[aquariangt]

Hi Catherine- I and love and you’s canned and dehydrated foods are a bit newer to the market. You can request a review here:

/contact-us/suggest-dog-food-review/

They may already be in the works. I work in Boulder, and have used both the canned and dehydrated, I like them! They are a cool company as well

[Schnauzer Mama]

Nulo

[Diana B]

Fromm’s NEW line of Grain Free in their Prairie Gold line. Especially the FROMM’s Prairie Gold Large breed puppy. Thank you.

[aquariangt]

Fromm is already an editor’s choice brand, when they review the new Gold Grain Free Line, it’ll get added to the rest of the editor’s choice list

[Diana B]

Aquarianqt- I did realize that. I think I’m guilty of trying to push for a review for the new Fromm’s large breed grain free puppy! Is there a forum for those requests? Thanks!

[aquariangt]

/contact-us/suggest-dog-food-review/

You fill that form out-my guess is its in the works, since Fromm is both editor’s choice, and a fairly popular food

[Terry G]

Hi Mary M.,

I’ve fed my Terrier “Small Batch” for a year and a half and it is wonderful food! Excellent nutrition and highly digestible; you’ll notice less poop. My dog is five years old. She lost weight and has consistent, joyful energy. Her favorites are the beef and the chicken.

The store owner recommended putting two days worth of the patties in the refrigerator. When feeding, warm filtered water in your tea kettle and pour some over the patties. The owner & her husband (who handles Police dogs) said it is better on your dog, who has a normal temperature in excess of 100°, to feed food that is not chilled to refrigerator temperatures. After breaking up the patties with a spoon and stirring them in the warm to hot water, I add Primal brand Goat’s Milk, so she has a marvelously smelling soup. If you forget to thaw the patties ahead of time, just put a serving in a zip lock bag and place in a bowl of hot water. They thaw in just a few minutes.

It is a blessing to have food you can trust to feed to your animals!!

Terry G.

[Susan C]

I am very careful and particular about what I have fed, and still feed, my 7 different rescued dogs over the years. I have mostly fed them the grain free “Wellness Reduced Fat CORE” for the last 5 years, and have tried other expensive 5 star foods, but usually go back to the Wellness CORE, because others seem to be to rich for my dogs, or something . . . However, they are all EXPENSIVE!! I have lost all my dogs to old age, which is always heartbreaking, and I now have 3 adorable, truly rescued Lhasa/Shitsu mixes (1st one, 4 years ago, was a 3 year old in a kill shelter in NC, with 1 day left before she was rescued, Bailey, and the recent brother and sister’s (Johnnie & Janie) owner passed away this past December. I am the lucky one that we found each other!! Love them soooo much!!
ANYWAY, I have recently learned from a friend about the very reasonably priced “4health Grain Free” Dry Dog Foods for all types of dogs that is Tractor Supply’s private Brand. I found out that most of the 4health dry foods are made by Diamond, but a few of the flavors are made by Ainsworth. The “Grain Free Duck and Potato” is by Ainsworth, for example. I had never been in, or heard of, a Tractor Supply store before, so this was all totally NEW to me. I know that Diamond has gotten a bad rap for years so I did lots of research before trying a couple of the “Grain Free” dry foods, which my dogs love, by the way. I learned that Diamond has really revamped and greatly improved their facilities, and testing procedures since 2012. Did you know that? Check out their website, and others that confirm this. I now believe they may be one of the best dry dog food processors now, and may even be better than some human food processing centers. Oh, and by the way, through the years, I have gotten a bad bag of the Wellness CORE a couple of times that my dogs wouldn’t eat, so something going wrong can happen anywhere I believe, even Wellness.
I would like to ask the “Dog Food Advisor” to PLEASE let us know what you think of, specifically, the “4health Grain Free Duck and Potato” (has sweet potato’s in it also) by Ainsworth, AND the “4health Grain Free Chicken & Vegetables” by Diamond (has Probiotics, Glucosamine and Chondroitin in it, Yeah). By the ingredients, they look like two of the best ones in my opinion that 4heath offers. I also think the Salmon one, Whitefish one, and the Grain Free Turkey and Potato look good also. It can be very difficult to decide on which food will be the best for our babes, that’s why I appreciate the “Dog Food Advisor” so much!! Most of us want the best food, at the best price, for our babes, which some of the “4health” foods may just be, is what I am hoping!! Thank you in advance if you do check out these 4health foods and list them in the fabulous “Dog Food Advisor” soon. I don’t work for any of these companies listed above, just a concerned dog owner that wants a good quality food, at a more reasonable price!! Thanks again!!
A Dog Lover who wishes all the Junk Dog Foods out there could be banned!!

