# Someone Recommend a Food! Please :)



## CandyLeopard (Oct 14, 2013)

I'm having a hard time doing google searches for different dog food brands. Every one I look into has an ingredient I don't want!

Canine Caviar has everything I'm looking for, as far as ingredients. I was pretty set on it, until I started reading bad reviews about customer service and stories about peoples dogs having issues on it.

Here are my needs:
*No Poulty* - because of suspected chicken allergy
*No Potato* - because I have a yeasty dog

One food that seemed to fit the bill ingredients wise is Orijen Six Fish. We have a sample bag and Logan is _crazy _about it. *The thing that bothers me is that its 38% Protein! Isn't that really high?* I am not that knowledgeable about pet food - but what I learned from Boston Terrier forums, small dogs (or maybe Bostons) didn't do so well on a high protein food (gassy, runny stools). I thought it was too hard on their tummies, so previous foods I've used were only between 24-26%.

Trying to figure this out is giving me a headache, lol.
Here are the brands that my pet food store carries. 
Unfortunately, they only carry canned food for some of the brands listed, like Merrick. I want dry food only.

Someone help me!


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## BostonBullMama (Apr 20, 2013)

Canine Caviar has a disclaimer on their website; http://www.caninecaviar.com/
and I couldn't find anything about their food... like no ingredients list or formula descriptions... 

Legacy looks good to me, it does have chicken but I bet if you looked over the ingredients lists of the different flavors it'd be avoidable: http://legacypetfood.com/LVT_dog.php

Natures Variety doesn't look too bad either.... http://www.instinctpetfood.com/dogs just watch the ingredients list when you go in store. Their beef recipe contains chicken fat. 

Wellness is good too, but again - watch the ingredients. There's chicken meal in the adult recipe: http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/product-details.aspx?pet=dog&pid=66#ingredients and their ocean (core) recipe has potatoe http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/product-details.aspx?pet=dog&pid=72#ingredients

watch the ingredients in everything! lol. Treats too.


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## CandyLeopard (Oct 14, 2013)

BostonBullMama said:


> Canine Caviar has a disclaimer on their website; http://www.caninecaviar.com/
> and I couldn't find anything about their food... like no ingredients list or formula descriptions...
> 
> Legacy looks good to me, it does have chicken but I bet if you looked over the ingredients lists of the different flavors it'd be avoidable: http://legacypetfood.com/LVT_dog.php
> ...


Yeah, my problem was finding chicken meal, or chicken fat, regardless of the flavor not being chicken. lol

And Canine Caviar does list their foods/ingredients. We have the sample of the Lamb & Pearl Millet.

Ingredients:


> Dehydrated Lamb, Pearl Millet, Lamb Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Sun Cured Alfalfa, Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Culture, Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Culture, Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Culture, Sun-Cured Kelp, FOS (prebiotic), Calcium Proteinate, Sodium Chloride, Lecithin, Choline Chloride, Parsley, Fenugreek, Peppermint, Taurine, Selenium, Whole Clove Garlic, Vitamin E, Zinc Proteinate, Vitamin C, Papaya, Rose Hips, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Niacin, Beta-Carotene, Manganese Proteinate, Vitamin D3, Biotin, Vitamin A, Riboflavin, Vitamin B12, Potassium Proteinate, Folic Acid.


Guaranteed Analysis 


> Crude Protein	25.0% min.
> Crude Fat	14.0% min.
> Crude Fiber	4.1% max.
> Moisture	8.0% max.
> ...


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## BostonBullMama (Apr 20, 2013)

Honestly - I might just try it and see what happens. Not every recipe works for every dog, but you may have luck with it. Protein helps build muscle, so if you bring him for more walks or increase his exercise, the added protein shouldn't be harmful. I think Toby gets about 38%


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## DGerry (Sep 12, 2014)

Have you considered Nutro's Natural Choice line?

http://www.nutro.com/natural-dog-food/natural-choice-dog-food/dry/lid-adult-lamb-and-rice.aspx

Very low ingredient Lamb & Rice formula; 36 or 37 ingredients, no potato, no chicken.(I would have gone with this food for Chester but the only reason I chose a different lamb & rice brand is because I know his brother is on Performatrin Ultra and doing well so I went with that instead)

They also have a sensitive skin/stomach Venison formula:

http://www.nutro.com/natural-dog-fo.../sensitive-skin-and-stomach-venison-rice.aspx

No potato or chicken there, either(Chicken fat but I'm given to understand that it's generally the chicken protein that causes issues for dogs that can't handle chicken). Also a very low-ingredient formula.

