# Wow, just ran across pages of Canidae complaints....



## marc515 (Nov 27, 2007)

Wow, there sure are a lot of complaints about Canidae here:

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/canidae.html

I will do some serious consideration about switching now, and California Natural is tops on the list.

Best regards,.....marc


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## Sydneyx42 (Jul 14, 2008)

I feed my pup california natural she loves it. We switched from Canidae too when I got her


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## Pupsbegood (Sep 12, 2008)

Thanks for sharing the consumer affairs forum - I read through it earlier in the week. It's really a confusing issue, but from what I can tell there are a lot of people that are confused b/c their dogs were getting sick. A lot of them seem to have been switching their dogs "cold," that is just pouring in an entirely new bag of Canidae. But I've talked to a lot of people that are actually having success with the new formula - they are just mixing it in gradually.


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## gumball (Oct 1, 2008)

what a coincidence. I came searching for a dog food forum because I just encountered that complaint page. I'm jumping ship from canidae asap.

I can't believe they sold out like this... and outsourcing to diamond manufacturing? WTF are they smoking. I detest anything remotely linked to diamond pet food, they've been at the root of multiple dog food scares in the past.

I'm so pissed off right now, I need to calm down.


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## Pupsbegood (Sep 12, 2008)

When I read this post on City Data, it helped me understand the whole story. It is confusing at first b/c so many people are buzzing about this, but there is much more to the story. 
http://www.city-data.com/forum/dogs/431990-new-canidae-food.html#post5243033
The poster describes it this way:
"Diamond has since changed it's procedures and now no shipments can come in without being checked and verified by multiple people and checkpoints. They also started doing a 5 set quality test, where they test the food shipments coming in 5 different ways. They are also one of the only companies if not the only one now with a mechanical arm that reaches into each truck all the way to the bottom that does core testing of the shipments, and not skimming some off the top for testing."


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## MoonStr80 (Oct 9, 2006)

It is ashame Canidae is going down hill, used to be one of best foods that you can afford, good thing you switched


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## marc515 (Nov 27, 2007)

After reading the post from Pupsbegood, I'm thinking that there may be some hope for Canidae afterall.

I was considering switching to California Natural, but now I'm wondering who actually produces their food?

In these days of efficiencies, guess we have to remain on our toes for changes, many of which we don't directly hear about.








Best regards,....marc


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## Pupsbegood (Sep 12, 2008)

marc515 said:


> After reading the post from Pupsbegood, I'm thinking that there may be some hope for Canidae afterall.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Glad that I could help  I'm still learning too, but I have done a lot of research and their newer food and processes are up to par. Sometimes change isn't easy, but in the long run it will work out. What stage are you at now? (how is your dog doing?) That is the most important question not to lose sight of.


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## wackyweim (Oct 11, 2008)

I stopped using Canidae because the price continually goes up and the bag gets smaller. We ended up switching our dogs to Eukanuba and found they do better with it. Their coats are gorgeous and energy level at an all-time high. Eukanuba was the brand the breeder recommended when we picked up are pup.


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## Pupsbegood (Sep 12, 2008)

It's never fun to see prices go up, but I'm glad that they went with a minimal price increase (from what I've seen 5%) rather than cheapening the ingredients. The way I think about it, my grocery bill is going up, and it is b/c the costs are going up for the food companies.

It seems like some of the stores are in transition, but you can actually ask your pet food store to order the 44 lb. bags of Canidae. I called the store near me 2 weeks ago and they said that they didn't have any in but the guy said he would start stocking it after I mentioned the bigger size.

I'd rather buy in bulk, esp b/c it means fewer trips to the store.


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

I just made a switch from Canidae ALS to Solid Gold Wolf King Large Breed Adult Dog Food.

My dogs are not what you would call picky eaters, but they are very enthusiastic about their new food. When I brought it home, I put it in an empty bin. I still had quite a bit of Canidae in a second bin and have been mixing the two. The bins are normally out of reach.

When they came in from outside, they made a bee-line to the bin of new food and tried to jump up and get to it. I guess bison and salmon appeals to them.

I wasn't necessarily unhappy with Canidae, but I thought perhaps I could be doing better. I'll let you know how it turns out, though I believe I won't really know for about ten years.

I think there's a lot more to a quality food than a good appetite, shiny coat and firm stools.


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## RRM_Mom08 (May 5, 2008)

A breeder friend of mine had horrible results with the new formula of canidae (and she did a gradual switch over a month period) they were all have horrible stools and then started vomiting it.She switched to eagle pack "cold turkey" and the issues went away in 2 days ...My dogs never like canidae they turned there nose up to it


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## Pupsbegood (Sep 12, 2008)

After reading a good bit of both sides of the story, I can tell that a lot of dogs are doing well on the new formula of Canidae.

What it boils down to:
1) a nice and slow transition is, of course, necessary
2) your dog could be reacting to something else (i.e. not the food), so take them to the vet before taking any extreme actions or anything like that.


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## mandarin.mint (Oct 29, 2008)

My Baileybear always used to wolf down his food. . .but recently, he's been a nit-picky eater. I didn't know if it was because he is now older and learned self-control or for another reason. Now I know. . .it's because Canidae switched their formula!!! His tearing is also getting worse. .. I wonder if it's because of the dog food.

