# Did I buy a good brand of dog food?



## TristanTH (Jul 4, 2014)

Hi everyone! I am new the forums. I've had dogs all of my life, but they were never really "my dog". They were simple family pets. We knew next to nothing about dog nutrition, and just fed them Purina. Now that I am an adult, I am buying my first "my dog". After having many breeds of dogs (Chows, Sheppard's, Pomeranian's, Boxer's, Beagle's) throughout the years, I have have always wanted a purebred Golden. I recently bought Laci (profile picture) from a local breeder. I will be picking her up on the 10th, as she will be 8 weeks and 1 day old.

Back to my question at hand. My brother works as a vet tech, and swears up and down that "Science Diet" is the number one dog food. My neighbor, too, swears to me that Science Diet is "clinically proven" has "health guarantees" and many other claims. After taking to a lot of online research, I tend to find that the overall consensus is that Science Diet is no better than a lot of Walmart brand products. Does that seem to be the case? Because of this, I have chosen not to get Science Diet. I was on "dogfoodadvisor.com" and under their 4-5 star category, they had "Taste of the Wild" and the puppy food got a 4.5 star rating, so I have chosen to buy that food. 

I was tempted to buy Blue Buffalo, but I could not decide between the two. Finally, I ended up picking Taste of the Wild at my local feed store. Now I am curious to hear what others have to say about it. Sorry for the long post, I am new to the nutritional aspect of a dog, and now that I am informed, I want to feed Laci a good brand of food, starting from a puppy.


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## NicoleIsStoked (Aug 31, 2012)

Science Diet is a bag of crap. Overpriced crap to be exact. I would say that it is marginally better than some of the stuff at walmart, because it doesn't have red, blue and green kibbles, but i would compare it to Iams or Eukenuba. Actually I would feed Eukenuba Excel over SD anyway. There are perhaps certain times when one of their prescription or dental diets can be beneficial, but for an average healthy pup, no way.
I personally like Blue Buffalo even less than Science Diet. While the ingredient list may look better, they are very sketchy when it comes to details and refuse to disclose the origin of their ingredients. No bueno. I think science diet now states that the ingredients are sourced from north america and europe. I would personally rather feed north american/european corn husks and chicken scraps that anything potentially from Asia.
I personally have never used Taste Of The Wild, but i know that a lot of people here really seem to like it as a moderately priced higher quality kibble. The one constant gripe is that it is manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods who has a notorious history of recalls. I think its been a few years since there was an issue, so you're probably fine with that.
Personally, when I am choosing a food, I look for one that is manufactured in North America or Europe with all ingredients sourced from there too. (I am also okay with lamb or whatever coming from AUS/NZ) I want a food from a brand that manufacturers it in their own plant, and doesn't outsourced it to a larger 3rd party facility. They need to not have ever had any recalls, ever. Unless it was for something dumb like packaging.
As for ingredients, I want at least 3 of the first 5 listed ingredients to come from meat or eggs; no corn, wheat or soy, but I do like healthier grains like brown rice, oatmeal, spelt, quinoa, etc; no unnamed meats like "animal liver"; no artificial preservatives like BHT or BHA, no sweeteners like sugar or corn syrup; and if there are any by-products (which there should be) they should not be just listed as by-products but rather be specific to what they are (liver, kidney, lung, etc)

Sorry if you got a headache reading all this. I know it's a lot to take in.
Kibble brands that I really like are Acana, Fromm, Go!, Merrick. Bottom line though, is that you need to feed something that your dog likes and does well on it. Thats it.


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## Dog Person (Sep 14, 2012)

There are people here that feed Taste of the Wild. It is a Diamond brand and some people don't trust Diamond because of the amount of recalls they've had. I used to feed my dog the Tractor Supply 4Health brand and it was OK.

Hopefully others with experience feeding it can chime in. If you are feeling out foods in general then I would suggest to try Annamaet (this is what I feed my dog), I just got a small bag of Dr. Tim's and my dog seems to like it, I have fed Victor and she liked that - she seemed to do well on it but I was fighting ear infections and UTIs with her before starting to feed her this and her problems didn't get any better after a few weeks on this food ... since she is doing much better these days I actually may try it again. All of these foods seem to be a higher quality food then the SD, Nutro, IAMS, ... 

I will also say that the foods that I listed are relatively inexpensive for the quality that they are.

I agree that the best food is what your dog likes and does well on so if your dog is doing well on it then continue.