[dawn m]

I too would love to know if these foods and mfg. have improved and where they would rate on DFA.

[Susan C]

The Tractor Supply private brand “4health” have a few relatively NEW, GRAIN FREE FOODS. DFA, PLEASE evaluate, rate, and put in the “DFA” site specifically, the two I MENTION, as they appear to be a couple of the best ones:
1. “4health GRAIN FREE CHICKEN & VEGETABLES” manufactured by DIAMOND. and,
2. “4health GRAIN FREE DUCK & POTATO” (sweet potato) manufactured by AINSWORTH.
Not sure WHY they use TWO DIFFERENT FACILITIES TO MANUFACTURE SOME OF THEIR DRY DOG FOODS, BUT THEY DO. I found this out while doing some research on the 4HEALTH BRAND. A Veterinarian with Diamond called me back to answer some of my questions that the Customer Service girl didn’t know, and that’s how I learned that Diamond doesn’t manufacture all of the 4health dry foods, even tho’ they would like to, like the Duck and Potato, by Ainsworth. I believe MANY consumers, LIKE ME, would GREATLY appreciate KNOWING this. Also, DIAMOND HAS APPARENTLY GREATLY IMPROVED THEIR PROCESSING AND TESTING PROCEDURES since 2012. THEY say this and SHOW you on their site, AS WELL AS OTHER INDEPENDENT SITES that CONFIRM this. Important to know!! Diamond may be one of the best now!! I have fed my dogs the expensive Wellness CORE for years, and, have even returned a few of those bags, through the years, because they were making my dogs have tummy issues. I would try other 5 star brands in the interim, but always went back to the CORE, thinking it must have just been a bad batch, or something. So, I guess any company, even the best, can have a blunder from time to time. I don’t work for any of these companies . . . I am just a concerned dog owner, trying to find the best food, at the best price for my very much LOVED rescued babes. I hope the 2 “4health” I mention above may just be it. It’s almost 1/2 the price!! AND, MY DOGS LOVE THE 2 FLAVORS I MENTION ABOVE, AND, BY WHAT I CAN SEE THEY ARE 2 OF THE BEST IN THE “4HEALTH” BRAND. THANKS in advance for checking this out in your thorough way!!
Susan C. in Virginia

[DogFoodie]

Susan C,

4Health Grain Free Duck and Potato dry food has already been reviewed; and you can find it here: /dog-food-reviews/4health-grain-free-dog-food-dry/

If you’re referencing 4Health Chicken and Vegetable Stew canned food, it has already been reviewed; and you can find it here:
/dog-food-reviews/4health-dog-food-canned/ If this is the food to which you are referring, it cannot be made by Diamond, as they have no cannery. But if you are in fact referring to their new dry food, it does take some time to update all of the reviews and that DFA product page was just updated on 08/22/2014, so it might be a while.

Diamond has had more than a “blunder from time to time,” and is far, far from being “one of the best.” Yes, that’s my opinion, and I’d be willing to go out on a limb and say that’s likely the EC opinion as well.

Can you please share the links to the independent web sites which reflect that Diamond has “greatly improved their processing and testing procedures,” please.

