Narrowed it down to 3...No Potato & Grain Free

[mimimomo]

I've been feeding mine a rotation diet of Wellness Core Grain Free Original (Turkey & Chicken) & Wellness Complete Health Super5Mix Lamb, Barley & Salmon. They're been doing very well on it, but Momo & Princess has been getting softer stools towards the end of their # 2's just recently (TMI!). They both had G.I issues in the past. Mimi has been getting very finicky & I've been trying to get creative w/her toppings & I'm running out of ideas! Turbo is allergic to pumpkin...he throws up. Not sure if sweet potato & potato are in the same family, but I've always heard that grain free & potato free was best for canines. Raw is probably the best way to go, but the closest we got was Honest Kitchen & their little tummies couldn't handle it. So, I've been doing some research over the last few days w/the help of dogfoodadvisor.com:

I've narrowed it down to 3, all have NO potato & are Grain Free w/Probiotics.

1. Darford Zero/G Turkey & Chicken. Darford | Culture
I've ordered this & am picking it up on Friday.

2. Amicus (Horizon) Adult. Horizon Pet Nutrition
A special kibble just for small breeds w/small bites! We'll def be trying this soon...

3. Pulsar (Horizon)
Not sure what the percentage breakdown is for this food for protein level, fat, etc. (not on website).
Low glycemic food, good for dogs w/diabetes or weight problem.

4. Nutrisca DOGSWELL® NUTRISCA® Grain Free Potato Free Premium Dog Food
Also an excellent kibble. I did not include this as my top 3 bc of 2 small reasons. 1.) no probiotics 2.) protein levels were a little too high for my comfort zone.

I know somebody was asking for a potato free, grain free kibble...I could not find that thread. Hope this helps! If anyone has tried any of these foods above, any feedback will be much appreciated.

[BonBon]

Thanks for posting this, Jenny! I haven't heard of some of these foods, so I'll definitely be reading up on them.

The percentage breakdown on Pulsar is on Horizon's website. If you click on Pulsar, then on Formulsa, there's a button called Guaranteed Analysis right next to the Ingredients button. Both Pulsar formulas have 28% protein and 15% fat.

[mimimomo]

Originally Posted by BonBon

Thanks for posting this, Jenny! I haven't heard of some of these foods, so I'll definitely be reading up on them.

The percentage breakdown on Pulsar is on Horizon's website. If you click on Pulsar, then on Formulsa, there's a button called Guaranteed Analysis right next to the Ingredients button. Both Pulsar formulas have 28% protein and 15% fat.

Ahh Thank You for that!

[LoALAnna]

I have used the Nutrisca for three bag cycles. The boys have eaten this food with enthusiasm (lamb and chickpea) and have had no ill effects. I only changed to Natures Variety dry because they have been eating the canned food. Both brands have worked very well for us.

[MY OSCAR]

Have you heard of Great Life Dog Food ?


Great Life Dog Food

[Sheldonsmom]

Natures Variety, Canine Caviar and back t basics are grain and potato free.

[Jamie06283]

Ive researched natures variety, pure vita, canine caviar, great life and honest kitchen they all sound wonderful and hopefully will be trying canine caviar soon. The protein levels in these are around 30 percent. Do you guys think this is too much for a little yorkie?

[Patty]

Thanks so much for this post. I need to find a grain free, potato free dog food for my Ellie. I'm thinking Amicus might work. I've never even heard of any of these dog foods before. I love the information I get from everyone on here. I don't know what a good protein percentage is for Yorkies.

[my2boyz]

Originally Posted by mimimomo

I know somebody was asking for a potato free, grain free kibble...I could not find that thread. Hope this helps! If anyone has tried any of these foods above, any feedback will be much appreciated.

That may have been me. Megan needs grain free and she gets itchy when she eats potatoes...not sure if it's the starch or the sugar portion that gives her trouble but I want to avoid them.

Thank you for the information

[my2boyz]

P.S. to my last post...

We are currently feeding her a combination of homecooking and this when I need to use dry food: Natural Dog Food, Cat Food and Puppy Food for Pets With Food Sensitivity ? California Natural

She is doing well on it so far...if I remember correctly it has 21% protein, no potatoes, grain free and no rosemary.

[Rescuemomma]

I also like Great Life, I also really like Addiction. Addiction Pet Foods- Stay Ahead of the Pack They specialize in noval protein, hypoallergenic diets.

[mimimomo]

Just popped in to show you a pic of the kibble, it's tiny & they like it! Picture 010.jpg The left one is Wellness, it's got some white stuff on it, bc I sprinkled some cosequin on it...Mimi likes the liver flavor. The right one is the Darford kibble. I really liked Acana, but the kibble was too hard & big for them. So glad these are tiny, I had no idea!

I'll need to go through the posts later when I have time, Thank You for your helpful replies & input!

[YorkieMommieof3]

I avoid all gluten food products. These little guys have such sensitive tummies. I also make homemade natural organic foods for them. I found purinas all natural chicken and turkey is great. I have spent a ton of money on foods they can eat. This works as well as the more expensive foods and keeps their weight in check

[mimimomo]

Originally Posted by Jamie06283

Ive researched natures variety, pure vita, canine caviar, great life and honest kitchen they all sound wonderful and hopefully will be trying canine caviar soon. The protein levels in these are around 30 percent. Do you guys think this is too much for a little yorkie?

According to dogfoodadvisor.com, Darford comes out to 30% protein & 15% fat. It really depends on ea/individual yorkie, some do well on a high protein diet, & some do not. Mine do well on grain free (stool is a perfect example, it should be firm) & I feel comfortable w/ 25-28% protein...30% is a little high for me, but some of the protein in Darford comes from peas, lentils & chickpeas. So it's a meat/legumes diet. So far, they're loving it & they seem to have more energy...which I wasn't going for lolll.

Here's a good read about protein, hope you'll get a better understanding:
Protein Requirements for Good Dog Nutrition

[mimimomo]

When picking out a food, remember that the 1st 5 ingredients are what makes up the bulk of the food, so the 1st ingredient (s) should be the protein (s), preferably in meal form.

Originally Posted by MY OSCAR

Have you heard of Great Life Dog Food ?


Great Life Dog Food

Yes, I went through this list Best Dry Grain Free Dog Foods & visited ea/ company's website.

Originally Posted by Patty

Thanks so much for this post. I need to find a grain free, potato free dog food for my Ellie. I'm thinking Amicus might work. I've never even heard of any of these dog foods before. I love the information I get from everyone on here. I don't know what a good protein percentage is for Yorkies.

I want to try Amicus & Pulsar Fish formula next. Hope you'll find a store near you or somewhere that can deliver to you! Here's a good read on protein: Protein Requirements for Good Dog Nutrition

Originally Posted by my2boyz

That may have been me. Megan needs grain free and she gets itchy when she eats potatoes...not sure if it's the starch or the sugar portion that gives her trouble but I want to avoid them.

Thank you for the information

Princess has some sort of allergy/itching problem too. I think it's the starch or gluten from the potatoes...I've always thought sweet potato was good for them, as it's good for people, but every yorkie is different...like how Turbo is extremely allergic to pumpkin.