Purina Pro Plan Focus Sensitive Skin & Stomach
- Top 5 Ingredients: 1. Salmon, 2. Barley, 3. Ground Rice, 4. Canola Meal, 5. Oat Meal
- Caloric content : 3,725 kcal
- Analysis: Protein 26%, Fat 16%, Fiber 1.5%, Moisture 12%
If you want your fussy friend to focus more on the food, fill the bowl with Purina Pro Plan Focus Adult Sensitive Skin & Stomach Formula. Food sensitivities can be one of the main reasons behind food aversion and pickiness. This salmon based grain-free recipe is formulated to be gentle on the tummy without compromising taste. It has all the nutrients your dog needs to stay healthy, happy, and active. Rich in fish oil, it is essentially an immune system booster that will improve the overall health of your precious pooch.
Taste Of The Wild Vs Merrick: Which Dog Food Brand Is Best
Comparing Taste of the Wild vs. Merrick for your pup’s next meal? We compare these two popular dog food brands and analyze cost, quality, formulas, and more.
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Thinking of changing your dogs diet but cant decide which dog food brand to choose? Maybe youve finally narrowed it down to Taste of the Wild vs. Merrick, and arent sure which brand will suit your pup best? In this guide, we compare both brands and look at several different factors. From their brand history, through to their recipes and onto their ingredients, we will show you how they compare. Plus, well tell you what their product recall history is, and their options for each life stage.
Lets start off by saying that if youve settled on one of these dog foods, you likely want the very best for your pup. Both Merrick and Taste of the Wild have a loyal customer following. But each brand offers something distinctly different than the other for your dog, and youll likely want to know what those differences are before settling on your pups next meal.
Our Picks For Fresh Dog Food:
There’s definitely a relationship between price and quality when it comes to dog food. So it’s not a great idea to buy the absolute cheapest dog food you can find. That’s because ultra-cheap dog foods tend to be filled with lower-quality ingredients to bulk them up and keep their prices down.
“But it’s important to remember that there are many more affordable dog foods that are perfectly good options,” Richardson notes. Translation: You definitely don’t need to break the bank to feed your dog a healthy diet.
There are plenty of high-quality dog foods available at lower prices. As long as a food meets AAFCO complete and balanced standards like the options listed below and makes sense for your dog’s life stage, you’re good to go.
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How Does A Pet Owner Choose
Choosing a pet food brand for your beloved animal can be tedious, but hopefully, you can narrow down your options with the help of these comparisons. Your first deciding factor when exploring brands of pet foods is the type of pet you have.
The nutritional needs of a Labrador Retriever will be substantially different from that of a Beagle. Your pets activity level will also help determine the ingredients you need to focus on when providing for your animal. Youll also need to factor in their age, health conditions, and taste preferences.
If you have any questions about the ingredients or lack thereof, in Taste of the Wild or Orijen brands, you can talk to your veterinarian or pet store specialist for guidance. They have a great deal of information regarding the many types of pet foods and supplements that your animal needs throughout their life. You can use these professionals as a resource to help you make a final decision on your pets dietary food choice.
Best For Seniors: Purina Pro Plan Adult 7+ Bright Mind
Just like puppies need a diet that promotes their growth and development, senior dogs can benefit from a diet that supports their bodies and minds as they age. The Purina Pro Plan Adult 7+ Bright Mind Chicken and Rice Formula is a dry food designed specifically to promote alertness and mental sharpness in older dogs.
This food contains a proprietary blend of brain-supporting nutrients, including DHA and EPA omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, B vitamins, and arginine. It also includes glucosamine, which is great for promoting joint health and mobility in senior dogs.
Chicken is the first ingredient in the Purina Pro Plan Bright Mind dry dog food, followed by poultry by-product meal, rice, and whole-grain corn. This Purina recipe also includes probiotics for digestive health, as well as vitamin A and omega-6 fatty acids that nourish the skin and coat.
And, though this is the standard Bright Mind formula, Purina does offer this senior dog food in other varieties, including wet food, large breed formula, and small breed formula.
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Health Dog Food Vs Taste Of The Wild Dog Food: Our 2021 Comparison
Have you ever passed a bag of dog food on a store shelf and wondered, How is that different from what I feed my dog now? Sometimes, those differences are vast. But perhaps more often than we realize, theres little difference in dog food formulas aside from the label on the bag.
This is especially true when it comes to store-brand dog food, such as Tractor Supply Co.s 4health pet food brand. Like most store-brands, 4health is manufactured by a third-party company. Of course, this company also makes various other pet food brands, including Taste of the Wild.
