Nature's Variety Instinct Chicken Raw Boost

This kibble has a long name...
Conker has been eating one of Nature's Variety's recently introduced Raw Boost kibbles for a short while now. This is the breakdown and brief review.


A while ago I found a coupon for $3 off a bag of Nature's Variety Raw Boost, and I also had a Petco coupon for some percentage off, or like, $5, or something. Can't remember.
Without these discounts I would not have purchased this kibble since it's something like $20+ for 4.1 pounds of food. But since I had them, I figured why not give it a shot?
My Petco has a shitty selection of foods and only had the Chicken formula in the smallest bag, so that's what I got.

Chicken Meal, Tapioca, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Pumpkinseeds, Menhaden Fish Meal, Sun-Cured Alfalfa Meal, Montmorillonite Clay, Natural Chicken Flavor, Freeze Dried Chicken (including Freeze Dried Ground Chicken Bone), Freeze Dried Turkey, Freeze Dried Turkey Liver, Freeze Dried Turkey Heart, Vitamins (Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate, Biotin, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin A Acetate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Beta Carotene, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide), Salt, Dried Kelp, Apples, Carrots, Butternut Squash, Inulin, Flaxseed Oil, Peas, Chicken Eggs, Ground Flaxseed, Broccoli, Lettuce, Spinach, Apple Cider Vinegar, Parsley, Honey, Salmon Oil, Rosemary Extract, Olive Oil, Blueberries, Alfalfa Sprouts, Persimmons, Rosemary, Sage, Clove, Yeast Culture (Saccharomyces Cerevisiae), Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus niger Fermentation Extract, Dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum Fermentation Extract, Dried Bacillus subtilis Fermentation Extract.

Looong ingredient list! This is partly due to the "Raw Boost" bits that have their own ingredient list on top of the kibble's. In general, it looks okay, nothing really sticks out as bad to me.

Crude Protein (min):  42.0%
Crude Fat (min):  22.0%
Crude Fiber (max): 4.5%
Moisture (max): 8.0%
Calories per cup (calculated) – 495 kcal/cup
Calories per kg (calculated) – 4170 kcal/kg

I like high-protein foods since they tend to have better results than lower to mid-range protein foods (at least with my dogs that is) so I do not find the protein content of this food to be excessive at all. (It is almost identical to that of a typical homemade raw meal, minus the moisture so it appears more concentrated but is in fact, the same.)
Conker requires about a cup and a half of this kibble in order to maintain "good" body condition. However, during the first half of feeding this food he was getting 1 cup with some raw foods as a separate meal. For the latter half he wouldn't eat the raw foods, and not much of the kibble.

Anywho...

The kibble has the typical round, dense shape, is not overly smelly nor greasy. The "Raw Boost" bits are cylindrical in shape and vary in length. They hardly weigh a thing, and I was quite disappointed in how few there were in the bag. Seems more like a "Raw Taste" more than a boost.
Speaking of raw... I do not consider freeze-dried or dehydrated products to be fully-raw, especially if they are "sterilized."

So, how did Conker do on this kibble?

Coat was okay, a bit drier than I like despite fish oil and eggs/raw foods being included during the first half of feeding this kibble. Coat got drier during the second half, but nothing drastic. He also developed that kibble-fed "doggy smell" but like most high-end kibbles it was not overly obnoxious or easily noticable.
Poop is regular for a high-end, high-protein, low-carb food, (compact, non-smelly) but is light colored, a sort of yellowish tan. Don't know if that's normal or because this is a chicken-based food. (Raw chicken poop looks about the same.)
Teeth are okay. The raw bones help to keep them clean, but they would have otherwise developed a bit of tartar despite him chewing every little piece of kibble. (In my experience kibble does not clean teeth, despite what marketing says. It sticks to them, especially when overly-chewed like Conker does, and I do not concider that to be a good thing.)
Muscle-tone was great. He put on a lot of muscle since the Alaska trip and I think this food certainly had helped.
He burps a lot on this food, something I am looking into. He also has NASTY deathfarts, and licks his butt often. I think there is a digestive anomaly going on here.

Note: Conker always burps after a meal, but not a small snack, which he does when eating this food (snacks on it). He also "normally" has deathfarts, but not as often as on this food. The butt-licking is also somewhat normal, but again, is increased on this food.

