Switching foods

[Sit Stay]

Quinn has always been on Acana Grainfree (usually Ranchlands or Pacifica) and done very well and I wouldn't normally switch her. However, my work has recently started carrying dog food which means that I will be getting a very good deal (I will be cutting my dog food costs in half). I feel like I'd be stupid to not see how she handles one of the foods we stock.

The brands we are carrying are Summit, Go! (and can order in Now Fresh), Fromm, Merrick, Science Diet, Royal Canin, Complete and Pulsar (with the ability to get in Legacy). Some of these we don't carry the whole line but we are able to special order.

Right now I'm most interested in Go! Fit and Free and Merrick GF (either chicken or I'd try to order in buffalo) but would love some further input. Leaning towards Go!, as the Merrick is so much higher protein than Acana. I'd like to stay grain free. If any of you have recommendations I'm for sure open - I haven't been able to do as much research as I'd hoped due to not having much internet access. It took me so long to decide on Acana, now I'm having to go through it again!



Here are the ingredients and GA analysis of Acana Ranchlands (what she's on)

Deboned beef, beef meal, green peas, deboned lamb, lamb meal, white***64257;sh meal*, herring oil, ***64257;eld beans, red lentils, whole potato, salmon meal, deboned bison, beef liver, lamb liver, sun-cured alfalfa, pea ***64257;bre, whole apples, whole pears, sweet potato, whole pumpkin, butternut squash, parsnips, carrots, spinach greens, cranberries, blueberries, kelp, chicory root, juniper berries, angelica root, marigold ***64258;owers, sweet fennel, peppermint leaf, lavender, rosemary.

Crude protein (min.) 31%
Crude fat (min.) 17%
Crude fiber (max.) 5%
Moisture (max.) 10%
Calcium (min.) 2.3 %
Phosphorus (min.) 1.3%
Calcium: Phosphorus Ratio 1.8:1
Omega-6 (min.)
LA (min.) 2.5%
1.5%
Omega 3 (min.)
EPA (min.)
DHA (min.) 0.8%
0.3%
0.3%
Omega 6:Omega 3 ratio 3:1
Glucosamine (min.) 600 mg/kg
Chondroitin sulfate (min.) 800 mg/kg

Go! Fit and Free

Chicken meal, turkey meal, salmon meal, de-boned chicken, de-boned turkey, de-boned trout, potatoes, peas, tapioca, lentil beans, chickpeas, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), natural chicken flavour, whole dried egg, apples, duck meal, herring meal, salmon oil, alfalfa, de-boned duck, de-boned salmon, sweet potatoes, canola oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), coconut oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), flaxseed, potassium chloride, pumpkin, carrots, bananas, blueberries, cranberries, broccoli, spinach, alfalfa sprouts, blackberries, squash, papayas, pomegranate, dried chicory root, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Aspergillus niger fermentation product, dried Aspergillus oryzae fermentation product, vitamins (vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, inositol, niacin, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (a source of vitamin C), d-calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, beta-carotene, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement), minerals (zinc proteinate , iron proteinate, copper proteinate, zinc oxide, manganese proteinate, copper sulphate, ferrous sulphate, calcium iodate, manganous oxide, selenium yeast), sodium chloride, taurine, yucca schidigera extract, dried rosemary, green tea extract, peppermint, parsley, rosehips, zedoary, dandelion, chamomile, ginger, fennel, tumeric, juniper berries, licorice, marigold extract, cardamom, cloves.


Crude protein (min) 34%
Crude fat (min) 16%
Crude fibre (max) 3%
Moisture (max) 10%
Calcium (min) 2%
Phosphorus (min) 1.2%
*Omega 6 (min) 2.2%
*Omega 3 (min) 0.45%

Merrick GF Chicken

Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Sweet Potato, Peas, Potato, Chicken Fat (preserved with natural mixed tocopherols), Salmon Meal (source of Omega 3 fatty acids), Natural Chicken Flavor, Apples, Blueberries, Organic Alfalfa, Salmon Oil, Minerals (Salt, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Copper Amino Acid Complex, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Amino Acid Complex, Sodium Selenite), Vitamins (Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin D3, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Thiamine Mononitrate), Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, Dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, Dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, Rosemary Extract

Crude Protein (min.) 38.0%
Crude Fat (min.) 17.0%
Crude Fiber (max.) 3.5%
Moisture (max.) 11.0%
Omega-6 Fatty Acid (min) 4.80%
Omega-3 Fatty Acids (min) 0.40%
Glucosamine Hydrochloride (min) 1200 mg/kg
Chondroitin Sulfate (min) 1200 mg/kg.

[JessLough]

I've fed Go! Foods before, with little problem (issue was with my pets not the food) so I'd be apt to go there first.

[JacksonsMom]

I really like Go! personally (and Now!)

My favorite in terms of company and food is by far Fromm. Stellar business, awesome customer service, great quality food, good quality control, no recalls, etc, etc. Fromm also happens to be Jackson's favorite.

I'm not a huge fan of Merrick, they are constantly having quality control issues, though it's usually their treats, I still am somewhat uneasy with them. But it seems they've gotten better lately!

[Whitewave]

I am feeding some of my dogs Now and they are doing awesome. Casper has been on Evo, Orjien, Acana, Fromm, Earthborn, and many other top foods with major to mild issues. He is eating Now and so far no issues. For me, it is pricey as I'm paying $63 for 25lbs, but not dealing with diarrhea, vomiting, yeasty ears, severe shedding, tear stains is worth it.

If I had a dog that could eat chicken, I would feed the Go! Fit and Free before I fed anything Merrick. I really don't trust Merrick as a company.

I would definitely feed Go!

[AdrianneIsabel]

Originally Posted by MyHorseMyRules

I would definitely feed Go!

I especially love Now! Adult & senior large breed for treats.

[Shai]

Between those two I would give Go! a go, personally

Just FWIW, Fromm is one of the few kibbles that Kim can eat for any length of time without getting rashes and hot spots. As such, I like them a lot. TOTW was the other but I don't trust them anymore so not an option. Haven't tried Go! though as I've never seen it offered in this area. May have to look into it as an emergency kibble though...I try to keep some on hand in case of a power outage or similar.

[AllieMackie]

Also voting for Go. It rocks.

[crazedACD]

Originally Posted by JacksonsMom

I'm not a huge fan of Merrick, they are constantly having quality control issues, though it's usually their treats, I still am somewhat uneasy with them. But it seems they've gotten better lately!

Yes! We kind of sat down at my work and went through Merrick...discontinued all the treats, and replaced it with some other stuff. We were carrying their dog food (Grammy Pot Pie, etc) but now that they did away with that, we aren't taking the new dry in for now. There's just something about that company.

I've been doing a lot with Fromm and really like the food (and price). Everyone does well on it, and I'm not a grain-free buff so it works.

Originally Posted by crazedACD

Yes! We kind of sat down at my work and went through Merrick...discontinued all the treats, and replaced it with some other stuff. We were carrying their dog food (Grammy Pot Pie, etc) but now that they did away with that, we aren't taking the new dry in for now. There's just something about that company.

We did the same.