So, should you invest in the name brand dog food thats sold in most independent pet supply stores? Or should you make a trip to Tractor Supply Co. to purchase the near-identical store brand? Heres what you should know:
Bravo Packing Performance Dog
We normally like raw pet food because most of these are free from fillers and the meat included are in their purest forms, free from processing of any kind. However, in the case of Bravo Packings raw diet, wed have to rethink this.
Bravo Packings Performance Dog and all of Bravo Packings other raw diets have undergone a recall this year.
Although no deaths or illnesses have been associated with the food, it is troubling that the brand has once again been involved with a recall.
From 2011 to 2015, Bravo had 7 recalls, which included expanded recalls.
There was another in 2018 and another in 2019 before the one for 2021. All of the past recalls were due to the possible presence of Salmonella or Listeria.
Recall Info: On March 3, 2021, Bravo Packing, Inc. issued a voluntary recall of two of their raw pet food products for possible cross contamination after samples collected during a US Food and Drug Administration inspection tested positive for Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes.
The brand expanded the recall on March 16 to include ALL of its pet food and bone products of all sizes. No lot code or date code has been provided for the recent recall so assume, for the safety of your pets, that all are possibly contaminated.
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An Overview On Dry Dog Food
Dogs are like members of our families, so of course, we want to keep them as healthy and happy as possible. The foundation for that is proper nutrition. A consistent, high-quality diet is the key to keeping your dog looking and feeling great. Feeding your dog the best dog food will keep them functioning at their best and can ward off chronic diseases, leading to a longer life. Dry dog food is very common and convenient, as it does not require refrigeration.
Theres a ton of different types of dry dog food out there, so the choices can be overwhelming. You should look for dog food that is labeled as complete and balanced, which means the food contains the minimum amount of all the nutrients necessary for dogs. This standard is regulated by the Association of American Feed Control Officials. Keep in mind that buzzwords like premium and immune supporting are not regulated and should not carry much weight in your choice.
Just as with human food, you want to make sure your dog is eating a diet with real, whole foods and one that is free from artificial preservatives and additives. Make sure your dogs food contains a high-quality animal protein source, like lamb, chicken or turkey. Leading brands contain multiple protein sources, including chicken, turkey, flounder and egg.
What Dog Food Is Killing Dogs
Midwestern Pet Foods expanded its recall of dry dog and cat food following reports that dozens of dogs died after eating the Sportmix dry kibble, the FDA said. A pet food recall is widening after the Food and Drug Administration announced that more than two dozen dogs died after eating Sportmix brand dry kibble.
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Both Are Great Dog Foods
Blue Buffalo and Taste of the Wild are both great dog food products. My husband and I used to feed our dogs Blue Buffalo however, I’m a college student and we needed to find a food that was just as healthy but cheaper. Several factors influenced our decision and are always considered in future decisions regarding our pets. We want the best for them. And for us.
Alpo Come & Get It Cookout Classics
ALPO is a known dog food brand that may look to many as a quality pet food. But as turns out, its not. Or at least, this particular recipe isnt.
This formulation does not start with meat. In fact, the first meat ingredient wont be found until the 3rd slot in the list. And the only other meat is in 6th place.
What starts off this food is ground yellow corn, meaning that corn has the most significant volume in the diet. Not only that, there are two more corn ingredients in the recipe and one legume.
Its a formulation that focuses more on carbohydrates rather than protein. It meets the AAFCO standard, yes, but does not really go much above it.
The second thing we dont like is the inclusion of artificial food coloring. Color is not a requirement in dog food, and dogs will be better off without it. The less artificial ingredients in dog food, the better.
The Come & Get It! Cookout Classics is the least of the worst dog foods in our list because it contains real and named meat ingredients.
Recall Info: None for this recipe, and the only recall for the ALPO brand happened way back in 2007 for possible melamine contamination.
Problem Ingredients: Ground yellow corn, corn germ meal, soybean meal, corn gluten meal, Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 2, Yellow 6
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Best For Allergies: Canidae Pure Grain
A limited-ingredient diet can be helpful for dogs with allergies, which is why Canidaes PURE Grain-Free Dry Dog Food is a great option. This recipe only contains eight key ingredients, keeping it simple and healthy without additives plus, its grain-free.
Canidaes PURE Grain-Free recipe is available in six different proteins:salmon, lamb, duck, boar bison, or chicken. But regardless of the protein you choose, youll receive other healthy ingredients like sweet potatoes, peas, canola oil, and alfalfa.
Each recipe includes probiotics that support healthy digestion, as well as antioxidants that promote a healthy immune system and omega-6 and 3 fatty acids for a healthy skin and coat. Plus, there are no fillers like corn, wheat, or soy, and Canidaes Pure line is available for all life stages and sizes .