Any good recommendations out there for a switch? My dog is a shih-tzu/maltese mix. I saw one of the posters recommended Eukanuba. . .

I'm tempted to start buying food that can be bought at any large chain pet food store because it is starting to become a hassle to drive to specialty pet stores to get Canidae. But brands like IAM/Eukanuba, etc. scare me due to the recent pet food recalls. 

What does everyone feed their dogs?


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## Pupsbegood (Sep 12, 2008)

mandarin.mint said:


> My Baileybear always used to wolf down his food. . .but recently, he's been a nit-picky eater.


Each dog reacts differently to different types of foods, so that can be normal. If you had good luck with Canidae in the past, I know that they do have a grain free formula out now. My friend was in the same situation as you, and had success w/ the grain free.

What do you think? It's worth a shot.


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## mandarin.mint (Oct 29, 2008)

Actually, I never really noticed Bailey's poop until I read that it gave some dogs digestive problems (he does tend to pass gas a lot more) . . .and so I went outside to watch him do his business and saw it kinda wet and runny and light in color. I switched him to another dog food (mixing in the canidae formula of course) and it came out firm and dark brown (like how it used to be).

I don't know. . .maybe my parents fed him something and he had problems or he ate something in the garden that day, or maybe it's the new canidae formula . . . but I'll keep monitoring him.

Thanks for your response Pupsbegood! I'll keep trying Canidae and see if it really is the food that is causing the problems or if it is something else!


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## Pupsbegood (Sep 12, 2008)

Glad I could help! If we all share what we know, that = better lives for the pets 

[end cheesy moment...now haha]

It's good that you're watching Bailey to see if you notice any changes. In the meantime, it sounds like he could do well on the Canidae, the grain free version. There is a discount on it at petfooddirect right now, so perhaps start on one of the smaller bags, mix it in gradually, and see if he reacts better to that.

Also this is off-topic, but I used to have 2 cats growing up - they were brothers and their names were Barnum & Bailey! Good luck! I'd be interested to hear how it works out if you go with the grain free.


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## 6dogs (Nov 5, 2008)

I would strongly recommend NOT feeding Canidae! I personally know of several dogs that became seriously ill since they changed their formula and improved dramatically when taken off it.


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## marc515 (Nov 27, 2007)

*Just started the to switch California Natural L&R*

I Just started to switch (yesterday) my 6 year old Lab from Canidae Lamb & Rice to California Natural Lamb & Rice.

Boomer did so good on the original Canidae, but I noticed his skin & coat were just not a good after the formula change. Mind you, I've been through 2-3 large bags of the new stuff.

Hopefully California Natural will be good for him; at least he likes it!

Marc


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## Zoe'sMom (Sep 4, 2008)

All,
When I saw this post, I decided to spread the news to another (non-dog) forum that I visit because I know a lot of the people there feed Canidae. Obviously it caused a stir, there's really one main place to buy Canidae around the city and one of the girls went to the owner to discuss it. Here's what she reported back to the group:



> Alright girls. I went to Pets in the City yesterday to find out what I should do about dog food and I ended up sticking with Canidae.
> 
> First of all, let me say that I haven't had any problems with the formula switch. I even did a hard switch on my dogs - straight from the old formula to the new formula - with absolutely no problems. My main concern was the manufacturing issues. I certainly don't want to feed my dogs a dog food that is coming from a less than reputable manufacturer.
> 
> ...


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## 6dogs (Nov 5, 2008)

I'm glad that your dog is doing fine. One of the people I know whose dog had a serious problem had her vet test her food (Canidae). It came back with a high metal content that the vet said was causing her dog's kidneys to malfunction. He said her dog probably would have died within a few weeks from kidney failure. This was a small dog, so it could not tolerate toxins as well as a large dog might. I for one, would certainly not take the chance.


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## Pupsbegood (Sep 12, 2008)

In the interest of objective information here, can you post the test results? They should have the approved lab's name on there, which would be very valuable to everyone here that is looking for information on these foods.

My cousin is a vet, and he said that vet's don't acutally test dog food. There are independent labs that do food testing, but those tests run upwards of $300. It also usually takes a long time for the results to come back.

All of the information you are providing doesn't seem to add up - does anyone else see the same thing?

I'm just trying to make sure we have accurate info here - I know that this place has helped me a lot in becoming informed, and it is important that we're not spreading rumors without any real source or details to back them up.


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## 6dogs (Nov 5, 2008)

What I find interesting Pupsbegood is that you, according to your posts and profile do not actually have a dog, and yet you seem to have A LOT of information on dog foods (including manufacturing info)and are repeatedly pushing Canidae. You (or someone with the exact same profile) have also been on other forum(s) posting only about Canidae. And yet you do not even have a dog?? *Are you employed or compensated by Canidae?* I do not and never have used Canidae. I am concerned about the welfare of dogs. Nothing more. If ANYONE'S dog is showing unusual symptoms since Canidae changed their formula, they should stop using it at least until their vet has checked them out. Better safe than sorry. If the symptoms go away when the food is changed, you will know that it is from the food (whether an allergy, it just doesn't agree with them or is downright harmful). Also, many of your posts comment on the fact that symptoms probably stem from not doing a gradual switch, but the fact is that MOST people were not ABLE to do a gradual switch because they were NEVER INFORMED of a formula change!


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