foods not on the list

[Maryann Morbeck Smith]

My breeder will be feeding my puppy Lif'e's Abundance.  Can anyone tell me about this food?

[Maryann Morbeck Smith]

Thanks,Ginny.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I agree.  And it should be relatively easy to find at least SOME of the options on our list. Off the top of my head, I know that Solid Gold and Blue Buffalo is at Petsmart/Petco (I think).  If you are in a bigger city, the local pet stores have a LOT from the list.  I am in Nashville and we have so many locally owned stores that carry Orijen, Fromm, etc...it's wonderful and easy to find :)

I'm also a huge fan of supporting the local businesses.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Plus, all of the manufacturer's websites have store locator tools.

For that matter, the easiest thing to do is to go to Orijen's website and use their store locator to find  a store in your area. Any store that carries Orijen will usually carry a good selection of our recommended foods.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Please read through the discussions Amy linked below.

Life's Abundance is a mediocre food. The ingredients are nothing special and the nutritional profile is not great. It is very grain heavy, and they do not make a grain-free version, which is preferable for many dogs. In addition, there is a very limited selection of formulas, so if chicken doesn't agree with your dog or you want to rotate protein sources, which is advisable down the road to prevent food allergies or intolerances, you don't have that option with this food.There are much better foods available for less money. It's not a horrible food, but it is sold through a multilevel marketing scheme, otherwise known as a pyramid scheme. There is an elaborate compensation table whereby your breeder and several other people make multilevel commissions every time you buy it, and that's why the price is so high. Their marketing information is misleading, (they do not make it fresh to order, like a pizza, lol) and my biggest problem with the food is that they are very, very secretive about the source of their ingredients. We do not recommend any food for which we cannot verify the source of the ingredients.

I would try very hard not to sign up for the automatic delivery with the LA food, it is very hard to get out of it when & if you decide to change. Find a local source so you can buy enough to keep your puppy on it for two weeks after he comes home and you are not committed to staying with it.

And if your breeder's health warranty is at all dependent on your feeding this food, OR Nu-Vet vitamins, find another breeder.

[Ginny Nightingale]

I totally agree and once I saw a bag of this food that was supposedly "freshly made" and there was NO DATE on the bag anywhere--how can anyone tell how fresh it is without a date!? The person who had purchased it never bought it again...

[Shirley Splude]

I always go to dogfoodadvisor.com

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, that's certainly an option, but right on Dog Food Advisor's website, they themselves have the following article:

The Problem With Dog Food Reviews

The Dog Food Advisor is a good site, but here are some of the problems I have with it:

1. Not every formula is reviewed; in fact, very few formulas within any given brand are analyzed.

2. There is no information as to the source of the ingredients or the manufacturer

3. The formulas may have changed since the review was posted.

That's why we do what we do here, lol. To try to provide more in-depth and up-to-date info.

 

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

And just to make things even more confusing Maryann, there is also great info on here about home cooking and raw feeding for your dogs. Sometimes that is actually easier for some people.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yes, but I would not recommend it for young puppies. :-)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Maryann, be sure that you do not change your puppy's diet at all for the first two weeks after she comes home. There are several reasons for this. So you have plenty of time to do your research and choose another food for her.

[Maryann Morbeck Smith]

I intend to.  I understand what changes can do to the GI tract. My hubby and I are thinking about using Blue.  Buying some more books per suggestions on dk.  Baby is one week old today.  My boss' Hungarian Vizsla is 3 months and comes to work every day.  Her dog eats Purina Pro Choice.  I have read the ingredients and told her there is corn meal as the third ingredient.   She is about to have a third child and I asked her what happens when you feed young children corn.  Yup, it is not easily digested. Oh, my goodness, I am becoming knowledgeable.  Never enough though.  Thanks for being who you are.  I appreciate the advice.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thank you, Maryann. I'd say your puppy is off to a very good start with her parents-to-be!