I'm not sure how helpful I will be here but I'll give you my thoughts, if that's ok?

I have stopped looking at ingredients or being fussy about supposed "Best" brands and I have moved to looking at nutrient levels.

With those foods being high in protein, the calcium and phosphorus will be high. Normal healthy dogs, this can be ok, but over time can lead to kidney problems, especially for seniors. Then, with all that available calcium, phosphorus (and magnesium) you can push dogs into forming bladder stones.

SO, what I look for is no more than 0.8% phosphorus (not mininum, but maximum).
You will have to call Victor, since they don't list phosphorus on their webpage, but Wellness is 1.15% phosphorus. Too high for my preferences.

I have fed Wellness, Nature's Variety, Nature's Logic and Evo and had dogs develop UTIs and struvite stones while eating these foods. Of course, this is all purely anecdotal, YMMV.

I prefer Fromm Gold, Precise Naturals, and believe it or not, Science Diet or their boutique line, Ideal balance.

I have 4 different breeds, and they all look better on these foods than they ever did on Orijen/Acana and the ones I listed above.

Short answer, is the "best" food for your dog is the one he does well on. I used to spend HOURS, DAYS even, researching dog foods. It tormented me mentally. I had so many troubles with my dogs digestively with the high protein foods, bladder infections, tear staining etc. Now, these foods I favor, all are doing very well.

Long reply, apologies, but thought I'd give you an answer. Spoil 'em, take 'em for walks and don't worry bout food too much

 

Yes, I appreciate your thoughts!

We tried Fromm Gold and Shandy would not eat it... that was unfortunate! Didn't like the taste of it.

We did feed her Ideal Balance Grain Free for a while. But I heard so many bad things about Science Diet and whatnot that we switched to the WC.

 

I think if your dogs are doing good on the Wellness and you are comfortable with the brand, then there is no need to change it. There is no such thing as a perfect protein, fat, or carb percentage. Some dogs do great on lower protein foods which in return have higher carbs. Personally my older dog blows up like an obese blimp if her carbs aren't kept to a minimum. Therefore high protein is the best option for her.

You just got to figure out what works best for YOUR dog and stick with it. Don't worry too much about what other people think about your brand choice Feed whatever food you are most comfortable with.

 

This right here

With Echo (pwd) and Jack (poodle) with their ridiculously sensitive bellies, I was at my wit's end for them and decided to try the Science Diet Salmon grain free kibble. I felt SO guilty about it! But overnight both their bellies straightened out and they have much better digestion (no gurgly tummies, good stools) while also still maintaining good coat and skin.

If your guy is doing fine on Wellness, stick with it, I agree. If you start having problems, then try something else.

Good luck.

 

Victor is more budget friendly than Core and I like the lower protein in it. My boxer can't eat either one - too high in protein for him. Have you looked at Acana?

 

Jess, It's been awhile since I looked at Large Breed Puppy foods but remember the only thing that makes it appropriate for large breeds is to reduce the fat and calcium to reduce the rapid growth rate. that's it. And as far as Large Breed Adult diets, that's more to create varieties and shelf space in Petsmarts. I don't know Victor but it sounds similar to Wellness Core. I have done a thorough look at Core and from a nutrient precision perspective, it is one of the worst. especially with a large breed, whose life span is tragically too short, I would be simply looking at nutrient excesses and avoiding them. core is the same phosphorus as Walmart's Old Roy and an even higher sodium level! you can save your money and perhaps get more time with your canine companion with a much better diet at a much better price. listen to Shamrockmommy on this thread!