I'd like to post an update on our experience with Grandma Lucy's now that we've been fully switched over for a number of weeks. I wanted to give it several weeks before making a real assessment to make sure any good or bad effects noticed were not flukes.

Overall I LOVE Grandma Lucy's! I've been feeding the grain free pork formula so far (the grain free chicken formula is next up). This is actually the first time I've fed a pork based food that is not true raw and the dogs are doing very well on it.

I'd like to comment on the differences I've noticed between Grandma Lucy's and The Honest Kitchen...

-I've found that on Grandma Lucy's their stool volume is fairly equivalent to that of grain free kibble. Very unlike THK where stool volume went up substantially regardless of formula. For comparison, on grain free kibble my sibe had 1-2 small BM's/day. On THK he had 2-3 large BM's/day. And on GL he has 1-2 medium BM's/day.

-On GL their stool does not come out looking pretty similar to the way the food went in like it did with THK. From casual observation of GL stools compared to THK stools it seems that they are utilizing more of the GL food which is a positive thing (i.e. less of their food going to waste, literally).

-Energy levels seem to have remained the same and I would say that stools on GL are actually firmer (and more compact) than their stools on THK.

-I much prefer the smell and appearance of GL over THK. GL looks more like a human stew that one would actually like to eat, and less like a green pile of (THK) vomit (sorry if that's TMI, lol). THK can be a bit offensive odor-wise but I don't have any issues over the smell of GL. My dogs eat GL and THK with equal gusto so they all seem to thoroughly enjoy GL and THK equally...if they prefer one over the other I honestly cannot tell from the way they all inhale their food.

Now the verdict is in. All things considered, I actually prefer GL over THK when taking into consideration all of the above. I still love THK and will be using both GL and THK as part of our rotation diet but I think I will stick to using GL more often than THK. I know that all dogs are individuals and not all dogs will have the results that we've experienced but I thought I'd share my thoughts and experience on GL with anyone interested in hearing them.

Grandma Lucy's definitely gets two paws up from this household and will definitely be one of our staples. Anyone else with experience on GL please feel free to comment and share your thoughts as well.

As a side note, I bought my first bag of Orijen today. It will be a few months before I get to it with all the surplus dog food I have since I always buy in bulk but I look forward to trying it out eventually and sharing our experience. I am wary of feeding Orijen to my sibe because it contains a fair amount of fish and traditionally our sibe does not tolerate fish in any form...so we'll see how that goes when we get around to it.

I want to try GL's once we're done with the 10lb box of THK that we just bought..lol

Is it in the same price range as THK? Well I should say, THK Keen?

They don't have a turkey formula, but their chicken formula on NK9S is 52.49 and as you know usualy they have some 10-15% off coupons, though I think you live by a store Mel. So definitely doable in the Keen price range. I only tried the venison formula 2 years ago, Koda absolutely loved it but he just does better on a diet with no fruits or veggies in them. The venison is their most expensive formula and $82 on NK9S and I think normally retails $89.99. I think it's also nice with GL that they have more protein sources available.

MelissaI wrote:

Is it in the same price range as THK? Well I should say, THK Keen?

Depends on where you buy it but I have always thought GL was more expensive than THK Keen which is why I never opted to buy it (trying to save $$$). But when you compare the price pound for pound they are actually pretty comparable. I actually was able to buy GL for cheaper than THK Keen and the kicker is that GL is grain free!

When you shop for it and compare prices you have to remember, the sticker price is most likely going to be higher for GL. Both come in in a 10 lb box/bag. However you'll have to calculate the actual cost per pound.

A 10 lb box of THK makes 43 lbs of prepared food.
A 10 lb bag of GL makes 55 lbs of prepared food.

So for example if a 10 lb box of Keen costs $53 that would be about $1.23/lb.
And for example if a 10 lb bag of GL costs $60 that would be about $1.09/lb.
Using that example the sticker price of GL is higher but the cost per lb is actually lower. I really wish someone had pointed that out to me a long time ago so I'm passing that knowledge on to others who might benefit.