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## BernerMax (Mar 15, 2013)

For the price points Taste of the Wild is probably the best you can get. We feed the high prairie formula- mostly Bison as the meat protein, I prefer to stay away from an all chicken food (dont think farmed chicken is too healthy and certainly not for the life of a dog)....
The other brands refererenced (including Ananemet) will be a good $20 more per bag, etc... Probably for the health of your dog, best to do one raw meal (usu in the AM) and one kibble meal.... nothing like "real food" to balance out your dog...
we do raw duck heads with necks attached in the AM (cheap at 59 cents/ lb thats like 3 necks)....they crunch em up fine.... for a pup we did organic chicken necks (6 for $2 at whole foods)....


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## Dog Person (Sep 14, 2012)

BernerMax said:


> The other brands refererenced (including Ananemet) will be a good $20 more per bag, etc...


I just went to Chewy and TOTW Prairie formula 15 lbs. is $29 or $1.93/lb. Annamaet Extra is 20 lbs. for $30 or $1.50/lb. and even though the large bag TOTW is on sale the large bag of Annamaet does come out cheaper per lb. still. The Annamaet Ultra is slightly more expensive per lb. as the TOTW (same % of protein) but not too much more - so they are comparable in price. Same with Dr. Tim's and Victor - around the same price as TOTW. Actually depending on which Victor you get you can get it for $1.20 a lb.

Just trying to keep the facts straight!


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## SydTheSpaniel (Feb 12, 2011)

I fed my dog TOTW for a few years and she didn't amazing on it. Never had an issue, and she has a very sensitive stomach. I recently switched to Evangers, mainly because she didn't act like she enjoyed the food even though it worked well for her. Evangers works great too, and she loves it. She's actually excited to eat at meal time now.


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## siulongluiy (Oct 11, 2013)

I know a few who feed TOTW but due the the many Diamond recalls they have stopped using it. No other issues from it aside from precautionary measures though!

I actually first started feeding Oatmeal Blue Buffalo, but there were recalls then and my vet had advised me to find something else JUSTTT in case.

I personally feed both Acana and Fromm on rotation to my Golden =), both grainfree though.

Stool and coat are lovely =) no complaints at all.

Good luck on your new buddy!


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## BernerMax (Mar 15, 2013)

Dog Person said:


> I just went to Chewy and TOTW Prairie formula 15 lbs. is $29 or $1.93/lb. Annamaet Extra is 20 lbs. for $30 or $1.50/lb. and even though the large bag TOTW is on sale the large bag of Annamaet does come out cheaper per lb. still. The Annamaet Ultra is slightly more expensive per lb. as the TOTW (same % of protein) but not too much more - so they are comparable in price. Same with Dr. Tim's and Victor - around the same price as TOTW. Actually depending on which Victor you get you can get it for $1.20 a lb.
> 
> Just trying to keep the facts straight!


I wanted to switch to Annamaet personally and in my local store (I shop Petco online and they dont carry it, so its local for me for Annemaet) its close to $70 for the 30lb bag, really disappointed since I had gotten sold on it (free samples ) at a dog show I went to, so no for me in CA its much cheaper for TOTW, and with 300lbs of dogs to feed I am not going to go for a 15 lb bag....($42/30lbs= 1.40 a lb)...
those are my facts. actually pretty impartial, I wanted to Annamaet for the price I can get it for me (I wanted something equivalent to my Bison blend solid gold) for that formula, I just buy the Solid gold as I can get it discounted $10-$20 monthly, and free delivery from Petco.com, in 28.5lb bags.

Deals aside, though the TOTW is my go to brand... even though its still a touch more than the 4H brands (both are on my commute to work so its not out of the way)...and the feedstore I buy from is 3% off all cash purchases too...


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## gingerkid (Jul 11, 2012)

We switched to Horizon Legacy a few months ago, and I could not be happier. Snowball loves it (mind you, he loves most food), and his coat is SO SOFT. He was soft before, but we get comments on how soft he is every single time we go to the park, which we didn't get before the switch. It is also made in their own facility using only locally-sourced ingredients, and best of all, where we are it is very reasonably priced for the quality.


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## BernerMax (Mar 15, 2013)

yes, location and what is regionally cheaper for the quality is the way to go (ex I kinda like Fromm's but its not as reasonabley priced as the TOTW here)....


