[sor]

Do not feed Canine Caviar to your pet!!!! I was feeding Canine Caviar for years and the past year and half the food smells tainted, has a perfume smell and tastes as it smells. None of the protein in the food smells like duck, venison, chicken or fish. I cook for my dog and add 1 cup of dry dog kibble. My rottweiler has developed a dry, pungent smelly hair coat, pungent stools, goopy eyes, and a hot spot that is slowly healing for 9 months now. (thyroid is normal) I was constantly returning bags of dog food because of the tainted smell and recently the feed store stated that I could no longer return the food because they don’t get reimbursed for it. So, I contacted Canine Caviar again with this ongoing problem – the tainted perfume smell and etc. The company mailed me a new batch of their food and it smelled worse! Canine Caviar has not been returning my phone calls and they don’t have an email address. (makes me real suspicious) Canine Caviar is processed in Georgia, but they change processing plants all the time. PLEASE DON’T BUY THIS FOOD for your pet! IF YOU DO, SMELL AND TASTE IT. RETURN IT IF IT SMELLS TAINTED! DO FOOD SHOULD SMELL GOOD NOT TAINTED! I do not want my dog or any other pets to die of kidney or liver failure from tainted pet food. Most pet food companies care more about profit and saving money, than caring about the quality of pet food they produce. It is very sad. After much research, I decided to feed Halo dog food that is ownd by actress Ellen DeGeneres. It is the highest quality pet food on the market!!!! I feel Ms. DeGeneres is a very honest person, has integrety and cares about quality ingredients in Halo pet food. She can afford to buy the the best of the best ingredients for her pet food, unlike her competitors. I wish I fed my dog Halo a long time ago. All of the Halo products have the correct protein and fat ratio along with real meat (not meal or rendered) just real food ingredients, and nothing from china. – Smaller size kibble for large dogs (helps prevent bloat) and the food SMELLS amazing! My dog did not have any issues with digestive problems during the slow introduction of the food. He loves Halo dog food and so do I. This is the ultimate pet food on the market with real food ingredients !!!! Halo also makes a vegan food which is fabulous for dogs that suffer from pancreatitis.

[DogFoodie]

I’m actually using Canine Caviar with great success right now. Both of my dogs are currently doing very well on the Lamb & Pearl Millet. To me, it smells fresh, and I definitely smell the alfalfa meal in it. I know that others have said that Canine Caviar is difficult to reach by phone, something I’ve not tried nor have had reason to try. Canine Caviar is made by Hi-Tek Rations located in Dublin, Georgia.

Interestingly, Halo pet foods has refused to disclose who the manufacturer of their products is claiming that the information is proprietary. [Source is Susan Thixton’s Petsumer Report]

[sor]

On the back of every Halo bag of pet food it states: Distributed by: Halo, Purely for Pets, Inc., 12400 Race Track Road, Tampa, Florida 33626
phone no. 800-426-4256
MADE IN THE USA SINCE 1986 AND NO INGREDIENTS FROM CHINA

[Mom2Cavs]

sor, yes, the bag may say this but they still won’t tell where in the USA they’re made. I stopped using them for this very reason. I would rather use a Diamond product. At least I know where it’s made and can have a heads up. What factory do they use? And why won’t they disclose this? It’s not that big a deal, imho, to disclose what factory makes your food unless you are trying to hide something…..hmm.

[theBCnut]

I have to agree. I would rather use a food that I openly know comes from a Diamond plant than inadvertantly use one that I have no idea where it comes from. At least if I know it came from Diamond then I know what I’m watching for.

[sor]

Sadly recalls seem to be a regular occurrence these days. Feeding a good kibble is no longer about just finding a food with quality ingredients. Now you have to be worried about the track record of a company and the manufacturing plants that they use.

[DogFoodie]

Definitely, Sor. I also believe that any company could potentially have a recall ~ it’s their handling of same that I really take notice of.

[sor]

It is important for all pet owners to check FDA PET FOOD WEBSITE frequently for pet food recalls. Remember it is not FDA that does pet food recalls it is the pet food companies!!!!!
I also recommend for pet owners to read the Whole Dog Journal and The Bark to keep informed on pet care and nutrition.

