So we have had Sierra on Nutro natural choice lite food for 2 bags now and it has help get her down a few pounds. We have Jack on the Kirkland brand adult lamb dog food, I was told by the lady at the rescue that was a good food but now im wondering if it is. He as not stopped shedding since we got him 4 months ago and im wondering if it is from the food. I do not want to do the RAW diet but was wondering if there is something better at about the same price for the bag?

jbealer wrote:

So we have had Sierra on Nutro natural choice lite food for 2 bags now and it has help get her down a few pounds. We have Jack on the Kirkland brand adult lamb dog food, I was told by the lady at the rescue that was a good food but now im wondering if it is. He as not stopped shedding since we got him 4 months ago and im wondering if it is from the food. I do not want to do the RAW diet but was wondering if there is something better at about the same price for the bag?

I'm not a fan of Nutro, but the Kirkland adult dog foods are pretty decent for a food with grain. I don't like that it is made by Diamond, but to each his own. On that note, I doubt you'll be able to find a better food for the same price as the Kirkland food which is a pretty good deal in and of itself for what you're getting.

Anyway, in answer to the topic "What are you feeding your Husky?" I feed my husky Innova Evo and I feed my chihuahua Wellness Core. I've tried my husky on Natural Balance, Taste of the Wild, Wellness Core, Innova Evo, and Innova Evo Red Meat. He does the best on Wellness Core and Innova Evo but since Evo is cheaper than Core I feed him Evo. My chi has been on Nutro Max, Innova Evo, Innova Evo Red Meat, and Wellness Core. So far the only food she's done really well on is Core so that's what I'm sticking with.

What is wrong with Diamond? I was reading up on Evo since someone mentioned it the other day, maybe you? How much is it a 40lb bag? I have them both on 3 cups of food 3 x's a day.

3 cups of food 3 times a day?!?! Are you kidding me?! Or is that 3 cups a day split into 3 meals?

Diamond is the manufacturer that has been implicated in pet food recalls time and time again. They have a track record that isn't too impressive if you ask me.

How much a bag of any dog food costs will vary by store, location and availability. For me, I buy the largest bag of Evo which is 28.6 lbs. I just bought a bag locally yesterday and it was $55.99 for the 28.6 lb bag before tax. One thing you need to take into consideration is that with the more expensive premium foods you do feed a lot less because there is more meat and less filler (grains). I feed my 55 lb male sibe 1 and 3/4 cups of Evo per day. One 28.6 lb bag of Evo lasts me 2 months, so if you work it out then I spend less than a dollar a day on kibble for him. I think it works out to 0.98 cents a day which isn't bad if you think about it.

Sorry I meant 1 cup of food 3x's a day for a total of 3 cups of food each dog. So are the feeding recommendations for Evo on the bag that say to feed that little of food? It makes since that you feed him smaller amounts since the food is so rich in good ingredients, do you feed in the morning then? Do you give him any treats or other food through out the day? I am not big on treats as we are watching Sierra's weight but they get a bone a day

I mentioned it in my other thread, but I will respond here too...

We feed Koda Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream formula. It's grain-free and has the right level or protein for him. It's also significantly cheaper than a lot of other grain-free formulas. For a 30 lb bag it's about $45 after tax for us.

If you look at my thread called "New Food and Tummy Sounds" you'll see that we've been through a bit. To sum up...He started on Eagle Pack Holistic Select Salmon & Sardine, which was a good food, but his stool wasn't very solid. We decided it might be due to the grain in it since a lot of dogs have a bad reaction to it (since grain isn't a natural part of their diet). We tried Innova Evo Red Meat and Innova Evo Large Bites. Both GREAT foods and I would have loved to stick with either despite the price, but he was no longer eating consistently, which may be somewhat normal but it freaked me out. I want him to like his food. I also noticed significantly more eye boogers (which isn't really a bad thing, but must be annoying), smellier farts and tummy sounds somewhat similar to indigestion. I thought it could be the very high protein content, so we looked into a ton of brands and decided on TOTW. So far so good, but if anything goes wrong (again, see the thread) we'll switch to Wellness Core Ocean.

Yep, it says that small an amount on the bag. Actually on the Evo bag it says for a 40-60 lb adult dog to feed 1 and 3/4 to 2 and 1/4 cups per day.

I feed 1 and 3/4 cups of Evo mixed with 1/3 of a can of wet food in the evening. In the morning he gets a biscuit and piece of chicken jerky.

Sinatra gets 1 cup in the morning and 1 cup at dinner time of Iams ProActive Health Chunks.
No problems with and been doing it for 2 years now. I can get a 40 lbs. bag at the Andersons for 30 bucks, and it will last about 5 weeks.

Who carries the TOTW?

I get it from the Local Tractor Supply Company here, but if you go to their website, they have a "Locate Retailers" function that is useful

i just found a few places one place i called was $47 for a 30lb bag before tax, might try a small bag and see where it gets us

Awesome Remember a few things:

-Gradually mix the food, don't switch all at once. Start adding small bits into his regular diet. Think 10% a meal until eventually the meal is mostly the new kibble, and then just the new kibble. This will prevent him from getting sick and messing up his digestive tract. Dogs stomachs are more sensitive than you think.

-It takes about 2-3 weeks for it to clear his system and for you to see the real effects of the new food. When we switched Koda, his poo didn't get mushy again until about 2-3 weeks on the last formula. That's why I tentatively say that he's doing well on the new stuff, because we're just about at the point where the new stuff is 100% taking effect.

Good luck!

