[Therese M]

We finally found a couple dry foods that our very picky eater will eat. Bil Jac picky eater and TOTW High Prairie. We don’t like the quality of Bil Jac and didn’t realize TOTW was Diamond, and there have been recent complaints about it. We dont want orijen/acana until the new plant formulas get straightened out, unless there’s additional information on that I’ve missed.
We’ve had some samples that she hasn’t liked but she’s starting to open up to more choices so we might go back to those (zignature turkey and fish- she hates all fish flavors).

I have a coupon for a free bag of zignature so especially one of those flavors would be great. I also have a buy one get one free for fromms. In the end I don’t care about the coupons, just finding her a food she likes. So, what is out there that is high quality that might have comparable tastes to those two foods? Chicken/chicken liver and buffalo/lamb. We’ve also had luck with wet food containing beef and duck. We only have a enough food for today and tomorrow so I need something I can pick up today and am willing to order something else later.

[anonymous]

Zignature is the best! IMO.
How is your dog doing? Better, I hope.

PS: If you go to their website they will tell you where you can buy it in your area.
http://zignature.com/?page_id=14&lang=en
My neighbor’s dog (sensitive stomach) was on Fromm, but the dog is now doing much better since the owner switched her to Zignature about a year ago. Has not needed prn Pepcid in a while, and anal gland issues have decreased significantly.
My dogs are doing well on Zignature too, I use it as a base and add stuff plus I always add a splash of water. I had a dog that did not drink enough water and developed bladder stones (genetic predisposition), so, that’s why I do that

[Kathy B]

I was having issues finding a food that my rescue could eat without diarrhea, someone on this site suggested NutriSource and we have had good luck with it, although only two stores in our town carry it. They have chicken and rice and Lamb meal and rice which is what our girl prefers. (I only feed large breed so they might have something else in regular)

[anonymous]

For a lower cost alternative, I have heard good things about Pro Plan Focus Sensitive stomach & Skin https://www.proplan.com/dogs/products?lifestage=adult-1%2B&specialneed=sensitive-skin-%26-stomach&nutritionalplatform=focus

[Therese M]

Thanks she’s much better. Gained 7 lbs! Vet is very happy, says 3-5 more and we’ll be good.

She won’t touch the dry if there’s any liquid with it. Go figure. We had been sprinkling dehydrated raw on it and that’s when she started eating dry but then I tried liquid and she didn’t touch it. She drinks a lot so I figure it’s fine. Yesterday she ate the dry straight so that was super exciting! She still gets at least one can a day, mainly bc we still have some. Not sure if we’ll keep that up or not.

The Bison NutriSource looks similar to High Prairie but I’m not sure we have that brand around. I’ll look for it though. I think I’ll try the Zignature lamb since High Prairie has a lot of lamb in it. We had tried a couple kinds of Fromms and she wasn’t a fan but since I have the coupon I figured it might be worth another try. Worst case we’ll just donate it. I just can’t figure this dog out at all, except that she seems to hate fish, which is the biggest bag of food we have, so of course she does.

[anonymous]

If they know you at the local pound (Animal Control) they may accept the large opened bag of fish food, considering all the dogs that have been misplaced by the flood and are being cared for at shelters.
You mentioned you were in the Texas area.

When trying a new food it’s best to try a small bag first, even though it’s not cost effective to do so 🙂

[Therese M]

I threw out the bag 🙁 I assumed she would eat it and didn’t even think about it. Now I know always keep the bag until the food is gone for expiration dates and recall codes- I don’t know why I didn’t think of that. All our other open bags she wouldn’t eat went to Hurricane Harvey dogs so I’m very excited that’s being put to good use. We’re just stuck with this right now. I’ll probably give it to a friend if I still can’t get her to eat it this weekend. Always small bags now too- I learned!!!

[anonymous]

I store the kibble in containers too. Rather than save the empty bag, I cut out the expiration date/lot number and the scan code thing. I tape it to my fridg and get rid of it when I open a new bag. Keep the receipt too.

PS: If this ends up being a double/triple post, I apologize in advance. I have a 3 year old refurbished laptop that is giving me trouble 🙁

[Susan]

Hi Therese,
TOTW does not make their wet tin foods, TOTW & Kirkland Signature wet tin foods are made by Evangers, so if your dog was eating & enjoying his TOTW wet tin foods its not a diamond product…..
I bought the 1 x TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb about 1 month ago & on the TOTW site it said the fat is 4%min but when the tin food arrived it said 4.5%min fat on the can, so I converted the 4.5% fat to dry matter & it was 25% fat, a bit high for Patch but I did give him 2 tablespoons for lunch & he ended up with his acid reflux afterwards so the cat ended up eating the rest of the TOTW Roasted Lamb wet tin food & she loved it…it’s a bit expensive at $4.99 a tin in Australia…
If you live near Costco’s try “Kirklands Signature, Nature’s Domain canned food, if you click on the “Reviews” up the top of your post then scroll down & look for “Kirkland Signature Nature’s Domain (canned)” click on link then scroll down & there’s a photo of the Turkey & pea Stew, its looks pretty good…

There’s “Walkabout” Walkabout treats & wet canned food is made in New Zealand & Australia, there’s Wild Kangaroo, Wild Boar, Goat all are low in fat 2% when fat is converted to dry matter they are around 14-15%max fat & there’s Bushtail Possum & Duck, it’s higher in fat 5%, when converted to dry mater is 22.27% max fat… good for dogs with food sensitivities..

