Yesterday, Nova posted a Forum Discussion about the sale of Natura Pet (makers of grain-free Evo kibble) to Proctor and Gamble. Many people are nervous about this sale, from the pawrents here who rely on Evo’s high quality ingredients for their dogs fighting cancer, to the Mom and Pop retailers who worry that they’ll lose market share if Natura starts being sold in retailers like Petco.
Many people remain skeptical that Proctor and Gamble will maintain the high standards that Natura has set for dog food. If you are considering switching to another grain-free prepackaged kibble, here are some suggestions courtesy of the Dog Food Advisor. Also, check out Dog Food Analysis.com for other ideas, as well as the Wysong suggestions posted in Nova’s Forum Discussion.
Orijen 6 Fresh Fish Adult Grain-Free Dry Dog Food earns the Advisor’s top rating of five stars. All things considered, this Orijen product is a first-rate dog food. High protein. Moderate fat. And very (very) low carbohydrates… especially when you consider you’re looking at a dry kibble. This product is completely grain-free. There’s no corn, wheat, soy or dairy. And no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. This is what a great kibble should look like. Orijen Dog Food Adult earns a well-deserved five stars. OK… it’s not cheap. How could anything this well-made be cheap? If Orijen is within your budget, it’s definitely worth the price. Enthusiastically recommended.”
Taste of the Wild gets “the Advisor’s top rating of five stars. Moderately high protein and fat. Moderately low carbs. The nutrient profile suggests Taste of the Wild Dog Food to be a top-drawer dry product… and the listed ingredients as well as the lack of any crucial Red Flag items appear to support that finding. With rather unique meat components like these… along with our top five-star rating… this product is certainly worthy of your consideration. Enthusiastically recommended.”
Stella & Chewy’s gets “the Advisor’s top rating of five stars. Average protein. Above-average fat. And below-average carbs… as compared to a typical raw dog food. With no sign of any plant-based protein concentrates, this is the profile of a raw food containing an abundance of meat. Stella and Chewy’s is a meat-based raw frozen dog food using a generous amount of species-specific meats and organs as its main sources of animal protein… thus earning the brand five stars. Enthusiastically recommended.”
Consider a Premium Dog Food Subscription
Tired of lugging big bags home from the pet store? National Pet Pharmacy carries a wide variety of premium grain free dog foods and veterinary prescription diets. They also offer a convenient Auto-Ship dog food program where you set the schedule, and have food automatically delivered when you need it, on a recurring subscription basis. Best of all, Tripawds readers receive 10% of all auto-ship orders by following the links here.
Recommended Grain Free Dog Foods
Don’t miss these quality, grain-free dog foods discussed here in the Nutrition Blog and Tripawds Discussion Forums before:
- Treat Tripawds to Honest Kitchen Goodness
- Maggie Shares Agile Cow Dog Nutrition Plan
- Wysong Premium Grain Free Foods
- Dog Food Advisor’s Healthy Foods for Cancer Dogs
And, consider these premium Wysong foods recommended by experts:
 |
Archetype The original Wysong raw diet for dogs and cats. Wysong Archetype™ (meaning the original model, the way things are meant to be) is designed to emulate the raw foods carnivores eat in the wild – the natural diet canines and felines are genetically programmed to eat. This original formula is cold processed with our proprietary TNT™ (True Non-Thermal™) manufacturing technology, which uniquely keeps vital food components fully intact and uncompromised. It is a dried diet (99+% meat) formulated to closely mimic the natural raw diet of carnivore companion animals. Complete with raw meats, organs, bones, essential fatty acids, probiotics, enzymes, plant nutrients, vital micronutrients and more! |
 |
Archetype Buffet™ is the first ever combination of our TNT™ technology and superior kibble. This means you get the benefits of feeding raw to your companion animal in combination with our highly nutritious Wysong kibble. Archetype Buffet™ is complete with non-heat degraded raw meats, organs, bones, collagen, proteoglycans (chondroitin, glucosamine), prebiotics and probiotics, and enhanced with phyto-nutrient, antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables. When mixed with water, dry Archetype Buffet™ becomes a highly palatable stew-like food. Each 19.5 oz. bag rehydrates to the equivalent of eleven 5.5 oz. cans of food. |
