Food Hopping: Why I've Stuck with Inconsistent Feeding

In my pantry right now

For over three years now, I have been exploring the wide world of dog food. In that time, I have never bought two bags of the same food in a row. As soon as I begin to run out of one bag, I transition over to another brand. This means that, at maximum, my Labrador is eating a certain food for about thirty days. I've had some interesting discussions with the workers at the pet store within walking distance of my condo, and they think it's simply bizarre that I would do what I do. It's unusual, sure, but I think it's had a positive effect on my fella.

Before this journey began in early 2012, Ebon hadn't really eaten that many foods in his life. When I first brought him home, he and our old dog Charlie ate Purina One and I was not the major decision maker in what sort of food was bought (I was only sixteen at the time). When Iams became cheaper at the grocery store we went to, we switched to Iams. Ebon was fed Iams for maybe three years. I got older and wiser and Ebon was eventually switched to Nutro's Natural Choice, then to Blue Buffalo. Purina One and Iams did Ebon no favors, and the changes when he stopped eating them were pretty fantastic. I finally switched him to the PetSmart-exclusive Simply Nourish, which was the food he was eating when I decided I wanted to try something different. I started doing single-bag trials and reviewing the food based, in part, on how well Ebon did while eating it.

The funny thing about this, though, is he has been generally more stable in terms of coat quality, digestive health, and energy than he was when being fed a single food for an extended period. Sure, there's been some duds that upset his stomach and so on, but he also had more than a few incidents when he had been eating the same kibble for months. There's a reason why I worry so much about his stool and call his stomach "a bit touchy." For the longest time, it seamed like so little could set him off. But since my little experiment started, he's had fewer problems and the ones he does have tend to be more minor. This could very well be a coincidence, but I suspect it's more than that.

For people, it's not generally considered healthy to eat the same thing day in, day out. So, why wouldn't that same rule apply to our pets? A person shouldn't eat turkey on rye for every meal, so why should a dog eat lamb and brown rice for the rest of its life? While pet foods are meant to be complete and balanced for long-term nutrition, it is still very possible that a certain food would lead to some sort of deficiency thanks to things like digestibility, ingredients, and nutrient bioavailability. For example, I've discussed before my concerns about the inclusion of plant-based protein boosters in pets foods. Nutritional information on pet food is very limited, and one of the few things that we do get are things like the percent of food that is protein. The problem with this is that plant proteins, due to being more difficult to digest, have a lower bioavailability than animal proteins. That means that the amount that can be measured in the sources is different than the amount that a body can actually absorb and make use of. Since dogs, being carnivores, have short digestive tracts, bioavailability is a very valid concern when discussing food quality. A food with a large amount of plant protein may mean that a dog isn't able to actually utilize as much protein as it should. In addition, plant proteins are generally not complete, meaning they're missing one or more essential amino acids: the protein building blocks that a body cannot manufacture itself. Those amino acids have to come from somewhere, and deficiencies can cause pretty serious side effects (see Kwashiorkor).

Due to all of that, it's not unlikely that even a very well formulated food has flaws. So, switching between foods on a regular basis may have the positive effect of mitigating whatever nutritional deficiencies a certain food may have. Considering what I've seen with Ebon, this very well may be what has happened with him.

It's also been fascinating to learn more about how my dog ticks. Comparing him to my parents' dogs has also contributed to my current opinions of dog food. One main thing? Every dog is different. Ebon does better on more calorically dense foods than my parents' greyhounds. For Ebon, fish-based foods are more likely to set him off than mammals and birds. Grain-free and grain-inclusive foods aren't any different for him even though a lot of dogs do best on grain free. The greys can't go grain free because it gives them the runs. Then again, a lot of things give them the runs. They have the notoriously awful stomachs that are so common in the breed. Ebon has his issues, but they're pretty exclusively linked to nervousness, while for the greys it could just be a Wednesday.

After all this time jumping brands and knowing that Ebon does well as long as the food fits a fairly short list of criteria, I've been shopping sales and picking up whatever hits the right balance of quality and price. One major advantage to this is I can often save several dollars a bag versus if I was constantly buying the same brand every month. I also have a few other criteria. I watch how much rice Ebon eats, since there is some concern about levels of arsenic. I am careful about my own rice intake, so I'm careful about his too. I never feed two bags of dog food that contain rice in a row, so it tends to alternate between grain-free and grain-inclusive. I also try to rotate out proteins, but this isn't as easy to do. He tends to get a lot of chicken, but I buy non-chicken food as often as I can.

When my little experiment first started, my goal was to find a food to settle on for the rest of Ebon's life. Now, however, I think I'll continue to switch it up indefinitely.

Ebon recently, still as happy as ever. 

Dog Food Review: Purina Pro Plan Focus

I'm upset with myself about this one. I don't remember why I bought this food, but it was probably because it was on sale. I didn't look at the label until over half the food was gone and I was unhappy with what I saw. This oversight bothers me far more than when I lost my notes on a seven brand backlog of food reviews (which was the main reason it took me so long to get back to these). I really regret feeding Ebon this food, and I'll get into why as I go. Anyway, let's begin:

Purina Pro Plan Focus Large Breed Formula
Dog Food Advisor Rating: ★★½ This food is AAFCO approved for adult maintenance.*

Ingredients: Chicken, brewers rice, whole grain wheat, corn gluten meal, whole grain corn, poultry by-product meal (natural source of glucosamine), animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), barley, corn germ meal, fish meal (natural source of glucosamine), animal digest, fish oil, wheat bran, dried egg product, calcium phosphate, salt, potassium chloride, potassium citrate, Vitamin E supplement, choline chloride, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, calcium carbonate, copper sulfate, calcium pantothenate, garlic oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, Vitamin B-12 supplement, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin supplement, calcium iodate, Vitamin D-3 supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), folic acid, biotin, sodium selenite. 

Items in italics will be discussed later.
Yes, I'm going to be talking about just about everything in this food. 

Bag's recommended daily feeding for a dog 76-100 lbs: 3 3/4 to 4 1/2 cups
Crude Protein: minimum of 26.0%
Crude Fat: minimum of 12.0%
Crude Fiber: maximum of 4.5%
Moisture: maximum of 12.0%
Calorie content: 396 kcal/cup, 3732 kcal/kg
Calculated amount to maintain Ebon's ideal weight (82.5 lbs): 4.21 cups or 0.45 kg (0.99 lbs)
Price per pound when buying the largest bag (34 lbs at $41.99): $1.235
Estimated cost of feeding Ebon per year on this food: $446.27 (10.628 of the 34 lb bags)
Ebon receives slightly less than the calculated feeding amount to allow for his daily treats
Ebon's overall health on this food: Disappointing. Energy levels low. Digestion could have been worse, but wasn't great. Coat had more dandruff and shed more than normal.

The kibble is large and typically shaped and smells vaguely of meat. The lack of chelated minerals isn't exactly ideal as the chelated form allows the nutrients to be more easily absorbed by the animal's body. I am disappointed by the lack of probiotics/microorganisms. These help maintain healthy gut flora, allowing for better digestion.