[Susan C]

No they haven’t. All the the Grain Free dry “4health” foods are totally different.
The first link you sent to me was evaluating the dry “4health Whitefish and Potato”. The ingredients don’t even slightly resemble the Grain Free Duck and Potato ingredients. The Whitefish ingredients are totally different from the two I mentioned. The Duck has lots of vegs and fruits that the Whitefish does not.
AND, The 2nd link you sent to me was about canned food. I am NOT talking about any canned food. The dry Grain Free 4health Chicken and Vegs food also has lots and vegs and fruits AND Probiotics and Glucosamine and Chondroitin. Again, does not even slightly compare to this canned food link.
What is going on there with you guys?? I thought you could help me figure this out, not further upset me. I feel like you attacked ME!!
And, a lot of people, including me, who have been feeding Wellness CORE to their babes for years have had to return bags of the food, several times, because something was wrong with it and our dogs were getting sick. There probably should have been a recall, but it got swept under the carpet, Wellness did replace a lot of food for a LOT of people, but never had a recall. Many people on DFA have said this. So why has Wellness NOT had a voluntary or non voluntary recall?
I will go back and try to find the sites that I saw the “improved Diamond” testimonies. But, don’t have them to give to you this minute. Have you or anyone there looked into Diamonds improvements? Again, I am just learning about this 4health food, which looks to be a GREAT food at a GREAT price. So I have no allegiance to anyone, just trying to do the best thing for my 3 dogs. I was just looking for your help, since I PAID to be able to see the TOP Dog Food Choices by you guys, but obviously am not going to get any!!
I have been a supporter of DFA for years, but you have really upset me with your short, blunt answer that didn’t even address my questions.
Susan C. in Virginia

[Susan C]

To Dog Foodie (and I hope Mike Sagman). Again, I was not referring to canned food at all, so you didn’t even read my note. I was only referring the two dry GRAIN FREE 4HEALTH DOG FOODS, that I listed.
Dog Foodie wanted to know which independent sites I saw confirmation of the improvements that have been made to Diamond Pet foods processing procedures since 2012. Well, here are two:
http://www.petmanianc.com/diamond-recall-update and
http://www.wellmindedpets.com/blog
Also, Diamond themselves have quite an impressive video on their site where you can see what they have done to greatly improve their standards. Probably better than a lot human food processing places now!! Apparently some decision makers from Pet Mania saw this first hand on a tour they went on and thought the changes warranted it good enough to bring Diamond foods back into their stores in NC.
Again, I have NO allegiance to any company, just trying to find a very good dry dog food at a reasonable price. Since the two 4health dry foods I am referring to are relatively new, I just hope that they will get the thorough review by DFA that I believe they deserve. Again, they are:
1. 4health dry Grain Free Chicken and Vegs, and
2. 4health dry Grain Free Duck and Potato
A caring mom of 3 dogs,
Susan C. in VA

[aquariangt]

Susan, the first link that DogFoodie posted does include the duck and potato, if you read down, it shows which formulas are reviewed in that group.

I do see the chicken and vegetables on tractor supplies website, but I wonder if the last time the review was updated, that it wasn’t available, so that’s why it wasn’t included. You can submit a request for it to be reviewed under the contact us tab on the bottom of the screen.

I would have to agree with DF on the note of Diamond not making it to editor’s choice based on their poor history. recently I’ve seen complaints about the Costco line-similar to TS they have diamond manufacture their house brand. If they can go without a recall for a few more years, maybe they could make it to consideration, but for the time being, there are still too many in recent years with poor handling to most likely make the cut

[DogFoodie]

I did read your note, Susan. Did you read mine? I directed you to the review for the Duck and Potato product and the Chicken and Vegetable canned food. But, you apparently glossed over where I had mentioned the Chicken and Vegetable dry food not having been reviewed yet. Glad you were able to find the reviews.

To say that I attacked you is incredulous. I tried to offer links that might help you find the information you were looking for. No need to be so rude.