At least as far as the Lamb&Rice formula goes, it's very affordable(as in, cheaper than most other foods you'll find at Global). Not sure on the Venison, haven't seen it in store to check the price but Global could probably order it in for you if you wanted to try it.


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## CandyLeopard (Oct 14, 2013)

Hmm, the limited ingredient foods by Wellness might be promising. This one doesn't have chicken or potatoes.  As far as I can remember, Global pet Foods has a pretty big Wellness selection.


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## CandyLeopard (Oct 14, 2013)

DGerry said:


> Have you considered Nutro's Natural Choice line?
> 
> http://www.nutro.com/natural-dog-food/natural-choice-dog-food/dry/lid-adult-lamb-and-rice.aspx
> 
> ...


I actually looked this one up, but the chicken fat is what turned me off. Good to know that it's generally not the cause of the allergy.. I guess this food could still be an option. Thank you for the info.


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## BostonBullMama (Apr 20, 2013)

CandyLeopard said:


> I actually looked this one up, but the chicken fat is what turned me off. *Good to know that it's generally not the cause of the allergy*.. I guess this food could still be an option. Thank you for the info.


Chicken fat bothers Toby, just watch Logan closely to see if 'diluted' allergens are a possibility in his diet.


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## DGerry (Sep 12, 2014)

CandyLeopard said:


> I actually looked this one up, but the chicken fat is what turned me off. Good to know that it's generally not the cause of the allergy.. I guess this food could still be an option. Thank you for the info.


Yeah if you're not sure then you might do well to avoid it, from what I read it has to do with how the chicken fat is processed(processed a certain way = no problem, processed not-that-way = potential problem).

If the high protein of Orijen is a concern, you could look into Acana as well. Their "singles" line is all chicken free(two of them are bird-free, the other has duck) which includes no chicken fat either, and they have no potato. Protein is 27%. They're a bit high in fiber, 6.5%, from all the lentils, peas, beans etc.

http://www.acana.com/products/singles/

Acana is a bit cheaper than Orijen too(made by the same company though), although the Singles line is Acana's most expensive line I think. Not sure how it compares to Orijen's six fish price-wise, but if I had to guess I'd guess it's similarly priced if not a bit cheaper.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Actually, while 38% protein in a dry food is higher than most dry foods, it isn't actually all that high when you think about how it compares to the dry-matter protein content of a typical canned food (even the cheap brands!) or to raw of course. For example, Purina One beef and brown rice is a pretty generic canned food commonly available. It has a crude protein of 8% and a moisture content of 78% which gives it a dry matter protein content of about 36% vs a dry matter protein content for the Orijen of 42% (or a bit less since it is max 10% moisture). Not super different really.
Better canned foods are usually 10% protein which puts them at around 45% protein on a dry matter basis. 
Obviously a dog needs to drink plenty of water when eating dry food which some dogs don't do while canned or raw helps take over a portion of the needed water. 

If he likes the Orijen Six Fish and you can afford the Six Fish, I see nothing wrong with feeding it. Protein is an important part of a dog's diet. If I feed a dry food with less than about 26% protein, I supplement real meats and fish and egg. I prefer at least 30% protein and 15% fat if I am feeding strictly dry food.


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## CandyLeopard (Oct 14, 2013)

Thank you all for the info and input.  

Precise has a product for allergies too, but it too has chicken fat! It seems some kind of chicken ingredient is in 90% of dog foods, what a pain lol.

I know it could be okay, but because BostonBullMama says it bothers Toby, it has me hesitant now.