Something that hasn't happened on other kibbles is this: Conker has thrown up multiple times. I don't know if the raw food caused it or the kibble did, but every time he's thrown up there was kibble in the nasty, and he'd eaten the kibble many hours before then. I do not know for sure if it's connected or what.

Conker does not seem to like this food very much. At first he thought it was great and would finish his entire bowl in one sitting. Then he gradually lost interest, and now it's very difficult to get him to eat more than 1/4 cup at a time. He hardly eats a full cup a day, and dressing it up does not help.
However, he also won't touch most raw foods either, so I don't know if the kibble is causing that or if it is something else, and if it is something else, he might actually like this kibble a lot.


In general, I find this food to be comparable to other high-protein kibbles I have tried. Was there much of a difference between this food and the others, particularly the other Instinct formula I've tried? No. In fact, I found the results to be slightly lesser quality, but still good.
Bottom line: I do not think the "Raw Boost" has done anything at all other than be a fancy marketing scheme to get people to buy a lesser amount of food for a higher price than the other "plain" formulas Nature's Variety produces.

Would I feed the Raw Boost again? Sure! If I could get it for cheap cheap like I did this time (and if the dang dog would eat it). If not, no, I wouldn't bother with it. I'd get the regular formula instead.

The Kibble Trails: Contestant #8 Before Grain Buffalo + Results

I had brought the bag of Before Grain Buffalo with me to Alaska since it was set to expire in January and the other brands I had stockpiled were good until at least June (or July, can't remember). After I ran out of the EVO Red Meat I brought with me I put Conker on the Before Grain, then back on the EVO when I ran out of this.


The Rundown

Before Grain was manufactured by Merrick but is now discontinued and has been replaced with updated formulas that are basically the same with only minor changes and new Merrick packaging.

Ingredients:
Buffalo Deboned, Chicken Meal, Potato Dehydrated, Turkey Meal, Canola Oil, Sweet Potato Dehydrated, (preserved with mixed tocopherols – a source of Natural Vitamin E and Ascorbic Acid, a source of Vitamin C), Yeast Culture, Natural Dried Chicken Liver, Dicalcium Phosphate, Lysine, Guar Gum, Sea Salt, Alfalfa, Salmon Oil, Choline Chloride, Acai Berry Freeze-Dried, Blueberry Dried, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Venison Broth, Zinc Amino Acid Complex,Chondroitin Sulfate, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Natural Venison Flavor, Chicory Root, Marigold Extract, Rosemary Extract, Lactobacillus Plantarum, Enterococcus Faecium, Lactobacillus Casei, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Natural Celery Flavor, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Vitamin E Supplement, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Natural Color (tumeric), Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Copper Amino Acid Complex, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin D3, Niacin, Lecithin, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Cobalt Amino Acid Complex, Folic Acid, Thiamine Mononitrate, Sodium Selenite.

Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein (Not Less Than) 32.0%
Crude Fat (Not Less Than) 15.0%
Crude Fiber (Not More Than) 3.0%
Moisture (Not More Than) 11.0%

Ingredients look good, but do take note: The buffalo is actually not the main ingredient since it is in it's raw form, and the chicken is in meal form, which is concentrated, so this is actually a chicken-based food. 
It is the first kibble (since I attempted Orijen way back in the beginning) that has a considerable amount of chicken in it. I was a bit on the fence about this, but since Conker has not shown any negative signs to cooked and highly processed chicken in quite a long time, I gave it a shot anyways.

The kibble, floating in water.

The Results

Conker did just about exactly the same as he did on the pork formula. Teeth did get a bit gunky, he smelled a bit stronger than my likes, poop was bigger than I'd like but still smallish and slightly smelly, and was green like it was with the pork formula.

I kinda liked the kibble, but not enough to feed it long-term. Maybe in rotation with something else. But since this food is discontinued, that is irrelevant anyways.

I will probably test out Merrick's new formulas when I've gotten though the kibble stock I've got on-hand and compare them to the old Before Grain line to see if there are any noticeable changes.

Note: I found a misshapen kibble in this bag, it was rather hilarious looking, but I have misplaced it and do not have a picture.

The Kibble Trials: EVO Red Meat Results

Conker Finished that bag of EVO Small bites I got at the Grange a while ago, and has been eating some Large Bites for a short while because it was available in Alaska.

