[Lazaro B]

The dog food Tender and True at Whole Foods has never been reviewed, why not? Does anyone know more about this food? what are the first ingredients etc..

[InkedMarie]

I can’t find ingredients/GA/NA online so chances are, it won’t ne reviewed.

[Lazaro B]

Ok, thanks InkedMarie.

[Barky]

I was attracted to this brand because of the stated humane farming practices.

I visited a local Whole Foods to check out the ingredients and analysis first hand. I looked at the Chicken & Brown Rice All Life Stages dog food. The ingredients looked typical for a high-end brand. The analysis indicated 26% protein, 16% fat, 10% moisture, and so on, again seemingly pretty typical.

My concern was the very short shelf life. The two bags that I looked at had expiration dates (actually “best by” dates) less than one or two weeks away (kind of surprising for Whole Foods). This tells me that either the product isn’t moving off the shelves or that it comes from the manufacturer with a short shelf life.

The manufacturer (Tender & True Pet Nutrition in Omaha NE) is developing a website but there is no content yet: //tenderandtruepet.com.

The manufacturer also has a Facebook page: //facebook.com/tenderandtruepet.

[Pitlove]

Barky, more likely than not (and this is my experience from working pet food retail), Whole Foods has not been keeping up with expired or close to expiration foods. That also means, it’s not a big seller. I’m usually the one at my store that checks the expiration dates and if we end up with foods that are close to expiration and haven’t sold, we usually don’t order the food again because it means its not popular.

[Leslie M]

It seems like a relatively new brand and as a pet nutritionist and owner of a high end pet nutrition center, I have heard nothing about the food. I tried going though my inside sources to find out some info on the brand, but nothing positive or negative has come up. The fact that nothing negative has come up is a pretty good indicator that the food is probably safe, but I would want to know 100 times more information than that if I were give it to my own dogs.

[Joe A]

We bought a bag of this about 3 weeks ago from our local Whole foods we have been feeding our Shih Tzu the food and he has been very sick, I.e. Shaking and throwing up. I just examined the bag closely and the best buy date is oct 8th 2015 this is the end of December so out dated. But not positive that his illness is directly related to the outdated food in all fairness. I called our Whole Foods and most bags had 6 months before expiration but he did find some bags that expire in two weeks on shelf. I feel terrible that I was not more dillagent in looking at the dates but you would think at a store like that you would not have to.

[InkedMarie]

Joe A: I think the opposite (about looking at the store). I’d think that they probably don’t sell alot of dog food & don’t have to order often. JMO

[Kim S]

A for real organic pet food?! Wow! never thought I’d see that. I got some at WF for my cat and shes like jumping around and so playful! I went online and found it here https://www.flintriver.com/productinfo.asp?pi=tender-true-cat-organic-chicken-kibble.htm and got it real fast and the date was aug 2016 on the cat food and feb 2017 on the dog food. I’m so happy my cat’s fur is so soft.

[BK F]

Flint River has closed it’s door. I’ve been a tad afraid to try Tried and True due to comments on a Dog Food review page. I’ll wait and see as this is new to the market. I have a 90 pound German Shepherd and can’t afford for food to go bad on me. Please everyone, keep sharing your experience with this food. I have gone back to Fromm.

[Sandra C]

I just bought some on line – I used to buy Flint River Ranch – but found they went out of business this month. The distributor I bought FRR from is now selling Tender & True.

I also use ACANA.

Would be useful to get a review on this product.
I tried to check all the ingredients carefully.
Thanks

[Katie S]

I’m wondering about the Superstore Loblaw dry dog food Nutrition First – Presidents Choice. The ingredients sound great and it has a 4 on the scale…does anyone know anything about this one as well. My dogs seem to be doing very well on it.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 9 months ago by Katie S.

[Jeanne D]

BK F and Sandra C…. FYI Flint River Ranch has had 3 offers and expects production to start back up. They will not sell through distributors though. See link below
http://www.frrco.com/

[Courtney H]

I found Tender & True at Whole Foods Market about a year ago, we have a 9 year old Lab/mix and a 2 year old Jack Russell Terrier. I used to have to take Sam (the lab) to the vet about once every 3 months during the spring/summer for a cortisone shot because he always had dry itchy skin, no matter what kind of shampoo I was using. As I started paying more attention to my own health, I didn’t like Sam getting cortisone injections so my vet recommended switching to a grain-free food. I tried a few random brands and then found the Tender & True grain free organic recipe around this time last year. He really loved it! He started jumping up and down where we keep the food when it was time to eat, it was so funny to see. Both my pups have been on the food over the last year and Sam didn’t have to get any shots last summer and he has a lot more energy than he used to, he even started begging me to play ball again. He just seems like his old self again. It’s great! Every once in a while I give him a can of their canned food as a treat, he loves that too. Our little JRT Rocky is still pretty much a pup, he’s always pretty active and loves to run when they’re out in the yard. He’s always stealing Sam’s toys and playing the “try to get me” game. They both love the food. He’s a beautiful dog with probably one of the best coats of fur on a JRT that I’ve seen. I tell all of my friends about Tender & True, my sister switched her two cats Tender & True awhile back and she says she’ll never switch their food again as they have always been picky eaters, she feeds them the grain free ocean whitefish recipe and says they seem to shed less and their coat is just a lot smoother since she’s switched. We both love this brand and will continue purchasing Tender & True.