The company boasts that "high-quality" chicken is the first ingredient. And while this may be true, that is followed by a lot of extremely questionable inclusions, including things that I NEVER want to see in foods. The ingredients list reeks of ingredient splitting, where a company will shuffle things around to be able to say "look at all the meat!" when there really isn't that much. In this case, chicken is followed by brewers rice, whole grain wheat, corn gluten meal, whole grain corn. These are all starchy grains and lumped together, due to their high placement on the ingredients list, this means the food is really mostly grain. And I'm not even including the other grain ingredients! Also, since corn gluten meal, whole grain corn, and corn germ meal are all listed instead of just "corn", it's likely the company wants to hide how much corn is actually in the food by shifting it down the list. This is classic ingredient splitting. Not only that, but corn gluten meal is a high protein plant product that brings the quality of the food's protein content into question. Plant proteins are not complete, lacking many essential amino acids that animals need to function. I don't like to see protein boosters such as this since Ebon has a history of not doing as well on foods with significant plant-based protein.

Even more troubling to me are poultry by-product meal, animal fat, fish meal, animal digest, fish oil. These are all unnamed ingredient sources, which I NEVER like seeing in a food. Though poultry and fish are at least provide the barest amount of specificity, "animal" is very concerning. This could literally be any animal and there has been evidence of roadkill, among other things, winding up in generic "animal" ingredients, which doesn't bode well for ingredient safety, let alone quality. One of my basic requirements for me to be comfortable with a food is that all of the ingredient sources are identified. It's not just fish, it's salmon. It's not just poultry, it's turkey. And it most definitely isn't just animal, it's beef or chicken or lamb or duck or venison or kangaroo or whatever. In addition to all of that, "animal digest" is not just a mishmash of who knows what, it is a coating sprayed on the exterior of the kibble to make it smell and taste more appetizing. The food should be appetizing on its own without the need for such tactics. Much like Hill's, there are very good reasons why I've written off Purina as a brand that just really can't make a truly good food.

What amazed me most about this food was Ebon's reduced energy levels. Since it's moderately high in protein he should have done fine on it, so I honestly chalked it up to aging. However, as soon as I started switching him to a food with an ingredients list that I am content with he really perked up. He is back to his old self, excitedly nudging me to get pets and gleefully galumphing after his favorite toy. He's still almost ten and he still doesn't have the endurance of his youth, but he doesn't need to lose his spirit too. Because he's getting older, the last thing he needs is crap food. You get out what you put in. I am not going to make this mistake again.

The first food Ebon ever ate after I brought him home was Purina One. He didn't do so great on that either, but I didn't really know the reasons behind it until I started learning about pet food quality. Seeing the changes since he's been on better foods are amazing. I keep seeing adds for the "Purina ONE 28 Day Challenge" and I can't help but think back to my glee at his improved health when we left Purina behind all of those years ago.

* Note that "Adult" is defined as ages one through six. Though Ebon will be ten years old in January, I do not feed him foods specifically formulated for seniors and I have no plans to begin doing so any time soon.

Dog Food Review: Hill's Ideal Balance

Years ago, I wrote off Hill's as a company that strictly produces foods that are mediocre at best. When they came out with their Ideal Balance line I was curious and looked over the ingredients. However, it took a sale for me to actually buy any of their products. I grabbed a twenty-one pound bag of one of the grain free foods, thinking it would be the best choice for Ebon as he tends to do better on higher protein foods. I also purchased an entire flat of cans that was extraordinarily cheap at the time. As I treat canned food for the dog the same way as I do ice cream for myself, the flat is taking some time to get rid of. To begin, let's look at the kibble:

Hill's Ideal Balance Grain Free Natural Chicken & Potato Recipe Adult
Dog Food Advisor Rating: ★★★☆☆ This food is AAFCO approved for adult maintenance.†

Ingredients: Chicken, Potato, Yellow Peas, Pea Protein Concentrate, Potato Starch, Chicken Fat, Chicken Meal, Dried Beet Pulp, Chicken Liver Flavor, Lactic Acid, Flaxseed, Vegetable & fruit blend (Green Peas, Apples, Cranberries, Carrots, Broccoli), Iodized Salt, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Niacin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Taurine, Mixed Tocopherols for freshness, Phosphoric Acid, Beta-Carotene, Natural Flavors.

Items in italics will be discussed later.

Bag's recommended daily feeding for a dog 80 lbs: 3 1/3 to 4 2/3 cups
Crude Protein: minimum of 24.2%*
Crude Fat: minimum of 20.1%*
Crude Fiber: maximum of 1.5%*
Moisture: maximum of 10.0%
 * These dry matter values are from the company website. They are lower when taking into account the food is 10% moisture. 
Calorie content: 419 kcal/cup, 3891 kcal/kg
Calculated amount to maintain Ebon's ideal weight (82.5 lbs): 3.98 cups or 0.43 kg (0.946 lbs)
Price per pound when buying the largest bag (21 lbs at $42.99): $2.047
Estimated cost of feeding Ebon per year on this food: $706.86 (16.442 of the 21 lb bags)
Ebon receives slightly less than the calculated feeding amount to allow for his daily treats
Ebon's overall health on this food: Good. Energy level as expected. Poop mostly compact, but would soften after exercise. Coat and skin a little dry.

The kibble is on the small side and the fairly typical fat disc shape seen in so many dry foods. The food doesn't smell very meaty and, in fact, doesn't smell very nice. The lack of chelated minerals isn't exactly ideal as the chelated form allows the nutrients to be more easily absorbed by the animal's body. I am disappointed by the lack of probiotics/microorganisms. These help maintain healthy gut flora, allowing for better digestion.

Chicken is the first ingredient, which is nice to see, but it is followed by two carbohydrate-heavy ingredients in the form of potatoes and yellow peas. Also close after these is potato starch, which is similarly heavy in carbohydrates. Peas are surprisingly high in carbs for a vegetable, so the placement of both potatoes and peas so high on the list of ingredients makes me suspicious that there really isn't as much chicken in this food as the company may want you to think. Also supporting this theory is the placement of pea protein concentrate as the forth ingredient. This is a protein booster, making it likely that a significant portion of the 24.2% protein the company states does not come from an animal source. This is somewhat problematic as plant proteins can be deficient in essential amino acids. While vegetables are not necessarily a problematic addition to a canine's diet, far from it, it is very important to make sure that the dog is getting enough of the amino acids that their bodies cannot make on their own.

Speaking of protein, for a grain free food, this kibble is surprisingly low in it. Usually, the dry matter protein content is closer to 30%. As Ebon has a history of doing best on higher than average protein foods, this is a negative in my book.

I also don't really like seeing any sort of flavoring in a food. I believe that a dog should be willing to eat a food without having to boost the flavor somehow. Since this food appears to be meat-light, I think this is why it has flavoring: to get dogs to think it is a meaty treat.

Unfortunately, as Ebon's tenth birthday nears, his overall energy level is dropping, making it more difficult to ascertain energy differences that could potentially be coming from diet. Though still getting plenty of exercise, he is tiring more easily compared to his younger self.

I don't have very positive feelings about this kibble. It has several negatives when it comes to traits I prefer to see in a food. As such, I am far less likely to want to feed it again. Surprisingly, this food is not rated any better than the grain-inclusive variant, which is fairly unusual in the dog food world.

Now, let's look at the cans.

Hill's Ideal Balance Savory Venison & Vegetables Recipe
Dog Food Advisor Rating: ★★★☆☆ This food is AAFCO approved for adult maintenance.†

Ingredients: Beef Broth, Venison, Chicken, Pork Liver, Brown Rice, Carrots, Modified Rice Starch, Potato Starch, Dextrose, Pork Plasma, Pea Protein, Potatoes, Pea Fiber, Peas, Chicken Fat, Flaxseed, Chicken Liver Flavor, Spinach, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Phosphate, Guar Gum, Caramel Color, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Potassium Iodide), vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Niacin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid), Choline Chloride, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Beta Carotene.