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## LuvMyAngels (May 24, 2009)

Ive used TOTW since we started to suspect Buster had food allergies when he was a puppy. Food allergies have been confirmed and he's limited to the Pacific Stream (fish) variety. Not that it seems to bother him...judging by the lack of time food spends in his bowl and the puddles (lakes!) on my floors at meal times, he enjoys his food.

The best food is the one your dog does the best on. It really is a lot of trial and error. 

The major issues with TOTW is that its made by Diamond. I will say I continued to feed Buster his TOTW right through the last recall without issue. The food made in the plants closest to me were not involved so we figured it was more of a risk to Busters health (he gets sick...in need of vet care sick...when we change his diet) to switch foods. Bus never acted off, never had any symptom of illness and sure didnt miss any meals.


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## BennySimpson (Mar 18, 2014)

SydTheSpaniel said:


> I fed my dog TOTW for a few years and she didn't amazing on it. Never had an issue, and she has a very sensitive stomach. I recently switched to Evangers, mainly because she didn't act like she enjoyed the food even though it worked well for her. Evangers works great too, and she loves it. She's actually excited to eat at meal time now.


You really use a product from Evangers? Do you know how sleazy that company is?


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## Dog Person (Sep 14, 2012)

BernerMax said:


> I wanted to switch to Annamaet personally and in my local store (I shop Petco online and they dont carry it, so its local for me for Annemaet) its close to $70 for the 30lb bag, really disappointed since I had gotten sold on it (free samples ) at a dog show I went to, so no for me in CA its much cheaper for TOTW, and with 300lbs of dogs to feed I am not going to go for a 15 lb bag....($42/30lbs= 1.40 a lb)...
> those are my facts. actually pretty impartial, I wanted to Annamaet for the price I can get it for me (I wanted something equivalent to my Bison blend solid gold) for that formula, I just buy the Solid gold as I can get it discounted $10-$20 monthly, and free delivery from Petco.com, in 28.5lb bags.
> 
> Deals aside, though the TOTW is my go to brand... even though its still a touch more than the 4H brands (both are on my commute to work so its not out of the way)...and the feedstore I buy from is 3% off all cash purchases too...


Wow, my local store carries Annamaet and they sell it for about the same amount as Chewy ... maybe $1 or $2 more for the 20 lbs. I don't shop there as I picked up a bag once and it was "fresh" for 4 months more from when I purchased it, the owner was insisting that the food is fresh ... technically they are correct but the bags from Chewy are usually a year out in freshness dates.

Is there a reason you don't shop Chewy? They are very fast, I have always (the 4 times I've ordered from them) had food that was very far away in freshness expiration and their prices are very good. I usually leave a week or more for food to run out but the order usually comes in within 2 days - but I am in NJ and close to everything, I guess it could be different if you are far from stuff. I did buy the Victor food from a feed store and only paid $30 for a 20 lb. bag so I do know there are some places that give you great bargains.


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## doggiepop (Feb 27, 2014)

what's a Sheppard? there's a lot of good food available. research and try different things. the best food
is the brand that works for your dog and your dog likes it. i'm always switching brands (can and kibble).
i use the preminum brands.



TristanTH said:


> Hi everyone! I am new the forums. I've had dogs all of my life, but they were never really "my dog". They were simple family pets. We knew next to nothing about dog nutrition, and just fed them Purina. Now that I am an adult, I am buying my first "my dog". After having many breeds of dogs
> 
> 
> (Chows,
> ...


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

Dog Person said:


> I just went to Chewy and TOTW Prairie formula 15 lbs. is $29 or $1.93/lb. Annamaet Extra is 20 lbs. for $30 or $1.50/lb. and even though the large bag TOTW is on sale the large bag of Annamaet does come out cheaper per lb. still. The Annamaet Ultra is slightly more expensive per lb. as the TOTW (same % of protein) but not too much more - so they are comparable in price. Same with Dr. Tim's and Victor - around the same price as TOTW. Actually depending on which Victor you get you can get it for $1.20 a lb.
> 
> Just trying to keep the facts straight!


Glad you posted this. Unless your dog needs grainfree, I'd feed Annamaet Extra over TOTW any day.