[Susan C]

to Dog Foodie, I Apologize! Yes, you were trying to help me, I am truly sorry! I did not see the actual comparisons on the two I was referring to.
I am just holding out hope that Diamond has, in fact, improved their whole process, as the ingredients and price of a few of the dry foods by 4health just look to good to turn away from.
What did you think about what the 2 independent sites said about Diamond’s improvements that I mentioned in one of my notes?
The dry 4health Grain Free Duck and Potato is manufactured by Ainsworth, so I hope that is a good one. Where the dry 4health Grain Free Chicken and Vegs is by Diamond, but that has the Probiotics, Glusosamine and Chondroitin.
Anyway, I was just so excited to learn about these “new to me” dry 4 health grain free foods . . . I hope they are good ones and may get a more thorough review one day, since Diamond has (supposedly) improved their processing and testing procedures.

and, AQARIANQT, thank you for your comments. Did you happen to see the 2 independent sites I mentioned above that also say Diamond is better. I understand what you are saying, but still have hope!! Since I have personally experienced problems with Wellness CORE very recently, and, in years past. It seems impossible to find a dry food that you can be absolutely positive that it is safe and good for our babes!! That’s my main point and concern. It’s like, who really knows when or if something will go wrong with any of the companies. So far, my 3 are doing great on the Tractor Supply dry 4health Grain Free Duck and Potato, but it’s by Ainsworth, not Diamond. So confusing!!!
Anyway, thank you for your comments back to me.
I have tried other 5 star foods, but many are too rich in something, or don’t have the Probiotics, or my dogs just won’t eat. And, I do switch them over very slowly, still using the current and new foods.
Thanks again,
Susan C. in VA

[Susan C]

to Dog Foodie, i am truly sorry about my first response back to you.and,
AQARIANQT, thank you again for your comments back to me.
Susan C. in VA

• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by Susan C.

[aquariangt]

I read the first one, and the 2nd one I couldn’t find any information on Diamond. The first one was posted a year after the most recent Diamond mega recall.

While I applaud them for attempting to get things turned around, I still am leary and won’t be feeding their foods anytime soon. In a few years, if they’ve cleaned up their act…maybe, but still unlikely. There are plenty of foods out there that I like more than the majority of Diamond products anyway. I like that they have some affordable lines of decent quality, but for me, it’s not really worth the risk-and like I said, they still have to be clean for a few more years before I could even in good conscience recommend them.

As far as the probiotics and glucosamine you are looking for-there are other foods out there that add that, or you can add them yourself (I use supplements all the time with the dogs)

[theBCnut]

After a recall, Diamond ALWAYS clean up their act for a while, but since the corporate attitude has not changed and they don’t do a major house cleaning and get rid of all the employees that are so ridiculously lazy, the improvements never last. There have been many complaints about some of their foods very recently and they have had a recall on cat food since the recall on dog food in 2012. They do not respond quickly when they do have a recall and they recall as absolutely as little as possible and then find out that they need to widen the recall…several times, risking the health of far more people and their pets. It would take a whole lot more than Diamond making claims of improvement, and Diamond inviting people to tour their company when they have plenty of warning that they need to clean up their act, for me to trust them again.

[Jean elizabeth j]

what about solid gold dry dog food small bread?

[Jean elizabeth j]

sorry I miss spelled breed in last post meant small breed Thanks

[Jennifer P]

I’m new to this but I can tell you that The Honest Kitchen Embark for puppies and adults seemed to be a lifesaver to our GSD puppy and his gastric problems. He was on Fromm Gold for Large Puppies and I kept going to the vet for his loose stools and the vet kept putting him on antibiotics and then probiotics to keep him from having additional stomach problems from the antibiotics!!??!! Then I found THK. I started to ease him into it but was so distressed over his stomach issues I just went for it full bore and wouldn’t you know his stomach issues were immediately resolved!! Now I’m just trying to find healthy mixes of dry for his daytime feedings. The only downside? I soon learned that a total diet of THK is as expensive as feeding organic human food.

[Glenda B]

I was surprised that Earthborn holistic dog food was not on the list. I have been very pleased with this food and love the list of ingredients

[Marie R]

That why I switched to Fromm without grain.
Some of the vitamins in Earthborn are from overseas.

[Nancy B]

Jennifer:

My two senior rescue dogs loved their THK and I stuck with it for 2 years, struggling with the price. Recently i switched to another food when our vet found no reason looking at lab results why one dog had been losing weight and excessively urinating. I switched to Champion Foods’ 5-star Orijen and all symptoms disappeared and the cost is 1/3 that of THK. Champion makes Acana and Orijen, but someone mentioned a problem with puppy Acana, so I don’t know.