The expense of the food isn't really important. I don't have children, my dog is my baby. Most of my money goes to my dog anyway.
If it was some crazy high price like $75 for a 15 pound bag, yeah, that might bother me a little. lol


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## Kyle071785 (Nov 28, 2013)

i can only comment on what I've used when we were struggling as well to find a food that worked best for Jax when he had a poultry (possibly just chicken but easier to cut them all out) introlerance.

We've had him on Acana's Pacifica (Orijen's sister) and have never looked back. Slightly lower protein (33%) if you're truly worried about it. 

Seriously though, Jax just loves the food. Healthiest he's been since we got him and I'm just happy to have finally found something that works. No vet visits since the middle of June for me is all I needed to see to realize that he'll be on it for a good while

Good luck in the hunt either way


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## CandyLeopard (Oct 14, 2013)

Kyle071785 said:


> i can only comment on what I've used when we were struggling as well to find a food that worked best for Jax when he had a poultry (possibly just chicken but easier to cut them all out) introlerance.
> 
> We've had him on Acana's Pacifica (Orijen's sister) and have never looked back. Slightly lower protein (33%) if you're truly worried about it.
> 
> ...


Oh wow, that sounds incredible!  Logan will eat lamb, but he has a weird reaction to it. He plays with it before he eats it. He absolutely loves fish though. This sounds like a good fit for him.

Edit: but it has potato and sweet potato, noooooooooooo


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## zhaor (Jul 2, 2009)

really when it comes down to it, it's just about finding foods that works for your dog. Potato free, grain free, chicken free, etc are still half truths to me. There are other details and interactions that you can't get from just the ingredients list which can contribute to how good or bad a dog does on a certain food.

It's also why people can get into heated arguments about different approaches and "holistic vs scientific" analysis of foods.

Really the most basic thing to be aware of is avoiding traps and marketing techniques in how foods present their ingredient list and guaranteed analysis. Beyond that, i think it pretty much comes down to experimenting and finding different foods that work.

I can go into stuff about different nutritional interactions and whatnot but at the end of the day, applying most of those research to dogs and foods requires a lot of assumptions.


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## CandyLeopard (Oct 14, 2013)

I'm liking the sounds of Acana's Singles. I'm thinking the ACANA Pork & Butternut Squash. I'm going to see if they carry that specific one at Global!

Thanks again everybody!! :whoo:


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## Kyle071785 (Nov 28, 2013)

CandyLeopard said:


> Oh wow, that sounds incredible!  Logan will eat lamb, but he has a weird reaction to it. He plays with it before he eats it. He absolutely loves fish though. This sounds like a good fit for him.
> 
> Edit: but it has potato and sweet potato, noooooooooooo


ahh forgot about the no potato part  sorry there...

If Logan really enjoys fish you can do what I do as well (for Jax) which is to give him a sardine topper with his meals (a tin of 5 sardines packs in water usually costs $0.80 or less depending on sales in Ontario). That way it gives him the taste and scent of the stuff he loves with the benefits of the other food. Good luck


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## Kyle071785 (Nov 28, 2013)

CandyLeopard said:


> I'm liking the sounds of Acana's Singles. I'm thinking the ACANA Pork & Butternut Squash. I'm going to see if they carry that specific one at Global!
> 
> Thanks again everybody!! :whoo:


if they don't carry that specific one, they can definitely order it in for you. I really like that feature at Global. Might take 1-2 weeks to get the food in but at least you'll feel better knowing he's on the right mix. If they don't regularly carry it, be sure to plan out ordering time appropriately so you don't run out


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## CandyLeopard (Oct 14, 2013)

Kyle071785 said:


> if they don't carry that specific one, they can definitely order it in for you. I really like that feature at Global. Might take 1-2 weeks to get the food in but at least you'll feel better knowing he's on the right mix. If they don't regularly carry it, be sure to plan out ordering time appropriately so you don't run out


Oh yeah!! I forgot that they order stuff  They ordered cat food for me a while back.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

N


BostonBullMama said:


> Canine Caviar has a disclaimer on their website; http://www.caninecaviar.com/
> and I couldn't find anything about their food... like no ingredients list or formula descriptions...
> 
> Legacy looks good to me, it does have chicken but I bet if you looked over the ingredients lists of the different flavors it'd be avoidable: http://legacypetfood.com/LVT_dog.php
> ...


