Changing the diet too soon could have been part of the issue. I went on the Stella and Chewy's website to take a look at their protein and fat content for their dinner patties, and their numbers are through the roof: 48% protein and 28% fat minimum. Compare that to Blue Buffalo: 26% protein and 15% fat minimum. The recommendations from the book Small Animal Clinical Nutrition, 5th edition are: 15 to 30% protein and 10 to 20% fat for a healthy young adult dog and 15 to 23% protein and 10 to 15% fat for a healthy mature dog. Blue Buffalo's numbers are within the range for healthy young adult dogs, but Stella and Chewy's numbers are almost double that. Such a sudden change could have been a shock to the system.

I'm not going to debate the superiority of one dog food over another (at least not on this thread :devils2:) but I'm glad that there is a diversity of products available and that you found a food that works best for your dog. We always try to do what's best for our dog, but once you find a product that works well for your dog, unless there is a compelling reason to change it, it's best to stick with what works.

.

I’m actually confused and I hope someone can answer me my question that if Stella and Chewy’s raw food is expensive and considered a good quality dog food, why does it have double of the protein and fat that is recommended for a young adult dog like mines. My dog doesn’t overly exercise and I’m sure most house pets don’t. So how is that raw food that is double of the protein and fat healthier than the recommended amount? I actually want to switch Blue Buffalo to a better dry food since I noticed Paris yesterday is not eating all her small vitamin darker circular pieces from her BB kibble. But so far I haven’t really seen a dry food that entirely convinces me. I like Fromm, but it seems like it has too much ingredients that I’m afraid Paris could possibly be allergic to one. I’m thinking of getting Farmina.

I guess this explains why my two go ga-ga when I feed them Stella and Chewy's meal patties as a special treat from time to time.

I'm not able to tell you about the quality of Stella & Chewy's, but I do feed my two the Freeze Dried Meal Patties sometimes as treats and they love it. The price per bag where I live is about $22 CAD for the medium sized bag - I think there's about 10 (?) patties inside.

Regularly I feed my two Acana Small Breed kibble. They do great on it and have very nice poops. :)

Stella and Chewy's is probably one of the better companies making raw foods since they abide by AAFCO standards of nutrient content. The AAFCO sets *minimum* levels for protein and fat content, not maximum levels. The maximum recommended levels are determined by veterinary nutritionists who have had a lot of training and experience in feeding healthy dogs. Until the AAFCO starts setting maximum levels on protein and fat, you will see some companies promoting high protein/high fat diets even if that's not in the dog's best interest. They can charge more for these foods and get away with it.

Getting back to Blue Buffalo, we used to feed Blue Buffalo to our Bella, and she liked it, and the protein and fat levels were good, but we purchased a bag that was missing the "life source bits" (those darker pieces in the kibble that your dog won't eat) and I realized that they had problems with quality control. Since then, I've read that Blue Buffalo sometimes has problems with quality control, and some bags get no life source bits, and some bags are all life source bits. That's why we switched. We're currently feeding Wellness, but I'm a little uncomfortable since its protein content is on the high side at 36%. She's doing well on it, so we won't switch for now, but I'm a little uneasy.

I just checked out Farmina, and it also is high in protein at 37%, so I'd be cautious. It's similar to Wellness in nutrient content. Your dog may do well on it, but if you change foods, buy a small bag (in case it doesn't work out) and make the change gradually, over the course of a week or two.

We used to feed Royal Canin Yorkshire Terrier, which is 26% protein. If we ever change foods again, we'd probably go back to Royal Canin (unless, heaven forbid, Bella develops a health problem and she has to go on a prescription diet).

Acana looks good to me too. They also abide by AAFCO nutritional guidelines, and they have a healthier protein content. Compared to Wellness and Farmina, Acana gets most of its vitamins and minerals from natural food ingredients (like kelp) rather than manufactured vitamins and minerals, and although I personally don't think there's a difference to the dog's health, I support the right of the dog's owner to choose natural ingredients over manufactured ingredients providing the nutrition is there, and it is.

Stella and Chewy's would probably make an excellent treat in small quantities for a healthy dog, and with its ingredients, it's no surprise that your dogs like it :winky:.