The Large Bites

Conker has done very well on this food, is in great shape with good muscle tone and very little excess fat.
Note: Due to his greatly reduced activity while in Alaska, Conker lost a lot of muscle tone. However, it was amazing beforehand while he was on this food, so I am giving it good marks on the muscle score.
There is almost zero coat smell or grease, an amazing coat actually. Since we'd been in Alaska it had grown in incredibly thick and was very soft and of a nice quality. Very shiny. Shedding out now but is still maintaining it's quality.
His teeth look great, energy is great, poops are good (small, firm, nonsmelly), I really like this food.

Conker usually gets around 1-2 cups (depending on the brand) of kibble, but he needs a bit less of this stuff since it is very calorie dense, so it tends to last quite a long time. I've still got a bit of it left.

Large Bites kibbles

Both the large and small bites are square shaped, the large bites being about 1/2 inch big and the small bites being about 1/4 inch. It has a meaty smell, not too strong or unpleasant.
I soaked the kibbles a few times when Conker would not drink and it would take a long long time for them to fully soak, so they are pretty dense.

Conker really likes the taste if this food. Enough so that I can use it for treats, which is highly unusual for a kibble that he is currently on. That normally does not work with Conker.
He also did not need any pre or probiotics added to this food. He digests it quite well and can make an instant switch to it with no problems. This is always a good thing and something I look for in a food.
Note: This kibble contains probiotics in it already. However, I highly doubt that they actually do anything, so I never depend on probiotics that may be in a kibble and will always add my own if I feel they are needed. Also, I tend to freeze kibble if it is in a larger bag or won't be using it soon, and that will kill the probiotic bacteria and render them useless.

The Small Bites

In general, I find this kibble to be a very good one. The price is on the high side, right at the top of the price range, but I would be able to feed this full-time since Conker does not need a whole lot and I like to add in other things.
I plan on testing out the other two varieties, one fish-based and the other poultry-based once I have gotten through some of the other bags I still have on hand.


Note: I did try out a few cans of this food (beef and fish) and quite like them as well.

The Kibble Trails: New Contestant #7 EVO Red Meat (Small Bites)

I stopped the previous food due to some nasty digestive issues that began to occur when I started to feed it, and also since I bought some new kibble that was going to expire soon so I bumped back the other one and started to feed this one instead. The digestive problems have vanishes so far, so I figured I'd introduce the food properly now.

I spied a few bags of EVO on sale at the Grange for a good price. (13.2bs for $25, 28.6lbs for $50) They had Red Meat (small and large bites), Herring & Salmon, and Weight Management. (Holy shit check out the protein levels in the WM food!) They might have had Senior as well, but I can't remember.
I only bought one 13.2lb since the food was set to expire soon and I didn't want to stock up on stuff that would go bad before I could use it.

Anywho, I ended up with a bag of the Red Meat Small Bites.

Ingredients: 
Beef, Lamb Meal, Potatoes, Eggs, Sunflower Oil, Buffalo, Lamb, Venison, Herring Oil, Natural Flavors, Apples, Carrots, Tomatoes, Alfalfa Sprouts, Cottage Cheese, Potassium Chloride, Vitamins: (Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin E Supplement, Betaine Hydrochloride, Vitamin A Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Beta Carotene, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Biotin, Folic Acid), Minerals: (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper, Dried Chicory Root, Direct-Fed Microbials: (Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product)

Guaranteed Analisys:
Crude Protein (Min)     42.0 %
Crude Fat (Min)     22.0 %
Crude Fiber (Max)     2.5 %
Moisture (Max)     10.0 %
Carbohydrates NFE (Max)     15.0 %
Linoleic Acid (an Omega-6 Fatty Acid) (Min)     1.2 %
Vitamin E (Min)     300.0 IU/kg
Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) (Min)     500.0 mg/kg
Omega-3 Fatty Acids (Min)     0.4 %
DHA + EPA (Min)     0.1 %
Total Microorganisms (Min)     90,000,000.0 CFU/lb
4370.0 kcal/kg
27.0 kcal/cup


This is the highest protein dry food Conker has eaten since I attempted to feed him Orijen Puppy way back in St. Louis. (If you don't know already, that did not go very well at all.) Conker normally gets a protein level that's identical to the one in this food with the homemade stuff, but this is dry and that is packed with moisture.
This bag should last for the rest of the month. I might add in some canned or an egg every now and then, but not every day like I do with most other kibbles.