Crude Protein: minimum of 34.5%*
Crude Fat: minimum of 19.7%*
Crude Fiber: maximum of 33.5%*
Moisture: maximum of 82.0%
 * These dry matter values are from the company website. They are lower when taking into account the food is 82% moisture. 
Calorie content: 315 kcal/can
Calculated amount to maintain Ebon's ideal weight (82.5 lbs): 5.29 cans
Price per can when buying a case/flat of cans (12 cans at $23.99): $1.999
Estimated cost of feeding Ebon per year on this food alone: $3860.09 (1930.85 cans)

As I feed canned food as a treat, I am not necessarily as strict about contents as I generally am about what's in kibble. Overall, this food isn't necessarily bad. It's nice that the protein that is named on the can is indeed the first protein on the ingredients list, something that isn't true for a significant number of other canned food products.

Ebon does quite like the food, but he gets incredibly excited about food in general. I've only rarely found things he turns his muzzle up at.

However, there are also some other ingredients that aren't my favorite: starches (boosting the food's overall carbohydrate content), sweeteners (dextrose in this case, to make it more appetizing), protein boosters (see above kibble review for my opinion on pea protein), flavoring (see above again), and colorants. I absolutely loathe the addition of colorants to pet food as the pet doesn't give a flying flip what the food looks like. It's all about smell, taste, and texture to them. The coloring is added to appeal to the owner's senses, which is a bit ridiculous. It also implies that they're faking something because they can't make it look right because they aren't using good enough ingredients or preparation techniques.

Yes, I know pork plasma is an ingredient. While it sounds gross, it isn't exactly strange or wrong for it to be a part of a food, and may have been used as a thickener. At least they specify what it is instead of labeling it as some mystery animal product.

Conclussions

Overall, I'm still not fond of Hill's pet products. It's true, the Ideal Balance foods are better than some of their other products (I'm mainly critical of their use of questionable ingredients in prescription foods), but for me they're still borderline on the "will I feed it" criteria. Considering the quality of their prescription foods, which I can imagine is a huge part of their profits, I would prefer to not support them as a company unless they can improve the foods that are being prescribed to many sick pets. I really doubt a diet that mainly consists of corn and a series of named and unnamed byproducts is going to help a dog's mobility any more than a food made of higher quality ingredients.

† "Adult" is defined as ages one through six. Though Ebon will be ten years old in January, I do not feed him foods specifically formulated for seniors and I have no plans to begin doing so any time soon.

Dog Food Review: California Natural

This is the tenth food I have reviewed so far. I have a bit of a review backlog now. Ebon has finished two different bags of food and is nearly done with a third. I'll try to space these out, but they will be a bit numerous over the next few days.

The bag

California Natural Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Adult Large Bites
Dog Food Advisor Rating: ★★★☆☆ This food is AAFCO approved for all life stages.

Ingredients: Lamb meal, brown rice, rice, sunflower oil, natural flavors, potassium chloride, ascorbic acid, beta carotene, biotin, calcium carbonate, calcium iodate, choline chloride, cobalt carbonate, cobalt proteinate, copper proteinate, d-calcium pantothenate, dicalcium pantothenate, dl-methionine, iron proteinate, manganese proteinate, niacin, potassium chloride, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin A supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin C supplement (sodium ascorbate), vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement (alpha tocopherol), zinc proteinate, taurine, rosemary extract

Items in italics will be discussed later.  

Bag's recommended daily feeding for a dog 80 lbs: ...I actually forgot to note this down. I'll write the number down the next time I'm at the store and add it in.
Crude Protein: minimum of 21.0%
Crude Fat: minimum of 11.0%
Crude Fiber: maximum of 2%
Moisture: maximum of 10.0%
Calorie content: 430 kcal/cup, 3990 kcal/kg
Calculated amount to maintain Ebon's ideal weight (82.5 lbs): 3.88 cups or 0.42 kg (0.924 lbs)
Price per pound when buying the largest bag (30 lbs at $49.99): $1.6663
Estimated cost of feeding Ebon per year on this food: $561.99 (11.242 of the 30 lb bags)
Ebon receives slightly less than the calculated feeding amount to allow for his daily treats
Ebon's overall health on this food: Good. Poop compact, energy level moderate to high. Coat and skin condition suffered

The kibble

I didn't make note of the start and end dates for this trial, but Ebon was on this food for about sixteen days. The kibble is a good size and smells somewhat like roasted chicken. A nice thing to see in this food: chelated minerals. Chelated minerals are believed to be more easily absorbed and used by the body than non-chelated minerals. This is the first food of those that I have reviewed that did not include probiotics. Probiotics/microorganisms help maintain good gut flora to provide for better digestion, so the fact that they can be found in so many foods is a good thing. However, this is not one of those foods. 

Overall, I have mixed feelings about this food. In general, Ebon did pretty good. His stool was nice and firm, which seems appropriate considering the comparatively small list of easily-digested ingredients in the food: little more than lamb, rice, and oil. Basically all of the California Natural products are like this, which I think is a good thing. If nothing else, it could be a great option for people whose pets have touchy stomachs.

My biggest issue with this food is actually a bit ironic. The bag itself says "Natural Solutions for Skin & Coat" but Ebon's coat and skin suffered while on the food. His coat became less shiny and his skin became incredibly dry. He does have a bit of a tendency to have dandruff, but it has never been anywhere near as bad as it got. He started itching so badly that I wondered if he had fleas! But no. I check him and found no flea dirt, only ubiquitous, large flakes of skin. I've been fighting that dry skin ever since. Due to the itching and chewing he started developing hot, red patches on his skin, and my attempts to remedy the situation intensified. I did not want him to develop bald spots. I bathed him thoroughly with an oatmeal shampoo and I conditioned his coat, which I never thought I would ever do. I worked at his coat with a hound glove to get rid of the flakes and to work the conditioner into his skin. He started getting lots of lipids in his diet, everything from olive oil and fish oil to bacon fat and meat trimmings. I also got a hydrocortisone spray, which I used once daily on the hot skin to try and get him to spot itching (he didn't like this part very much). Luckily, he's been getting better every day and is nearly back to normal.

This was actually the food that accompanied Ebon and I on our trip to Mississippi, during which time we were hit by hurricane Isaac. The skin symptoms that I saw appeared about the time we left and progressively worsened over the next week or two. Is it possible that he was exposed to something in Mississippi? Yes. I am definitely not ruling that possibility out. However, the fact that his dandruff was worsening slightly before we left makes me suspect that it had something to do with the food, even though the very large flakes didn't appear until a few days after we got back.. If anything, he may have been exposed to something that only made the problem worse.

My biggest suspicion about what property of the food may have lead to his dry skin is the fat content. So far, this is the lowest fat food of all the ones I have reviewed. In addition, it's very low in Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, and is significantly lower in Vitamin A than some of the foods he's done best on. All of these are good for the skin. In the future, I am going to try and stick to foods with fat contents of 15% or more, as the foods in that category have yet to cause him major problems.

Dog Food Review: Go! Natural

This is the ninth of the dog food review series I'm doing. This is another food whose formula is changing, so I was able to snag two small bags for half price. This was originally going to be a short review, but I was able to snag the second bag, which was hiding away in a corner.


