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.

Ebon's First BarkBox!

My mother was kind enough to gift Ebon with a six month subscription to BarkBox and the first one arrived today! I quite like the idea, but haven't been able to subscribe. The greyhounds are also getting a box. So, what came this month?

This is how my silly boy plays

Loopies Floppy Fishbone

Company link: here Note: this toy is not currently on their website

The toy is made of polyester and has a single squeaker at one end. The stitching looks durable and it's low on easily chewable bits, which should help it hold up to rougher pups. Though Ebon stopped destroying his toys some time ago, I wonder how it will hold up to Willow, who is not so restrained as of yet. As Ebon is quite fond of squeaky toys, it was an immediate hit. He did his "happy dance" where he rolls around on his back while squeaking the toy like mad. 

Bixbi Daily Essentials Chicken Breast Jerky Treats

Company link: here
Ingredients: Chicken breast, blueberries, cranberries, organic reishi mushrooms, vegetable glycerin
Guaranteed Analysis: 
Crude Protein: 71.89% minimum
Crude Fat: 3% minimum
Crude Fiber: 5% maximum
Moisture: 9.22% maximum

This is the first dog product I've ever found that includes muchrooms, which I find quite interesting. The jerky is slightly soft, breaking very easily into smaller pieces, a trait I generally like as I usually prefer to treat in smaller portions. They do not have a particularly strong smell, being faintly meaty with a hint of mushroom. Ebon was quite excited to try one as he never turns down chicken. 

Healthy Dogma Coconut Barkers

Company link: here

Ingredients: Peas, pea flour, potato, tapioca, coconut, canola oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), pumpkin, cranberry powder, cinnamon

Guaranteed Analysis: 

Crude Protein: 12.0% minimum

Crude Fat: 5.0% minimum

Crude Fiber: 4.50% maximum

Moisture: 12.0% maximum

These treats are grain free and also meat and other animal product free, which can be a bit unusual for a dog treat. They smell pleasantly of coconut. Like most crunchy treats, they snap easily into smaller pieces. Ebon was quite happy to gobble them up as he is quite fond of crunchy treats. 

Etta Says! Crunchy Duck Chew (12 Inch)

Company link: here

Ingredients: Rawhide, duck feet, natural caramel color, salt

Guaranteed Analysis: 

Crude Protein: 52% minimum

Crude Fat: 20% minimum

Crude Fiber: 4% maximum

Moisture: 10% maximum

I somehow managed to miss getting this in the photograph, but there was one twelve inch chew. The chew smells pretty standard for an animal product chew, a bit smokey and of collagen. It breaks easily into smaller pieces, so if the box is being shared between multiple pups it can be easily split. Ebon has had duck feet before, so I'm sure it will be a big hit. I'm saving it for later. 

Mr. Barksmith's Cool Treats Smoothies for Dogs

Company link: here 

Ingredients: Apple puree, banana puree, water, natural pina colada flavor

Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein: 0.41% minimum
Crude Fat: 0.38% minimum, 0.45% maximum
Crude Fiber: 1.30% maximum
Moisture: 86.80% maximum

I've tried out a frozen treat before and even made some myself. Since Ebon likes to eat ice cubes when we throw some in his bowl in the heat, he definitely enjoys something cold with a little more interest! Ebon likes both banana and apple, and after the coconut treats that came in this box I'm sure he'll enjoy the coconut too. We've been having a heatwave for days now, with the heat index during the day well over 100°F and at night often barely dipping below 90°F. Ebon is going to really appreciate his cool treat as soon as it's finished freezing. 

One happy dog

Why I Don't Like Retractable Leashes

A retractable leash

I have a neighbor with a reactive Doberman that is walked on a choke chain and a retractable lead. Clearly, someone has a fundamental misunderstanding of what these things are for, and it isn't the dog. That's what inspired this post.

They're Comparatively Expensive and They Break Easily

Almost all retractable leashes are twice the price of a standard leash of a comparable weight class (i.e. the strength needed for a dog of a certain weight). This isn't surprising as they're significantly more complicated, with multiple moving parts, while a standard leash in its simplest form only needs sewing or riveting in two places. One major consequence of this increase in complexity is the risk of one of the moving parts failing and rendering the "retractable" part of a retractable leash nonfunctional. There have been more that a few instances of retractable leashes failing very shortly after purchase. In comparison, unless your dog has a penchant for chewing whatever is attached to its neck, a standard leash can last decades before needing to be replaced from wear.