Funny that you mention the smell of THK. I can't make that for my girls is Steve is home. He says it makes the house stink (which it does, but I can tolerate it). So I still have a 10lbs box and half a 10lbs box of THK that I've had for months! So hard to find days where he's gone around the time I'm feeding the girls! I do cheat every now and then, but I always get yelled at for it!

I've been feeding Acana mostly (have thrown in a bag or two of Orijen and TOTW) and my girls do well on it.

Can't Steve just man up and get over it until you finish the food? Sooner you finish it the better, right?

Heather, yeah, NK9 is about 20min away from house =)

Val, I would have never noticed that either! Totally worth it and it's
grain free (wohooo for that!). I would most likely try the chicken out first and see how that goes.

Sara, that's too funny! It does have it's odor, but I don't think it's too bad. Hubby doesn't even notice it..lol

When I was feeding Zeal it was a pretty bad smell I have to admit. Everyone would sit outside while I made it up lol

arooroomom wrote:

When I was feeding Zeal it was a pretty bad smell I have to admit. Everyone would sit outside while I made it up lol

Every night my dad walks through the kitchen when I'm making Zeal and makes comments on how horrible it smells... while Kale is sitting at my feet licking his lips hahaha

I find Zeal and Preference to be the most offensive of all THK formulas. Has anyone tried their new beef based grain free formula Love yet? I'm still waiting for samples of it to arrive.

I really like that GL has a variety of protein sources. And yes it does smell way better than THK! I didn't notice a difference in stool volume for mine, but I agree with Val that it looks like they utilize more of it.

And it's prepared the same as THK, right? Val, I think that you had posted a picture on it on another thread, but don't have time to go searching right now. Trying to get the heck out of the office!

MelissaI wrote:

And it's prepared the same as THK, right? Val, I think that you had posted a picture on it on another thread, but don't have time to go searching right now. Trying to get the heck out of the office!

Yes, it's prepared the same way as THK. Super easy! I also really like that GL has the chunks of meat in it that you can actually recognize.

Here are the pics I posted previously in another thread of a comparison between THK Keen and GL Pork:

Dry/Before mixing with water:


Prepared, Ready to feed/After mixing with water:


Hope that helps.

Awesome, thanks!!! I looked it up on Natural K9...does it come in a bag that looks like dry food? This is the pork formula, right?

http://www.naturalk9supplies.com/Dog-Food/grandma-lucys-artisan-pork-.aspx

MelissaI wrote:

Awesome, thanks!!! I looked it up on Natural K9...does it come in a bag that looks like dry food? This is the pork formula, right?

http://www.naturalk9supplies.com/Dog-Food/grandma-lucys-artisan-pork-.aspx

Yep, that's it!

Cool...thanks Val!

Do you guys still feed the same amount of cups per day on GL compared to THK

I just bought a bag of the Chicken flavor of GL to switch them off THK Keen. They were getting 1c a day on THK..

I do one cup a day on the days I only feed GL.

Okay, thanks Heather!

I know you guys suggest 1 c. a day, but they recommend more. Just wondering if I should be concerned.

I feed 1 cup of grandma lucys and 1/2 cup Evo per day (1/2 cup GL and 1/4 cup kibble morning and night) his weight has maintained, energy level has increased dramatically, and he seems satisfied.

That's what I will probably do for delilah - Cato. Now I'm not sure.

Jennet&Embry wrote:

Do you guys still feed the same amount of cups per day on GL compared to THK

Yep

mheath0429 wrote:

I know you guys suggest 1 c. a day, but they recommend more. Just wondering if I should be concerned.

Well that's adult portions we're talking. Plus I think most of us who feed GL also supplement it with something be it kibble, raw, canned, or cooked boneless meat. For example I might feed 1 cup of GL with 1/4 cup of Orijen kibble or 1/3 can of wet food or 4 oz of raw. Just to give you an idea.

I wish GL had a fish option!!

Storm could probably do any protein but I'm just trying to avoid buying 4 different bags of food...However, I do like GL Pureformance to help stretch out THK to bring cost down a little.