Go! Natural Grain Free Protein-Rich Endurance Formula
Dog Food Advisor rating: ★★★★★? (listing is for the new formula)
This food is AAFCO approved for all life stages.

The kibble

Ingredients: Turkey meal, chicken meal, de-boned chicken, potato, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols, a source of vitamin E), whole dried egg, salmon meal, apple, peas, natural flavour, tomato pomace, duck meal, salmon oil,  flax seed oil, yeast extract, potassium chloride, taurine, choline chloride, pumpkin, carrots, bananas, blueberries, cranberries, lentil beans, broccoli, spinach, cottage cheese, alfalfa sprouts, chicory extract, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Enterococcus faecium, Bifidobacterium thermophilum, dried Aspergillus niger fermentation extract, dried Aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract, vitamins (vitamin  E supplement, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), niacin, inositol, vitamin A supplement, thiamine mononitrate, d-calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin,  beta-carotene, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement), minerals (zinc proteinate, copper sulfate, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, calcium iodate, sodium selenite), yucca schidigera extract, dried rosemary.

Items in italics will be discussed later. 

Bag's recommended daily feeding for an active dog 70 lbs: 3 cups, 90 lbs: 3 1/4 cups 
Crude Protein: minimum of 34.0%
Crude Fat: minimum of 16.0%
Crude Fiber: maximum of 4.0%
Moisture: maximum of 10.0%
Calorie content: 470 kcal/cup, 4,160 kcal/kg
Calculated amount to maintain Ebon's ideal weight (82.5 lbs): 3.55 cups or 0.40 kg (0.88 lbs)
Price per pound when buying the largest bag: Unable to do calculations as all sellers I could find were out of stock
Estimated cost of feeding Ebon per year on this food: Unable to calculate for same reasons
Ebon receives slightly less than the calculated feeding amount to allow for his daily treats
Ebon's overall health on this food: Very good. Shiny coat, poop consistent and compact, energy level moderate to high

The bags (each is six pounds)

I started transitioning to this food on July 28, and I am currently transitioning him off of it. The kibble itself is nice and dark and roundish with a pleasently meaty smell. The smell is typically for a food with its sort of formula: a moderately meaty smell. The meat content of this food is significant, considering the fact that the first three ingredients are meats, and two are the more nutritionally dense meat meals. Some nice things to see in this food: chelated minerals and probiotics. Chelated minerals are believed to be more easily absorbed and used by the body than non-chelated minerals, and probiotics/microorganisms help maintain good gut flora to provide for better digestion.

Ebon did great in this food, especially after he got over the stress caused by Siggy's morning "I need to potty and eat" whining barks. He was pretty typical Ebon, happy and rather energetic. His coat was fine, especially after I gave him a much-needed bath. He's wonderfully soft right now, with his fur being beautifully shiny and soft and silky to the touch. He did experience some stress while on this food, and did indeed do his normal stress poops. They were less lose than on other foods, but it still happened, which seems to be how he is on any food with a protein content over thirty. He did develop some tartar while on this food, but it's on the side with his missing tooth, which he doesn't like use to chew his duck feet or other treats that will help keep his teeth clean. So, that just means I need to brush them more often.

I also love that the label is in seven languages, but it also made it very hard to read!   

It's a bit of a shame that the formula is being discontinued, partly due to the fact that the new version includes some ingredients I am unsure about after Ebon's unfortunate reaction to one of the foods in my trials. At this point, I rather doubt I'll try the new formula due to this fact. And Ebon did so well on the old stuff, too

Ebon's still a little chunky, but has lost at least a pound or two since Siggy left and I put him on a minor diet. I like him lean because it's better for his joints, so I want him back to the way he was before he started stealing food from the other animals. I don't weigh him regularly, but do the "look and feel" weight assessment regularly. When he's at the weight the veterinarian wants me ti keep him at (the 82.5 pounds mentioned above) you can faintly see a rib or two, and right now they're padded with fat. If it would stop raining so heavily I will also be increasing his exercise.

Will I change foods? We'll see. Next up: California Natural.

Good to be Back!

The boys after a little time running around in the heat.

Indeed, it feels good to be back! I'm doing better and have been feeling the urge to write for the past three days. However, I made myself stick to my plan to take two weeks off.

What happened while I was gone? Not too much, really. My parents came home, so Siggy left about a week or so ago. I went bowling, did some cleaning, did some shopping for pet things. Taught Ebon a new trick. Broke a terrarium. Cooked and ate some good food. Learned the downsides of having a dog in the front seat of my car (may tell a story about that later). Now for some pictures from the past two weeks, some more interesting than others.

Splitting some canned food (Great Life Essentials Irish Lamb Stew) between the boys. Good stuff! Ebon's kibble is Go! Natural Grain Free Endurance (formula is being discontinued, review to come). Siggy's kibble is Iams Healthy Naturals Chicken (average quality food, but fits Siggy's need for lower protein content, may review later).

Siggy is his muzzle during a pedicure. He's paw shy, but a combination of the muzzle and lots of treats made it easy

This guy is too cute

And I'll miss his derp face

It's been raining a ton, so some beautiful mushrooms are popping up!

The broken terrarium. I've been keeping them up high since I lost the roaches. Had to move things and they fell. The big one was fine, but the small one shattered!

My rather large collection of pet supplies. I'm set for quite a while! Mostly for Ebon, but the Pup-Peroni was Siggy's and the little cans and some other things are for my brother's very old, very picky cat. The knife is for hacking dog chews into smaller pieces

Human food! A favorite family recipe for runzas (a "peasant food" originating in Russia that is common in many parts of Europe, including Poland and Germany). Our recipe involves ground beef, cole slaw mix (green and red cabbage with carrots), onion, garlic, salt, and pepper wrapped in pizza dough; but many other recipes involve such things as sauerkraut. When we're feeling lazy, we serve the filling over rice.

Ebon missing Siggy. He's over it now, lol.

I'll be posting something else soon! I'll also be going through my comment backlog.

More on the Dogs (and other things)

The boys politely eating together

Things have been a little hectic lately with me caring for all of the animals. Mainly it stems from the various quirks they all have, including feeding seemingly all of them on different schedules and the like. There are other reasons it's been difficult, but this blog isn't about me.

Anyway, I wanted to make a note about Ebon's food trials. I was bad and picked up some more food today: Go! Natural Grain Free. It was half off because the formula is being discontinued and I just couldn't help myself. It's dated sooner than the other foods I have, so it will be next in line to be reviewed. The bag is also only six pounds, so this will be sort of a mini review.

I've also been trying out a number of canned foods, which eventually will be lumped into one mega review later. One of the main reasons for this is I picked up a lot of cans because the same place that had the kibble mentioned above on sale is also no longer going to be selling certain brands of canned food. It's hard for me to pass up a sale.

For now, I'll end with a picture of Siggy trying to sleep in Ebon's kennel.

He just doesn't fit

Dog Food Review: Innova

This is the eighth of the dog food review series I'm doing.  The formula of this food is changing, so this review will be obsolete once the old formula is no longer being sold.

I forgot to take pictures again, so no photos this time.

Innova Adult Dry Dog Food - Large Bites
Dog Food Advisor rating: ★★★★☆
This food is AAFCO approved for all life stages.

