BG (Before Grain)

[The Pooky Professor]

With the acquisition of Natura to Proctor & Gamble, Ive been researching foods. Anyone have any experience with BG (Before Grain) Its made by Merrick. I like Merrick the company in general, I like the ingredients. Your thoughts? Thanks

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Merrick has had recall issues this past year; we have several discussions about it here in the Food Group. We have doubts about their quality control and are cautious about their products at this time.
http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup/forum/topics/merrick...
Our top recommendation for grain-free food is Orijen and Acana, but there are other good ones out there.

[The Pooky Professor]

Ugh I just dont know what to feed! I am primarily a home cooker but I do like to some kibble in the mix for when i travel etc, ever here of Rotations dog food? My other options were Canidae & Canine caviar.....how about these?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Canidae is fine. It is not our favorite, but it is acceptable. Actually so is Merrick, in terms of their ingredients. I had not heard of Rotations before. I did find their website, but they do not provide the ingredient or nutritional analysis infromation, so without that, I have no idea about the food. It looks very gimmicky to me on first impression. Lots of dog foods are designed to be rotated, including two of our favorites, Orijen and Fromm.
The Canine Caviar website also did not provide the nutrtional info or analysis, and at first glance, the distribution looks strange to me, but I have no idea. If you can provide the exact package info re: the ingredients and nutritional analysis, I'll be happy to look at it.
With any food that contains fish meal, you also have to determinbe the source of the meal, since most imported fish meal contains ethoxyquin, and this is never listed on the label.

[The Pooky Professor]

Here is a link to the ingredients/nutrition for Canine caviar (not the grain free version) http://www.caninecaviar.com/Chicken%20And%20Pearl%20Millet%20Adult....

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Chicken fat is the 4th ingredient; a study at Purdue showed a link between chicken fat in the first five ingredients of a food and an increased chance of bloat. The food contains beet pulp, which is a controversial source of fiber believed by some to contribute to the development of yeast infections. Most premium foods use tomato pomace instead of beet pulp.
This food is also very high in calories for a food that contains only 26% protein, leading me to think there is a lot of filler here.
If you don't require a grain-free food, I would recommend Fromm's. Any of their formulas is superior to this and most dogs love it.