# Wellness Core vs Earthborn grain free



## amosmoses89 (Jun 19, 2011)

I'm very sorry to do this to everyone, I'm sure ya'll are tired of seeing these, but I can't make up my mind!

The girls right now are on 4Health Salmon and potato and not doing great on it, Chloe has an ear infection and they both itch at their feet. I've been looking into new brands and although they did fine for the most part on TOTW before, Chloe has always had her issues so I'm trying something new.

Wellness sent me a sample of their Wellness Core Ocean formula and it smells like actual fish, like ocean fish not just that fishy smell of TOTW and the 4Health, make any sense? The girls seem to like it, but the cheapest I can find anywhere is $61 for 28lbs

Then I started looking at Earthborn, I like the ingredients and that it's also chicken free for their fish formula. I can get it for $49 for a 28lb bag in this really neat local pet food store. 

I would like to hear (read) people's experiences with these two foods, good and bag, just to help me make up my mind!

Thanks!


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

I feed Earthborn (Primitive Natural) and I like it. My dog and my fosters have all done very well on it and for the fosters, I can usually see a nice change to their coat and skin within about 1-2 weeks (I switch them to it cold turkey since half the time they've been eating who knows what)

I've tried the bison formula and it was fine but not quite as good as the primitive, I have used the fish one as treats and the dogs really like that. 
Price is good, the ingredients good and it is made in Indiana and from what I can tell, their quality control is solid. The fish is ethoxyquin free.


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

I honestly think if you dog does ok with chicken, Earthborn Primitive Natural is pretty darn similar to Orijen, which makes it quite a steal. The other grain free formulas of Earthborn are more comparable to Taste of the Wild, which is still good, but they have more peas in them. Sydney's been eating EB Primitive Natural for a couple months and she did well. I've never tried Orijen, but the main difference I think is that their foods contain more fresh meats (which is fine, but I personally won't pay more for that, since it's mostly water weight) and I'm not totally certain on this, but I think most of the ingredients are free range.


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## georgiapeach (Mar 17, 2012)

I like both foods, so if your dogs do well on both, go for the less expensive one.


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

LOL, I don't know why I responded comparing to Orijen...I guess the name of the formula reminded me of Orijen 6 Fish. Anyway, it's still comparable and I would personally feed Earthborn grain free over Wellness Core.


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## amosmoses89 (Jun 19, 2011)

I wondered but I just let it go lol. I'm actually going to a store that has all those fancy brands for the first time this afternoon, so the info was helpful as well! Before I was always just looking on amazon so I'll be able to price everything right there, nifty! I am leaning towards Earthborn now but I still haven't decided what flavor, decisions decisions...

Edited to add: Forgot to ask! I think some of you used to feed TOTW can you tell a difference from it to Earthborn in your pets?


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## kadylady (Sep 23, 2010)

Luke ate the Earthborn Coastal Catch for a little while and he did awesome on it. I was surprised because in the past he has had issues with the TOTW fish formula, but did excellent on Earthborns fish. I definitely plan to keep Earthborn Costal Catch in a rotation for him.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

I highlighted a few of the differences that I notice could affect some dogs, but here's the two fish formulas compared. 

TOTW Pacific Stream

*Protein: 25% Minimum, Fat: 15% Minimum*
Calcium: 1.9%, as-fed; Phosphorus: 1.1%, as-fed
Calories: 3,600 kcal/kg *(360 kcal/cup) Calculated Metabolizable Energy*
Available in 5lb, 15lb and 30lb bags.

Ingredients
*Salmon, ocean fish meal, sweet potatoes, potatoes*, canola oil, salmon meal, smoked salmon, potato fiber, natural flavor, salt, choline chloride, dried chicory root, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, yucca schidigera extract, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin D supplement, folic acid.


Earthborn Holistic® Coastal Catch™ Natural Dog Food: Ingredients

*Herring Meal, Potatoes, Peas,* Canola Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Pea Protein, Tapioca, Pea Fiber, Dried Egg Product, Sweet Potatoes, Salmon Meal, Whitefish Meal, Flaxseed, Natural Flavor, Blueberry Fiber, Cranberry Fiber, Apples, Blueberries, Carrots, Spinach, Cranberries, Choline Chloride, Potassium Chloride, DL-Methionine, L-Lysine, Taurine, L-Carnitine, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Folic Acid, Biotin, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Salt, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Zinc Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Cobalt Carbonate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Yucca Schidgera Extract, Rosemary Extract, Dried Lactobacillus Plantarum Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product.

