# Wellness CORE..



## Mason (Sep 17, 2008)

I've been feeding my dog Wellness CORE Ocean for about 5 months now. I tried the plain CORE, but he nearly went into shock; a big puffy mess, etc. Apparently the chicken or turkey did it to him. (It's already been established that corn and a handfull of other grains result in the same effect.)

Anyway, he's been doing well on the Ocean formula. It's the only food, aside from Evo that doesn't give him the runs. (Cannot do Evo long term because his urine becomes horribly acidic on it.) Still somewhat itchy, but part of me thinks its something in the environment. When the seasons change, BAM! hives.

My concern, though, is the bad reviews I've read about it; things I've heard people say. Has anyone here fed CORE (any of the formulas) for an extended period of time--preferably a year or more? I'm curious of the long-term effects of the food. Like I said, he seems to be doing pretty well on it, so I've no intention of changing his diet right now. I was just curious if anyone had anything negative to say about it.


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

I've never fed it, but i've looked into it, and just for your peace of mind; i've never heard anything bad about it, only good.


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

I agree. I've never personally heard anything bad about Wellness CORE... ignore some of the bad reviews that you read. There's no way to really substantiate what those people are saying.. and as with any type of food, some dogs are going to do badly on it just as others are going to do well. As long as your dog is doing fine, then I don't really see a reason to change to a different brand.


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## Jordan S (Nov 21, 2009)

Bad reviews?? We love CORE. Chocolate is 9 years old and has been eating CORE for a year, we rotate all three formulas.


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## mrslloyd09 (Jul 12, 2009)

I too have not heard anything bad about Wellness Core. Mandie is on the regular formula and has been for about six months. The rescue that we adopted her from can't believe she's the same dog. She wasn't in bad shape before, just dry skin, dull coat, not very soft either. Now she literally glimmers in the sunlight and people always comment on how pretty she is. And she's so soft. She got that short dachshund coat that can be prickly but instead she feels like a baby blanket, great for snuggling. I can't wait for Melodie to be old enough to eat it and hopefully she'll do just as well.

I will say I opened my first can of CORE wet food and wasn't greatly impressed. It was very, not what I was expecting I guess. Maybe it was that can, though. I plan on also trying their 95% wet food as well.


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## Jordan S (Nov 21, 2009)

mrslloyd09 said:


> I will say I opened my first can of CORE wet food and wasn't greatly impressed. It was very, not what I was expecting I guess. Maybe it was that can, though. I plan on also trying their 95% wet food as well.


well the consistency wasn't the best but Chocolate adored it.


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## mrslloyd09 (Jul 12, 2009)

Jordan S said:


> well the consistency wasn't the best but Chocolate adored it.


Oh Mandie loves it but you're right the consistency wasn't what I expected when I opened the can.


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## Nallah06 (Nov 26, 2008)

Nallah's been on Wellness CORE original for over two years now. 

We've never had any problems and she loves it. 

I am currently switching them both to RAW but they are still getting kibble in the morning. 

Might want to see about using benadryl for the seasonal allergies. Talk to your vet though first.


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## yom (Oct 9, 2009)

We use Wellness CORE Ocean as treats for our dogs since we want to feed them grain free treats and EVO treats are so freakn' expensive. We feed them EVO Weight Managment for breakfast/dinner

So far no issues with wellness core!

We also feed Wellnese CORE for Cats for our cats who love it


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## CorgiKarma (Feb 10, 2009)

I have fed Wellness CORE Ocean for about a year now. We tried EVO and it did not work. Bailey seems to have a chicken allergy and the Ocean works great for us!


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## lucygoose (Feb 11, 2008)

I've used Core and loved it.....nothing bad to say about it at all!! I rotate different foods. Evo gave Willie loose stools.....He loved it though.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

Mason said:


> I've been feeding my dog Wellness CORE Ocean for about 5 months now. I tried the plain CORE, but he nearly went into shock; a big puffy mess, etc. Apparently the chicken or turkey did it to him. (It's already been established that corn and a handfull of other grains result in the same effect.)
> 
> Anyway, he's been doing well on the Ocean formula. It's the only food, aside from Evo that doesn't give him the runs. (Cannot do Evo long term because his urine becomes horribly acidic on it.) Still somewhat itchy, but part of me thinks its something in the environment. When the seasons change, BAM! hives.
> 
> My concern, though, is the bad reviews I've read about it; things I've heard people say. Has anyone here fed CORE (any of the formulas) for an extended period of time--preferably a year or more? I'm curious of the long-term effects of the food. Like I said, he seems to be doing pretty well on it, so I've no intention of changing his diet right now. I was just curious if anyone had anything negative to say about it.


I've never read a bad review on Core; where did you read it? I had one dog on it for almost a year & half, another on it for six months. After the first dog lost the weigh on it (she was obese when we got her, she lost half her weight) we put them on Orijen. I'd have no issue in going back to Core. As for long term effects, there were no bad ones. It worked well for both of my dogs. I'm really curious to hear about the bad reviews


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## Mason (Sep 17, 2008)

This is part of what I was referring to (ignore all the allergy/diarrhea comments): http://www.rateitall.com/i-977876-wellness-core.aspx

I've also heard some similar things from people, outside of internet reviews, hence the concern.