I don't know why you can't find the info.....click products, choose a food then ingredients.


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## JazzyTheSiberian (Feb 4, 2013)

CandyLeopard said:


> I'm liking the sounds of Acana's Singles. I'm thinking the ACANA Pork & Butternut Squash. I'm going to see if they carry that specific one at Global!
> 
> Thanks again everybody!! :whoo:


Yay! I really hope Acana works for you.


You could also try Fromm Four Star.

There is one recipe _without_ Poultry, or Potato, in the four star line:

*Lamb & Lentil*



> Ingredients
> Lamb,	Lamb Meal,	Lentils,	Chickpeas, Dried Whole Egg,	Peas,	Dried Tomato Pomace,	Pork Fat,	Pea Flour,	Pork Liver,	Salmon Oil,	Cheese,	Olive Oil, Yellow Squash,	Zucchini,	Apples, Flaxseed,	Pea Fiber,	Tomatoes, Carrots,	Broccoli,	Potassium Chloride, Salt,	Chicory Root Extract,	Yucca Schidigera Extract,	Sodium Selenite, Folic Acid,	Taurine,	Sorbic Acid (Preservative),	Vitamins,	Minerals, Probiotics.





> ANALYSIS
> Crude Protein 29% MIN
> Crude Fat 18% MIN
> Crude Fiber 4.5% MAX
> ...





> CALORIC CONTENT
> 3,920kcal/kg1,782 kcal/lb408 kcal/cup


*All of the four star formulas are grain-free.


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## BostonBullMama (Apr 20, 2013)

InkedMarie said:


> N
> 
> I don't know why you can't find the info.....click products, choose a food then ingredients.


See, and I did that but it wasn't showing up... so weird. Oh well.


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## CandyLeopard (Oct 14, 2013)

So yeah, we did end up going with the ACANA Pork & Butternut Squash  They had one bag left at my pet food store! He really likes it so far.  It's just going to take more time to see how well he does on it!

It was $66 for a 25 lb bag, which isn't bad at all IMO. Precise was I think $35 for a 15lb bag. So 10 extra pounds for $30 extra. It's fairly even.


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## TinyTails (May 16, 2011)

I have a yeasty dog as well and I always thought chicken was the culprit but since taking all out potato from his diet he's doing great and chicken was never an issue. I did the allergy testing as well. It's worth a try of potato free with some chicken to test it out to be sure  I feed the Farmina Low Grain Chicken, they have a cod formula as well that is potato and chicken free but I'm not sure if they carry it in Canada.
I used to feed Canine Caviar and he did good on it until the last bag I got each time I fed it he would throw up within 5 minutes of eating - after researching I found a lot of people were having the same issue and learned they had bagged their cat food into dog food bags by accident. I stopped feeding it at that point. 

I hope the Acana does the trick for you!


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## zhaor (Jul 2, 2009)

CandyLeopard said:


> It was $66 for a 25 lb bag, which isn't bad at all IMO. Precise was I think $35 for a 15lb bag. So 10 extra pounds for $30 extra. It's fairly even.


Good luck with the food.

It might be a bit late to mention it now but maybe for future reference, dry food does go bad once opened so generally speaking, you don't want to buy food in quantities that can't be finished in a few weeks. Ideally it'd be 2-4 weeks but that doesn't always works out with budget. For any small dog though, I would probably stick to keeping to the 15lb bags or smaller.


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## gingerkid (Jul 11, 2012)

Just wanted to say that the list of brand on Global's website is not 100% representative of what is available at your local store. I've been disappointed more than once by that!

Solid Gold has some flavours that are chicken and potato free, but I think it might also be crazy expensive.
http://www.solidgoldpet.com/productDetail.aspx?p=4
http://www.solidgoldpet.com/productDetail.aspx?p=8
http://www.solidgoldpet.com/productDetail.aspx?p=9

"Chicken fat" itself doesn't cause allergies - the allergic reaction is triggered by residual proteins in the fat left over by the extraction process, so you should be fine to feed chicken fat as long as it has been properly treated to ensure all of the protein has been removed and/or destroyed, which is actually pretty straightforward. Most "hypo" prescription dog foods have chicken fat in them. Anyway, the two foods below purify the chicken fat they use to eliminate the allergens. Just something to consider if you're still having a hard time finding a food. They both come in really small bags if you decided to try it.

