[Sully’sMom]

hi, I’ve been off this for a bit, but now I’ve got a follow up question, addressed to InkedMarie if she’s still around:

You mentioned to me about a month ago that when feeding grain free you feed less…why is that?

[Sully’sMom]

Instead of ebay, you might try Amazon. I think you’ll do better with the shipping

[Sully’sMom]

It’s amazing that you do this! Will there be a link to the list on DFA?

THANK YOU, and WOOF

[Sully’sMom]

🙂

What great food is he on? Mine’s a lab also, and I’m in the process of comparing/analyzing/transitioning to a new food, so I like to hear what others are feeding (and why)….

[Sully’sMom]

No, seems fine. Just seems to think he’s a cow 🙂

[Sully’sMom]

HDM, do you know if there is a thread somewhere in the forum on Bloat? Thought there must be, but having trouble finding it..

Thanks!

[Sully’sMom]

No, they were sample/trial sizes – they were for sale , not free 🙂

In general, Chewy is the better choice for full size bags!

[Sully’sMom]

PS: I just re-read your post and it was Nature’s Variety Instinct that I got samples of from PetFlow 🙂

[Sully’sMom]

You’re welcome! In general, if you’re buying bags of dog food regularly, I find http://www.chewy.com to be less expensive than PetFlow, but I like PetFlow for the odd items. We got a box delivered yesterday with some trial sizes!

[Sully’sMom]

Also, how do you get a picture onto your name 🙂
I can’t find it anywhere on update profile!

[Sully’sMom]

So I’ve seen this touched on, but need a little more in the way of specifics. In varying your dog’s food, which I’ve never done before, I’ve seen many say that they even rotate after every bag. Following some suggestions I’ve read here, I’ve gotten some samples from companies, and bought trial size bags of some premium foods (HINT* – petflow.com often offers trial size bags for a limited time of premium dog food for anywhere from $1 – $5 depending on the size). So I now have a 5lb bag of Nutrisca Chicken and Chickpea and 5lbs of Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Boost. Any suggestions on how best to incorporate a small quantity like these into a rotation?

[Sully’sMom]

Ok, totally unrelated question : how did you both get pics to appear above your name? I’ve gone in to my profile and edit and I don’t see anywhere to upload photo??

[Sully’sMom]

You can get Dr. Tim’s online from http://www.chewy.com. That’s where I’ve been getting Sully’s Fromm from..Excellent service, and over a certain price is free shipping. Early savings if you set up auto delivery..

[Sully’sMom]

One of my go to favorites is:

fill marrow bones with applesauce and freeze. they love them! I do a tray of 3 or 4 at a time and then always have them ready for a treat that’s both healthy and keeps ’em busy 🙂

[Sully’sMom]

I don’t have advice yet, as I’m at the same point, however I contacted Earthborn today (via email) and they were very responsive! Fast, pleasant, helpful and thorough. I’m definitely going to consider them. Both them and Dr. Tim’s Kinesis GF…

[Sully’sMom]

Wow, I was yelled at by the machine for hitting enter too fast 🙁

[Sully’sMom]

Looking for a recipe for a birthday “cake”………….anyone?

[Sully’sMom]

Hah, here I am again! Now I know why they say ignorance is bliss! I contacted Dr Tims and boy you were right…they are responsive! However, I was inquiring about the GF product and when I mentioned I had a 1 yr old lab they said they recommend the Pursuit instead. My main reason for looking to go grain free is the arsenic issue (thoughts?); are there other good reasons? Dr Tim said they test their rice several times a year and that it has always tested negative for arsenic…

[Sully’sMom]

Hope you’re not tired of these questions, but I’m enjoying “talking” with you about dog food. The mention of samples intrigued me: PetFlow often offers “trials” at great prices. I never considered them before because I never considered rotating foods before, but they are currently offering trial sizes of both Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Boost Grain Free and/or Nutrisca Chicken and Chickpea. Are you familiar with either/both? I noticed DFA has them both at 5 stars.

Secondly, if you were getting small sample sizes as above (this is for you too Saireah since you’re the one who mentioned samples!), how would you fit them into your feeding?

[Sully’sMom]

Thank you, Hound Dog Mom, very helpful!

Saireah, you too! I never thought about samples…will look into that. I’m now targeting 3 foods, all grain-free: Dr Tim’s, Merrick, and Earthborn. All seem to be at a reasonable price point for a quality food.

Hound Dog Mom, you seem extremely knowledgeable (are you a vet?) – is there another discussion thread on the forum somewhere about the arsenic/rice issue? Very interested…

[Sully’sMom]

Is the high protein level a good thing?

[Sully’sMom]

Wow, just looked up Earthborn and it looks darn near perfect! 5 stars on DFA, good ingredients and, as you said, a good price. And, I assume since my large breed puppy will be over 12 mos when I transition, no need to even ask about the calcium?

Thanks for pointing me in a direction I’d not have known about! We have a coupon for a free bag of Fromm, so we’ll get that and then transition…

[Sully’sMom]

Thank you! I’ve been thinking about Merrick for awhile. I’ve never heard of the other two, but will look into them. TOTW, I’d had the same thinking just today….

[Sully’sMom]

Thank you for clarifying! As I said, we’ve been feeding him the Gold Lrg Breed but, as he turns 1 soon, and I’ve been wanting to get him off grains (mainly due to the rice/arsenic issue), I was thinking about turning to the Fromm Grain – Free, however I’ve found two that seem more wallet-friendly. Do you have an opinion on the Merrick grain-free lines and/or Taste of the Wild? Or any other suggestions?

[Sully’sMom]

May I ask why you’re so down on Fromm? It’s family owned, produced in its’ own facility, hasn’t had and recent recalls that I could find, quality ingredients….
I’ve been feeding my puppy Gold Star Large Breed so am quite curious if there’s something you don’t like about it…?

Appreciate any additional info..

[Sully’sMom]

Another one is Merrick Dog Foods – We are currently feeding Fromm and after much research, Merrick is my back up plan if I were to switch from Fromm for any reason (cost maybe)..

[Sully’sMom]

Fromm is family owned and self-manufactures.

[Sully’sMom]

Oh, so if my pup is 12+ months, the calcium guidelines of under 3.5 per 1000 kcal are less important? That’s helpful!

[Sully’sMom]

I’m confused about something; is the large breed formula only important during the 1st two years of puppy’s life? Since the point of it is controlled growth, wouldn’t it cease to be important after that, meaning ‘do you need large breed adult’?

[Sully’sMom]

Wow, that’s a lot to digest (no pun intended). Do you thoughts/info on Merrick Grain Free foods? I know they’re an excellent company, but I don’t know about their numbers…

[Sully’sMom]

Still me – when I’m looking at food am I supposed to look at BOTH calcium g per 1,000 kcal AND protein ?

[Sully’sMom]

Hi again, the more I read the more I’m confused! I went to the TOTW web site and just to use one variety as an example the Southwest Canyon Canine Formula says the calcium is “1.9%, as fed”

Isn’t that the number to look for? Or is it something else? I’m looking to transition my Large Breed lab puppy to a grain free adult food. Currently, he’s on Fromm, which I know is excellent, but their grain-free is much more expensive that either TOTW or Merrick.

[Sully’sMom]

Any thoughts on Taste of the Wild? All grain-free and DFA rates 4 and 5 star. Also recommended to me by a vet. I was surprised to not find it on your list.

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