As a Training Tool, They are Virtually Useless

Don't get me wrong, there are very specific scenarios when a retractable lead would be useful. However, it should never be a person's default leash choice, let alone one to try to use to teach good leash manners. Corrections are virtually impossible, often resulting in encouraging misbehavior instead of preventing or alleviating it. The point of a leash correction is to redirect unwanted behavior. The best redirection in my experience is turning away from whatever stimulus is causing misbehavior. If a dog is moving toward something of interest and pulls a leash taught, it's easy to real them in with a standard six foot leash. With a retractable leash, however, there is much more distance in the leash itself and the internal mechanisms do not have an automatic rewind. As the length of the leash is thin in comparison to a standard leash, it is harder to get a firm grip on the material. If one tries to use the retractable nature of the lead to reel the dog in, it isn't difficult for the dog to instead gain more distance from its handler. I have seen this occur on multiple occasions. There are reasons why trainers do not use retractable leashes during sessions.

Every dog I have ever seen walking on a retractable leash has been very badly behaved. Not only is there the reactive Doberman, but there are also two highly aggressive Yorkshire terriers owned by another neighbor. Those two are far worse, most likely because whenever another dog is near their owner will pick them up. I saw one of them turn from a reasonable little dog to just as awful as her housemate, snarling and nearly biting her owner trying to get to my dog.

They'll Probably Make Other People Hate You

From experience, I immediately become wary of two kinds of behavior in another person and their pet when I'm walking my dog. The first is a taught leash with a dog pulling forcefully against its collar or harness. The second is the use of a retractable leash. (Of course there are always off-lead dogs, but as I'm in a city I don't expect to see them.)

Seeing this coming at me on a walk is my worst nightmare

Both of these scenarios are very unpredictable as it can be quite hard to say how the strange dog will react when in close quarters with another dog. The first scenario is a common concern for dog owners. Running at someone like a steam engine is an aggressive behavior and until they're nose to nose there's no real way to tell whether the pulling was from excitement or territoriality. The last time I had a dog come at me like that he attacked my dog.

As retractable leashes encourage unrestricted movement, making it nearly equivalent to a dog running free. It is more likely for a dog to use that sense of freedom to charge at a strange dog. Since this is indeed aggressive behavior, there is a good chance that this will lead to a confrontation. Another concern is what the leash will do if and when it pulls taught. As I said, they are prone to breakage and most dogs on this sort of leash are usually poorly behaved.

Most Importantly: They're Very Dangerous for Everyone Involved

There is a good reason why they come with warnings. The thin material of the retractable leash can cause severe injuries if it becomes wrapped around any body part and then pulled taught. These vary from burns and cuts to complete amputations, particularly of fingers. The leach can also be a tripping hazard, especially the thinner lines which may be difficult to see if the handler and dog are a significant distance apart.

A dog running at full steam on a retractable leash poses huge dangers to potentially everyone nearby. The sudden jerk when the dog reaches the end of the leash can cause serious injuries to the neck. Not only that, but an owner can be pulled off of their feet and dragged. The leash handle is also very easy to let go of due to its bulkier build. Then, the dog is running free. The sound of the handle hitting the ground can be quite frightening, but even worse is being "chased" by the handle after trying to run away. The dog can easily dart out into traffic or be exposed to other dangers, such as other dogs. Depending on the temperament of the dog, it can also expose a danger to other dogs or people.

All in all, unless you have a very (and I mean amazing bombproof very) well behaved dog, just stick to a standard leash. They're cheaper and safer and make it easier for everyone in your community to live without the need confrontation. 

Images are from Flickr.com and are under Creative Commons licenses: 1, 2.

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.

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.

Review: Fruitables

Ebon doing his Paws Up for some Apple Bacon Fruitables

I mentioned after my disgust at dog treats made in China that I would be going out and buying some new treats as replacements. I did some searching and found the Fruitables brand, which is made in the U.S. Though I had been looking for sweet potato chips, the brand intrigued me. After opening up and trying out the first bag, I went a bit overboard then next time I was at the pet store and saw they had discounted some Fruitables treats. I now have four of their products and two other kinds of treats, which I'll be discussing when I empty out some of my storage containers and can open the packages. On to the treats!

Sweet Potato Pecan (Crunchy Oven Baked)

Crude Protein: minimum of 8.0%
Crude Fat: minimum of 6.0%
Crude Fiber: maximum of 8.0%
Moisture: maximum of 10.0%

Ingredients: Sweet Potato, Organic Oatmeal, Pearled Barley, Oat Fiber, Canola Oil, Brown Sugar, Pecans, Cinnamon, Natural Flavor, Vanilla, Mixed Tocopherols




Pumpkin Mango (Chewy Skinny Minis)

Crude Protein: minimum of 8.0%
Crude Fat: minimum of 5.0%
Crude Fiber: maximum of 5.0%
Moisture: maximum of 28.0%

Ingredients: Pumpkin, Oatmeal, Ground Brown Rice, Tapioca Starch, Vegetable Glycerin, Ground Potatoes, Brown Sugar, Canola Oil, Ground Oats, Mangos, Gelatin, Cinnamon, Salt, Natural Mango Flavor, Phosphoric Acid, Sorbic Acid (a preservative), Mixed Tocopherols (a preservative), Rosemary Extract.


