Go Back   Pet forum for dogs cats and humans - Pets.ca > Discussion Groups - mainly cats and dogs > Dog food forum

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #31  
Old March 2nd, 2010, 11:54 AM
DoubleRR's Avatar
DoubleRR DoubleRR is offline
Investigative researcher
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Alberta
Posts: 347
Quote:
Originally Posted by Frenchy View Post
Your first idea was the good one , to go with Orijen. Medi-Cal (like most of the other vet food) is full of fillers and much too expensive for it's quality.
Exactly. Never take a vet's word for what food is best--the training they receive in nutrition is limited and usually provided by the pet food companies that want them to sell their product.
Orijen is an excellent food--I have used it for the past two years with great results, and now the two sources of pet food locally sell mostly Orijen and very little else, since so many people have had the same experience. My almost 10 mth old 10 lb dachshund eats 3/4 of a cup a day, which will be less when he is fully mature. My 90 lb Rhodesian eats 3.5 cups a day, less when inactive.
__________________
We don't see things as they are. We see things as we are. Anais Nin
Reply With Quote
  #32  
Old March 2nd, 2010, 12:30 PM
binkybuff binkybuff is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Alberta, Canada
Posts: 163
I feed my mini Schnauzer the Acana for Seniors. She has a sensitive stomach, and I find that this is what suits her. We have no more up- chucks, she doesn't eat grass as much, and, her poops are normal for her size. My vet says she is overweight at 18 pounds, but she only gets about 3/4 of a cup , a day. This is split for her meals, breakfast and a supper. Her breakfast has a bit of soft food (1 tbsp) as well, as she is 13 years old now. My dog, cannot go a whole day without eating, otherwise she is sick at some point even with drinking water. I know that some friends give her doggy biscuits, so that is why she is cut back. During the winter I cannot walk her as much, but as soon as the roads clear here, (no sidewalks where I live), we will be back out walking.

My cat is also on Acana, she is totally indoors, one of my children have their cat on Acana as well. Both cats are doing well, coats shine, and both cats won't eat anything else. I had to change my cat to something as she was up chucking her other food, but with Acana, there isn't any problems with that.

What changed me at first, was all the problems with the food recalls a couple of years ago, and I found that Acana didn't use products from other countrys, it is a western Canadian product, and made here in Alberta. And where I buy it, (pet store) it isn't that expensive. Oddly they are the only place that carry the product here.

From my point of view, Acana qualifies as good food for pets, you can't go wrong with it. Less food, and less poop, and yet the animals seem satisfied and healthy.

take care
binky
Reply With Quote
  #33  
Old March 2nd, 2010, 06:36 PM
cassiek's Avatar
cassiek cassiek is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: High River, AB, Canada
Posts: 622
I am a firm believer in Orijen - their philosophy is based on trying to mimic a BARF (raw) diet into a kibble and I think they have done that very well. The only food I would rate higher than Orijen is a raw diet. I also love that their products are a Canadian product. I have fed both Orijen and Acana and had good results. I actually am really really curious to try the Orijen new red meat formula and may try splitting it 1/2 and 1/2 with raw.
__________________
My babies: Sassy - Maltese X (9), Furby - Shihtzu X (7), Brynn - Boxer (3), Diesel - Boxer (1)

"Many of the Earth's habitats, animals, plants, insects, and even micro-organisms that we know as rare may not be known at all by future generations. We have the capability, and the responsibility. We must act before it is too late." - Dalai Lama
Reply With Quote
  #34  
Old March 6th, 2010, 05:09 PM
Retriever Retriever is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Posts: 11
I use Orijen dry senior food right now with Go Natural can food to make it more moist. My dog has been picky all his life but ever since I started adding Go wet food he rarely turns down a meal.
Reply With Quote
  #35  
Old March 7th, 2010, 10:11 AM
katty5256 katty5256 is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Moncton, NB Canada
Posts: 42
I have a rotbox who I have been having food sensitivities with. Until I can afford allergy tests which are about $500 in my area I have just been cutting things out that she responds negatively to. I recently put her on Acana Pacifica which is a fish based food without any wheat. I am a PRO supporter of any company that uses whole ingredients and free range proteins. I really like this food. When comparing it to the price of a vet food and comparing ingredient to ingredient this food wins my vote hands down. My girl hasn't had any problems on this food and I feel good about my decision knowing that the animal proteins used in it aren't sick or diseased animals not fit for human consumption that are found in a lot of dog foods.
__________________
To my mind the life of a lamb is no less precious then that of a human being....I hold that, the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty by man -Mahatma Ghandi
Reply With Quote
  #36  
Old March 24th, 2010, 11:43 AM
FlamesGirl FlamesGirl is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Calgary
Posts: 62
My brother's puppy was on Acana Large breed puppy and he did terrible on it. Brother made a slow switch but puppy had the runs constantly and was so skinny. Took puppy to the vet, got a bunch of pills and told to do a "plain diet" of rice/chicken or potato/hamburger and gradually add kibble. Puppy didn't have the runs while on meds but once off, they started again. Finally realized when he was fed potato/hamburger he was still getting runny poop. Checked Acana and it has potato in its ingredient list. Brother switched to Orijen 6 fish at 6 months and puppy never had the runs again and finally lost the ribby/boney look and has been doing great ever since. For some reason he just can't handle potato.
Reply With Quote
  #37  
Old March 24th, 2010, 11:59 AM
rainbow's Avatar
rainbow rainbow is offline
-
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Beautiful BC's Kootenay Country
Posts: 34,757
Quote:
Originally Posted by FlamesGirl View Post
Checked Acana and it has potato in its ingredient list. Brother switched to Orijen 6 fish at 6 months and puppy never had the runs again and finally lost the ribby/boney look and has been doing great ever since. For some reason he just can't handle potato.
But Orijen 6Fish also has potato as an ingredient ....