Ingredients: Turkey, Chicken, Chicken Meal, Barley, Brown Rice, Potato, Rice, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols a Source of Vitamin E), Flaxseed, Natural Flavors, Herring, Apple, Carrot, Pumpkin, Egg, Sunflower Oil, Sea Salt, Potassium Chloride, Herring Oil, Cottage Cheese, Alfalfa Sprouts, Vitamins (Betaine Hydrochloride, Vitamin A Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Beta Carotene, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Biotin, Folic Acid), Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Calcium Iodate), Direct Fed Microbials (Dried Enterococcus faecium, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus, Dried Lactobacilus casei), Lecithin Rosemary Extract 

Items in italics will be discussed later. 

Bag's recommended daily feeding for a dog 80 lbs: 2 3/4 cups
Crude Protein: minimum of 24.0%
Crude Fat: minimum of 14.0%
Crude Fiber: maximum of 2.5%
Moisture: maximum of 10.0%
Calorie content: 504 kcal/cup, 3,694 kcal/kg
Calculated amount to maintain Ebon's ideal weight (82.5 lbs): 3.31 cups or 0.45 kg (0.99 lbs)
 - Innova has its own calculator, which advises 3.125 cups/day
Price per pound when buying the largest bag (30 lbs at $49.99): $1.6663
Estimated cost of feeding Ebon per year on this food: $602.12 (12.045 of the 30 lb bags)
Ebon receives slightly less than the calculated feeding amount to allow for his daily treats
Ebon's overall health on this food: Very good. Shiny coat, poop consistent, energy level moderate to high.

I started transitioning from Ebon's old food on July 2nd, and I started transitioning him off of this food three days ago. The kibble itself is nice and big and triangular in shape. The smell is typically for a food with its sort of formula: a moderately meaty smell. The meat content of this food is significant, considering the fact that the first three ingredients are meats. Some nice things to see in this food: chelated minerals and probiotics. Chelated minerals are believed to be more easily absorbed and used by the body than non-chelated minerals, and probiotics/microorganisms help maintain good gut flora to provide for better digestion.

I would have to say Ebon's experiences with this food were, well, average. There's nothing really remarkable to report, either good or bad. He was pretty typical, everything doing fine. As I mentioned above, his energy level was typical for him, as were his coat and stool consistency. There were no bad traits that I noticed when he was on foods that were of poorer quality or that he didn't respond well to. He gained a bit of weight on this food, but I think that's mostly due to him sneaking some food from the other animals. Siggy and my brother's cats are messy eaters, and Ebon is definitely an opportunistic eater if given the chance. Siggy tends to grab a mouthful and chew with at least a kibble or two falling out of his mouth each time he does so. Ebon will actually stop eating his own food to pick up the dropped kibble, then go back to eating his own food. He got bold enough from doing this that he tried to take Siggy's peanut butter-laced Kong one day, which ended up with a growl that sent Ebon scurrying from the room. He's been respectful ever since, but is still a kibble thief if I don't watch him.

As those who have read these reviews before know, Ebon's stools become soft when he's stressed. It seems like his stress poops were softer than average on this food, but it may seem that way partly due to him being more stressed than average during this trial. Siggy's been visiting and his whines and barks when he's needy seem to stress Ebon out. He's a quiet dog himself and we live rather quiet lives, so any sort of unusually loud atmosphere is unsettling to him if he's not used to it. Luckily, he seems to be getting used to it as his stress behaviors, including the stress poops, were basically gone after about a week. Progress is always good. Ironically, though Ebon seems to find Siggy boisterous, Ebon is by far the more rambunctious of the two dogs. He just isn't very vocal, besides barking at the doorbell.

Will I change foods? We'll see. Next up: California Natural.

Dog Food Review: Evo

This is the seventh of the dog food review series I'm doing.

Evo Turkey & Chicken Formula
Dog Food Advisor rating: ★★★★★
This food is AAFCO approved for adult maintenance.

The bag

Ingredients: Turkey, Chicken, Turkey Meal, Chicken Meal, Potatoes, Herring Meal, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols, a Natural Source of Vitamin E), Natural Flavors, Eggs, Apples, Tomatoes, Potassium Chloride, Carrots, Vitamins (Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin E Supplement, Betaine Hydrochloride, Vitamin A Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Beta Carotene, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Biotin, Folic Acid), Cottage Cheese, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Calcium Iodate), Alfalfa Sprouts, Dried Chicory Root, Direct-Fed Microbials (Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product)

Items in italics will be discussed later. 

Bag's recommended daily feeding for a dog 80 lbs: 2 7/8 cups
Crude Protein: minimum of 42.0%
Crude Fat: minimum of 22.0%
Crude Fiber: maximum of 2.5%
Moisture: maximum of 10.0%
Calorie content: 537 kcal/cup, 4,243 kcal/kg
Calculated amount to maintain Ebon's ideal weight (82.5 lbs): 3.10 cups or 0.39 kg (0.858 lbs)
Price per pound when buying the largest bag (28.6 lbs at $61.99): $2.1674
Estimated cost of feeding Ebon per year on this food: $678.79 (10.95 of the 28.6 lb bags)
Ebon receives slightly less than the calculated feeding amount to allow for his daily treats
Ebon's overall health on this food: Very good. Shiny coat, poop small and compact, energy level rather high.

The kibble

I started transitioning from Ebon's old food on June 10th, and I started transitioning him off of this food yesterday. The kibble itself is nice and big and smells incredibly meaty. Since the food is so heavy on the meat content, this only makes sense. Some nice things to see in this food: chelated minerals and probiotics. Chelated minerals are believed to be more easily absorbed and used by the body than non-chelated minerals, and probiotics/microorganisms help maintain good gut flora to provide for better digestion.


I'm extremely happy with this food. Once I stopped over-feeding him (partly due to transitioning him from a larger quantity of food) he did wonderfully. During the first few days when he was getting up to a half cup more than he should have, he had an odd combination of very firm, compact stools followed by some soft stuff. I suspect this was due to him only digesting what he needed as the softness was almost the same amount as the extra food. Once I worked him down to the approximately three cups he needed (allowing for his daily treats) he did really great and had no more softness. The transition to the smaller amount did take him a little time, though. I had to time my treat giving to about halfway between meals or he would do some "my stomach is very empty" hurk-ing. After about a week, though, this went away as well.

I know that I talk about poop a lot when doing these reviews, but it's a good way of telling how someone is digesting their food. On this food, Ebon's stool has been the most compact that it's ever been. This is thanks mostly to the components of the food. For one, there aren't any protein- or fat-boosting plant ingredients and so these components of the food are almost completely coming from animal sources. This means that the protein is more complete, unlike most vegetable proteins which are missing some essential amino acids. Also, since dogs have short digestive tracts (as carnivores will), they aren't made to digest vegetable matter. Animal-based ingredients are more easily digestible and they can use more of what they take in than in foods that are heavy on plant products (including fruits, vegetables, and grains). This food is the highest in protein of any kibble I have ever seen. It's high in fat too and the dry matter content is actually less than 25% carbs. This is amazingly low for a kibble.

Ebon's energy level was a bit higher on this food. He had a lot more spazzy moments than he usually does and I was reminded of how he was at about three. He still has soft stools when he's stressed, but that's pretty normal. However, it is softer than what I usually see. Despite this, as long as I manage his stress his issues are few and far between (and less and less as I continue to work on desensitizing him to situations that stress him out). The only major downside on this food? The gas! Ebon had more gas than usual and my goodness did his farts ever stink. From what I've seen, this is a common concern.