We feed our two Raw Not an upset tummy in sight, clean teeth and glossy coats

Im the same as Cath , i feed raw and agree , no upset tummies here , even when Storm had her babies

jbealer wrote:

Who carries the TOTW?

I would recommend scoping out some of your local premium food stores to see how much you can get it for there if that's what you're looking to buy before trying Tractor Supply Company. It's been my experience that Tractor Supply company sells things for a lot more than what you can get at other pet supply stores. I believe you said before, Tori, that you only buy TOTW at TSC b/c you lived out in the middle of "nowhere" (your words, not mine lol) and it was the only place you could get it. Correct me if I'm wrong. I'm sure in Denver you have a lot of options.

FWIW, I tried TOTW High Prairie on both my dogs and neither did well on it at all. Faith got the runs and Dakota had very soft stool, his coat suffered and he had less energy than he did on Evo. Just the experience I had with it on my two.

Yup-- Tractor Supply is the only store that carries it up here.

Jenn, I would do some research on the brands first. Val is right in that some dogs do well on certain formulas and some do not. I researched A LOT before deciding in TOTW and even now a lot has to do with availability, Koda's eating habits and price.

This website is GREAT for reviews: Dog Food Analysis

There are definitely pros and cons to each brand and I will warn you that it may take months to find something that works for your dogs (and it may not be the same for both). I wish I could have stuck with Evo as it is much better nutritionally and I am more comfortable with the brand and ingredients. However, Koda was not a huge fan. When we move to a more populated area within the year, I am debating a switch to a better brand, but we'll see.

I highly recommend any fish formula, as fish is one of the most natural diets for a husky. But those are just my $.02

I have a 1year old female who has been on every premium dog food since coming in to my home at 2 months old. After a few weeks she turned her nose up to it. So, between the gas being spent to the pet food store and wasting the food that she wouldn't eat I started to make her food and let me say, she is back to dancing in circles for her food and licking the bowl dry!

I buy boneless chicken thighs and ground turkey, cook that up. While the meat is cooking I peel and bowl 1-2 white and sweet potatoes. When they are tender I throw in a bag of frozen mixed peas and carrots (.98 a bag at WalMart). I chop up the meat and mix everything together. If I buy multiple packs of meat I cook all the meat up at once then freeze yet so all I have to do is take it out a day before the mix runs out so it can thaw, make some more veggies and I am good to go! I have saved so much money on can dog food!

I mix in Storm's kibble and drizzle on some low-sodium chicken broth and she like I said, she licks the bowl dry!

On the weekends, I give her a sardine for added boost to her immune system. She loves it! Walmart carries cans of sardines for .88! It is one sardine cut in thirds. I usually give her a piece a day over the weekend.

For kibble the best husky food out there is Annamaet. You can learn more about Annamaet at www.annamaet.com

Can I ask why you cook everything and don't feed it raw?

Honestly, I just don't trust the food raw. I had Storm on Nature's Variety raw and although she liked it the first few times she quickly turned her nose up to it. So far, me making the food has been the most successful. I also changed to making her food because she was losing weight because of not eating well. And, I am happy to report that she has gained a little and maintained her weight for over a month now.

That's awesome that she's doing so much better. I would be feeding raw if i had the time and more resources where I live.

What's not to trust about raw meat? Dogs aren't meant to eat cooked meat, their bodies are meant to digest and break down raw food. I just know that cooking the meat takes a lot of the major essential nutrients out of the food.

Again, I'm really glad she's doing so well I would just research cooked meat versus raw meat for dogs, to make sure you're giving her all the nutrients that she needs.

I would also steer clear of naming a Kibble the "best out there." It's a very subjective thing, and I know a lot of people would argue that a Kibble with grain in it can hardly be considered "the best."

?? I am confused if as you say Annamaet is " the best" kibble why don't you feed it to your dog? Maybe if your dog doesn't like it - it's not the best????

With regard to raw I think if you are going down the route of buying meat to feed your dogs then feed it raw, after all in the wild animals can't cook their food

If you insist on cooking the meat, I think probably the best thing to do it just sear it very quickly so it is barely cooked and use all the meat juices too.

Do you give your dog raw meaty bones at all?

Tori,
Thanks for the link looks like I need to find my neighborhood pet shop as the big chains do not seem to carry these foods, I think I might try TOTW and EVO and see what works best, I think Jack needs a no grain food. Would it hurt to just always mix the Kirkland food with a new food, just thinking about keeping food cost down and having it last longer, I am doing that now with Sierra, mixing her lite food with the Kirkland food as I was hoping to wean her on to it completely when her lite food runs out? As it is now Jack and Sierra are on different foods and it is a pain to keep them from eating each others even when the food is in their own crate.

It wouldn't hurt, I know of people who do that. Both are good brands, so your dogs would be getting the nutritional value that they need.

Yeah... I don't go to the big stores anymore. Local places always have a better selection. I was surprised when my local Agway didn't have the TOTW. They have a better selection than Tractor Supply though. Just the luck of the draw I guess. Some of the smaller chains carry the good brands, but in General Petco and PetSmart don't carry most- just a select few like Wellness.

Good Luck! And let us know how it goes

Catherine wrote:

sear it very quickly

I'm so glad I learned that term. LOL. It pops up everywhere now! I'm a loser... I know.

Koda wrote:

Catherine wrote:

sear it very quickly

I'm so glad I learned that term. LOL. It pops up everywhere now! I'm a loser... I know.

Oh Tori you are so NOT a loser I think that must be me cos i am so full of useless information