What's the Deal with Canidae?

[KaseyCaye]

Ok so I am trying to switch Diesel off of Nutro because I have now realized that it isn't the best food for him (and for some reason it was more expensive than Canidae). I was under the impression that Canidae was a really good food and I even bought their cat food for Nina but lately I've been reading all this information about how they are such a horrible food and have killed dogs. What's the deal???? I can't afford the $70 a bag dog food but I thought Canidae was a good choice for a good dog food that I could afford. Can anyone help me out here????

 

[colliewog]

Canidae did a formula change about a year ago and it's just not the same anymore. I used to feed it and swore by it, but they did a formula change with no indications on the label (no "New and Improved" or labeling change, nothing), so many unsuspecting owners had sick dogs due to the formula changes (there's nothing technically wrong with the food, it's just changed). My iron stomach girl was vomiting, my other girl developed ear infections (never had a problem in her life) and my old boy with the gorgeous coat started shedding like crazy in the dead of winter.

I've since played the "food field" and come up with an economical alternative that has worked for my crew - Healthwise Active (made by Natura, who make Innova). It's their 'econo' line, but very good and limited ingredients, so not a lot of fillers to cause similar upsets. I've gotten my gorgeous coats back, no vomiting or gas, etc. And it fits my budget while not denying the kids of what they need!

Good luck to you! I understand trying to buy the best while still being able to pay your own bills!

 

[bubbatd]

I'm back on it ......a new formula . The store I bought from stopped it and I went to their Nutri Source . They have since gone out of business and the store I go to now carrys the new Canidae . I'm hoping for the best , but nothing's cheap !

 

[Maxy24]

I did not like the change they made to their food at all because they down graded and many dogs did not adjust well to this change. They did however come out with a grain free line and I don't know of anybody who has tried that but it doesn't look bad. The food is not BAD by any means, many people are just irked at the company for lowering the quality of their original formula.

I would give the grain free stuff a try for sure.

 

[bubbatd]

That's what I'm buying !

 

[MafiaPrincess]

Once companies do a skeazy change (no warning no bag information) I can't support them anymore. Lot of companies I thought were good have done it at one time or another. Which is why I feed mainly raw with some Orijen when I'm low or want it in a busy toy.

 

[colliewog]

Once companies do a skeazy change (no warning no bag information) I can't support them anymore. Lot of companies I thought were good have done it at one time or another. Which is why I feed mainly raw with some Orijen when I'm low or want it in a busy toy.

Exactly ....

 

[Lizmo]

They changed the food. My dogs got sick. So we switched to Diamond Naturals.

 

[KatzNK9]

Word was all over the net for more than a month before my local supplier even got the new formula. Also, the website had been udpated by that time too.

I feed it & my dogs do great on it. In fact, I've tried other foods & one of my dogs did poorly on them (including EVO) so I quickly switched back after only a few weeks of trials.

I like their ingredients & the cost is lower than many of the high quality kibbles.

 

[KaseyCaye]

Thanks for all the responses guys - I guess since I already bought the bag I will just try it and see how the baby does on it. If he doesn't take well too it was is my next best option that is not too much more money?

 

[Southpaw]

You can probably bring the food back and exchange it? Assuming you haven't opened the bag. We had to do that. Bought a bag of Canidae, turns out the dogs weren't doing well on it at the breeder's, so we brought it back and bought a bag of Taste of the Wild instead. Not the cheapest food out there, I think $45 gets us a 30lb bag... but it's not an astronomical price, and I think it's worth it. I feel like I'm feeding my dogs something good, and, it's taken about a month, but the poops are finally smaller!

 

[AllieMackie]

Dog food is tricky business, that's for sure. If, you want a wuality food and don't want to blow your budget (which is my camp as well), here's what I did.

Check out dog food review links, educate yourself on the goods and bads.

This website is great:
The Dog Food Project - How does your Dog Food Brand compare?

There's a lot of info there, but a great read. There's also this website:
Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble

Which gives reviews on various dog food brands and why they are good vs. bad. Not all foods have reviews, but it's still a decent reference.

What I did after that was poke around the local pet supply stores, compare prices, review ingredients, and decided from there.

Hope that helps!

 

[KaseyCaye]

Thanks for the input Allie - I can never open the dog food analysis site - I don't know if it is a computer problem or what's going on but does it have good reviews for Canidae?

 

[KaseyCaye]

Ok so I'm switching Diesel off of Canidae, it is giving him room-clearing gas! It's sooooo gross! So I'm now thinking about going the Wellness route because it is still not too expensive and available to buy at my local pet store. Any thoughts on that?

 

[Fran27]

Try to look at the recommended amount too. For example, we had to feed almost twice as much of the nutro than we did of Canidae/Innova... so in the end it's really not that expensive to feed a better food.

Could it be possible also that you were feeding too much canidae for that reason? That could cause gas maybe. Otherwise, check the recommended amounts and the price of the bag and try to see what would be cheaper.

 

[KaseyCaye]

I have been feeding him half as much as the nutro. It's still not as much as the "maximum" you can feed. Canidae recommends 2-4 cups a day and he's been getting around three cups. I'm thinking that wellness might be a good way to go.

 

[WES]

Canidae...

One thing no one has mentioned is when Canaidae changed the formula they also increased the price. I used to feed Canaidae, it was a very good value before the change.
Now I feed Innova, It's a few bucks more than Canaidae but I think it is a better food.

 

[LauraLeigh]

They changed the food. My dogs got sick. So we switched to Diamond Naturals.

That's what happened here in a nutshell.... Foster had, well violent diarrhea ... BAD...:yikes:

I switched to Fromm Duck and Sweet Potato, I have a couple (Foster and Molly) that are a bit hard to keep weight on... and felt totally grain free would make that harder, as they seemed to be harder to keep weight on when I was feeding Orijen...

 

[Izzy's Valkyrie]

Do you have any non-chain pet food stores in your area? Taste of the Wild is the most cost effective grain free food that you can grab without going to Sam's or Costco (Diamond naturals and Kirkland are the favorites). Not as cheap and Purina and whatnot but $41 will get you 30lbs at my store. Natura brands are a usual favorite too.