Earthborn Holistic® Coastal Catch™ Natural Dog Food: Guaranteed Analysis
*Crude Protein, not less than 32.00%
Crude Fat, not less than 18.00%*
Crude Fiber, not more than 4.00%
Moisture, not more than 10.00%
Calcium, not less than 1.30%
Phosphorus, not less than 1.00%
Vitamin E, not less than 300 IU/kg
Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), not less than 100 mg/kg*
L-Carnitine, not less than 15 mg/kg*
Taurine, not less than 0.05%*
Omega-6 Fatty Acids, not less than 2.60%*
Omega-3 Fatty Acids, not less than 2.00%*
Docasahexaenoic Acid (DHA), not less than 0.20%*

3725 (M.E. Calculated, as fed) kilo-calories per kg/*435 (M.E. Calculated, as fed) kilo-calories per cup*.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

What about feeding both? It's always a good thing to have a few foods your dogs can eat.


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## georgiapeach (Mar 17, 2012)

kadylady said:


> Luke ate the Earthborn Coastal Catch for a little while and he did awesome on it. I was surprised because in the past he has had issues with the TOTW fish formula, but did excellent on Earthborns fish. I definitely plan to keep Earthborn Costal Catch in a rotation for him.


Looking at the ingredients, it appears that TOTW is lower in protein and fat, and has a lot more potato in it, both regular and sweet. Earthborn only has sweet potato and it's further down the ingredient list than in TOTW. Maddie can't eat either food unfortunately - potatoes drive her over the edge, itching. I read that an itchy dog should not have a high carb diet (i.e. grains or potato), as it feeds yeast (often a complication of allergy). I've heard that TOTW makes some dogs really gassy. That may be the heavy use of potatoes, too.

If you like fish formulas, Evo makes a good one too, and it's grain and potato free. It's a very limited ingredient formula.


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## amosmoses89 (Jun 19, 2011)

I bought the Earthborn Primitive Natural yesterday because they were out of the fish based one, and both seem to love it! I'm switching Chloe over because she's my problem child and letting Sydney finish off the rest of the 4Health. Thanks for all the feedback everyone!! (hehe feedback on feed...)


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## Bear2010 (Aug 21, 2012)

We personally like the rotation diet.

Since there’s no such thing as a perfect dog food, it’s reasonable to assume every product is deficient or excessive in some way.

Too much of one nutrient… or too little of another. Plus many foods can contain traces of dangerous toxins.

So, built-in flaws tend to be magnified when the same food is fed continuously… day-in and day-out… for a lifetime.

By periodically switching dog foods, the unhealthy consequences of serving the same imperfect products can be minimized


Our personal favorites for rotation for puppies,

Taste of The Wild Puppy
Blue Puppy
4Health
Wellness for Puppy
Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lovers Soul

Personal favorties for rotation for adults,

Wellness Core
Taste of The Wild
4Health Adult
Chicken Soup for the Dog Lovers Soul
Diamond Naturals Lamb or Chicken

We also use and strongly believe in the Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil. The Wild Alaskan Oil supplement helps make healthier pets. It fosters a bright and lustrous coat, maintains a stronger immune system and joints, and more. Wild Alaskan is the all-natural way to support a pet’s active lifestyle.


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## Spiritwind (Mar 4, 2011)

amosmoses89 said:


> Edited to add: Forgot to ask! I think some of you used to feed TOTW can you tell a difference from it to Earthborn in your pets?


I went from feeding TOTW (Bison, Duck or Fish formulas).. to feeding Earthborn back in March/April. I fed Primitive and Coastal Catch. The dogs seemed to LOVE the food, and I found really good deals with free shipping online. However, after 3-4 months the dogs were shedding like crazy, two of my boys got hotspots and had NEVER had a hotspot before. Sage my smooth collie girl was shedding like crazy (even after she completely shed out her undercoat for the summer.. she was still shedding)... and chewing at her feet like crazy and her eyes were running and loosing pigment around the eye rims. 

I switched back to Taste of the wild last week because I couldn't stand they way my dogs looked any longer. I have fed TOTW for several years and the dogs always looked fantasic and in excellent condition. They coat up quick on TOWT, nice healthy coats... skin.. no crazy shedding.. Earthborn just didn't work well for them.


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## krisgil88 (Apr 24, 2012)

amosmoses89 said:


> I'm very sorry to do this to everyone, I'm sure ya'll are tired of seeing these, but I can't make up my mind!
> 
> The girls right now are on 4Health Salmon and potato and not doing great on it, Chloe has an ear infection and they both itch at their feet. I've been looking into new brands and although they did fine for the most part on TOTW before, Chloe has always had her issues so I'm trying something new.
> 
> ...


Do you know what your dogs are allergic to? I started feeding Earthborn (Great Plains Feast) 3 weeks ago. My boy is doing well on it. His issue is either with chicken or potato so I chose the Great Plains Feast which has neither in it. His coat is so soft and his poops are really nice and firm. The hair on his hind legs is growing back and the biting at himself is less frequent.


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