http://www.orijen.ca/orijen/products...gredients.aspx
Reply With Quote
  #38  
Old March 24th, 2010, 12:07 PM
sugarcatmom's Avatar
sugarcatmom sugarcatmom is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Calgary, AB
Posts: 5,357
Quote:
Originally Posted by FlamesGirl View Post
Checked Acana and it has potato in its ingredient list. Brother switched to Orijen 6 fish at 6 months and puppy never had the runs again and finally lost the ribby/boney look and has been doing great ever since. For some reason he just can't handle potato.
Glad that your brother found a food that his puppy can tolerate, but it wasn't likely an issue with potato. There actually isn't any potato in the Acana Large Breed Puppy, but there is in the Orijen 6 Fish. So maybe it was the chicken or grains in the Acana that was the problem?
Orijen 6 Fish:
Fresh deboned salmon, salmon meal, herring meal, russet potato, fresh deboned lake whitefish, sweet potato, peas, ...
Acana Large Breed Puppy:
Chicken meal, steamed oats, fresh free-run chicken, peas, fresh deboned salmon (source of DHA), brown rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols androsemary), chicken liver, fresh whole eggs,...
__________________
"To close your eyes will not ease another's pain." ~ Chinese Proverb

“We must not refuse to see with our eyes what they must endure with their bodies.” ~ Gretchen Wyler
Reply With Quote
  #39  
Old March 26th, 2010, 03:36 PM
FlamesGirl FlamesGirl is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Calgary
Posts: 62
Ah, sorry I was confused - it was the rice he couldn't digest. I knew it was either potato or rice because he figured out even when feeding it to the pup in the bland diet, the pup would get the runs with the rice, not the potato. Serves me right for not checking!
Reply With Quote
  #40  
Old March 28th, 2010, 08:33 PM
Flicka Flicka is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 44
We brought our new Leonberger puppy home form the breeder, she was feeding the Purina Large breed puppy, I knew right away I was going to switch. Bought a large bag of Acana, Bark and Fritz reccommed. He has had the runs, many poops a day, stinky! Brought him to the vet thinking he was sick or had a parasite, 220$ later, turns out he is sensitive to his food. He is on the vet's food for 2 weeks, with supplements to try to get back to normal, and it's working!
Now, I don't know what food to pick??? If Orijen is made by the same company, should I try it???
Opinions please, I thought I was picking the right food...
Reply With Quote
  #41  
Old March 28th, 2010, 10:09 PM
TeriM's Avatar
TeriM TeriM is offline
Live well, laugh often
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: North Vancouver, BC
Posts: 9,757
The reason most of those types of foods work is that they are full of fillers etc that have the purpose to firm up stools. I personally would rather home cook for the puppy for a week or so and then begin to add back in some regular dog food slowly to allow the system to adjust. I would even consider trying the acana again but introducing it slowly. Is it possible as well that you were overfeeding a bit because that is often a cause of diarhea problems in young puppies. I would also buy a probiotic to use which I found very helpful.

What are the main ingredients (name) of the vet food? and what type of Acana did you buy? It would be worthwhile to compare the ingredients to determine if there is a sensitivity to a protein etc.

Riley had a pretty sensitive tummy as a puppy and we had our best success with Timberwolf foods but they are really expensive. I would suggest a kibble in the lower protein range to start (20 - 25%) with limited ingredients. You could consider brands like California Naturals or Go Natural Salmon.
__________________
"Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead
Reply With Quote
  #42  
Old March 28th, 2010, 10:37 PM
Mirela Mirela is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 224
I tottaly agree with switching very slowly.
I'm in the process of switching my puppy as well from Purina to Acana but I'm going at it really slow - I mixed 1/4 cup Purina with 1/8 Acana for about a week and it worked without tummy upsets. Lots of small poops a day - sometimes 5 or 6, but no diarhea.