Taste Of The Wild Grain Free Premium Dry Dog Food Pacific Stream
Next up on our list of the best Taste of the Wild options is their Grain Free Premium Dry Dog Food Pacific Stream. Its so high quality and great tasting that some pet owners have said that it is like a real delicacy in the dog food world. Instead of featuring meat-based proteins, as so many other pet foods do, this formula offers protein that is procured from real salmon. Its not only an excellent source of lean protein, but its also packed with amino acids and other essential nutrients that your pup needs to thrive.
Other ingredients found in the Pacific Stream formula include a medley of fruits and vegetables that include the likes of sweet potatoes, peas, lentils, blueberries, raspberries, and yucca ingredients that contain a very high nutritional profile. This formula will support your furry best friends overall health by offering him a bevy of nutrients, including vitamin A, a full spectrum of B vitamins, vitamin D, folic acid, and so much more! Pet owners say that they are beyond impressed with the ingredients featured in the Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream dog food, and that they have noticed that it offers outstanding results.
What We Like About It
Reasons to Complain
- Some pet parents complained about the price tag
- Others said that they werent fond of the smell
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How To Read A Pet Food Label
Just like human food brands, dog food brands use marketing to make their products more appealing. That means they’ve got nice-looking images and aesthetically pleasing color schemes on the packaging that are meant to signify the healthfulness and quality of the food. But in order to know the truth about the appropriateness of a dog food, it’s essential to learn what to look for on the nutrition label.
One place to get started is this handy reference from the WSAVA about interpreting food labels. The top things to look for are the AAFCO complete and balanced statement, the guaranteed analysis , and the calorie content.
Next, read the ingredients list. It’s tricky for the average dog owner to make a decision about a dog food based on the ingredients alone though. “Although many pet owners make their decision based largely on the ingredient panel, it is only one of many considerations,” Swanson says. “Without knowing the exact formula and percentage of each ingredient, it is not too useful. What is more important is that the dietary formula is complete and balanced.” So basically, as long as the food is complete and balanced, don’t stress about the individual ingredients too much.
If reading pet food labels proves to be more confusing than helpful, check in with your veterinarian. They can help you determine your dog’s specific needs, guide you toward the right food for your pet, and give you advice on how much to feed them.
Merrick Real Texas Beef & Sweet Potato Recipe
If you are specifically looking for grain-free canine formula, then you can’t go wrong with this Merrick recipe.
It’s perfect for all breeds, ages, and sizes and is available in a variety of different flavors. We recommend the beef and sweet potato recipe as it is poultry-free .
Containing a whopping 38% protein and 15% fat, Merrick’s philosophy is that these two properties in combination with a host of vitamins and minerals will do wonders for promoting the overall dog’s health.
They are extremely transparent with regards to the ingredient composition, choosing only the best available products and containing no corn, wheat, soy or gluten ingredients.
This helps give us tremendous confidence in recommending the brand. At $60 for a 25-lb bag, this does fall into the premium category.
Whether the exceptional nutritional content is worth the increased price is up to you.
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Pros Of Taste Of The Wild
Taste of the Wild provides 32.0% of crude protein per serving in their dog food products. When examining their cat food products, the numbers are at 38.1%.
This percentage is an exceptional amount of protein when you compare it to regular store brands and other popular dog food blends. Although it is slightly lower than Orijen, 32.0% and 38.1% of protein is a significant amount to provide to your pet in their regular diet.
Taste of the Wild utilizes pea and potato flour to replace traditional wheat and rice flours in their many blends. Added potatoes and lentils make up the missing grains to ensure their ped foods are grain-free for animals with sensitivities or allergies.
For a premium pet food brand, Taste of the Wild is an attractive price compared to its competition. It can be hard to find the balance between a high-quality pet food within your budget, but Taste of the Wild can provide exceptional food options for a fraction of what Orijen lists for their pet food products.
Comparing the two brands, TOTW comes in at averaging under $2 per pound , while Orijen costs a total of over $4 per pound
There are no preservatives in this well-liked pet food brand, making it a fresh and high-quality option for your pet.
Who Makes Taste Of The Wild And Where Is It Produced
Taste of the Wild, like many dog food formulas on the market, is actually a subsidiary brand owned by a larger company. In this case, Taste of the Wild is owned and manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods.
Along with making Taste of the Wild recipes, Diamond Pet Foods is also responsible for manufacturing a select variety of other brands formulas, including a few pet foods sold under Costcos Kirkland brand and Solid Gold.
While Diamond Pet Foods claims that most Taste of the Wild ingredients are sourced within the United States, an undisclosed number are sourced from outside the country. Diamond Pet Foods currently owns and operates three U.S. factories.
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