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## BernerMax (Mar 15, 2013)

Dog Person said:


> Wow, my local store carries Annamaet and they sell it for about the same amount as Chewy ... maybe $1 or $2 more for the 20 lbs. I don't shop there as I picked up a bag once and it was "fresh" for 4 months more from when I purchased it, the owner was insisting that the food is fresh ... technically they are correct but the bags from Chewy are usually a year out in freshness dates.
> 
> Is there a reason you don't shop Chewy? They are very fast, I have always (the 4 times I've ordered from them) had food that was very far away in freshness expiration and their prices are very good. I usually leave a week or more for food to run out but the order usually comes in within 2 days - but I am in NJ and close to everything, I guess it could be different if you are far from stuff. I did buy the Victor food from a feed store and only paid $30 for a 20 lb. bag so I do know there are some places that give you great bargains.


Ummm I am such a stick in the mud! I started registration with Chewy (wanted to try the Farmina, but they ran out of the formula I wanted and I got annoyed) and never followed through... I guess its cause I have been with Petco and like their deals....
I forget which formula of the Annamaet I was interested in, knowing me it was lamb or venison or beef, fairly high protein, (probably the extra I guess) - I am neutral on grainfree- alittle brown rice doesnt bother my guys as long as the other ingredients are good... 
I am picky on not having a bunch of proteins intermingled though - I do like somewhat limited ingredients (12 years of allergy dogs will do that to you), I dont feel the need to throw the kitchen sink into my dogs' meals....
Yeah I do know the TOTW is a tier below (I dont feel that I should be paying 60 or 70 a bag for food though, at those pricepoints I would prefer to supplement with actual meat and bones ), I am trying to do half TOTW and half Barking at the Moon (as I can get it discounted and I really really like Solid Gold, they did fine by allergy dogs for all those years)....
Victor sounds interesting...

Am a little leery these days of switching from food to food now that our schnauzer has come down with a toenail issue (shedding off like a a snakeskin and getting infected) that has been expensive (vet) and painful for her....
that I am pretty sure is nutrient based...
(I was looking into high calcuim levels inhibiting her zinc absorption...she is on fish oil but that could throw off other things too long term)...


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## Dog Person (Sep 14, 2012)

BernerMax said:


> Ummm I am such a stick in the mud! I started registration with Chewy (wanted to try the Farmina, but they ran out of the formula I wanted and I got annoyed) and never followed through... I guess its cause I have been with Petco and like their deals....
> I forget which formula of the Annamaet I was interested in, knowing me it was lamb or venison or beef, fairly high protein, (probably the extra I guess) - I am neutral on grainfree- alittle brown rice doesnt bother my guys as long as the other ingredients are good...
> I am picky on not having a bunch of proteins intermingled though - I do like somewhat limited ingredients (12 years of allergy dogs will do that to you), I dont feel the need to throw the kitchen sink into my dogs' meals....
> Yeah I do know the TOTW is a tier below (I dont feel that I should be paying 60 or 70 a bag for food though, at those pricepoints I would prefer to supplement with actual meat and bones ), I am trying to do half TOTW and half Barking at the Moon (as I can get it discounted and I really really like Solid Gold, they did fine by allergy dogs for all those years)....
> ...


If your schnauzer is doing well on what you are feeding then no need to switch. I went through a few foods for Zoey only because of her ear infections and UTIs. She seems to be doing well on Annamaet so I stuck with it but after at least 8 months of eating the same food she is starting to get less enthusiastic about eating it. I bought Dr. Tim's and Annamaet is sending samples of their Option for me to try.


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## littlesoprano (Sep 21, 2013)

I fed Cosmo TOTW High Prairie puppy formula up until he was 8 months old, and he did wonderful on it. And as a major plus it was only $10.50 for a 5lb bag at my local Chowhound. Only reason I had to move away from it was because the adult formula had chicken in it, and for some reason he won't eat any dog food with chicken in it.


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## hounddawg (Jan 10, 2012)

On similar point, I have been looking at starting my puppy (picking up at end of July) on this Canidae "All Life Stages" food. Does anybody have any experience or knowledge about it?


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## Waggintails (Jan 13, 2014)

I feed them grain-free Blue Buffalo but switched to grain-free TOTW, SW boar recipe. I switched primarily because it was a US company. I didn't know it was owned by Diamond, they don't advertise the fact. I may rethink it. I usually put olive oil in it. I also often give them some mixed in Northwest Natural in the evening. It's a raw meat/mix formula, really good stuff.

http://www.dogfoodinsider.com/taste-of-the-wild-dog-food-review.html
Recall History

The Taste of the Wild site gives no indication that the food is made by Diamond and many people who feed this food are unaware of the connection. Diamond has had a history of recalls due to aflatoxins, concerns about Salmonella, and production issues at least since around 1999-2000, including a large recall in 2005, and many consumers have lost confidence in the company and the products they produce. Nevertheless, Diamond manufactures or co-packs food for many other brands including Canidae, Solid Gold, Costco's Kirkland, **** Van Patten's Natural Balance, Tractor Supply's 4Health, and NutraGold.