[Monique M]

I’m a new subscriber with a new AKC registered litter of beautiful and healthy standard poodle pups on NE end of Lake Washington near Seattle. I’ve been feeding my dogs Darwins for a number of years’ now and attribute the longevity of my oldest Rescue Poodle to that awesome and natural food prepared fresh right here in Seattle. It is delivered frozen in styrefoam coolers right to my door. I definitely think it should be added to the list of recommended food as I intend to recommend it to all of my new pet owners. I hope to see Darwin’s on the list of best foods for dogs and I agree that the customer service couldn’t be better.

[Monique M]

I’m also curious about the “Blue” brand that is supposed to be one of the best with no corn, soy or wheat and no mysterious by-products. What’s the truth about Blue and where does it rank, if at all?

[theBCnut]

Blue would be an OK food if they weren’t having so many quality control issues right now, but they are the only ones that think they are the best. They drank their own Kool Aid.

[Terry G]

Hi theBCnut! I’ve never fed my dogs the Blue brand of foods & I don’t plan to change from the “Small Batch” raw foods I use, but I had a woman tell me last month that Purina is the company that instigated all the law suits against Blue & she thinks they are just trying to harm the Blue brand ~ that there really isn’t a quality problem with Blue, there’s a profit & popularity problem as far as Purina is concerned. Do you think there is any truth to that? Thanks!

[theBCnut]

I think it is PART of the issue, but not all of it. My vet has had several dogs come in severely dehydrated from vomiting and diarrhea while on BB and these were dogs that have been on it a while so should not suddenly be sick from it. Her clients were reporting that it started after they started on a new bag of food. BB is the only brand she has ever told me not to feed, and she isn’t picky about what people feed their dogs.

[Nancy B]

Monique: Here we go again with ‘Blue’. Over 1000 consumer complaints scared me!

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/blue_buffalo.html?page=2

[AL D]

I had used Blue Buffalo for several years. Nearly two years ago I bought a new bag of what I had been using. BOTH dogs got very sick, throwing up and diarrhea, also lethargic. I immediately knew nothing had changed other than their dog food. After vet visits and I got them well, I contacted Blue Buffalo. Blue Buffalo’s indignation alone was upsetting. They said, just to refund the cost of the 30# bag of dog food, I would need to furnish them complete blood test of both my dogs and a letter from the veterinarian saying that it was specifically the Blue Buffalo that made my dogs sick and specifically what they were diagnosed with connected to the dog food.
Their non-concern, attitude and response alone were enough for me to never use any of their products again; not to mention that I was so concerned about the health of my precious dogs that I feel are family.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by AL D.

[Susan C]

PLEASE EVALUATE THESE 2 TRACTOR SUPPLY, DRY, GRAIN FREE 4HEALTH FOODS:
1. CHICKEN AND VEGETABLES, DRY, GF – MADE BY DIAMOND, BUT IT ALSO HAS PROBIOTICS, GLUCOSOMINE & CHONDROITIN. SO IT IS NOT LIKE THE WHITEFISH ONE AT ALL. AND

2. THE TS, DRY, GRAIN FREE DUCK AND POTATO, BY AINSWORTH. HAS LOT OF VEGS AND FRUITS, BUT NO PROBIOTICS. AGAIN, NOT LIKE THE WHITEFISH ONE AT ALL.

I WOULD LOVE IT IF YOU WOULD SPECIFICALLY EVALUATE THESE 2 PLEASE.

Susan C. in VA

[aquariangt]

Hi Susan,

As stated to you already in this thread, the Duck and Potato is already covered in this review:

/dog-food-reviews/4health-grain-free-dog-food-dry/

Being that it has no note saying it is a different star rating than the overall coverage of the review, it has the same star rating as the whitefish and potato

[John H]

I would like to nominate Weruva and their human grade canned food. Tremendous quality, good company and friendly customer service. My 3 rescues absolutely prefer this food over all the others that we have tried.
Thank you.
JH

[Barry H]

You gave a rating of 4 stars with a above average and enthusiactly recommended it on the free page for Precise brand Naturals, I have used it for over 2 years with great results.