EVO's website has a feeding calculator that can be used to determine how much food a dog should get. I generally do not follow the guidelines on bags or websites since they are usually wrong when it comes to my dogs, but it can give a starting place if one is not sure how much to feed of a new food. (They almost always overestimate by a lot how much to feed.) Conker has been getting one cup a day, but that could change.

Anyways, so far he's been able to digest it fine with no problems. I had to switch him off the Fromm cold turkey because of the digestive problems but he handled the switch without problems. (Sometimes he does not.)

Switching things up

So, I found a bag of EVO Red Meat for cheap, and since it's got the closest expiration date, I will be trying it out. I'm going to put the Fromm Salmon on hold for now, since when I began to feed it to Conker, he started having odd poop problems that I haven't seen in a long long time. If they continue, then I will investigate further. But for now, I'm hoping that a food change will stop the nasty from occurring.

The Kibble Trails: Innova Red Meat Results

Today Conker finally finished off the last of the Innova Red Meat I've been feeding him. I got a bit impatient and started to give some to the Girls, so the 15 pound bag would have lasted longer than it did if I hadn't done that.

Anywho, Conker generally did pretty good on this food. So good in fact that he actually got a bit too chubby for my liking! Although, that could be due to his drastic drop in exercise (I basically cut almost all of it out when he had that eating problem) and the rise in temperatures which also put a stop to any outdoor activity during the day. So it's no wonder that Conker got a bit of flub here and there.

No picture of actual kibbles. They are shaped like triangles.

Conker would usually eat this kibble if it didn't have any additions to it, but he strongly preferred an egg be mixed in and would object if I did not include one. Due to the food's lower protein content, I usually did include an egg or a bit of ground meat.

Teeth stayed in relatively good shape, a bit of tartar here and there. Nothing huge, but enough to need a bone every now and then.
Poop was good, small, firm, non smelly. I was not really expecting that since this food is a grain-inclusive one.

Like all kibbles so far, Conker developed a doggy odor and slight coat grease. (He normally has neither.) But it wasn't bad and was hardly noticeable. His undercoat was mainly soft, the overcoat stiff, but it lacked the shine I see with his normal diet and was somewhat dry. Not even an egg and salmon oil just about daily would bring the shine back. He shed a lot, but I think that is due to the huge temperature increase that we had going on when I was feeding this food.

Conker had a quite a bit of energy on this food. Not surprising since it's so high in calories. He only needed around 1 cup a day to stay at a "slightly chubby" weight. I imagine 1 cup or slightly over would have been fine for his normal activity level.


Overall I liked this food. With the exception of the dryish non-shiny coat and flub, Conker's condition was pretty good. I probably wouldn't use it if a higher protein food were available, but if I could not find one, then I'd use this food in a pinch if I had to.

Innova has recently revamped their foods and packaging, so this trial is a bit defunct now. I might try the new version later and compare it to the old to see if there are any noticeable changes.

The Kibble Trails: Contestant #6 Innova Red Meat

This food was not originally included in the list of trial foods because of it's lower protien content. However, my Petco was having a super sale on some brands, Innova was one of them, and I couldn't help but grab a 15 pound bag of this for just under $20! That's a really good deal for this type of food.

The Rundown.

Innova Red Meat (Large Bites) is one of several foods offered by Innova from puppy to senior. I went with Red Meat because it didn't contain any chicken (which I am still on the fence about) and was on sale for less than the regular adult formula.

The deck has been painted!

Ingredients:
Beef, Lamb Meal, Barley, Brown Rice, Potato, Sunflower Oil (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols, a Natural Source of Vitamin E), Rice, Lamb, Buffalo, Venison, Flaxseed, Natural Flavors, Apple, Carrot, Herring Oil, Pumpkin, Tomato, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Cottage Cheese, Alfalfa Sprouts, Dried Chicory Root, Taurine, Vitamins (Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin E Supplement, Betaine, Vitamin A Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Beta Carotene, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Biotin, Folic Acid), Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Calcium Carbonate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Calcium Iodate), Direct Fed Microbials (Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product), Lecithin, Rosemary Extract

Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein (Min)     24.0 %
Crude Fat (Min)     14.0 %
Crude Fiber (Max)     3.0 %
Moisture (Max)     10.0 %
Vitamin E (Min)     300.0 IU/kg
Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) (Min)     500.0 mg/kg
Omega-3 Fatty Acids (Min)     0.4 %
DHA + EPA (Min)     0.1 %
Total Microorganisms (Min)     90,000,000.0 CFU/lb
3914.0 kcal/kg
468.0 kcal/cup


Innova has a handy online feeding calculator, so I will not post the guidelines unless I feel like dragging the bag of kibble out into my trailer and copying them off of that.
So, according to Innova's calculator, for an adult 25 pound dog (I always calculate Conker out at 25 pounds) I would need to feed Conker 1 1/2 cups every day. That makes sense since Innova Red Meat has a pretty high calorie content at 468 kcals per cup. It's even nigher for the regular adult formula.
* Calculated amounts may differ from packaging as some packaging values are based on available feeding trial data.

The normal price for this food was somewhere around $19 for a 6lb bag, around $37 for a 15lb bag. This bag should last around 25+ days, maybe less if Conker ends up needing more than 1 1/2 cup (which he usually does) per day.


The protein in this food is a bit low for my liking, but for the price I paid, it can't hurt to try it.

The Kibble Trails: Before Grain Pork Results

I am not exactly sure how much of this food Conker needed to maintain weight since he was "recovering" from his ordeal while on it. Actually, he was still being a dipshit about eating when I'd transitioned him to it, but was eating well by the end of the bag. He got roughly 1 1/2 to 2 cups a day, so something in that area is what he needs to maintain bodyweight. I think.

Conker would eat the kibble with or without additions at the end of the bag. In the beginning I needed to dress it up with... whatever his chosen food of that day was. After I ran out of dress up items I started giving it to him plain, and much to my surprise, he ate it that way. Whatever dog. Confuse the utter crap out of me with your odd eating habits.

Supercrap cellular phone picture (taken before the Olympus was fixed)

Anyways, the kibbles were shaped like most grain-free kibbles I have seen so far. A generic roundish semi-flat shape. It did not smell too strongly but it wasn't the greatest. Conker did not think it was good enough to eat as a "treat" but would finish it if it was part of a meal near the end of the bag.

The 6.6 pound bag lasted about 16 days, however, I had been feeding it mixed with the Fromm duck food so fed alone, it would probably last a bit longer than that.

Conker was in pretty good shape while on this food. He had gained a bit of weight before he was fully transitioned to it but solidified nicely in the weeks he ate it. He is still a bit on the thin side, but I think that if he'd continued being fed this food, his condition would have continued to improve.
He did, like usual, develop a slight dog smell. It wasn't as bad as some other kibbles and wasn't noticable unless you were very close to him.
Conker's teeth remained in good shape while on this food. Very little tartar built up while he ate it.

Unfortunately, Conker's poop on this kibble was biggish, green (yes, it was green!), and very smelly. I find that smelly poops often mean there is something wrong when it comes to Conker, but I could not figure out exactly what it was. The green color confused me, and the only other time I have seen this was when he ate Origen as a puppy. but he did not agree with that food at all so I am stumped for the time being.


Overall I was quite satisfied with this food. Conker put on good weight (muscle, not fat), had a good amount of energy, and didn't lose coat or tooth quality as quickly as he had on some other foods. The green smelly poop thing is a put off, but I will be given another chance to see if it's a problem with the whole food line or just the pork version when I try out the buffalo (and chicken...) formula I also bought.

Note: Before grain is being discontinued. It can be found at select online retailers and stores who still have some in stock. It is being replaced with a "generic" Merrick label food that is very similar but different slightly. I will try out the newer versions and compare them later on.

The Kibble Trials Contestant #5 Before Grain Pork

Note: I accidentally deleted this post, so I am re-doing it. It will be short.

Before Grain is made by Merrick, and was their gran-firee food line. There are several formulas, each with it's own number that associates it with a certain protein in the food. For example: Pork is actually 0.
It has now been discontinued and is being replaced with a food under a regular Merrick label. The ingredients are very similar with few changes, but the packaging is way different.


The Rundown.

Of the formulas offered in my local Petco, the Pork was the only one with no chicken. They did not carry salmon or regular chicken, but did carry buffalo, and I did get a bag of that. But I went with pork first since I am still on the fence about chicken with Conker.

