After researching I put the dogs on Chicken soup due to the raves and the ingredients in the food. Jade, my 2 yr old, didn't care for it. Her coat got course and skin flakey... Cody's coat got Course and he couldn't stop itching.
Last week I switched them to Taste of the Wild, the Prairie formula, and their coats are so soft, the flakes are gone from Jade and Cody's not itching. Let's not forget that Jade's handing me her bowl four times a night! She loves the taste! I've never seen her so crazy over ANY dog food, not even canned!
Five stars to TOW.
My dog likes Taste of the Wild also! It is a great food and I like that it is grain free and for all life stages! Happy to hear they like the formula also!
The dog gets Wellness CORE and canned. He particular likes the New Zealand Venison. The ingredients in Wellness is the closest to home-cooked.
Also, if you go on the wellness website, you can request coupons (they will send one $5 coupon and 5 $5 coupons). They really help! They let you do this once every month or two.
My dog is on a largely veggie diet. I feed her Dick Van Patton's vegetarian kibble and supplement with legumes, veggies and fruit. She does get the occasional meat if we're visiting someone who cooks meat and I will vary rarely buy her natural treats with chicken.
I was very hesitant at first about switching her from a more meat based diet but I can honestly say it's been great for her. She is a 6 year old mastiff and her energy level has increased significantly and we've had no vet concerns since the switch. Now if it would just take care of her drool....
Taste of the wild update:.... It's been a full month. Usually after a month I'm wanting to bath Jade, my lab, due to the oil that gets on her fur (natural for labs).. I normally do wash her every three months... but her coat is soft and shiny! I have NO desire for the first time EVER in three years (after recalculating I realized another year had passed me by with her). I've always spent a bit more, had her on a dog food I thought was good for her (not cheap either), but first time ever her coat is to brag about! Not to mention her love for the Taste of the Wild food! Cody's coat is soft and shiny, and he likes the food (he's less fussy and, as most pups, eats anything!) but when I put down left over of the chicken soup next to the taste of the wild, the chicken soup is left, the TOW is gone! Talk about the ultimate taste test.
and I thought 24 (5 dogs & 1 cat) paws was a houseful. I admire those that feed raw; wish I had the motivation to do it. Four of my five dogs are on Innova Adult and my problem child who has epilepsy, severe allergies and HD is on EVO. My kitty Aruba is also on EVO.
We have two cats who sincerely believe they are royalty.
Must be at least $10 a bag or they are not interested.
I think they can taste a high-quality food from a cheapie grocery store one.
They like fish flavor, and I feed either Iams or Science Diet fish and they like both, but perhaps the Science Diet a bit more.
Lately they have both gotten a bit pudgy and so I did some research and found two things:
1) feeding small amounts at regular times is much better than just leaving out for them to graze.
2) it takes longer to feel full on kibble, so if the cat is overweight giving one or two meals a day of wet food should help them slim down a little.
I also read that cats need 1/2 hour of play per day to avoid being bored and eating out of boredom.
We use the BLUE: Spa Select foods (Indoor formula, I believe) -- We tried maybe 4 or 5 different natural foods for our kitties and always one of them would get sick (throwing up)... I mean, everything from Wellness to Nutro to Royal Canin and more... We have two hairless and two older stray-rescues with hair, and it was the older two that would get sick...
Eventually we found this and it's PERFECT! A little expensive, but it agrees with the animals and isn't filled with garbage... we're happy! Their coats are beautiful, and the hairless have the softest skin ever...
Last edited by jerzeezfinest; 12-28-2008 at 11:52 PM.
Reason: add information
I'm a raw feeder too (two cats) - been feeding that way for over two years. It's been a lifesaver for me because both my cats have health issues that are seriously complicated by any grains or carbohydrates at all.
I like the fact that I have control over what they are eating (no added melamine or other nasty surprises to worry about), and that it has turned out to be much cheaper than I thought it would be. It's more expensive than kibble, but less than the premium canned foods (much less)!