[Sandra F]

Hi, I would like to nominate Canadae Grain Free Dry Dog Food. I feed this to my two Brittany Spaniels. It was rated 5 star on another list on this site but not on Editor’s choice. Why was it not on Editor’s Choice and listed as 5 star on the other list.

[aquariangt]

Editor’s Choice is an overview of the best of the best, and heavily focused on the company itself. Canidae uses Diamond as a manufacturer, which certainly plays a role in not making it to Editor’s Choice

[Sharron E. S]

Hi! I am a new member as of March, I have been feeding my dogs Holistic Blend, Canadian made dog food. (Lamb and Rice) Never had a recall, just wondering what you think of this food. Thank You

[Jule S]

I’ve suggested it before and will again: Honest Kitchen.
Also Ziwipeak. Their customer service is not the best, but everything else about the food is great.

Also am surprised to see Natura Pet made the cut, they had so many recalls. When they had their massive recall a couple years ago my cat got so sick from eating that food, he would vomit after every single meal. I stopped feeding it and never went back to it.

[martha s]

what about Blue??

[olivia m]

We’re new and don’t know where this should be posted, but here goes. We went to Editor’s Choice after joining to change our pet food from Purina1 and Little Ceaser (sp?) and from this site we linked to Whole Earth Farms and ordered a case of Chicken & Turkey Recipe (it got 5 stars). And we ordered both wet and dry. In all we spent about $65.00. Of the 12 cans, we now have 10 (9 sealed/1 open). The other half cans we threw out. They won’t touch the stuff no matter how we dressed it up. Plain, mixed with the dry, green beans (their favorite), grated cheese. Nothing. The won’t touch this stuff and this isn’t an inexpensive brand. Can anyone advise us about what to do?

[aquariangt]

I would buy a variety of cans to make sure your dogs like them before buying a case to make sure they like the stuff. If your dogs arent used to transitioning i would also go slow, and mix in everything, both toppers and dry, slowly. I can switch kibbles and toppers at will, because my dogs are used to variety, but you sometimes have to work up to that point.

I’d give Whole Earth Farms a call and see if you can be refunded for the unopened cans

[Terry G]

One trick that often works well is to warm the food before serving it; it helps engage their sensitive sense of smell. I’ve seen it work best by putting the can of food in a pan on your stove and warming it like you would any food. You can add some of their favorite things, such as green beans or cheese, while it is warming if you want to. My dog loves carrots! Test it with your fingers before setting their bowls down to make sure it is not too hot. An alternative warming method is to put filtered water in your tea pot, heat the water (not to a boil) and pour that over the can or kibble in their bowl. Just stir the water for a bit and, again, check with your finger to make sure it is not too hot. Finally, you can microwave the canned food.

Warm food is very comforting to dogs because, in addition to the fact that fresh kills in the wild would be body temperature not room temperature, the dog’s own body temperature is warmer than ours; typically 101 to 102 degrees.

Just be patient. Some dogs take longer to adjust to changes. If you know you are feeding them healthier food, then don’t worry if they act finicky and don’t feed them extra treats so that they are not hungry. Remember the bit of wisdom that no dog ever starved next to a full food dish!

[mike D]

natures logic

[Jane C]

Nature’s Logic

[Mike D]

Farmina needs to be recognize, it’s widely available on the internet. It’s no secret that European food supply, whether it be people or pets, is superior to that of the west. GMO’s don’t exist as Monsanto lobbyist have been kicked out of much of Europe, specifically Italy. So it’s a true organic food. Plus, their labeling laws are much stricter and transparent.

[CAROL L]

Can you rate Blue Buffalo? What about Rachel Ray’s brand? I expected to see both of them listed, but they are not. Thanks.

[aquariangt]

They aren’t on Editor’s Choice, and their inclusion is unlikely, but they are both rated on the review side of the site

[April B]

Honest Kitchen, “Embark”

[Author]

Posts