Will I change foods? We'll see. Next up: Innova, because the cat once again got to a bag of food.

Reviews: Freezer Section

I decided to try out some of the products that are sold in the refrigerator or freezer section of pet stores. I spotted a new freezer case at the local Petsmart, and decided to try two of the sold cold dog foods. These are in no way practical to feed to Ebon on a regular basis due to the price per pound and the sheer amount it would take for him to get the amount of calories he needs daily. So, though these are full and complete foods, I am treating them as treats.

This is a one pound tube. Markers on the back allow for east division into 1/8 pound portions

Freshpet Vital
Lamb & Ocean Whitefish Recipe
Dog Food Advisor rating: ★★★★★

Ingredients: Lamb, ocean whitefish, lamb liver, spinach, cranberries, blueberries, carrageenan, calcium sulfate, dicalcium phosphate, potassium chloride, iron proteinate, choline chloride, zinc proteinate, tricalcium phosphate, vitamin E supplement, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, vitamin B12 supplement, niacin, calcium pantothenate, biotin, riboflavin, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin D3 supplement, calcium iodate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, sodium selenite, natural flavors, sunflower oil, inulin, broccoli and pomegranate

What's inside the tube

Nutrition Facts:
Crude Protein: minimum of 9.0%
Crude Fat: minimum of 8.0%
Crude Fiber: maximum of 0.5%
Moisture: maximum of 77.0%

For the most part, the rolled/tube foods that I have seen have not excited me. The vast majority of them are full of unsavory ingredients, one of the worst offending being the Natural Balance rolls with sugar as the third ingredient. However, when I took a peek at the Vital ingredients I was pleasantly surprised. There are no filler ingredients, and it's heavy on the meat. What vegetable ingredients are included are ones rich in nutrients. This is why I picked up a roll to try out. The texture of the roll is not unlike bologna and it has a meaty smell. Though fish is the second ingredient, it doesn't overtly smell like fish. It's a nice, consistent sort of texture that is easily sliced into small portions that mostly keep their shape when handled. I used this food as a treat, and it is feasibly to use small portions as training treats as one might use hotdog. However, when the food begins to warm up it does soften.

Ebon really liked this food, both in larger and smaller chunks. I fed it to him cold, which definitely didn't dissuade his appetite one bit. I would consider giving this to him relatively frequently if it weren't for the price. A one pound tube is seven dollars. The recommended daily amount if I were to feed nothing but this food to Ebon is over a pound. This is, as I mentioned, completely impractical and also kind of insane (yearly feeding costs would be over three thousand dollars). Feeding a smaller dog could work, but I would not suggest it for an eighty-plus pound dog unless you have a lot of money to burn. Despite this, it is something I may possibly buy every once in a while as a treat.

This is a trial size box of four individually wrapped, one ounce patties shaped like hearts

Stewart Raw Naturals
Beef Recipe
Dog Food Advisor rating: not listed

Ingredients: Beef, Beef Heart, Beef Liver, Ground Beef Bone, Broccoli, Carrots, Beef Kidney, Romaine Lettuce,  Apples, Ground Flaxseed, Salmon Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar, Blueberry, Cranberry, Inulin, Dried Kelp, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, Ginger, Parsley, Garlic, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Mixed Tocopherols (as preservative), Vitamin D Supplement.

One patty, fresh out of the freezer

Nutrition Facts:
Crude Protein: minimum of 12.0%
Crude Fat: minimum of 10.0%
Crude Fiber: maximum of 2.0%
Moisture: maximum of 72.0%

I was really surprised to find a raw food for sale at Petsmart, since raw foods are usually only found in boutiques. I've tried out some of the Stewart brand's treats before, but this was the first time I became aware of them selling anything beyond that. One nice thing about buying this food is that, since it's frozen, there isn't as much concern about it going bad. It defrosts rather quickly and, even though it's a bit grey when frozen, it pinks up as it defrosts. The patties are small, which makes portioning nice for treat-type feeding for a dog Ebon's size.

When you start to think about feeding this as a regular food, however, things can start to get a bit silly. Each patty is thirty-four calories, and the recommended feeding guidelines have a dog Ebon's size eating somewhere around twenty patties each day. However, calculating out the required amount based on Ebon's required caloric intake (between 1600 and 1700 calories), he would really need fourty-nine patties. Considering that the largest bags I would be able to get my hands on are sixty ounces, and the cheapest recipe, chicken, is normally eighteen dollars...it's a bit much (yearly feeding costs would be over five thousand dollars). This is another food that's really only practical for feeding to smaller dogs. In fact, if you did want to feed a small dog raw, this could be a nice option as raw feeding can be a bit difficult for those smaller dogs, especially if their teeth aren't very good.

Ebon did quite like the patties, even when I forgot to defrost one of them. Even though he was quite content to eat them, I prefer things that are more easily portioned out if I intend to feed it as a treat. One ounce is a bit large for something like training, as it requires a lot of chewing. Trying to break a patty down smaller is hard when it's frozen and frustrating when it's defrosted since it's basically just ground meat. I might buy another trial box for a special occasion, but other than that I don't really see myself bringing more home.

Dog Food Review: Blue Buffalo Wilderness

This is the sixth of the dog food review series I'm doing. I managed to take no pictures during this trial, but you can see images of the bag and its contents over at the webpage for this food. Anyway, here's a picture of Ebon's laser-beam eyes to fill in the gap.

Charging lasers in 3...2...1...

Blue Buffalo Wilderness Duck Recipe
Dog Food Advisor rating: ★★★★★
This food is AAFCO approved for all life stages.

Ingredients: Deboned Duck, Chicken Meal, Potato Starch, Turkey Meal, Peas, Chicken Fat (preserved with Natural Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Potatoes, Tomato Pomace (natural source of Lycopene), Natural Chicken Flavor, Flaxseed (natural source of Omega 3 and 6 Fatty Acids), Alfalfa Meal, Whole Carrots, Whole Sweet Potatoes, Blueberries, Cranberries, Barley Grass, Dried Parsley, Dried Kelp, Taurine, Yucca Shidigera Extract, L-Carnitine, L-Lysine, Turmeric, Oil of Rosemary, Beta Carotene, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Niacin (Vitamin B3), d-Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Biotin (Vitamin B7), Folic Acid (Vitamin B9), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Calcium Ascorbate (source of Vitamin C), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Choline Chloride, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate, Salt, Caramel, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecium.

Items in italics will be discussed later. 

Bag's recommended daily feeding instructions for a dog 81-100 lbs:  3 3/4 – 4 1/2 cups
Crude Protein: minimum of 34.0%
Crude Fat: minimum of 15.0%
Crude Fiber: maximum of 6.5%
Moisture: maximum of 10.0%
Calorie content: 410 kcal/cup, 3,488 kcal/kg
Calculated amount to maintain Ebon's ideal weight (82.5 lbs): 4.07 cups or 0.47 kg (1.056 lbs)
Price per pound when buying the largest bag (24 lbs at $54.99): $2.29125
Estimated cost of feeding Ebon per year on this food: $883.14 (16.06 of the 24 lb bags)
Ebon receives slightly less than the calculated feeding amount to allow for his daily treats
Ebon's overall health on this food: Very good. Shiny coat with less smell, poop small and consistent, energy level moderate to high.