Silly me, I forgot why I wasn't fully convinced with Farmina even though it got recommended by my friend who works in a pet shop. That friend also recommended me Stella and Chewy's and said my vet was lying to me for telling me that Stella and Chewy's raw patties seem to not agree with Paris. That friend thinks Stella and Chewy's raw diet is one of the best food I can give my dog so it was confusing me a lot...Maybe Stella and Chewy's is better for other dogs or for once and awhile but not for a sole diet. Stella and Chewy's freeze dried patties cost me $30 with 15 oz (325g). She was eating around 4 patties a day so it was pretty costly for me.

But back to Farmina, I didn't like the content of protein and fat I saw in Farmina and you just reminded me! I was going to research Farmina again before I make the commitment in buying it but yeah, thanks for letting me know. Yeah, Blue Buffalo was great for Paris even though she never eats it with so much enthusiast. Her coat looks great, she is healthy, and has good poop though. But the whole smaller darker pieces Paris stopped eating recently. I wish they would blend it all together not put those darker pieces apart.
I actually thought of switching her to Royal Canin but then I saw it uses by-product meat and ingredients like corn. I honestly don't feel comfortable with some of the ingredients. I also feel is kinda too different from the ingredients Blue Buffalo has and I decided to not get it for her since I'm scared she starts vomiting again due to such a big change.

I did bought her Acana in the past and still have the small package. However, she doesn't really like it even though I think it has good ingredients for her. Acana seems closer to the ingredients of Blue Buffalo than Royal Canin has compared to Blue Buffalo so I'm assuming Acana would be better for her system. I might start with Acana and persist with it again and get her another variety of Acana flavor or something. She is very picky with her food, I don't think she likes dry food too much. But I'm thinking if she is a healthy dog she'll just get used to it and eat it.

Oh good to know they follow AAFCO guidelines! I love how scientific/analytical you are. :)

Wow is $30 the price at a retail store? Have you checked on some online stores? I just like to feed mine the Stellas as treats, well first because they seem to love it, and second, I think it's a better treat to give them than other products marketed as 'treats'.

4 patties a day is getting up there. I have two Yorkies, so I have to make my choices to be economical, but make sure they're healthy at the same time.

The 4.4 lbs bags of Acana I get are also around $22 CAD but they last quite a long time. I never get bags larger than that to make sure the kibble stays fresh. My two are also super picky with food. They'll sometimes sniff dry kibble and walk away. But I keep them on a strict feeding schedule and take them for their daily walks. After each morning and afternoon walk, they get fed their meals - but I soak the kibble in water. They gobble it right up!

With the Acana brand, they didn't like certain flavours. Right now, they love the Heritage - Small Breed flavour: https://www.petland.ca/products/copy...ble-in-3-sizes
Maybe you can ask for a sample of that and feed them when they're really hungry. :D Like us, food tastes better when they're really hungry. haha..

Yeah, I wish Blue Buffalo would blend the life source bits in with the other kibbles instead of having them separate. That would prevent mixing problems and prevent dogs from picking them out and not eating them. It wouldn't hurt to give Acana another try. Some stores like PetSmart have a policy that if the dog doesn't like the food, you can return the bag.

Yeah, Stella and Chewy's is pricey here in the US. I just saw 15 oz. for $28.50 on chewy.com. After taxes, that could easily be $30. You're right about trying other flavors of Acana--good suggestion! And like I said, some stores have a return policy where you can get your money back if the dog doesn't like the food. That's something to look into as well.

From what I understand, the freeze dried raw guaranteed analysis has to be re-constituted. You are supposed to soak it and not feed it dry as they don't get enough moisture.

When reading the Guaranteed Analysis of a food with a high moisture content such as wet, raw and reconstituted freeze dry diets, it is important to remember that the guaranteed analysis (GA) of a diet always equals 100%. So when one goes up (e.g. moisture) then the others go down (protein, fat, carbohydrates) as it is based on proportions and not absolute values.

Farmina is a great brand with a lot of research put into their foods. The last I researched a few years ago, they had 6 staff veterinarians and 20 other professionals with advanced scientific degrees working for them. Two of their people are fellows to the European equivalent of the AVMA. They do extensive testing with the University of Milan and Naples and been around since 1965 and is owned by the Russo family. The food is tested for 24 months in three published studies for safety before they are put on the market. They're a solid company with some good formulas.