(And just for clarity's sake, I'm not recommending that you do try them, just offering them as another option that might work). 

Precise Lamb and Rice: http://precisepet.com/dog-formulas/precise/dry/lamb-meal-and-rice-sensicare/
First Mate Lamb and Rice: http://www.firstmate.com/dog-food/classic-formula/lamb-meal-and-rice/


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## Dog Person (Sep 14, 2012)

zhaor said:


> Good luck with the food.
> 
> It might be a bit late to mention it now but maybe for future reference, dry food does go bad once opened so generally speaking, you don't want to buy food in quantities that can't be finished in a few weeks. Ideally it'd be 2-4 weeks but that doesn't always works out with budget. For any small dog though, I would probably stick to keeping to the 15lb bags or smaller.


I have a 35 lb dog and she only gets 1 cup of food of food a day. I typically get Annamaet and buy the 8 lb bag that lasts a full month. I agree that you need to watch that the food doesn't go bad which is why I only buy 8 lbs. I do buy 2 bags at a time since the freshness date is usually a year away. If you really need to buy in bulk maybe freeze the quantity that isn't being used.


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## gingerkid (Jul 11, 2012)

Dog Person said:


> I have a 35 lb dog and she only gets 1 cup of food of food a day. I typically get Annamaet and buy the 8 lb bag that lasts a full month. I agree that you need to watch that the food doesn't go bad which is why I only buy 8 lbs. I do buy 2 bags at a time since the freshness date is usually a year away. If you really need to buy in bulk maybe freeze the quantity that isn't being used.


With a 30 lb dog we go through ~ 10 lbs of food every 8-10 weeks. We put ~2 weeks of food in an air-tight container and store the remainder in the bag sealed with a binder clip (or similar) in a rubber maid tub.

I think the issue it the food going stale, more so than going rancid. The food's shouldn't be going rancid before the expiry date anyway, which is usually quite long time off, and I don't think opening the (non-airtight) bag is really going to affect how fast the food goes rancid.


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## zhaor (Jul 2, 2009)

Depends on the definition of stale. If we are just talking about taste, fats going rancid in foods contributes to the stale taste.

At the end of the day, the idea is that the food does not retain it's freshness that long, and food quality will start to deteriorate. It's not going to be inedible but will kind of counteract the point of paying for that nice higher quality food.

And yea, a 15lb bag still lasts my dog about 2 months.


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## Dog Person (Sep 14, 2012)

gingerkid said:


> With a 30 lb dog we go through ~ 10 lbs of food every 8-10 weeks. We put ~2 weeks of food in an air-tight container and store the remainder in the bag sealed with a binder clip (or similar) in a rubber maid tub.
> 
> I think the issue it the food going stale, more so than going rancid. The food's shouldn't be going rancid before the expiry date anyway, which is usually quite long time off, and I don't think opening the (non-airtight) bag is really going to affect how fast the food goes rancid.


"Bad" is my general term for the food not being fresh, could be just stale or it could be nutrients breaking down which is what I thought stale is. I once bought a larger bag of Annamaet from a local store and its freshness date was only 4 months out. I neglected to look at the date before getting home and returned it once I looked at it. The owner of the store was trying to convince me to keep the bag because it is OK to use and that is the last date they can sell the food. All that may be true but Chewy sends me bags that are a year out ... The food is much fresher IMO.

I was buying a 15 lb bag at a time but I was concerned that by the 2 month mark it isn't fresh anymore. Now I get 2 bags and In only open the 2nd bag once the first is finished. Annamaet food is in plastic packaging which should be somewhat air tight so it should remain close to how it was packaged at the factory.


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## Jacksons Mom (Mar 12, 2010)

Acana duck, pork or lamb singles line? 

We feed these with great results.