Ingredients:
Pork, Pork Meal, Potato Dehydrated, Dried Pork Protein, Beef Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Salmon Meal, Pork Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Pork Liver, Sweet Potato Dehydrated, Natural Pork Flavor, Apple, Yeast Culture, Blueberry Dried, Salt, Choline Chloride, Organic Alfalfa , Salmon Oil, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Taurine, Yucca Schidegera Extract, Chicory Root, Marigold Extract, Rosemary Extract, Dried Lactobacillus Plantarum fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus Faecium fermentation product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei fermentation product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus fermentation product, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Vitamin E Supplement, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Copper Amino Acid Complex, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin D3, Niacin, Lecithin, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Cobalt Amino Acid Complex, Folic Acid, Thiamine Mononitrate, Sodium Selenite.

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein……32.0% Min
Crude Fat………15.0% Min
Crude Fiber………3.0% Max
Moisture…………11.0% Max

More will be added later...

The Kibble Trials: Contestant #4 Fromm Duck & Sweet Potato + Results

I am doing a two in one for this food since I forgot to introduce it and it's all gone now.

Fromm recently celebrated having 10,000 followers on facebook and and gave out a bunch of coupons for a free bag of food. I quickly took them up on the offer, printed my coupon, and went down to Mini Pet Mart and recieved my two for one bags of Fromm. I picked grain-inclusive foods since they only carry one type of grain-free (Surf & Turf) and I'd already tried that.
Note: I have no issues with grain-inclusive foods whatsoever, if you can't tell by how I used to feed Conker prior to his current endeavor. They do tend to be lower in protein and fat and higher in carbs, though, which I do not like.

The Rundown.

The food I tried first was the Duck & Sweet Potato variety.

This food was relatively cheap. Actually, it was free, but otherwise would have cost me $13.


Ingredients:
Fresh Duck, Duck Meal, Pearled Barley, Fresh Sweet Potatoes, Brown Rice, Oatmeal, White Rice, Whole Dried Egg, Millet, Dried Tomato Pomace, Safflower Oil, Fresh Wisconsin Cheese, Flaxseed, Fresh Carrots, Fresh Broccoli, Fresh Cauliflower, Fresh Apples, Fresh Green Beans, Chicken Cartilage, Potassium Chloride, Fresh Cranberries, Fresh Blueberries, Salt, Monocalcium Phosphate, Calcium Sulfate, Chicory Root Extract, Fresh Alfalfa Sprouts, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Sodium Selenite, Folic Acid, Taurine, Fresh Parsley, Vitamins: vitamin A acetate, Vitamin D3 supplement, Vitamin E supplement, Vitamin B12 supplement, choline bitartrate, niacin supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, L-Ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate, riboflavin supplement,Minerals: zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, manganous sulfate, magnesium sulfate, copper sulfate, cobalt carbonate, calcium iodate, sorbic acid (preservative), ferrous proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, magnesium proteinate, manganese proteinate, cobalt proteinate, Probiotics: dried lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried bifidobacterium longum fermentation product, dried lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried enterococcous faecium fermentation product

Guaranteed Analysys:

Protein	24% Min
Fat	15% Min
Fiber	3.5% Max
Moisture	10% Max
Total Microorganisms	100,000,000 CFU/lb Min
kcal/kg	4,155.40
kcal/lb	1,888.82

The Results.

Conker needed around 2 cups of this food in order to maintain his weight. Which, I might add, he lost quite a bit of during the trial, but I do not know if that was due to the actual food or because of how little he would eat. I think it might have been a mixture of both, but I will hold off on my official decision until I've used the other bag which has similar protein/fat/carb ratios.
So I cannot give an accurate determination of Conker's body condition on this food. But what I did notice that was he was flubby, less muscular, even when he was eating the two cups before and after he went completely off food for three days. This could be due to the initial weight loss, or due to the lower protein content.

Conker would eat this kibble with no additions for the first few days he was on it, then he began to refuse to eat it so I spruced it up with an egg, some sort of ground meat, or meat drippings. This brought the protein/fat levels up a bit. Then Conker started to go off for a while and would hardly eat 1 cups worth. Again I do not know if it was the food or something else, but in the week after the Bend trip (where he hit "bottom" with his weight loss) he started eating the full two cups with additions again.

The kibbles were medium sized and had a pentagon shape. They were lightly colored, probably due to the grains used in the food. It didn't have too strong of a smell.