 |
Optimal Performance Optimal Performance™ is an unparalleled and truly unique natural dog food. Optimal Performance™ is the fusion of our TNT™ technology with an enhanced dried kibble. This is one of the first natural pet diets to offer the benefits of raw feeding and superior kibble in one package! (The other diets being Wysong Archetype Buffet™, and Wysong Nurture with Free Range Pheasant™.) Wysong is the only company that has combined the nutritional power of our superior and proven kibble with the more genetically appropriate raw meats. Optimal Performance™ has minimum 40% protein, 18% fat, and contains fresh, free-range, organic, dried, and raw meats. And, as is the case with all Wysong base diets and TNT™ processed raw dog foods, Optimal Performance™ is complete with vitamins, minerals, prebiotics, probiotics, enzymes, antioxidants, and nutraceuticals. |
 |
Nurture with Free Range Pheasant Wysong Senior™ is an excellent well-rounded starting point for older dogs. Senior™ is an all natural dog food formulated for aged dogs, but can and should be fed to dogs of all life stages and breeds as part of a diet rotation. As with all Wysong dry diets, Senior™ is replete with vital probiotics and enzymes, vitamins, and minerals which aid in digestion and nutrient uptake. |
 |
Archetype Burgers A Wysong TNT™ (True Non-Thermally) processed (raw) diet for both dogs and cats. |
I actually use Orijen as training treats and my dogs love it! If I were to feed a kibble, Orijen gets my top pick!
Tracy, Maggie’s Mom
Chuy loves the Taste of the Wild Poultry. He gets that and biscuits that contain Glucosamine for treats. He does like Bil Jac biscuits too, so we give him one of those once a day. We get our TTW at the local feed store.
We’ve been using Orijen for Catie and Riley for quite a few years. We switched them to grain-free after doing some research; regret not having started them from pups on it. Definitely not cheap (especially feeding two large dogs) but they’d done really well on it and love it.
When we had a tough time getting Holly to eat, we tried some of the Stella and Chewy’s food – she liked their foods. And we use Stella and Chewy’s treats for her, too – she always likes those!
Thanks, Admin, for posting all this info – it’s great!
We were given a sample of Stella & Chewy’s today at the pet store … Harley gobbled it right up. Will be looking into this food more. Glad to see it is highly rated.
Taste of the Wild (High Prairie) gave Harley unbearable gas. I’m talking burn your nose, must leave the room type of gas. It also made his coat dull. I’ve heard good things about the food, but just doesn’t work for us.
Hey, thanks for the feedback, it’s good to hear your thoughts about these foods. Any others you like, do let us know.
Harley, you poor thing! Maybe there was too much protein or meat in TTW for you?
I find this news disgusting. If i’m not mistaken (please correct me if I am) P&G is one of the last huge corporations that insists upon using animal testing for things like cosmetics. I avoid P&G products in general because of their use of animal testing. And now to find that Natura would sell their brands to P&G! How horrifying. And we do use Evo, its the only grain-free kibble we can get locally that Tshuvah likes. She has already tried and rejected Taste of the Wild, Wysong, Sojo’s and Honest Kitchen. Picky picky picky.
But I’m just going to keep her on canned grain-free Weruva and homemade from now on anyway. Thankfully she’s only 40#, we can manage two cans/day. If y’all haven’t tried Weruva, do! Tshuvah LOVES it, and as I mentioned, picky picky picky.
Beth
Beth, thanks for posting about Weruva, I’m not familiar with it, but going to give it a try. Harley will be dining on Kobe Beef … and I will be having Ramen Noodles.
Harley, Dog Food Advisor just rated Weurva. Good stuff!
Thanks for the info. I want a high quality food for my “new” puppy. She was a nice surprise from my brother. She is 10 weeks -old, carmel and cream-colored, a labrador and border collie mix. She is very active and I want to keep her healthy and happy. What are suggestions for brands? Also, I am not up to date on grains. Are they not recommended and why?
Thanks,
Mimi
Thanks for asking Mimi! Many Tripawds members have dogs with cancer, which feeds on grains and carbs. A high protein diet is highly recommended so be sure to check out Jerry’s recommended premium grain free dog foods list. Be sure to tune into out upcoming Tripawd Talk Radio interview with DogFoodAdvisor.com founder Dr Mike Sagman, or post any questions for him in that forum topic.