I got the Acana puppy and junior -black and yellow bag.
Reply With Quote
  #43  
Old March 29th, 2010, 03:59 PM
BenMax BenMax is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 10,187
My GSD has recently been switched from Solid Gold to Acana Pacifica. My min pin is on red meat Orijen.

Acana meets my budget for a large breed and so far has met my expectations.
Reply With Quote
  #44  
Old March 30th, 2010, 12:08 PM
Choochi Choochi is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Toronto
Posts: 304
My dogs were on Orijen, my big guy had constant dandruff, dry skin, dull fur. I switched them to Wellness and both dogs did great, skin and fur issues went away. We tired a couple of their formulas and all worked out fine. The last bag of food I bought I thought I would give the pink Acana (I can't remember which formula it is) a try, and within 2 weeks skin problems were back on the big guy, and my little one started chewing up her paws. Back to Wellness we went and all problems went away with both dogs.
Reply With Quote
  #45  
Old March 30th, 2010, 01:22 PM
kandy kandy is offline
Hazel's Personal Servant
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Wyoming
Posts: 1,742
I would also suggest cutting back on the amount of food for anyone who is feeding a premium food and still seeing runny stools or an excessive amount. If I remember correctly, for my newfs the feeding instructions say something like 6-8 cups of food a day! That's way too much - they each get about 3 1/2 cups a day with some kind of topping (canned food, etc) split into 2 meals. My 40lb collie mutt gets about 1 2/3 cup a day split into 2 meals.

While I think Acana is a decent brand, it is a bit grainy IMO. I was feeding Timberwolf, but have tried different brands. I found that Timberwolf kept raising their prices, while lowering the quality IMO. When I first started feeding the Dakota bison formula, the bison was first on the list, salmon meal second. Then pretty soon the salmon meal was further down the list, with more grains added. And I didn't like their customer service - or the fact that they wouldn't disclose where their products were made. The ingredients in Wellness aren't bad, but now that they've been bought out alot of their products are made by Diamond Foods. That makes me nervous since Diamond Foods seems to be involved in alot of recalls on pet food. I finally chose EVO (the original formula, turkey & chicken) and the dogs have been on it now for a couple of months. They've all had really good poops, but 2 of them seem to be having ear issues now. Since all the foods that they've had in the past were usually red meat based, I'm wondering if it's the chicken.

Even the very best foods aren't right for every dog, you have to find the one that your dog thrives on.
__________________
Kandy
Livin in a Newfie Drool Zone
Reply With Quote
  #46  
Old March 30th, 2010, 03:16 PM
Chris21711 Chris21711 is offline
-
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Queensville, Ontario
Posts: 8,992
Kandy you mention that Acana is a bit grainy, not all types of Acana have grains....I feed Grasslands and it is grain free.
Reply With Quote
  #47  
Old March 30th, 2010, 03:17 PM
BenMax BenMax is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 10,187
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris21711 View Post
Kandy you mention that Acana is a bit grainy, not all types of Acana have grains....I feed Grasslands and it is grain free.
Maybe she means the texture? Actually no because it doesn't feel grainy nor is there grains.
Reply With Quote
  #48  
Old March 31st, 2010, 10:21 AM
Flicka Flicka is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 44
Thanks! Spoke to the vet, and he's keeping him on the Vet low residue formula for a couple weeks, then we will introduce a new food slowly and see if there's a sensitivity or not. I'd prefer to get him back on regular food as soon as possible. The vet also has him on pro biotics for now as well, he is doing great! Seems to be driniking alot more, but the poops are under control now!
Reply With Quote
  #49  
Old March 31st, 2010, 05:57 PM
kandy kandy is offline
Hazel's Personal Servant
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Wyoming
Posts: 1,742
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris21711 View Post
Kandy you mention that Acana is a bit grainy, not all types of Acana have grains....I feed Grasslands and it is grain free.
I was actually talking about the Acana that is not grain free, like the Acana Adult Dog formula.
__________________
Kandy
Livin in a Newfie Drool Zone
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Forum Terms of Use

  • All Bulletin Board Posts are for personal/non-commercial use only.
  • Self-promotion and/or promotion in general is prohibited.
  • Debate is healthy but profane and deliberately rude posts will be deleted.
  • Posters not following the rules will be banned at the Admins' discretion.
  • Read the Full Forum Rules

Forum Details

  • Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
    Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
    vBulletin Optimisation by vB Optimise (Reduced on this page: MySQL 0%).
  • All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:18 PM.