Conker's poop on this food was pretty big. Again probably due to the grains, and pretty soft compared to other kibbles, but nowhere near as bad as it was on Wellness CORE.
I did not have to give Conker probiotics or chicory root in order to keep things swell inside the digestive tract. That is a good thing in my book.

Conker developed a strong "doggy" odor. I was NOT pleased with this. This food gave him the strongest dog odor I have smelled on him since I first brought him home a year and many months ago.
He did, like with most kibbles, get a bit of tartar buildup on his teeth but not too much.

His energy levels were somewhat less on this food, but I think that is probably due to him not eating much or consistently while on it. 


Overall I did like this food, but the negatives were a bit strong for me to use in rotation. I would in a pinch if I needed it though, and Fromm is carried in many places (not big chains) so I can easily get it, for the most part.

The Kibble Trials: Fromm Surf & Turf: Results

Conker was on the Surf & Turf for roughly 20 days or so. When I asked about it, Fromm sent me the complete nutrient analysis for this (and other) foods they make. This was nice, since every other company I have contacted about it (who does not have it openly available online) has either blown me off or come up with some dumbass reason not to give it to me.
So it gets bonus points for that.

Slightly edited cellular phone picture

Conker did pretty good on this food. He developed a slight doggish smell, but it wasn't as bad as some of the other kibbles. He got a few eye bogies but not enough to actually count. His teeth stayed pretty clean, which was a bit surprising.

The kibbles were quite small and relatively uniform with some variance. That's fine for Conker though, he chews kibble pretty well.

I did not try out any of the canned varieties.

I really liked this kibble. I didn't think I would due to it's lower protien content, but Conker did pretty okay on it for me not to care much about that. Normally he does not do so good on foods with carbs that make up more than 20% of the energy. This one must be an exception.
Conker digested it quite well with no assistance from pre or probiotics, which is always a good thing. And it's relatively inexpensive for a higher-quality food. Though I don't really like to, I might include the Fromm kibbles in Conker's food rotation if it turns out to be financially feasible.

The Kibble Trails: Contestant #3 Fromm Surf & Turf

I wasn't planning on doing another kibble trial for a while, but Conker is still being a buttface about eating his "normal" food, so here goes.


The third bag of kibble I will be trying is Fromm's Surf & Turf. This is a fish, duck, and potato based food. I hope the potato won't cause any issues, but I don't think it will.

The Rundown.

Fromm has a good selection of kibbles in their Four-Star, Gold, and Classics lines. The Four-Star and Gold lines have several flavors available, but only a few of them fit the bill for what I was looking for. Some of them I can't ever seem to find no matter where I go, but the one I originally had on my list was available.

Craptastic cell phone picture

Ingredients:
Fresh pacific wild salmon, duck meal, fresh russet potatoes, pea flour, fresh sweet potatoes, fresh duck, chicken fat, dried tomato pomace, salmon meal, whole dried egg, pea protein, fresh chicken, flaxseed, fresh Wisconsin cheese, salmon oil, chicken broth, fresh carrots, fresh broccoli, fresh cauliflower, fresh apples, fresh green beans, chicken cartilage, potassium chloride, fresh cranberries, fresh blueberries, salt, chicory root extract, fresh alfalfa sprouts, Yucca schidigera extract, sodium selenite, folic acid, taurine, fresh parsley, vitamin A acetate, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, choline bitartrate, niacin supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate, riboflavin supplement, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, biotin, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, manganous sulfate, magnesium sulfate, copper sulfate, cobalt carbonate, calcium iodate, sorbic acid (preservative), ferrous proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, magnesium proteinate, manganese proteinate, cobalt proteinate, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Bifidobacterium longum fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried Enterococcous faecium fermentation product

Guaranteed Analysis: Protein 30% Min Fat 19% Min Fiber 3.5% Max Moisture 10% Max Total Microorganisms 100,000,000 CFU/lb Min kcal/kg 4,306.00 kcal/lb 1,957.27

The 4 pound bag cost me $16.25, but that's due to sale tax. (Bought in Washington)

This is lower protien and higher carb than Conker is used to, so I will probably be adding in a bit of fresh meat (if hell eat it) to bring the protien level up a bit.

The Kibble Trials: Wellness CORE Ocean: Results

I was a bit disappointed with this food. It took Conker a short while to transition over and I had to use probiotics and chicory root to ensure it was digested (and excreted) well.

