[ChihuahuaMom]

Hello. After long thought and quite a bit of research and conversations with my vet of 10 years, I have made the decision to pull out of feeding Innova to my dogs (Chihuahua, Boston Terrier, and mixed breed) and cats (17 year old Russian Blue, 6 year old tabby and twin 10 week old tuxedo kittens). I am struggling between the decision of Merrick and Fromms. The kiddos LOVED the Merrick canned food, but they also loved the Fromms chicken and veg kibble. They only get a little bit of wet food in the morning (one can is split between everyone) then they get dinner of dry food. I am just really curious to find out what everyone thinks. I appreciate everyone's advice :biggrin:

 

[kevin bradley]

are those our only options?

If yes?...Fromm


If no...Orijen or Acana --or-- real food if you can devote the time.

 

[ChihuahuaMom]

These arent really my only options, I just narrowed down to these two. I also thought about Wellness Core...I thought about feeding raw, but both of my Chis are hypoglycemic (not sure if that makes a difference). Plus, I do have eight animals, so while I dont mind spending whatever it takes, I have to take into consideration the time and cost of cooking raw, as the vet bills for 8 (I just lost my 18 year old cat in January) plus flea meds, etc. Really add up.

 

[cprcheetah]

Hey there, I think I would go with Fromms out of those 2 choices. My Chihuahua Zoey is also hypoglycemic due to hydrocephalus. She's been eating raw for 1 week and is doing so much better already, she no longer shakes/shivers, and has a ton more energy. Several people have suggested that the raw food keeps their blood sugar/glucose levels more stable, hence the lack of shaking now. She was eating By Nature Salmon before that due to food allergies. I fed my pomeranian Wellness Core and he did great on it. As for the time/cost of feeding raw, yes for the tinies I think it does cost more, but you also have to find/look for deals, I am buying some chicken quarters off of someone I met on a raw group as they are too small for her big dogs for 45cents/lb, so I am getting 70# of meat for $31.50, if I had more freezer space I'd be buying more. Between my pom and chi they are just eating 6oz per day between my two, this meat is going to last me quite a while. Now granted it's not the only thing they will be eating but it will help. I bought a 12# bag of Wellness Core for $29.99 so 70# of meat versus 12# of kibble.....

 

[Ania's Mommy]

Nothing wrong with doing what you have been; canned Merrick in the morning, Fromms kibble at night. They're both decent foods. :wink:

 

[ChihuahuaMom]

Thank you to everyone..I never realized how important food was before-the kids were thriving on Innova, so the recent turn of events really bother me. I will discuss the raw diet with my vet...my vet tech was the one who told me about Merrick, since we live in Texas. I had my two oldest cats (17&18) on Purina One for about the last 10 years and they always did great..I just happened to stumble onto the dogfood websites and instantly became very upset. Thankfully my Chis seem to have their hypgogylcemia (that has got to be sooo spelled wrong-lol) under control..they seem to only have seizures when they dont eat enough..and the last seizure anyone experienced was over two years ago. Also, my Chis dont seem to ever shake..they both suffer from Napolean syndrome and walk around as if they are pitbulls. I dont think they have any idea they are so small!!

 

[magicre]

Thank you to everyone..I never realized how important food was before-the kids were thriving on Innova, so the recent turn of events really bother me. I will discuss the raw diet with my vet...my vet tech was the one who told me about Merrick, since we live in Texas. I had my two oldest cats (17&18) on Purina One for about the last 10 years and they always did great..I just happened to stumble onto the dogfood websites and instantly became very upset. Thankfully my Chis seem to have their hypgogylcemia (that has got to be sooo spelled wrong-lol) under control..they seem to only have seizures when they dont eat enough..and the last seizure anyone experienced was over two years ago. Also, my Chis dont seem to ever shake..they both suffer from Napolean syndrome and walk around as if they are pitbulls. I dont think they have any idea they are so small!!

have you ever heard the saying ' little people have to pick up for themselves?'

my pug who weighs 18 lbs. on a good day, thinks he's an english bulldog...we don't have the heart to tell him he's not...

if you're comfortable feeding kibble, i think you're getting suggestions that are very positive...when we fed kibble, we did feed grained kibble...it was the wellness super five lamb/barley/salmon and the two dogs did well....

it wasn't until after my older girl turned ten that i started re thinking my position on raw....but i went to home cooked first because i couldn't deal with raw at the time...

you really have to do what's comfortable for you...and if you did go raw, you don't cook the proteins....

hypoglycemia --- with your chis, this only happens when they don't eat? the seizures?