It's been an interesting couple of weeks thanks to a visit from my brother's significant other and a complete clean and work-over of the condo. Plus, I've been doing more training with Ebon after finally getting some inspiration for new tricks. Because of that, I forgot to mark the beginning and end dates for this trial (along with the pictures). However, since I bought an eleven pound bag, it lasted about eleven days, or nine days on this food alone and approximately an additional three days on each end for transitioning on and off.

The kibble itself is moderately sized, triangular in shape and smells rather meaty. This is likely due to the prominant meat ingredients. Some nice things to see in this food: chelated minerals and probiotics. Chelated minerals are believed to be more easily absorbed and used by the body than non-chelated minerals, and probiotics/microorganisms help maintain good gut flora to provide for better digestion.

Ebon did really well on this food, which was a great relief after the frustrations of his bad reaction to Merrick. His stool was quite compact and rather small.He had no loose stools, but he also wasn't stressed while eating it, which is when he will frequently have some looseness. His coat was also very shiny and soft and he had less dandruff than he has had on many of the other foods. He tends to have an odd combination of lots of oil (as you would expect from a Labrador) and dandruff. Usually, the dandruff only becomes really noticeable after a bath, but he has a small, but noticeable, amount of flaking that occurs if you give him a really good scratch. Also, unlike the Merrick, he wasn't scratching himself really at all on this food. I like to look at any changes in these traits as they say, to me, the most about his overall condition.

So far, it seems like he's been doing best on the foods with the highest protein content, which really isn't that surprising considering the fact that dogs are pretty much like all other carnivores.The next food I'll be reviewing will have the highest protein content of any kibble that Ebon has ever eaten.

Will I change foods? We'll see. Next up: Evo.

Dog Food Review: Merrick

This is the fifth of the dog food review series I'm doing. Thus far, it's the only food I have felt the need to return for the reasons I will discuss below.

Merrick 5-Star Entrees Grammy's Pot Pie
Dog Food Advisor rating: ★★★★☆
This food is AAFCO approved for all life stages.

The bag

Ingredients: Chicken, Chicken Meal, Ground Rice, Oat Meal, Pearled Barley, Turkey Meal, Chicken Fat (Preserved with mixed tocopherols), Ground Whole Barley, Natural Flavor, Rice Bran,Yeast culture, Dried Egg Product, Hydrolyzed Yeast, Salmon Oil (a natural source of DHA - Docosahexaenoic Acid), Calcium Carbonate, Dried Potato, Dried Carrot, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Dried Apple, Dried Peas, Dicalcium Phosphate, Alfalfa Nutrient Concentrate, Choline Chloride, Dried Blueberry, Dried Cranberry, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Inulin (from Chicory Root), Egg Shell Meal, Ground Fennel, Dried Parsley, Dried Marigold, Rosemary Extrac, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus casei, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Vitamin E Supplement, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Copper Amino Acid Complex, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin D3, Niacin, Lecithin, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Cobalt Proteinate, Folic Acid, Thiamine Mononitrate, Sodium Selenite, Colbalt Carbonate

Items in italics will be discussed later. 

Bag's recommended daily feeding instructions for a dog 75-100 lbs:  2¾ – 3¼ cups
Crude Protein: minimum of 24.0%
Crude Fat: minimum of 14.0%
Crude Fiber: maximum of 4.0%
Moisture: maximum of 10.0%
Calorie content: 356 kcal/cup, 3,560 kcal/kg
Calculated amount to maintain Ebon's ideal weight (82.5 lbs): 4.68 cups or 0.47 kg (1.034 lbs)
Price per pound when buying the largest bag (30 lbs at $49.99): $1.6663
Estimated cost of feeding Ebon per year on this food: $628.89 (12.58 of the 25 lb bags)
Ebon receives slightly less than the calculated feeding amount to allow for his daily treats
Ebon's overall health on this food: Not good. Though his energy level didn't change, he became itchy, vomited once, and also had rather soft stools and a very bad bout of diarrhea the day I finally took him off of the food.

I started transitioning from Ebon's old food on May 8th, took him off of the Merrick on the 11th, put him on a bland diet for a day, put him back on it on the 12th and I took him off of it completely after his incident on May 16th. He was on a bland diet with a dash of pumpkin for two days before I began transitioning him from that onto Simply Nourish as I know he is stable and does well on it and I've been using it to transition between foods during all of these food trials. He has not had a repeat incident since the one on the 16th.

The kibble. Broad picture so you can see the "Elements"

The kibble itself is rather moderate to small in size and includes these colored "Elements" that are high in calcium (egg shell meal?), chlorophyll (alfalfa nutrient concentrate?), and lutein and beta-carotene (dried carrot?). These are a bit like the LifeSource Bits in Blue Buffalo foods in that they are an attempt to prevent the damage to nutrients that occurs during the cooking process. The food smells like a typical kibble, though perhaps a bit oily.

Ebon did extremely poorly on this food, and looking at his reactions and how quickly the symptoms went away once I took him off of it, I suspect that he had an allergic reaction to something in it. The itching, the intensification of his reaction the longer he was on it, especially after I removed and then re-introduced the food. At the end of these food trials I will be doing a complete comparison of ingredients between the foods he has eaten and see if I can figure out what this ingredient could possibly be. Some things currently stand out, including the marigold, parsley, and fennel which have not been in any of the foods I have recorded thus far on this blog. This is also the only food that contains cobalt, however I doubt this is relevant. Also, interestingly enough, it shares some ingredients with foods that he hasn't done as well on, including two of the probiotics (L. plantarum and L. casei, which are in both Wellness and Taste of the Wild). Of all of these, I am most surprised to see marigold in this food. Thus far, this is the only food I have heard of that includes such an ingredient.

Though I suspect an allergy, I really do not know what happened. This is why after I took him off of the food, I cleaned and sanitized every single thing that the food came in contact with in case it had something to do with a bacterium or other element on or in the food. I am not a vet, but it is suspicious that his digestion was basically back to normal as soon as I removed the food. It's true that I switched him to a bland diet immediately (rice and ground beef drained and rinsed of fat, pumpkin added for the second round), but even then such a switch usually takes a couple of days to work. Here, after he removed the food from his system he seemed to be perfectly fine.

Since Ebon was on this food for such a short period of time, I am hesitant to make any major conclusions about my opinion of the food. On its surface, it seems to be a pretty good kibble. It fits a lot of the things I like to see in kibble, such as named ingredient sources, prominent featuring of meat ingredients, inclusion of probiotics, and chelated minerals. However, the number and location of the grains on the ingredient list make it clear this food is grain-based. I did some searching around for other opinions on Merrick's foods and I have found a lot of positive reviews as well as a lot of negative ones. Overall, I give this food a hearty...meh. It clearly didn't work for Ebon, but it's quite possible other dogs could do perfectly well on it.

Will I change foods? We'll see. Next up: Blue Buffalo Wilderness.

Food Reviews: Second Batch Preview

Ebon with the food, ordered by the "best if used by" dates. The foods that will expire soonest are to the left, latest to the right. All of these were purchased at the local Pet Supermarket. I also picked up some treats to replace the ones I recently trashed.

I mentioned in my Castor & Pollux review that I would be soon making my decision about whether or not I would be doing more reviews. I've decided I am, so today I went and picked up five more foods that I'll be reviewing over the next few months. This time, all of the bags I purchased were fifteen pounds except for the thirteen-point-two pound bag of Evo. My only real requirements for the foods I was picking were that they all had to be four or five stars on Dog Food Advisor (DFA), and were not to have been involved in the recent recalls that have been coming out of the recalls that have been traced back to the Diamond Dog Food plant in Gaston, SC. You will note that California Natural is actually a three star food, which I will be getting back to.