For what it's worth, I've fed Acana for... 7+ years? We've rotated and experimented with other brands and I do feed different canned foods with the kibble. But Acana has been our staple food. We use the Singles line, and primarily duck, but we rotate flavors sometimes. Jackson has always done and looked very well on their food. Bloodwork has always been good, vet visits checked out normal, good poop and body condition. He will be 10 in October this year and doesn't act a day older than 3. Who knows how much diet contributes or genetics (I got him from a BYB) but I do feel nutrition makes a difference in their day to day life for sure. Who knows.

I like Acana because most of their formulas are the proper calcium and phosphorus (sooo many foods nowadays have astronomical numbers that I am just not comfortable with for kidneys), good sodium levels (again, some foods have super high sodium), moderate protein and fat for a small active breed, good ingredients (IMO), overall reputable company (though not without faults as well), they manufacture their own food in their own plants. And well, my dog has always done best on it. And he's picky and he seems to enjoy the taste compared to others he has tried. If I found a food he did significantly better on, I wouldn't hesitate to switch. But this has just been our staple even though I've been irritated with some changes through the years.

I would feed Purina before I'd touch Blue Buffalo, if I'm being honest. Super shady company and 95% of dogs I know (as a pet sitter) that eat it have gurgly tummies and not so great poop.

When comparing protein and fat contents of various foods, you need to do it on a dry matter basis (what it would be if the water was removed). Those are the statistics I supplied for the various foods. Stella and Chewy had a gross labeling error on their website for moisture content of their freeze dried chicken patties, but it's correct on their bags. If a dog is prone to kidney problems or bladder stones, super high protein content is not a good thing to be feeding. Ditto high fat content and pancreatic issues. With calcium and phosphorus, it's not only the amounts, it's also the ratios that are important. Home made foods and raw diets are often way out of whack. AAFCO sets guidelines on the amounts of phosphorus and calcium, as well as the calcium to phosphorus ratio, so it's less of a problem with commercial foods that follow AAFCO guidelines. See http://www.aafco.org/Portals/0/SiteC...t_Profiles.pdf for their 2014 guidelines.

I'd place Farmina and Wellness on about the same level: nutritionists on staff, feeding trials, good quality control. My only issue is that the protein content is a little high for both of them, but then again, I'm feeding Wellness to Bella and she seems to be doing okay.

Acana looks more like the kind of food that I would be more comfortable feeding to Bella, but since she's doing well on her current food, I'm not planning to switch. I'm glad that you're having a good experience with Acana. I'll keep that in mind if I have to change her food in the future.

I do remember some kind of lawsuit going on between Blue Buffalo and Purina because Purina had Blue Buffalo food tested, and Blue Buffalo contained different ingredients than what was listed on the bag. Something to keep in mind. Purina makes some good foods in their higher quality lines, and I believe that they make some prescription foods as well, but I would not feed their regular dog chow line.

I like Wellness a lot too, actually! I've known a lot of dogs who do really well on it. I've fed Jackson Wellness CORE occasionally. I'll sometimes do a bag of the Reduced Fat one if we've been lazier and I need him to drop a little bit of weight :p

And yeah I've read that freeze dried is not a good choice for pancreatitis-prone dogs. I think even Orijen themselves told me that when I asked. They said they did not recommend their freeze dried foods to dogs that have had pancreatitis or are prone to it.

I must have the pickest eater EVER! No kidding for 3 years been like pulling teeth.
Finally a all natural pet food store opened up. Yea!
I bought "Northwest Naturals" freeze dried raw diet. Made in USA all natural.
Been about a week and he loves it.
I only worry about not enough moisture in it. So I'm still sneaking in his Fromm
I pray nothing is wrong with this raw food.
I am not talented enough to make complete raw food. There is a lot of science behind raw and ingredients have to be exact.

Northwest Naturals meets AAFCO nutrition standards, so it contains all of the nutrients that it should. It's also HPP treated, so it shouldn't have dangerous bacteria in it. Since it's freeze dried, you should have water available at all times for your dog to drink. It's very high protein/high fat, so keep an eye on your dog. If he seems okay and has no digestive upset, he should be fine. It's also okay to mix in the Fromm--that will reduce the protein and fat content a little. The next time you see your vet, you should mention what you're feeding, just in case he/she has some input.