[chuckNashley]

Hi Everyone,

Compared to Orijen, Instinct, or Acana, how does Taste of the Wild rate? My Vizsla puppy seems to avoid kibble that are fish based, like Orijen Fish.

Suggestions?:smile:

 

[ruckusluvr]

Taste of the wild is an excellent choice if you are comfortable feeding a food that MIGHT have an ingredient that POSSIBLY could cause cancer in rats if feed in an extremely high dose.

I have fed it and liked it. my dogs did well on it, but i had to feed them quite a bit of it to keep my dogs in good condition.

 

[luvMyBRT]

TOTW is a great food if your comfortable with feeding a Diamond manufactured food. It is also good if you are on a budget and want to feed a grain-free kibble. I have also fed TOTW (bison formula) and was pleased with the results. My dog really liked it as well.

Now, that being said, I don't think that TOTW even comes close to Orijen. If you have the budget and can find it, I would choose Orijen/Acana over TOTW any day. :smile:

 

[buddy97]

Hi Everyone,

Compared to Orijen, Instinct, or Acana, how does Taste of the Wild rate? My Vizsla puppy seems to avoid kibble that are fish based, like Orijen Fish.

Suggestions?:smile:

first, i would never feed grainless food like TOTW, Instinct, Core, etc,... to a Vizsla pup (which i consider a medium to large breed) because of the higher calcium content.

second, i wouldnt put TOTW in the same category as Acana , Orijen, or Instinct. i consider TOTW the budget choice in the grainless category and ive seen some people have to feed quite a bit more of it (it is a very low calorie grainless food) vs other grainless foods, cutting somewhat into the perceived budgetary advantage.

Orijen and Acana have foods that are not fish based.

 

[kevin bradley]

Acana and Orijen should never be compared to anything coming from a Diamond plant.

Anyone who feeds Diamond does so for budget reasons and thats ok...and just a fact of life(we're all in different places financially especially in this current economic mess).

Are Diamond foods a step up from Purina or Pedigree? Certainly.

Are they a substitute for a company(one of the last) devoted to doing whats right for our Dogs?...in an uncompromised fashion? Hell no.

 

[ruckusluvr]

yes, diamond is definitely for those on a budget more than anything.
if it wasnt for diamond feeds id probably have to feed something pretty horrible due to budget.

i am looking into a better food, if they eat less enough to justify it (they are said to!)

the best of the best IMO is Orjien

 

[chuckNashley]

Why not grainless...

first, i would never feed grainless food like TOTW, Instinct, Core, etc,... to a Vizsla pup (which i consider a medium to large breed) because of the higher calcium content.

I am so confused on this statement, why not grain-less? Everyone has said always buy grain free food. What TOP foods have grain?

I am currently mixing a combination of:

Orijen Puppy
Orijen Fish (which he AVOIDS completely)
Instinct - Duck
TOTW - Bison

I want to stay with Orijen, but it's not his favorite taste. Should I just keep feeding Orijen until he gets the hang of what he is eating?

Thanks!

 

[luvMyBRT]

first, i would never feed grainless food like TOTW, Instinct, Core, etc,... to a Vizsla pup (which i consider a medium to large breed) because of the higher calcium content.

I am so confused on this statement, why not grain-less? Everyone has said always buy grain free food. What TOP foods have grain?

I am currently mixing a combination of:

Orijen Puppy
Orijen Fish (which he AVOIDS completely)
Instinct - Duck
TOTW - Bison

I want to stay with Orijen, but it's not his favorite taste. Should I just keep feeding Orijen until he gets the hang of what he is eating?

Thanks!

Grain-free kibble is the best for your puppy. But, you have to be careful and watch the calcium and phosphorus levels. In TOTW these levels are far too high to be safe for a growing large breed pup. I like to see calcium levels around 1.4 and phosphorus around 1.0.....Too much calcium has been shown to cause bone/growth problems.

The only grain-free large breed puppy food I would feed is the Orijen Large Breed puppy. This is what we are feeding our large breed pup.

 

[buddy97]

Too much calcium has been shown to cause bone/growth problems.

The only grain-free large breed puppy food I would feed is the Orijen Large Breed puppy. This is what we are feeding our large breed pup.

^^this^^ orijen (and maybe acana grainless) are the only grainless foods that i know have a maximum Ca level of 1.7%, which is as high as id want to go on a large breed pup. most all the other grainless foods(including TOTW and Instinct) are around 2% and up. i can tell you on the GSD forum i am on, the only grainless food that gets any consideration for a gsd pup is orijen. the rest are better left for adulthood, imo.

otherwise the choices for a large breed pup are any large breed puppy formulas which will have the lower Ca levels (examples) Blue buffalo large breed puppy, innova large breed puppy, wellness super 5 large breed puppy, solid gold wolf cub...or any adult food that has around 1.5% maximum Ca levels.

 

[chuckNashley]

Calcium and Phosphorus Levels?

So, people seem to think for LARGE breed dogs that the Calcium levels should be around 1.5 and Phosphorus levels around 1.0.

Vizslas are considered medium size dogs (=45lbs for adult male); with that said, should the levels be different?

It seems like MOST of the best "puppy or all-life-stage" dry foods (grain free) have much higher levels than this.

Orijen
Instinct
Evo
TOTW
BG


The only ones that don't are Solid Gold, Blue, Innova, and a few others.

Does a Vizsla (medium size) fall under those percentages? Does activity level matter? Vizslas are HIGHLY active!

Thanks! :biggrin:

 

[buddy97]

So, people seem to think for LARGE breed dogs that the Calcium levels should be around 1.5 and Phosphorus levels around 1.0.

Vizslas are considered medium size dogs (=45lbs for adult male); with that said, should the levels be different?

It seems like MOST of the best "puppy or all-life-stage" dry foods (grain free) have much higher levels than this.

Orijen
Instinct
Evo
TOTW
BG

:

that is because those foods are allowed to be labelled "all life stages" by the very loose standards of AAFCO. other than Orijen, i would not consider any of those all life stages foods where it concerns a medium or large breed pup. in fact, some of the grainless manufacturers have taken the more responsible approach of telling owners of larger breeds to wait until 1 year to start feeding their higher Ca foods, where others label their grainless foods all life stages even though they possess Ca levels that are just as high as those foods that are not recommended.

i always thought Vizsla males could be anywhere from 45-65 lbs. at any rate, id consider them on the larger end of mediums breed dogs. this is just me personally, but id want to feed the lower Ca foods.