So went to the "expensive" pet store today and got some free samples of zignature amd essence which are both pets global. They have a formula coming out that is potato and legume free. The 4lb sample bag is potato pea chicken free. Zignature has great reviews but essence is so new nothing on dog food advisor. Has anyone looked into essence

Are you feeding Essence LIR? It is extremely difficult to find reviews of this brand so I registered an account for this post. All my local stores stopped carrying it. The staff explained to me that it was because this kibble expires sooner than other brands, and not many people have heard of it. I fed 16lbs to my dog. She is doing great on Ranch LIR.

Usually i get the regular ranch and meadow but i get the lir when the regular one is out. Yes it seems to expire much sooner. Also ive noticed some bags the kibble has actually started to fall apart. I also use the lir canned food as a mixer sometimes.

But yeah not many reviews of it. Quick google search has mostly good reviews but a few about it being too rich. I know a handful of people that also use it for dogs with food sensitivity but even though it is made by zignature there isnt alot about it. I did find, at least in 2019 that the company was very good about getting back to me about questions i had about it.

One of my 4 did stop eating it about 2 weeks ago. Waiting on an appointment to see if its his teeth or if he just got tired of it.

The only real warning i have about essence is to have a back up brand (mine is the meat section of the grocery store) because very few places have it in stock and shipping has been unreliable. Chewy carries it now but i have reasons i wont use chewy.com

Thanks for the reply! Good to know that this company answers questions responsibly since I am curious about the rendering facilities used by them. I have noticed too that the kibble sometimes falls apart or there were “kibble dusts” on the bottom of the bag. I think it is not a bad thing. The reason could be that they are not using binders like tapioca root, so there is nothing keeps the meat and grain well packed for a long time. I have tested this theory by soaking the kibble in white vinegar. After three hours Essence kibble became completely mushy in my palm. Two other premium LIR kibble brands that use tapioca root had different results. They became soft but still held their shapes. I agree, it is important to have a backup plan. I was using Venture(had good results) and still have a small bag just in case, though my dog chose Essence when they were both available. I am not a fan of online shopping for pet food/supplements. I searched online throughly looking for stores that carry Essence LIR, found two of them had one bag “in store” on their websites, but nope, they got rid of Essence and forgot to update lol. The Petstaurant(a store owned by a Hollywood-backed animal activist who recently found guilty) carries both regular line and LIR line of Essence, which is a good sign to me because at least this store has a good taste of pet food.

So i have 4 dogs, spider has some food requirements like jigh protein low starch/carb and grain/gluten free and shadow is allergic to anything with feathers and potatoes. The other 2 have no special food needs but just with the 2 very few foods fit the bill. Several single protein source diets either have chicken fat or mixed torphols ( spelling is wrong) and shadow has had a reaction.

Any particular reason you use the lir?

My dog is allergic to rice(it surpassed the maximum number of the allergy test), pea, potato, oats and corn. I would avoid millet because she had stoney stools after eating Nature’s Logic Distinction. Also avoid chicken and flax in large quantities because they are usual candidates for allergies. Also avoid fish because she probably developed intolerance to them(had diarrhea). Also avoid legumes because DCM concerns. That is to say, she still has countless raw food options but would starve if has to eat kibbles. She recovered from skin allergies thanks to Venture Wild Boar. There are probably five kibble brands that are both legumes free and above-types-of grain free, but they are not perfect choices for some reasons (like using large amounts of sorghum, sweet potato or tapioca root).