[DogFoodie]

I was at the pet food store recently when a management employee there and I were discussing EVO, which is what I’m giving a go for a rotation currently (knowing full well their recent recall, and their total lack of recalls prior to being acquired by Natura.) The employee said that they had decided after the recall not to carry EVO in their store any longer. We were discussing the recall and she said that Natura had “two separate recalls” and I mentioned that I believed it was actually one voluntary recall that was voluntarily expanded, giving the appearance of two recalls. She said that “the FDA had to get involved to force the second recall.” I just shook my head and smiled. You’d think she’d know.

You’re correct indeed, we need to do the research ourselves

I subscribe to WDJ, but have never heard of The Bark. It looks contemporary and interesting. Thanks for mentioning it!

[sor]

FYI
Quoted from Food Safety News.com 2012
The results of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration inspection into a Diamond Pet Foods production plant may benefit the trio of lawsuits filed against the Missouri pet food manufacturer tied to a Salmonella outbreak and recall earlier this year.
That inspection, conducted six days after the first of Diamond’s eight recalls, found numerous health violations, including failures to clean and maintain equipment and a lack of contaminant screenings on raw ingredients. The evidence does not bode well for Diamond as the company faces three separate lawsuits from human victims and pet owners in the U.S. and Canada, according Benjamin England, a 17-year FDA veteran and founder of FDAImports.com, a food industry consulting firm.
One unfortunate event can bring the entire weight of the federal government to bear upon your door.” another reminder of the importance of FDA compliance:
If Diamond had operated in compliance with FDA rules Instead, it’s being used against them. The lawsuits specifically cite the inspection report as evidence of Diamond’s negligence and breach of warranty. Diamond must resort to “damage control” — making it clear to customers that plant management has been revised and the product’s quality improved. For everyone else, he sees it as another reminder of the importance of FDA compliance: impossible to determine the number of dogs sickened, as so few pets are ever tested for gastrointestinal bacteria

[sor]

Betsy, do you work for Canine Caviar?

[DogFoodie]

Me, work for Canine Caviar? Heaven’s no. I certainly wouldn’t be on here mentioning that I’m currently on a transition from CC to EVO if I did! LOL!

I’m not even sure why you would think that. : ) I’ll happily admit that I do like CC’s products very much (as do my dogs) as well as their holistic concepts.

Edit: Oh and yes, Diamond stinks. I don’t care what they say they’ve corrected, I won’t use their products.

• This reply was modified 11 years ago by DogFoodie.

[InkedMarie]

Am I reading this correctly that you fed dog food that smelled funny for a year & half? Then you kept buying it until the store stopped taking it back?

I’m sorry your dog is sick but why would you continue to buy it? Maybe your dog wouldn’t have the problems he has/had if you had stopped feeding it with the first bad bag.

[DogFoodie]

I re-read this conversation earlier today Marie and thought the same thing.

[InkedMarie]

I was a few days late reading and was surprised that I was the only one to mention that.

[healy1141]

I just recently purchased a bag of Canine Caviar chicken. I have been feeding him this food for the past few years. When I opened this bag, the kibble looked different a little larger and darker, there was an odor but not sure if it was different from previous bag. I contacted C C and they said the receipt has not changed but sometimes the supplier of ingredients may change. Well like Sor, I too have a Rottie. Like Sor’s Rottie, mine has had just been treated for a hot spot which he only had one 7 years ago, he is extremely gassy has not been gassy like this, his stools are very soft and lose and his eyes are very runny. He has been checked by our vet and even brought him for an ultrasound of his digestive system and I got a clean bill of health. So the vets think it is the food. Something changed wish I knew what. Guess we will looking for new food.

[Gemma60537]

I’ve been feeding Canine Caviar to my dogs for almost three years and I’ve never had an issue…in fact my dogs have done great the entire time! I’m in the Chicago area and had never heard of it but my Labrador breeder feeds it to all of her dogs and so I kept both of our puppies on it after they came home with us. They smell great, nice firm stools, ripped muscles and healthy teeth, good breath. Our 9 month lab is gassy but our 3 year old literally NEVER passes gas and they eat the same food now. I rotate through the Wilderness and the Open Sky formulas.

