leaving canidae, suggestions for new food?

[mom2kali]

i'm getting a headache trying to research different dog foods. i've been feed my 8 month old bc canidae als, but just heard of the new formula and the fact that they're with diamond now. i've pretty much narrowed it down to blue buffalo, innova, innova evo, wellness, wellness core, and california natural. she has no current health issues, just that the vet said she needs to be on an adult formula. any suggestions? this is my first bc and i want to make sure she's getting the best i can afford. what are the advantages/disadvantages of a higher protein diet such as evo or core? sorry this is so long, i just have quite a few questions! thanks!

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[Brandon M]

Hello, welcome to the forums!

I haven't had enough experience with any other dog foods yet as I just switched from Canidae as well. I've only gone through one bag of Innova which seems pretty good. I went and picked up a bag of Eagle Pack yesterday because the shop was out of Innova. The dogs like the Eagle Pack but I have yet to see how they do on it.

One suggestion I have is to go with something that is well stocked by your feed/pet stores. I may have to talk them into stocking more Innova because it's being bought up faster than normal due to everyone switching from Canidae and my dogs missed out on it because all the stores were sold out.

[BCMixs]

All the reviews I've read from users of Innova and EVO are good, the people really like it and their dogs have done well. I'm not speaking from personal experience, mine are on homemade people food, but that's what I've heard.

[BCMOM]

BCmix,
Can you tell me what you cook for your dogs.?

BCMOM

[BCMOM]

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[Angel's_Sis]

I highly recommend Innova Evo. About 3 months ago we switched over to Evo from a lower quality food and were amazed at the difference (shiny coat, etc.). Evo is grain-free and was on the Top Dog Foods list for 2007.

For more info, go to <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.naturapet.com/default.asp">http://www.naturapet.com/default.asp</a><!-- m -->
(from what I've heard, all of their other brands are high quality too)

[BCMOM]

I had my dogs on Instinct. After a few weeks they wouldn't eat it. SO i went to Calif Natural. Same thing.
They seem to like Wellness Core, though. But Evo is higher on the rankings. I may give it a try. I feed my dogs a good amt of raw food as well. So I don't know if going higher in protein in their kibble is needed.
Suggestions?

[only-borders]

Feeding raw and kibble can be tricky. Unless you feed a combination of both on a daily basis it can be hard for the dogs system to adjust.
Example, my friend feeds raw and kibble but only adds raw about 3 times a week and her dogs always have loose stools. IMO this isn't good. If the dogs would have a diet that was balanced for them I don't think they would have loose stools.

If you are going to feed a good quality kibble I don't see any need for raw, but if you go with a lower quality kibble and add raw you would probably even things out.

I fed raw for a while but the more dogs I got the harder it became. I wasn't able to get the variety I needed any longer and it was getting much more expensive than feeding higher quality kibble. You have to take into account the availability of raw food in your area.

Since the Canidae change I think most of us are now feeding a better kibble. Canidae was a good middle grade food but Evo, Innova, Wellness, Eagle Pack, etc, IMO are all better quality foods. So in a way Canidae did us a favor. Good luck with your decision.

[BCMixs]

BCMOM Wrote:BCmix,
Can you tell me what you cook for your dogs.?

BCMOM

I have a description of the average weekly meal plan in this thread:
http://allbordercollies.com/forums/viewt...f=15&t=560

[Country Girl]

Sorry if I sound a bit stunned, but what's wrong with Canidae that is leaving everyone to switch away from it? Canidae is what I've always fed Maggie and Max, however when we started using it, it was listed as one of the top dog foods to feed. We have been pondering on using a different food, the dogs have gotten rather skinny all of a sudden, and is making me wonder now if Canidae has slipped down in quality. Any suggestions you all have on a new brand of dog food would be great. My husband and I don't make a lot of money right now, so we're hoping to stay around what we've been paying for Canidae which is about $70 plus tax canadian of course, for a 30lbs bag.

Thanks so much!!

Ash

[Brandon M]

Country Girl Wrote:Sorry if I sound a bit stunned, but what's wrong with Canidae that is leaving everyone to switch away from it? Canidae is what I've always fed Maggie and Max, however when we started using it, it was listed as one of the top dog foods to feed. We have been pondering on using a different food, the dogs have gotten rather skinny all of a sudden, and is making me wonder now if Canidae has slipped down in quality. Any suggestions you all have on a new brand of dog food would be great. My husband and I don't make a lot of money right now, so we're hoping to stay around what we've been paying for Canidae which is about $70 plus tax canadian of course, for a 30lbs bag.

Thanks so much!!

Ash

Canidae did drop in quality with a formula change. Many dogs had issues with it giving them diarrhea and itchy skin. It's still a good food but not quite what it used to be. I still feed it to my dogs when to pet supply shop is out of Taste of the Wild which I highly recommend.

[only-borders]

After the recipe change in Canidae the amount to feed changed also. That could be why your dogs are loosing weight if you are feeding the same portion.

Check this site it might help.
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.rateitall.com/t-353-dog-food-brands.aspx">http://www.rateitall.com/t-353-dog-food-brands.aspx</a><!-- m -->

I know a lot of people who feed Purina Pro Plan and swear by it.

[trickytrip]

I switched Silky to Taste of the Wild Wetlands Blend. She loves it, and her coat has become a bit more shiney. I also noticed a bit less shedding, that is very good.

[BorderCollieMom]

i feed my dogs IAMS... and then 4 times a week they get Hamburger and rice mixed in with there food as well as Omega 3 and Garlic. And well whenever we have steak or really any meat they get whats leftover...usually thats when we learn a new trick

[Brandon M]

BorderCollieMom Wrote:i feed my dogs IAMS... and then 4 times a week they get Hamburger and rice mixed in with there food as well as Omega 3 and Garlic. And well whenever we have steak or really any meat they get whats leftover...usually thats when we learn a new trick

I must admit I give my dogs all my steak fat and lots of my sandwiches. Probably shouldn't but they love it and I hate to see it go to waste.

When I first got Lance I fed him Iams and he did well on it but because the food isn't rated very high I changed after about a month. I think you'd have to supplement like you are doing, for higher protein. I would like to eventually make food for my dogs myself. They get raw meat very rarely but once I get motivated more I'd like to feed them RAW.