Apple Bacon (Chewy Skinny Minis)

Crude Protein: minimum of 8.8%
Crude Fat: minimum of 5.5%
Crude Fiber: maximum of 5.0%
Moisture: maximum of 28.0%

Ingredients: Sweet Potatoes, Oatmeal, Ground Brown Rice, Tapioca Starch, Vegetable Glycerin, Ground Potatoes, Brown Sugar, Canola Oil, Bacon, Ground Oats, Apples, Gelatin, Cinnamon, Salt, Natural Bacon Flavor, Phosphoric Acid, Sorbic Acid (a preservative), Mixed Tocopherols (a preservative), Rosemary Extract


YamBerry (Chewy Skinny Minis)

Crude Protein: minimum of 8.0%
Crude Fat: minimum of 5.0%
Crude Fiber: maximum of 5.0%
Moisture: maximum of 28.0%

Ingredients: Sweet Potatoes, Oatmeal, Ground Brown Rice, Tapioca Starch, Vegetable Glycerin, Ground Potatoes, Brown Sugar, Canola Oil, Ground Oats, Blueberries, Gelatin, Cinnamon, Salt, Natural Blueberry Flavor, Phosphoric Acid, Sorbic Acid (a preservative), Mixed Tocopherols (a preservative), Rosemary Extract


So, why do I love these treats so much? For one, these are the best smelling dog treats I have ever found. I bought the Sweet Potato Pecan and Pumpkin Mango treats first, and with both of them I opened the bags and went "mmmmm." The Sweet Potato Pecan ones smell wonderfully buttery with a hint of cinnamon and the Pumpkin Mango ones smell strongly of cinnamon and mango. Most often, treats have a fairly faint smell so these were almost startlingly strong. I had the same reaction with the Apple Bacon, which smell of bacon with a touch of sweetness, and the YamBerry, which smell of blueberries and a hint of cinnamon.

These treats are also the perfect size for training (if the crunchy ones are broken in half) and, due to their low caloric content (3.5 calories per chewy, 9 calories per crunchy so 4.5 when broken), I don't feel bad about giving Ebon a fair number during training sessions (an average session is about fifteen tiny treats). I've found myself buying a lot of treats meant for small dogs due to these reasons. Also, Ebon absolutely adores them. The smell definitely excited him and every time I open one of the containers I keep them in his nose starts sniffing and his tails starts wagging. These were the treats I used while training Ebon to retrieve his leash and I suspect part of the reason he learned so quickly is thanks to him being highly motivated by the treats. The treat on Ebon's nose on that post is actually an Apple Bacon chewy.

The Fruitables chewy treats may end up being a permanent fixture in my dog treat collection. If nothing else, they satisfy my want for a sweet rather than savory treat to give on occasion. Right now the treats I'm feeding are almost exclusively from these four, but I don't plan to get this crazy again. It wasn't my intention to completely switch to treats with so much sugar, but that's what ended up happening. Both of the unopened treat bags I have are savory, so we'll have to see how Ebon likes those.

Ruffwear Gourdo

As I mentioned recently, I picked up a new toy for Ebon at a favorite store of mine. It's a Ruffwear Gourdo, a toy which currently only comes in a bright shade of orange.I mentioned I would give my impression of it as a fetch toy, so here it is.

The look he gave me as soon as we went out the door. If you can't tell, this is his "throw it pretty please" face.

I love this toy. That's the short version. The long version? Ebon had a Ruffwear Lunker years ago and he loved it...a bit too much. My father had picked up the toy for the dog on sale. Also thanks to my father's tendency to let Ebon do anything and everything he wants, including chewing on things he shouldn't, it ended up shredded. Pieces ended up all over the yard and we're still finding them. I liked the concept of the toy and Ebon absolutely adored playing with it while it was whole. When I spotted the Gourdo in the store, I thought back to the similar shape and style of the two toys and decided it was finally time to get a replacement of sorts.

This toy is super durable. Though it's not meant to be a chew toy, the rubber feels a lot like what's used to make the red Kong toys. It should handle a lot of rough play and even some chewing without any ill effects. The rope part feels almost like climbing rope. It's nice and thick and strong, but not likely to hold up to chewing, unlike the rubber side. I didn't realize this until now, but there is a hole in one end that can be stuffed with treats, making the toy just that bit more special. Since the rope isn't chew-proof I don't think this would be an ideal kennel toy, though. So, supervised treat-giving only. For Ebon's size, the large Gourdo is absolutely perfect. It's a good weight and he doesn't have any difficulty with catching or carrying it. One down side? I think it would sink like a stone in water.

Thanks to the weight of the toy and the length of rope, it's really easy to throw this toy quite far. With little effort, I could do this:

Ebon and I are both happy, so this is a great addition to the toy collection. However, this can't quite beat Ebon's absolutely most favoritest thing ever: the tennis ball. It's definitely on par with Frisbee-type toys for how excited it makes him, though (which is pretty darn excited).

A tired Ebon and his Gourdo after a nice play session

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.