[Sandra C]

Thanks – I ordered some on line – when Flint River Ranch.org went out of business – one of their distributors – http://flintriver.com not the same as flint river ranch .org now offers Tender and True.

[Rose F]

I have went to the Tender and True for my dog. She is 14 years old and becomes incontinent if I give her anything with chemicals. I am pleased with it . She eats it good so I do not worry about a shelf life. A long shelf life means more preservatives and additives that animals do not need and are bothersome to sensitive organs, systems, guts, etc….. I have found out that leaving it in its raw and natural state, it lasts longer than with preservatives. And it is much better and healthier for people and animals.
The Tender and True site is up and they do have ingredients and analysis on it. You can call them, email them, etc…….
I would recommend to anyone wanting an organic dogfood.

[Stef R]

My two rescue dogs and two cats do so well on Tender & True’s Organic grain-free line, and they love it! I just got my delivery the other day, so fast and easy to order online through their website! They now eat better than me, lol! I’m so thankfully that Tender & True is into animal welfare. We hope that becomes a trend among all pet lover parents.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 4 months ago by Stef R.

[Kim S]

The best prices are at https://www.flintriver.com/ Their pet gallery is so cute! https://www.flintriver.com/petgallery/default.aspx?pgid=4811

[Kelly R]

The ingredients are INGREDIENTS: Organic chicken, Organic chicken meal, Organic tapioca starch, Organic dried pea, Organic chickpea, Organic flaxseed meal, Organic potato flour, Organic poultry fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Organic pea flour, Organic chicken liver, Chicken liver meal, Menhaden fish oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Choline chloride, Salt, Natural mixed tocopherols (preservative), Ascorbic acid, Vitamin E supplement, Zinc proteinate, Zinc sulfate, Manganous oxide, Manganese proteinate, Inositol, Ferrous sulfate, Niacin, Vitamin B12 supplement, Zinc oxide, Iron proteinate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Biotin, Riboflavin supplement, Calcium pantothenate, Pyridoxine hydrochloride, Sodium selenite, Copper sulfate, Vitamin A supplement, Copper proteinate, Citric acid (preservative), Vitamin D3 supplement, Folic Acid, Potassium iodide.

I bought a 20lb. bag from Flintriver.com. Flintriver stopped selling their food, and replaced it with this. My dogs like it. I’m currently trying to find something comparable to this as it is quite pricy.

[Kelly C]

I’m so glad to have found this food for our pup! My husband and I starting eating healthier about a year ago and try to buy Organic as much as we can and I found Tender & True at our local Whole Foods Market. We get the Organic Chicken & Liver Grain Free recipe. Our Charlie is a 9 year old white Standard Poodle and since we’d switched we’ve noticed he’s got a lot more energy, he wants to play and run a lot more often and his coat bright white and healthy. Anytime pet food comes up in conversation I always recommend Tender & True and share our story. He’s happy and so we’re happy, we feel good about what we are feeding him.

[Stephanie W]

I would stay away from this food. I got excited at first to see all the organic ingredients but they include a dangerous one, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite. This is a man-made form of vitamin K that the FDA has banned for human consumption due to the levels of toxicity.
Some of the dangers include;
• causes cytotoxicity in liver cells
• damages the natural vitamin K cycle
• causes hemolytic anemia and hyperbilirubinemia, not just linked to large doses
• is directly toxic in high doses (vomiting, albuminuria), unlike natural vitamin K
• has never been researched or specifically approved for long term use, such as in pet food

It may be used in smaller amounts in this food but why take the risk? Especially when other foods can include spinach or other veggies that have completely natural sources of this vitamin.

[Kim S]

I emailed them about Menadione Sodium Bisulfite and they’ve removed it from all formulas as of January 2016. If you order at flintriver.com they’ll make sure you have the latest formula.

[Stephanie W]

it was still on their website when I discovered the food a couple days ago, I got so disappointed.
Thank you for the update Kim!

[Kim S]

Yeah, flintriver.com has updated their site. Also, the smallest bag is basically a sample because you can return it for free if your pet doesn’t like it. My cat LOVES it and is doing much better since she started eating it.

[Kelly C]

I have been buying this product on chewy.com for the last couple months, but I was in our local pet store and saw that they are now carrying Tender & True, they have a new flavor, it’s a grain free Ocean Whitefish & Potato recipe. It’s made with sustainably caught whitefish, so I can still feel good about what i’m feeding him. This is definitely Charlie’s NEW favorite food!

[JOHN B]

As of almost 2019 I would love to hear what people are feeling about this kibble. For some reason I have just come across Tender and True. It looks like a really good option for a QUALITY kibble. Any thoughts from people feeding or have fed this kibble.

[Kathleen C]

Wow, I had never heard of this brand before until I saw the review here on The Dog Food Advisor just recently. I see people have been talking about it for years! I want to try to get my chicken allergic dog off of Royal Canin phony food and onto some whitefish Tender and True. Anyone out there using the fish, either whitefish or salmon? Although I worry maybe more about the heavier salmon fish than the whitefish, is that actually a problem?

[Author]

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