The first time I noticed a change in the size/shape of the food I was very alarmed and a little freaked out and I messaged their Facebook page and they told me that it’s because they don’t use any preservatives and so sometimes the ingredients vary in color and size.

I’m SUPER neurotic of anything that goes in my body but I definitely trust them. My breeder knows their owner and she really raves about him and the food. Her labs are her babies just like mine are and I feel 100% safe giving them this food. Maybe you can message their Facebook page, too? I think I get a better response sometimes in general (not just with them) from companies.

[Gemma60537]

LOL, correction…anything that goes in THEIR body, not mine, LOL!!!

[cbay]

I feed it too, as recommended by the breeder of one of my Labs. I switched off for a short while but we are back on it. It is no longer available in my area so I have to order it online. Shame. Before they stopped shipping it to my area I purchased 11 bags of CC Chicken/pearl millet. Gemma, I am curious if we share the same Lab breeder 🙂 She has been feeding it for over 11 years.

[angelrecruiter]

Well over the past 20 years of loosing to larger dogs to cancer and not loosing smaller dogs im convinced that dog food of all kind not cat food is contaminated with a host of germs, mites, deseases and the list goes on my smaller dogs have only ever been fed cat food or what im eating.i coduced my own experiment and fedall the dog 100% beef for 1 week and there coat was shinning there muscles were everdent their eyes clear and they had energy to burn and they were much more alert. Try it you will see for your self we now have a new shepherd puppy and gets the new diet and her coat is soft and smells loverly and is never hungry it goes a long way..just my opinions but id rather feed them food for human consumption why whould you give a dog or animal food you wouldnt eat your selve that just sends me red flags. Doesn’t it to u?

[angelrecruiter]

Oh in case you ask me yes my animal’s get more then just steak and mince they also get rice and left overs from our plates which they loved. So id skip all processed meat even fresh dogmeat its made from dead dogs from some pounds and council road kill and the nackery. ?. So sad but true.. where do yiu think all the road kill goes.. to the dump when it’s worth you guys buying so they can make money pal is the biggest culprit. Dont know the others and im too frightened to find out a lady stood in front of a pet food storm pleading for people tostop buying the fresh meat products… hmmmmm shows me volums that does….angelrecruiter

[Mom2Cavs]

You feed your new Shepherd puppy cat food? Now I will say that some dog and cat foods contain the exact same ingredients in some companies. For example, Fromm Gold canned foods are so similar between cat and dog formulas that I actually feed my cat the dog cans. Also, Mulligan Stew is made for cats and dogs. Another one I found I could feed just the dog formula to both is Instinct Healthy Weight. Theirs applies to both canned and their Healthy Weight Raw Boost kibble! HOWEVER, a Shepherd is considered a large breed, if I’m not mistaken, and large breed puppies have specific nutritional requirements. It would seem to me that cat food does not meet those requirements. They need special calcium to phosphorus ratios to grow properly. I’m certainly not an expert, as I have small dogs and one cat, but I have learned this. I’m sure others will post that are experts on the subject of large breed puppies. Btw, there is a list on this site/forum of foods that would work for large breed puppies and have the correct nutritional content. Good luck to you!

[Jeff P]

I have been feeding Canine Caviar for 14+ years consecutively with absolutely zero issues other than rotating the protein source occasionally. I have one new dog that has chicken allergies so I have switched from the chicken to the fowl. I rotate between that and the lamb so that their protein is changed up now and then.

Canine Caviar has always proven to be in the very top of a short list of superior holistic products that you can feed to your pet with the peace of mind to know that they are being well cared for and have the best chance of longevity. I recently lost my boy Pomeranian at the ripe age of 18 (three months shy), I currently have a 16 year old Lhasa Apso, a 13 year old Chihuahua and an 11 year old Chihuahua that have all been on CC their entire lives. The Lhasa was switched to CC after having to bladder stone surgeries, one of which happened after being on Prescription S/D for a year after her first surgery. That is the reason I researched and found CC and started buying it.

