Spindrift

What is your favorite grain-free kibble? I am looking into Acana. Does anyone know if Acana has smaller sized bites for smaller dogs?

Also I am wondering if anyone notices any real benefit to food with grains vs grainfree, or is it only more noticeable as a benefit for those with allergies?

DonnaM

I make and freeze my own dog and cat food so I know exactly what goes into the food and can avoid the greatly unregulated ingredients in commercial pet food. When going away overnight I do leave dry kibble out for my cat and then I use Orijen. Grains are not a natural food for neither dogs nor cats. It is questionable if they get any nutrition from grains as they digest little of it, if at all. When you feed grain free you'll notice that their weight is normal, coat improves and there's greatly less poop as the grain free food is well digested.

liljaker

Acana and Orijen are made by Champion Pet Foods -- both are really good. Important to watch how much protein the dog gets though -- as I know some dogs who have kidney problems can't eat high protein; my breeder also advised to keep the protein under 30% if possible. I have Sunny on Wellness CORE, which is their grain free, but it comes it around 32%. Dogs have a hard time digesting grains, so I have always fed grain-free.

georgiapeach

I feed my dogs Wellness Core Ocean. They don't have to eat much of it to be healthy. My small minipoo and my cockapoo only eat 1/4 c. twice a day. I'm very happy with it! Also, the kibble size is smaller than some of the other grain free kibbles, which makes it easier for smaller dogs to eat.

I've also fed Taste of the Wild Salmon, but my minipoo doesn't like it. The kibble size is larger, which may be part of the problem. My late lab, and my cockapoo loved it.

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Beth, mom to Potsie, 3 year old cream minipoo, and Maddie, 2 year old ???

CharismaticMillie

I don't know about the smaller sized kibble pieces, but I do think Acana is a great food! I feed raw but would feed Acana or Orijen hands down if I had to feed kibble.

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Happy tailwags from Peckerwood's Thoroughly Modern Millie, CGC and Ch. Safari's Specter, CGC!

jasperspoo

Acana has smaller-sized pieces in their small breed kibble, but it's not in the grain-free line. I feed my spoo Acana Pacifica and have been very happy with it. I'd highly recommend it as it has a lower protein % and is cheaper than Orijen, while still being made by the same people.

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tokipoke

I've fed my dog Orijen puppy food when he was a puppy. It's high in protein at 40%. He had no problems with it, but I've heard some people's issue with grain free food is that their dog's stools weren't as firm. I switched to Taste of the Wild mainly because of price. I may switch back to Orijen in the future. I've also added FreshPet Select to his dry kibble for added flavor. It's a preservative free food that is cooked lightly to keep the nutrients of the food. You can find it refrigerated at Petco or Petsmart. It comes looking like a big sausage and I just slice a little bit and add to his food. I got the grain-free ocean fish and salmon one and my dog loves it. He knows when it's feeding time and runs to his crate waiting. I was surprised that the FreshPet did not cause any diarrhea that could typically happen when introducing new foods. For snacks in between meals, I give my dog dehydrated sweet potato chews and dehydrated carrots and bananas. My dog loves the sweet potato!

For the people who wonder if grain-free food is worth it, the answer is YES. I can see the difference, especially in my cats (they eat Taste of the Wild also). I was feeding them IAMS cat food, but was tired of commercial pet food recalls. I decided to go grain-free. Noticed a difference in the first week after they were fully acclimated to the new food. They poop less. Went from scooping twice a day to once a day (a good thing for two cats!). Their poop didn't smell as bad either. It went from smelling very foul to smelling normal. Before, if left in the poop bag after a couple of days, it started smelling PUTRID (because the poop was fermenting already). The consistency of their stools is a lot better. I believe it was smellier before due to the high corn content in IAMS, and cats just cannot digest this, so they poop out all the undigested crap and it sits and rots in the litter box.

I'm lucky to have a locally owned petstore that sells only organic, holistic, or grain-free foods. Both my dog and cats only get dehydrated salmon treats as opposed to biscuit type treats. The only down side to going grain-free is that if your dog/cat has a sensitive stomach, then any other food or treat with a little bit of grain will upset their stomach.

Jack-A-Poo

I'm feeding Sasha Fish4Dogs which is grain free, consists mainly of Salmon and potatoes. When she first came to us I had her on Oven Baked Tradition and her poop was always soft so I switched her to Fish4Dogs and her poop has never looked so great ever since. She's doing really well on this and her coat is fabulous. My other 2 JRTs are on Taste of the Wild, they were previously on Oven Baked and California Natural but they seemed to be gaining weight even though I was feeding them the same amount. I'm guessing it was due to their age (they are 8 and 10 years old). After switching them to TOTW, same feeding amount and they're back to their old lean self. Have not tried Orijen because I was afraid the protein may be too high for their age.

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JE-UK

I alternate between Orijen and Acana, and think they are both excellent.

Since switching, I have seen smaller poops, no more ear infections, and nails that grow REALLY fast. And he loves it; I use it for training treats, and all the dogs in the park mug me for their share.

Both the Orijen and Acana are smallish pieces anyway; do you have a toy? My miniature has no problems with the standard piece size.

Spindrift

That's good to know. He's a mini.

I asked this question in a separate thread, but since there has been no response maybe someone here could answer. My poodle is about a year old or maybe a little older and needs to gain a few pounds. I was wondering if feeding him puppy food would help with that, or is it a bad idea. Thoughts?