In response to Nallah06: I've been dealing with Mason's allergies since he ended up with demodex around the age of 4 months. He's been getting benadryl when it's bad. In fact, it probably saved him from total anyphylactic shock when I tried the regular CORE formula. He's still itchy, but its nothing compared to what he's gone through previously.

Again, he's been on the Ocean formula for about 5..almost 6 months, now, and I've yet to see anything bad come of it. Thanks for the feedback!


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## CorgiKarma (Feb 10, 2009)

Every dog reacts differently to different foods. Bailey did worse on EVO than any other kibble we have tried. Horrible, bloody diarrhea/vomiting... it was awful. Would I give EVO a bad rating because of it? Definitely not, it's a great food, just not great for Bailey.


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## elenajas (Jan 11, 2009)

Dont be worried, Core is an excellent food and from a reputable company that seems geniunely interested in creating quality products. 

Not every food is right for every dog. I mean, humans are the same, allergies, intolerances, things that just dont sit well in your tummy. If your dog is doing great on the Core, Id continue it. Especially with an allergy sensitive dog like yours! You could always try the wellness line of allergy foods (Simple solutions) but beware, if you have a poultry allergy, one is made with turkey. The other is not, if i recall, and could be good for you as it has very limited ingredients. Other good allergy foods are made by Natural balance and California Naturals---but this is only if the Core for some reason isnt working or your food allergies increase. 

As for seasonal hives, sounds like seasonal allergies. It could be the season, but think hard, is there something you do at the changing of the season like using certain cleaners for spring cleaning, or changing the bedding or types of things around your home? It could be seasonal allergies to things like pollen, but say for example every spring you shampoo your rugs--that could be it too. If it is seasonal, your vet will probably tell you to try children's benadryl, and you can help by vacumming often, sweeping, using filters, not leaving lots of bedding around, washing his bed often etc. 

Oh, and by the way, if you go to Wellness' website and sign up for their emails they send out coupons. Just fyi.


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## Mason (Sep 17, 2008)

I have tried to pinpoint the allergy(ies), but it's basically impossible. Things do not change with the seasons inside the house. Outside, however, I do see a change. In the spring/summer, he breaks out in hives when he lays in the grass. With an abrupt change in the weather in fall/winter, he's 1000 times worse than any other time of the year. No clue what does it to him. He's been to a vet dermatologist for an initial consult, but I can't afford the actual allergy testing.

I've tried Natural Balance with him, and it didn't go over very well. AWFUL, room clearing gas. You know its bad when he can't even stay in the room. I haven't been able to find California Natural in town. But like I said, I don't plan on taking him off of the CORE, as he is doing well on it. I just wanted some input on it. Thanks again for that! 

I'll have to sign up for emails. I love discounts. Most places around here don't offer discounts on the CORE formulas. The cheapest I've been able to get it is $48 for a 26lb bag of the Ocean, which I think its a pretty good deal.


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## MoonStr80 (Oct 9, 2006)

Mason said:


> I've been feeding my dog Wellness CORE Ocean for about 5 months now. I tried the plain CORE, but he nearly went into shock; a big puffy mess, etc. Apparently the chicken or turkey did it to him. (It's already been established that corn and a handfull of other grains result in the same effect.)
> 
> Here's my thought "If it ain't broken why change" Why did you change her food if she was doing so well. Wellness Core is the best product made certainly has no corn nor grains
> 
> ...


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## mrslloyd09 (Jul 12, 2009)

I think the OP tried the original core first before the Ocean.


MoonStr80 said:


> Mason said:
> 
> 
> > I've been feeding my dog Wellness CORE Ocean for about 5 months now. I tried the plain CORE, but he nearly went into shock; a big puffy mess, etc. Apparently the chicken or turkey did it to him. (It's already been established that corn and a handfull of other grains result in the same effect.)
> ...


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## elenajas (Jan 11, 2009)

Sure thing! I love discounts too, and $48 for the Ocean is an amazing deal! Ive never been able to find it--always had to special order the Ocean at shops that carry the Regular flavor. Im jealous!

Theres 2 issues here, food allergies and seasonal/environmental allergies. For the food allergies you are already doing great on the Core, so you really dont need to mess around. However, the Wellness Simple Solutions (allergy food) is a good option if you ever needed to figure it out bc they use very very few ingredients which helps you figure out what youre allergic to if you wanted to. BUT since you are doing great on the Core, I wouldnt mess with it. 

Your seasonal/environmental allergies seem to be pretty widespread since he reacts in more than one season. The allergy testing is often expensive. You really cant do much else but treat it. They make these pads/wipes I forget the name, (Malacetic? something like that) that you can use to wipe your dogs paws when he comes in from being outside. They are supposed to help reduce the suffering from seasonal allergies like pollen and particulates from plants/air. Id talk to your vet about the childrens benadryl and see what other options you have to treat the symptoms. Honestly, if it is seasonal--what could you do if you knew for sure it was (for example) "pollen"--I mean its not like you wouldnt let your dog go outside for the rest of his life, so it sounds like since you know it is outside allergies, all you can do is try to minimize the effects (like using the wipes, or at the very LEAST you should wipe his paws with a wet cloth when he comes in the house every time!) and treat the symptoms.


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## Jordan S (Nov 21, 2009)

I and i also have to add out of all the formulas I've tried, I think Ocean is the best formula.


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