Even if and I don’t believe CC ever had a recall I would return any tainted product and replace it with a new bag and continue to feed my animals knowing that if there had been a mistake made it would have been just that and it would be dealt with appropriately.

With Confidence,
Jeff

P.S. I do not work for CC in case someone was going to ask, however I do work for a pet store and I sell dog food every day to all kinds of pets and their owners. CC may not be right for every pet it is a great product and I am always confident in recommending it to my customers! Also it has a Loyalty Reward Program for it’s regular customers. There is only one other food that I sale that offers the same reward!

[banditsmom]

Canine Caviar is canned at Evangers

[DogFoodie]

Are you certain that Evanger’s cans Canine Caviar? Last I knew, Performance Pet was the co-packer for Canine Caviar wet food.

[banditsmom]

I’m just about certain, enough so I won’t feed it to my dogs. I’ve seen the same comments on 4 other forums Itchmo, Catster, Chihuahua People and Yorkie talk. I also found it on Truth about Pet Food Petsumer Report from Feb 2013. It said that the canned foods are made at Evangers and the dry foods in Georgia. I only fed Evangers once and my dogs didn’t like it and I didn’t like the rusty cans.
I’m a newbie and knew nothing about Evangers until I read this forum so I decided to look up what I could. I looked up Performance Pet and they own Canine Cattle a company that makes dog & cat food. Performance Pet makes Spring Naturals that was just reviewed and got 4 stars.
I found the comments in 4 different places plus in the Petsumer report. Although there is no factual material to back up the comments they sound reliable and they are repeated more than once.
I also read that the CC Facebook page admits this and names some other companies, Party Animal, Weruva, Addiction & another I forget that use Evangers. I wish I could remember where I saw this but didn’t mark it and I’ve searched and now of course I can’t find it. I am also probably the only one in Mass. who is not on Facebook so I couldn’t look it up.
I feed Weruva so I was not too happy and I called them. They said their Kobe line was manufactured there but that’s all. I also found that same exact info on Itchmo.
Other companies mentioned in my reading were Dave’s , Addiction, Wysong Au Jus, Party Animal, Wild Calling, Great Life and Holistic Select. The info on Holistic Select and Dave’s was from 2010 so things may have changed. I called Dave’s but they said they didn’t give that info out but they denied it. I also called Addiction because I feed that also and they said that their NZ line was manufactured in NZ but the others were manufactured at Evangers.they said they send someone to supervise the whole process. This is exactly what was said on one of the forums.
So, I believe the stuff about CC but I am going to call them and I will let you know what they say. Is it possible for one plant to manufacture all these foods and what is with the rusty cans? Some of the Dave’s cans in our pet store here have the same rust but I haven’t seen it on the Addiction or Weruva cans I’ve bought.

[Tiffany]

Sor, I guess I’m really confused as to why you fed your dog food that was making them sick for a year and a half. Another person covered this and I am as well. The poor dog might have been allergic to a single ingredient and you continued feeding them the food that was making them sick. I for one have never smelled a dog food that smelled “good”, nothing I’d want to eat at least. Your statement seems a little sales-y, honestly, and I wonder if you actually work for/are affiliated with Halo.

I have been feeding my dog Canine Caviar for years and she has made a miraculous recovery from this food. She is a Boxer that had horribly itchy skin that she would scratch until it bled, black spots, hot spots, stinky fur, etc. After feeding her for only 6 weeks, she became a success story of Canine Caviar’s and her before and after photos are international now.

[hakujin g]

Sor won’t be covering that aspect Tiffany. It’s because the original statements are libel w/ potentially misplaced intent, regardless of the validity of the claims.

I’m just passing through the googlesphere looking for coupons for the Special Needs Diet CC and came across topic. It’s sometimes difficult to spot the agenda, but I’m confident there was one. 🙂

Anyway, no FDA recalls on this Brand Product going to late 2013 and OP fed for 18 months to her pet. Hmmm….