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## Jacksons Mom (Mar 12, 2010)

CandyLeopard said:


> So yeah, we did end up going with the ACANA Pork & Butternut Squash  They had one bag left at my pet food store! He really likes it so far.  It's just going to take more time to see how well he does on it!
> 
> It was $66 for a 25 lb bag, which isn't bad at all IMO. Precise was I think $35 for a 15lb bag. So 10 extra pounds for $30 extra. It's fairly even.


Oops just saw you already picked this!

I was a little bummed when they added lots of peas, lentils, etc, kind of annoying imo but I can't deny that Jackson has just... always done the best on Acana and that hasn't seemed to change. For years we fed the grain-frees but once the Singles were introduced, we began feeding those, then they changed the ingredients and I went to Farmina. He did well on Farmina but getting it was kind of annoying - it is sold at one local pet store but it's the one much farther away from me and the small bags were sold out a lot on chewy. I won't pay the crazy shipping on the other sites it's sold ... so one day in Pet Valu (5 mins from my house) I saw the small 1lb bag of the Acana Pork and Jackson LOVED it. So we bought a bag of the duck and the pork and have been rotating.


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## CandyLeopard (Oct 14, 2013)

I'm not worried about the freshness of the food. Their bags are pretty awesome. It's air tight before you open it, and it even has a ziplock! I was so impressed. But I get excited about the littlest things.


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## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

CandyLeopard said:


> So yeah, we did end up going with the ACANA Pork & Butternut Squash  They had one bag left at my pet food store! He really likes it so far.  It's just going to take more time to see how well he does on it!
> 
> It was $66 for a 25 lb bag, which isn't bad at all IMO. Precise was I think $35 for a 15lb bag. So 10 extra pounds for $30 extra. It's fairly even.


thats what I was going to suggest, since you are in canada, Orijin, or Acana are really good, maybe they would be cheaper then they are here (they are like $90 a bag here !!!)


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## beardiedawg (Apr 16, 2012)

I'm dealing with possible chicken allergies with my new failed foster. He chews on his legs and paws. He was getting Nutrisca lamb and chickpea and then I noticed that it has chicken fat. I switched him over to the Nature's Variety LID lamb and he had diarrhea on it. It was also the old formula and they are now switching it to a formula with more peas so the protein level is decreasing. The food I am using now is Zignature lamb and he is doing well on it so far.


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## gingerkid (Jul 11, 2012)

CandyLeopard said:


> I'm not worried about the freshness of the food. Their bags are pretty awesome. It's air tight before you open it, and it even has a ziplock! I was so impressed. But I get excited about the littlest things.


I switch to a container because the more times you open the bag (regardless of how airtight it is otherwise) the faster the food goes stale. (Also because we don't have a place to store the whole bag where it's easily accessible and the cat can't tear it to shreds, and we don't have room for a container that holds the whole bag).


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## CandyLeopard (Oct 14, 2013)

gingerkid said:


> I switch to a container because the more times you open the bag (regardless of how airtight it is otherwise) the faster the food goes stale. (Also because we don't have a place to store the whole bag where it's easily accessible and the cat can't tear it to shreds, and we don't have room for a container that holds the whole bag).


lol, my cat does the same to food bags. We have a large storage closet we keep food in. 
I would have gone with an in between sized bag (like 15lbs) but the 25lbs is the only size they carry.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

gingerkid said:


> I switch to a container because the more times you open the bag (regardless of how airtight it is otherwise) the faster the food goes stale. (Also because we don't have a place to store the whole bag where it's easily accessible and the cat can't tear it to shreds, and we don't have room for a container that holds the whole bag).


I bought one of the stackable Vittles Vaults and it is surprisingly compact. I got the one to hold 40 lbs and it holds about 35-37 lbs and then I use a 3 quart food storage container to hold the remainder which I refill every few days and keep the scoop in. That way, the main container isn't opened very often and it is really as air-tight as they claim. I mean, it is stored in my kitchen on the floor and neither dog so much as sniffs at the lid. I cut the UPC code from the bag and keep it until I've used up the food in case there are any quality issues.


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## MyDawgBitez (Oct 15, 2014)

I am feeding my puppy Lifes Abundance. The breeder told me about this food and Cobra loves it.


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