One wonderful side effect I noticed from the raw diet is that their poop has almost no smell and it's *tiny*!
It's definitely not for everyone though. You have to know how to feed raw food and what makes a properly balanced diet (you can't just toss them chicken breasts), and you have to have a freezer!
bopeep: I recently started feeding one of my dogs raw because of allergies. He's still getting used to it, so we've had some poop issues, but overall I'm very happy with it. He had soooo many food allergies when feeding kibble, I couldn't find any quality food that agreed with him! I'm planning on switching my other two over soon as well. I definitely think raw is the way to go, too bad more people don't do it.
All seven of my dogs eat a raw diet. I do not feed any kibble at all and haven't for over 8 years. My dogs eat a variety of raw meats and veggies as well as an assortment of leftovers and other real foods.....
My cats eat a combination of raw and Wellness brand kibble (the taurine requirements for cats concern me so I dont feed a fully raw diet to them)
For cats who as a rule do not have a strong drinking urge, wet food is a must as it gives them the fluids that they might not drink on their own.
so thats what I feed my gang..... Let me just add that bloodbaths often happen in food discussions but my personal beliefs are that .....
there is no one right food for all.... like people, various dogs and cats do better on various foods. I tend to switch around the kibbles I use for my cats and the dogs get a wide variety....
but simply because one food works for me or anotehr for someone else does not mean that it will be the best for you and yours
S
This is wonderful, and your pets all look SO healthy! My cats eat Wellness (combo of dry and canned), which is recommended by my vet. She also recommends raw meat for them, but I just haven't gone to it yet. Good for you!
bopeep: I recently started feeding one of my dogs raw because of allergies. He's still getting used to it, so we've had some poop issues, but overall I'm very happy with it. He had soooo many food allergies when feeding kibble, I couldn't find any quality food that agreed with him! I'm planning on switching my other two over soon as well. I definitely think raw is the way to go, too bad more people don't do it.
Poop issues are common with any diet change, but they ususlly sort themselves out in a few days or weeks. If your dog has food allergies, and still has poop issues after being on raw for awhile, he might be allergic to that animal protein as well.
One of my cats is allergic to all grains, chicken, lamb and fish. She had developed severe IBD (had horrible bloody diarrhea) and was nothing but skin and bones when I adopted her. Once we got her on a raw diet, she settled down and is now a good weight, and she loooves her food
I think raw is the ideal diet too, especially for an animal with diet related health issues, but it can be dangerous if one is not doing it right, and many people don't. I tend to encourage people to read about it, but not to switch unless they are really comitted. In general, just reading about a raw diet and proper animal nutrition leads most people to choose a better prepared food, and that's great.
I have my blue heeler/husky cross puppy on Blue Buffaloe dog food there is no fillers, no corn, No soy, no wheat, no gluten, no animal by products all of the ingredients are stuff I would eat. Her coat is amazing, I swear her adult coat is softer than he fluffy puppy fur. My mil switched her two dogs onto the same food since he 7 year old dog was having terrible skin issues and those have cleared up and she literally bounces around now. I have never seen this dog bounce until now!! Good food I get it at pet smart.
Taste of the wild update:.... It's been a full month. Usually after a month I'm wanting to bath Jade, my lab, due to the oil that gets on her fur (natural for labs).. I normally do wash her every three months... but her coat is soft and shiny! I have NO desire for the first time EVER in three years (after recalculating I realized another year had passed me by with her). I've always spent a bit more, had her on a dog food I thought was good for her (not cheap either), but first time ever her coat is to brag about! Not to mention her love for the Taste of the Wild food! Cody's coat is soft and shiny, and he likes the food (he's less fussy and, as most pups, eats anything!) but when I put down left over of the chicken soup next to the taste of the wild, the chicken soup is left, the TOW is gone! Talk about the ultimate taste test.
Can you tell I'm psyched about this food?
That is awesome that the Taste of the Wild is working so well for you! You have every reason to be psyched about it! TOTW is great for their coats! It is such a great feeling when something like this works out so well! I am so happy for you!
