Which would you feed?

[cassadee7]

Saber is about to get another food change. She is itchy on California Naturals chicken & rice so I thought I'd try a grain free fish based kibble. The three I am considering are:

Acana Pacifica
Wellness Core Ocean
TOTW Pacific Stream

Looking online, I see that Acana and Wellness cost about $60-65 per bag (26-29.7lbs) and TOTW is significantly less at $42 per 30 lb bag. I have not checked local prices yet.

Which food would you choose and why? I think they are all good foods. They are all grain free. Beyond that, I am not sure what the differences might be although I am doing some reading and trying to figure it out. I am willing to try any and all of these foods and others until I find one that works best for her; just need help with a starting point.

I will also note that she is almost 13 months old so I don't think calcium levels are an issue anymore, as she seems about full grown.

[sable123]

Originally Posted by cassadee7

Saber is about to get another food change. She is itchy on California Naturals chicken & rice so I thought I'd try a grain free fish based kibble. The three I am considering are:

Acana Pacifica
Wellness Core Ocean
TOTW Pacific Stream

Looking online, I see that Acana and Wellness cost about $60-65 per bag (26-29.7lbs) and TOTW is significantly less at $42 per 30 lb bag. I have not checked local prices yet.

Which food would you choose and why? I think they are all good foods. They are all grain free. Beyond that, I am not sure what the differences might be although I am doing some reading and trying to figure it out. I am willing to try any and all of these foods and others until I find one that works best for her; just need help with a starting point.

I will also note that she is almost 13 months old so I don't think calcium levels are an issue anymore, as she seems about full grown.

Before you go and spend $120 month on food you should determine if she is itchy because of the protein. I doubt it. What she is on now is not a good diet for a young developing dog. 10% fat is what you would feed an overweight senior dog.

Two of the foods you mentioned are very expensive and probably not worth the money. I think I would try either of Pro Plan's fish formulas first.

[GSDElsa]

I would choose Acana. TOTW ends up--IMO--being just as pricey because it is so much lower in calories. All the GSD's I've given Wellness to, for some reason unknown to me, don't do very well on it.

So...for those very unscientific reasons I'd choose Acana out of the 3 you listed.

[Emoore]

Out of those three, I would not choose TOTW for the reasons Elsa posted. I probably wouldn't feed any of them though. I'd stick with chicken and rice based and go to higher fat. Like Sable said, her itchiness more likely has to do with the diet being so low in fat-- 10% is low. And you can feed high quality, higher fat chicken/rice much less expensive than you can feed high quality grain-free fish based. If it doesn't work you can try the grain-free with fish later.

[Gmthrust]

Acana Pacifica (pfd.<--links you to the pertinate info.)
This isn't the food we feed to our five; but choosing between the three options, it would be the number one first choice I'd try.

And an aside, Cassadee, I am not a foodie expert, nor affiliated with any of the Champion Petfoods company business---I am just an ordinary person who wants the best for my dogs, and cat, too. All my girls, three female shepherds (two of whom are rescue/adoption), my six-pound nearly fourteen years old bright-eyed bushy-tailed female cat, and 3.5 pound (very poor health when adopted but holey moley way healthier) female chihuahua are fed mainly a raw diet with a proportional mix of the Orijen brands (which is a Champion Petfoods line but I don't work for them and not otherwise associated---just wanting to be upfront as possible), used for training bits, etc...

So, anyway, here's a very tiny synopsis of why Arcana would be preferred over the other two: I like how it uses a seemingly close-as-possible whole-foods approach to nutrition. I like its choices of herbs and berries, as these types of carbs show up better in their overall wellbeing than corn and wheat grains---(inserting the 'every dog is different' caveat!). Also, the use of Salmon oil (Arcana) instead of Canola (the other two use that)---that choice seems just a big plus because it gives aid to a better Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratio ---a ratio I feel it's what offers relief to certain types of itchies and is an important issue to look closer upon, though often debated; speaking of which, concerning Omega 3 in Arcana---I like its higher DHA to EPA ratio because among other things DHA feeds their BRAINS, and oooh how I love exubrant brainpower in my dogs and cat! There are more reasons why I like Arcana and would most assuredly choose it before the other two---just gave a couple of reasons, trying to keep it short.

Here are the clickable links to compare the other two's pertinate info with Arcana:

Wellness Core Ocean


TOTW Pacific Stream

[cassadee7]

Thanks guys. That is interesting about the fat %. What would be the ideal fat % in your opinions? I never even considered that so thank you. I do give a fish oil capsule daily but not sure if that is enough to make up for the low fat %.

Emoore, do you have a food suggestion that's chicken/rice and higher fat?

The CA Naturals is pretty high calorie per cup (511) so she needs less food but also seems hungry, so I have to add bulk like veggies which she does like. The label says 11% fat and 21% protein. If I add much more kibble she gets the runs.

Acana: 430 cal, 18% fat, 33% protein
Wellness: 417 cal, 16% fat, 34% protein
TOTW: 360 cal, 15% fat, 25% protein

just thinking out loud... all input welcome.

ETA: she was on the CA naturals PUPPY chicken/rice last month and I am not sure but didn't notice the itchies then. That food is 16% fat.

[Emoore]

Originally Posted by cassadee7

Emoore, do you have a food suggestion thats chicken/rice and higher fat?

Hmmmm. . .

Precise Foundation
By Nature Organics Chicken
Canidae Chicken/rice
NutriSource Chicken/rice
Native Level 2 or 3

[cassadee7]

Thanks Emoore, will check into those.

[robinhuerta]

A couple of people (that I know) who have used the Canidae brand food, have noticed that their dogs are having very loose stools and tons of gas while eating the food.
They have changed over to Diamond Naturals Chicken & Rice.....and the problem stopped.
*I was actually surprised by this...because Canidae has always seemed like a decent food.*
I would also suggest FROMM Gold...a breeder friend in Wisconsin feeds it and highly recommends it.

[Emoore]

Oh yeah, and also:

Premium Edge Chicken/rice
Fromm Classics Adult
Healthwise Adult or Active Adult

Fromm Gold Adult would work like Robin said, but Cassadee said she wanted Chicken-based and I think Fromm Gold is turkey?