just my personal preference.


And honestly the difference between something like 35% and 40% is negligible to me. 




> I think it would be ideal if company's stated it in the Guaranteed Analysis....but sigh...life is cruel and unfair sometimes


The only foods I've seen voluntarily list carbs on their label are foods that are actually low carbohydrate (a few cat foods that I can't remember offhand). I think pet food manufacturers would lobby hard against it being required, because if it was right there on the label it would be hard to market some of these grain free foods that right now are heavily implied to be low carbohydrate by virtue of being grain free.


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## meggels (Mar 8, 2010)

sassafras said:


> And honestly the difference between something like 35% and 40% is negligible to me.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Oh yeah, I don't think it should necessarily be required, just saying...it would be nice lol  But I can see why many foods would *not* want to do it.


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

Honestly I would love to see it on labels, especially for cat food where I think it's far more important. I just don't think it's going to happen.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

sassafras said:


> Wellness Core Reduced Fat is one of the few weight loss foods I like and feel like is really effective for dogs.
> 
> Not that your dog needs to lose weight, I'm just sayin' while we're on the subject of Wellness.


 It worked great for us when we adopted an obese sheltie.


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