Since their earlier recalls, Diamond says today they use 151 quality checks to ensure the quality of their products. However, the company issued a recall in May 2012 for many of their products, including Taste of the Wild, after a Salmonella outbreak linked to their South Carolina plant.

(I just noticed the site edited out Van Patton's first name, lol)


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## LuvMyAngels (May 24, 2009)

It should also be mentioned that salmonella tainted kibble recalls are done due to the risk of making OWNERS sick. Salmonella in a healthy dog is a rare thing due to how their digestive tracts are "built". Its teh reason they can handle eating raw meat that would have humans super sick if we tried it. Wash your hands, counters, dog bowls after feeding the pup/pups...basically handle kibble as if it were raw meat.


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## TristanTH (Jul 4, 2014)

I appreciate everyone's response to my thread! It is good to know that I picked a decent food to start out with. As for "Sheppard's", it's just what we call German Shepherd's in my family, it is my bad for misrepresenting that!

If Laci does well on this food, I will probably keep her on it. Granted, if she hates this food, I will switch. I'm very appreciative all of you have given me so much information!


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## BernerMax (Mar 15, 2013)

BennySimpson said:


> You really use a product from Evangers? Do you know how sleazy that company is?



Hmmm came home after a few days away and there is a case of wet food from Evangers in my kitchen. Made in USA, just meat and broth no additives or perserveratives.... seems good to me....


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

BernerMax said:


> Hmmm came home after a few days away and there is a case of wet food from Evangers in my kitchen. Made in USA, just meat and broth no additives or perserveratives.... seems good to me....


Do a google search for their problems. They sure a company that does not deserve my money.


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## BernerMax (Mar 15, 2013)

InkedMarie said:


> Do a google search for their problems. They sure a company that does not deserve my money.


OK will do, hoping they were a step up from ALpo ( DH uses it as a topper 3 or 4 days a week)....I asked that he not get any wetfood with ingredients sourced from outa the US...


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## BernerMax (Mar 15, 2013)

BernerMax said:


> OK will do, hoping they were a step up from ALpo ( DH uses it as a topper 3 or 4 days a week)....I asked that he not get any wetfood with ingredients sourced from outa the US...



Ouch the alpo reviews are awful cant believe my dogs actually ate it (as a topper) WOw Evangers doesnt sound so bad in comparison, but honestly human meat scraps and rice as topper sounds much safer, ultimately....


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

BernerMax said:


> OK will do, hoping they were a step up from ALpo ( DH uses it as a topper 3 or 4 days a week)....I asked that he not get any wetfood with ingredients sourced from outa the US...


http://truthaboutpetfood.com/more-problems-for-evangers-pet-food-owner

http://truthaboutpetfood.com/opps-more-to-the-evangers-story

http://truthaboutpetfood.com/fda-closes-warning-letter-to-evangers-pet-food

http://truthaboutpetfood.com/evangers-pet-food-troubles

http://www.poisonedpets.com/owner-of-evangers-dog-cat-food-co-busted-for-trying-to-bribe-a-witness/

http://www.poisonedpets.com/problem...d-in-merrick-dog-food-solution-silent-recall/

http://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/newsevents/cvmupdates/ucm166265.htm

http://www.fda.gov/newsevents/newsroom/pressannouncements/2008/ucm116886.htm

I thought I had them all saved but can't find them so I had to google myself. Sorry if some are repeats. I know that when they did testing on their food, the protein in the food is not what was on the label. They also got caught not paying overtime for employees, stole electricity and they were charged with witness tampering. Some people have no problem with the last three things I said but to ME, that says a lot about the company and not in a good way. There are so many canned foods out there to choose from, IMO they will never get a penny of my money. I wish they'd just shut down, to be honest.


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## BernerMax (Mar 15, 2013)

InkedMarie said:


> http://truthaboutpetfood.com/more-problems-for-evangers-pet-food-owner
> 
> http://truthaboutpetfood.com/opps-more-to-the-evangers-story
> 
> ...


ok posting new thread now....


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