Merrick 5-Star Entrees
First on the list is a bag of Grammy's Pot Pie. Merrick produces a wide variety of products, including the Castor and Pollux line that I so recently reviewed. The 5-Star Entrees is just another of the several brands they produce, which also include Before Grain and Whole Earth Farms. All of the brands they produce are good, with none of the kibbles dropping below a four star rating on DFA. The 5-Star Entrees line itself is a four star line, though the cans are five stars.

An important note: due to the date on the bag of Merrick I purchased, and the fact that I have not yet opened the Blue Buffalo Wilderness, I am rotating this food forward. That's right, I will be reviewing this food beginning tonight, when I would have otherwise been opening my bag of Wilderness. The Wilderness review will then follow.

Evo
I also picked up a bag of Turkey & Chicken Formula. Evo is one of several brands manufactured by Natura Pet, who produces five different lines of kibble and cans which range from thee stars to five stars. Evo is overall a five star line, though the 95% cans are only four stars. So far, this will be the food with the highest protein by far that Ebon has ever eaten, with a crude protein level of forty-two percent. Hopefully he handles it well and doesn't turn out like Siggy, who can't handle protein levels over about twenty-five percent. So far, Ebon has done great on a variety of protein levels, but the highest thus far has only been thirty-five percent.

California Natural
I actually picked this food up on accident. I thought it was a four star food, but it is actually only three stars. It's only some of the grain free products by this brand that are four or even five stars. Their canned foods are all five stars. California Natural is also another brand produced by Natura Pet. I almost picked up a bag of their grain free Kangaroo and Red Lentil food, but opted instead for the Large Bite Lamb Meal & Rice Formula. Interestingly enough, both foods have the same three star rating, which is proof that a grain free food isn't automatically stellar. Though three stars is still a rather good food, this will be the lowest rated food that Ebon has eaten in a number of years. I'm still going to include the food in the reviews both to compare it to the other foods he has eaten and since there aren't many ingredients and those that are in the food are rather good and are unlikely to pose any issue to Ebon.

Innova
The next bag I picked up is the Large Bite Adult Dry Dog Food. Overall, Innova is a highly rated brand. Except for their three star senior and low fat formulations, their kibble is mostly four stars, and the grains free ones are even five stars. The cans are four stars. Innova seems comparable in ingredients to a couple of foods Ebon has been fed before, with its multiple protein and grain sources. We shall see how well he does on it compared to those similar foods. Innova is yet another brand produced by Natura Pet. I wasn't aware that these three foods were all Natura products until I began ordering them by expiration date. It will be quite interesting to compare these foods, all of which are vary in quality, and to see how Ebon does on a range of foods from the same corporation.

Dogswell Nutrisca
Dogswell is a brand I know far better as a producer of dog treats rather than dog foods. However, everything I have seen about their products and everything I have experiences feeding their treats in the past have been positive. Their foods are all four or five stars, with the vast majority being five stars like Nutrisca. Nutrisca is an interesting set of foods as not only is it grain free, but it's also potato free. The only sources of carbohydrates in the food are vegetables such as chickpeas and peas, and some fruits such as apple and blueberry. I am quite curious about how Ebon will react to this food, as he has not been fed anything quite like it before. Of the three formulations, the Chicken and Chickpea recipe, which I bought, has the highest protein content.

If it were not for the recent flood of recalls I would likely be reviewing foods from the Canidae and Natural Balance lines. Though these foods have not tested positive for Salmonella, other food produced at the Gaston plant have. The additional recalls have been precautionary, and I applaud the company for doing this. Once things have been sorted I do intend to try out their products as well.

Dog Food Review: Castor & Pollux Organix

This is the forth of the dog food review series I'm doing.

Castor and Pollux Organix Adult Dog Food
Dog Food Advisor rating: ★★★★★
This food is AAFCO approved for adult maintenance.

The bag

Ingredients: Organic Chicken, Chicken Meal, Organic Brown Rice, Organic Peas, Organic Millet, Organic Oats, Chicken Fat (Naturally Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Salmon Meal, Natural Chicken Flavor, Organic Quinoa, Dried Egg Product, Organic Flaxseed, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Organic Carrots, Organic Apples, Organic Broccoli, Organic Pumpkin, Organic Pears, Salt, Choline Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2 Polyphosphate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Niacin, Riboflavin, Vitamin B12  Supplement, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Chondroitin Sulfate, Yeast Culture (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Extract, Dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum Fermentation Extract, Dried Bacillus subtilis, Fermentation Solubles, Rosemary Extract.

Items in italics will be discussed later. 

Bag's recommended daily feeding instructions for a dog 75-100 lbs:  2¾ – 3¼ cups
Crude Protein: minimum of 26.0%
Crude Fat: minimum of 14.0%
Crude Fiber: maximum of 4.5%
Moisture: maximum of 10.0%
Calorie content: 394 kcal/cup, 3,570 kcal/kg
Calculated amount to maintain Ebon's ideal weight (82.5 lbs): 4.23 cups or 0.47 kg (1.034 lbs)
Price per pound when buying the largest bag (25 lbs at $57.99): $2.3196
Estimated cost of feeding Ebon per year on this food: $875.44 (15.09 of the 25 lb bags)
Ebon receives slightly less than the calculated feeding amount to allow for his daily treats
Ebon's overall health on this food: Very good. Shiny coat, poop small and consistent, energy level moderate to high.

The kibble

I started transitioning from Ebon's old food on April 14th, and I started transitioning him off of this food yesterday. The kibble itself is rather small and smells wonderfully of roasted chicken. This is likely due to the large amount of chicken that's included in the product. Some nice things to see in this food: chelated minerals and probiotics. Chelated minerals are believed to be more easily absorbed and used by the body than non-chelated minerals, and probiotics/microorganisms help maintain good gut flora to provide for better digestion.

Ash did this

An interesting diversion happened before I even opened this bag of food. Ash, who is rather infamous for being a sneaky little cat, ripped open the bag. While I wasn't paying attention, he snuck into my closet, where I keep the spare food, and tore open a corner. He's well known for ripping open bags of food, but this is the first time he's ever done it to a plastic bag. He made quite a hole!


Ebon did quite well on this kibble. One slightly odd thing that happened to his stool while on this food was that is was rather soft in consistency,  but the quantity was greatly reduced. Usually, if it's soft, it's also copious. For example, he usually has two movements a day, but on this food there were days when he showed no indication that he wanted to go more than once. He did get stressed one day while on this food, when we were accidentally locked out of the condo for a couple of hours, and he did have the expected copious, loose poop that he almost always has when stressed. It wasn't any looser than normal, despite the starting consistency being different.

Ebon's coat has been quite shiny and soft while on this food, with his normal amount of dandruff. Though this food contains fish meal, there was no hint of the horrible fishy smell he developed while eating Wellness.

Overall, I was rather happy with how Ebon did on this kibble. My only wish was that his stool was a bit more firm, though the quantity was more than acceptable. Though he did quite well, I'm honestly probably not going to feed it to him on a regular basis since it would be even more expensive to feed on a yearly basis than Nature's Variety Instinct, which he did even better on. So far, it would be the most expensive food to feed.

Will I change foods? We'll see. Next up: Blue Buffalo Wilderness and my decision about whether or not to do more reviews.