[Lisa G]

I feed Canine Caviar and own a pet store. I can feed my dogs any high quality food available. Canine Caviar smells the freshest, and my dogs coat is shiny and healthy. I feed them Nulo and Canine Caviar canned and CC dry. Your post sounds very suspicious and I doubt its validity.

[hakujin g]

Thanks for encouraging me to finally re-post to this antiquated thread with an update Lisa. Canine Caviar recently reformulated in 2015. The new version is absolute dog$h1t (no pun intended). I bought two big bags of the special needs diet (which is now much higher min protein, as paradoxical as that may be) and my dogs (two doxies) starve themselves more than I’ve ever seen to not eat this version. I don’t blame them, smells funny. Chewy.com recognizes as they refunded half the shipment w/o much ado (probably would refund the whole thing if I asked); I won’t be buying it again, doh! Shame as this was previously a low cost alternative to Hills K/D for my dog. WTF Canine Caviar, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it…

• This reply was modified 9 years, 4 months ago by hakujin g.

[Stanislav K]

I have the same problem as you do.

I use Canine Caviar Limited Ingredient Diet Wilderness Holistic Entrée Grain-Free Dry Dog Food, 24-lb bag and so far I ordered 3 bags from chewy. The kibble in the 1st bag was perfect in color – dark almost black. I assume it was the old formula. Poop of my dog was perfect as well. In the second bad I noticed that the kibble is different – mixture of dark and very light brown. Also the poop of my dog changed a lot. It became light in color and super firm like a rock. When I pick it up from the ground it dissolves and looks like a sand. Also my dog started to poop 3-4 times a day, which wasn’t the case with the 1st bag. I contacted chewy and they send me a 3rd bag which was also not ok. They also told me that they will contact CC and check with them.
I went to the CC site and surprise – the changed the formula replacing the oils with:
Coconut, Coconut Oil, Anise Oil, Thyme Oil.

What a screw up. I dont get why they had to ruin the only food that my dog tolerated so well.

[Stanislav K]

Got a reply from CC:

Thank you for reaching out to Canine Caviar. We did change some ingredients at the beginning of the year. We took out the garlic and parsley and added coconut, coconut oil, anise oil and thyme oil. We also had one batch at the beginning of the year where we injected the fat on the inside of the kibble. We have since gone back to encapsulating the fat. Our kibble can vary in color batch to batch, it is a natural product and we do not use anything to change the color of the kibble. I hope this information helps.

[zcRiley]

January 29, 2016 FYI FYI FYI FYI FYI FYI

Those who buy Canine Caviar know what it looks and smells like. Very small round dark dark brown kibbles, smells like aromatic herbs. I’ve been buying a lot for rotation since mid 2015, no issues with the Coconut, Coconut Oil, Anise Oil, Thyme Oil formula. My pups loved it, I loved smelling it.

I opened a new 4 lb bag yesterday, back upper left of bag printed “BEST USED BY 11FEB17 EW2 0150821972 233 15:08 MO”. This was what I found:

It smelled just like when you open up a bottle of synthetic vitamins. Each kibble shape was similiar to a soft contact lens, but a flatter cupped saucer, nickel/dime size. Hard, dry, gray beige in color. Crumbled like plaster when I broke it in half with my fingers. To me, it looked and smelled like they ran out of venison meat and the oils and the production just kept cranking it out. My 1st strange, brow raising experience with a dog food bag.

I did not give it to my pups to eat. I’m being sent a replacement bag but before I toss it out, of course I’ll compare batch #’s and the contents.

[Stanislav K]

they have changed the formula. I had similar issue and stopped buying that food – its not what it used to be – they completely ruined it. Check their facebook page – ppls are complaining all over the place – dogs are getting sick from the new formula.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 9 months ago by Stanislav K.

[Linda A]

I am so glad that I found this forum. I recently moved so I can’t shop at the pet store where I used to shop that carried Canine Caviar so I started ordering it from Chewy.com. The bag I received from them contained kibbles that looked very different from the last bag I bought up north. My dog has also had a hot spot come up and has had it for a few months. I though he was just scratching there. The Vet told me to watch it in that he could be having thyroid problems if it didn’t go away. The past couple days he had been throwing up his food and his stools have been very loose. It sounds like I need to switch to something else right away. I will contact Chewy.com. If anyone can suggest another hard food for my dog who has a sensitive stomach it would be much appreciated. Thank you.