Here’s the link calculator so you can save & convert the wet tin foods so you know how high the fat is, I never normally buy a wet tin food that’s over 4% in fat cause I know the fat % will be high over 20% in fat when it’s converted to dry matter (Kibble). http://www.k-9kraving.com/resources/calculator/php

There’s also “4Health” wet tin food sold at Tractor Supply very good price around $1.19,
I don’t know if Evangers also make 4Health wet tin foods, someone else might know but it’s not hard to email the pet food companies & ask do they make their own canned foods or who does makes them… they need a cannery on site to make the canned foods..

[Therese M]

It wasn’t TOTW wet food. According to this site, Diamond makes TOTW and Kirkland, not Evanger. Evanger would never enter my house, so I’m sure I checked. If this site is wrong, then that makes me pretty uphappy, but I go by the information I find here. She’s very picky- she wouldn’t touch either kind of Kirkland canned food.

I’m confused about why you’re listing fat content? I don’t want low fat- she’s already underweight. We were told by the vet to get high calorie food, over 500 cal/cup if possible. She’s not sensitive, she’s picky.

Today’s samples included Zignature Duck (fail), Fromm Game Birds (fail), FirstMate Lamb (huge success!), FirstMate chicken (fail), FirstMate Fish (also huge success- she normally hates fish but they dont use salmon). Plus the rest of the bag of Bil Jac bc she was still hungry after not eating most those and I only had samples of the FirstMate. Unfortunately I cant get FirstMate locally so everything I have that she doesn’t like can’t be traded in for any. I’m going to try Zignature Lamb and hope it’s the lamb in the High Prairie and the FirstMate that she likes and it’ll get her through the returns at least.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Therese M:
Sounds like your girl is doing much better!

I have found the best and most accurate way to find out who manufactures pet food is to go straight to the source, the company itself. Many do use co-packers and even if they do have a kibble factory most times they don’t own their own cannery. Some companies won’t disclose this info, I choose not to feed them if that’s the case. Another issue is companies can and do change who they use so info found on the Internet might not be the most current. The companies that use co-packers tend not to communicate these things with their customers.

Evangers is only a cannery. They do have their own kibble, but they use a co-packer for it.

Hi Susan:
Yes, Diamond only manufactures dry foods for their house brands (TOTW, Chic Soup, Diamond, Premium Edge, Professional+) and other various companies; they are not a cannery. Although Diamond and Costco Kirkland both use a co-packer for their canned foods it is still their products, they’re just made at a facility they don’t happen to own.

As C4C has posted previously Costco Kirkland brand canned foods are manufactured by Performance Pet foods and their kibble is manufactured by Diamond.

/dog-food-reviews/diamond-naturals-dog-food/#comment-3487352339

Last info I had Simmons cans 4Health recipes; not sure who packages their tubs.

Last info I had on Diamond canned recipes are American Nutrition for Chic Soup, Performance Pet Products for TOTW, and I am not sure who cans their Naturals line.

[anonymous]

Chewy dot com has First Mate. https://www.chewy.com/s?query=First+mate&nav-submit-button=

I have used Chewy without issues in fact it is usually is delivered in 3 days. The auto ship is user friendly too

[Therese M]

I like to buy locally if possible but delivered to my door is pretty great too. They just started selling at a new place here so that’s awesome. Looks like a good store with lots of good brands. Plus they gave me coupons so I need to use those!

Left the reject food out for 2 hours. Didn’t touch any of it even with crumbled freeze dry on it. Ugh. Getting tired of returning all these open bags. They must hate me.

[anonymous]

Maybe the store will order First Mate for you? Better yet, maybe they will order a small shipment and see if it sells.
As long as you have coupons I would try Fromms and Zignature, they are both good brands.

[anonymous]

Just a thought, but have you tried broiled chicken liver? It is very reasonable and found at the local market.
Dogs LOVE it, just a spoonful mixed in with the kibble. It is high calorie/high fat and rich in nutrients (in a good way) so just a little at a time.
You can cook up a batch and then freeze in small individual sandwich size freezer bags (2 day supply), transfer to the fridg the night before serving.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by anonymous.

[Therese M]

I have actually! She loves it. I also tried whatever comes in the whole chicken- a heart, liver, and gizzard I think? I have some frozen beef liver but I haven’t done anything with it bc I wasn’t sure what to do with it. Just boil that too? Is it okay to give liver often? I put some plain chicken breast in her food today to at least get her over to it. Sometimes she’ll eat more once her face is in it already.

[anonymous]

I chop up the chicken heart/gizzard and broil, like the chicken liver. I think it’s okay once or twice a week as a topper (small amount, 10 to 20 percent of the meal) mixed in with the kibble.
I have not tried beef liver, I am a pescatarian, so the whole meat thing is hard for me.
But, I know dogs need meat.
When I have the time I boil up a small chicken, debone, defat the broth after it has been in the fridg (24 hours) overnight, divide up, freeze, chicken meat, chicken broth.
It’s a big mess, but cost effective if you have the time.

[Therese M]

I totally understand your issues. My vegan friend’s dog is very ill right now so I’m cooking chicken for her. It’s gross enough for me but not mentally damaging like it would be to her. I get it. I have my own lines.

[anonymous]

Another trick, I fry an egg in a little bit of olive oil, break it up and mix it in with the kibble. I do this maybe once or twice a week.
Cooked ground turkey is another favorite, as a topper to dry.

[Author]

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