[pitlove]

Hi Linda-

I would take a look at either Dr. Tim’s (specifially his Kinesis formula) or NutriSource. Both excellent brands and easy on the stomach!

[joanne l]

Hi Linda A. I see you need another dog food, if this helps I feed Holist Select lamb, they do have other flavors. This food is for dogs with sensitive stomachs. hope this helps.

[joanne l]

I don’t know how to start a topic so I am using this so I can communicate. I don’t feed this food but I would like to say something about millet in dog food. Millet is mostly bird feed, it is very cheap filler it grows in poor soils and even in a drought. It is know that people or pets with thyroid issues should not eat millet. Years ago in poor countries millet was a staple in their diet b/c it grows fast and it is plentiful and in those countries researchers found a lot thyroid issues because of it. I did a lot of research on millet b/c I was not used to seeing it in dog food so it got my attention. Look it up on your own if you want to. Now I won’t say don’t feed it, I just wanted to let people know about it. The grains IMO that are very good for pets are oatmeal and rice. I like some grains in my dog food. By the way I am not saying millet is causing these issues, I just wanted to let people know about it. I think companies are using it b/c customers don’t want GMO’s in the dog food and millet is GMO free, however it doesn’t mean its good. I am not a professional I don’t think companies would put in dog food if it was bad. I just don’t care for it after what I read.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 2 months ago by joanne l.
• This reply was modified 8 years, 2 months ago by joanne l.
• This reply was modified 8 years, 2 months ago by joanne l.

[Craig M]

Hello folks! I simply needed to know whether some of you have had a go at utilizing truffle oil for your pups/pooches. Ive heard that cbd for puppies is another thing now yet I dont truly think about the truffle oil? I was perusing some article about what this truffle is here in https://www.trufflemagic.com/blog/what-are-magic-truffles/ yet im just not persuade enough. I needed to hear your contemplations about it. Much obliged

[Sandra Christiana]

Hi. I have a question about this. Recently, I bought a cbd oil from https://www.innovetpet.com/products/purcbd

But my friend told me that, this is bad for my dog, Tommy. Can anyone tell me about the cbd oil and it’s effect? Should I buy this type of oil for that?

Thanks.
Sandra

• This reply was modified 6 years, 10 months ago by Sandra Christiana. Reason: Wrong typing

[anonymous]

Are you working under the guidance of a vet? Is this product prescribed for the pet?

Some science based veterinary medicine information you may find helpful http://skeptvet.com/Blog/?s=cannabis

Did you read the disclaimer on the label: “These statements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration”. “This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases”.

Also on the label: “Consult your veterinarian before starting or stopping supplements”.

[Sandra Christiana]

I saw about cbd oil from here: http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine(dot)com/cbd-oil-for-dogs/
You know this is a popular magazine for pets.

Here “”A senior Staffordshire Terrier had a 6cm mammary tumor and metastasis that disappeared in 3 months and didn’t come back …
A Jack Russell Terrier had a severe heart murmur and painful arthritis and, after a month, he wanted to go for long walks and his murmur was much improved …

These are two examples of how Australian veterinarian Edward Bassingthwaighte discovered how CBD oil could be a critical part of his holistic veterinary practice. “I simply can’t explain the improved heart murmur” says Bassingthwaite. “They normally don’t get better.” “”

You can see in this article. But my queston is, if the cbd is bad, then why these products are sold so many? Or I don’t see any negative sides in google. Did you?

[anonymous]

Dogs Naturally Magazine is considered a homeopathic site. I do not consider it to be a reliable source of information.
Homeopathic views differ greatly from traditional medicine.
That may explain the conflicting opinions you will receive.
Good luck

PS: If you review the articles per the link I referred you to, you will see some adverse reactions mentioned, also the lack of scientific research on dogs/animals.

[Tyrionthebiscuit]

It seems to help motion sickness in one of my cats. In the other, I use it to calm some of his aggression he shows at night.

[Author]

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