The 4 pound bag and 5 cans lasted about 17 days. Conker needed to eat more food to maintain a good weight so that shortened this food's trial period a bit, but the cans helped round it out.

Overall, Conker did okay on this food. He did not develop eye boogies like he sometimes does on other foods than his normal type, which was a plus.
He did, however, turn somewhat stinky. This was not a faint dog-smell, you could smell him from a short distance away. That is a huge negative due to him normally having no smell whatsoever.

 The poop was somewhat largish (2 poops a day compared to one) and unpredictable. The only way to keep it stable was to add probiotics and ground roasted chicory root. Sometimes it smelled quite nasty.
Conker got some nastyass tooth gunk which I was able to control with scrapings and hard chews.

Kibble topped with stew-type

The kibbles were medium-large sized, shaped like a funky triangle thing and not as dense as some other high-quality kibbles I have seen. They smelled heavily of fish, but not in a good way. I did not really like the way this food smelled. It was not bad or off, just not pleasant.
The CORE can wasn't too bad, but still smelled kinda gross. The stew-type can was by-far my favorite in the Wellness line.

95% fish-paste topped kibble

I did not like the 95% canned types at all. They were pasty and nasty-smelling. The fish one was the worst. It was just, icky. Conker of course loved it, but like the kibble, did not digest it well.


Overall I was not pleased with Wellness CORE kibble or the cans I tried. I really did like the packaging on the bag and CORE can, but that is really not a good way to pick a brand of food.
I didn't like the way Conker began to smell, how quickly his teeth got into a nasty state, nor how I had to continuously use probiotics and chicory root to keep his digestive system working right.
I will not he using Wellness again.

Dropping brands from the Trials

Due to the recent recalls (Salmonella) issued by Diamond, I will be dropping Canidae and Solid Gold from the trail. Why? Oregon isn't mentioned in the list of states that South Carolina plant distributes food to. BUT, it is. Taste of the Wild is made by Diamond, and due to the plant closure, it's very hard to find here. So they do distribute some of the South Carolina plant's foods to this state, but probably through another state's warehouse. Taste of the Wild is not on the recall list (yet) and neither is Canidae or Solid Gold (yet), but I'd rather not chance giving my dog Salmonella right now.

Until the recall is situated, I will probably find a different food for Juneau and Sasha to eat.

But but but, you feed Conker raw chicken! Yes, I do. But there isn't a recall on Salmonella infected raw chicken now, is there?


To see more information on the Diamond pet food recalls, you can check it out on a site setup specifically for the recalls, or you can go to dog food advisor and read about it there.

The Kibble Trials: Contestant #2 Wellness CORE: Ocean

The second kibble being tested in The Kibble Trials is Wellness CORE: Ocean. It is a fish-based food (which seem to be the majority of contestants) that has rather attractive packaging.

The Rundown.

Wellness has a pretty good selection of foods to choose from. Only one of them, the CORE line, fell within the criteria I had laid out for the kibbles that are included in the Trials. There are three choices; Original, which is a poultry-based food, Ocean, which is a fish-based food, and Reduced Fat, which I think is bougus.
I went with Ocean because it did not include chicken.

Ingredients:
Whitefish, Herring Meal, Salmon Meal, Menhaden Fish Meal, Peas, Potatoes, Dried Ground Potatoes, Canola Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Pea Fiber, Tomato Pomace, Natural Fish Flavor, Ground Flaxseed, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Kale, Broccoli, Spinach, Parsley, Apples, Blueberries, Vitamins [Vitamin E Supplement, Beta-Carotene, Niacin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Biotin, Folic Acid], Minerals [Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate], Choline Chloride, Mixed Tocopherols added to preserve freshness, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate, Taurine, Chicory Root Extract, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Lactobacillus plantarum Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Rosemary Extract.


Guaranteed Analysis:

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein     Not less than     34%
Crude Fat     Not less than     16%
Crude Fiber     Not more than     7%
Moisture     Not more than     10%
Calcium     Not more than     2.1%
Phosphorus     Not more than     1.45%
Vitamin E     Not less than     400 IU/kg
Omega 6 Fatty Acids*     Not less than     2.00%
Omega 3 Fatty Acids*     Not less than     0.80%
Glucosamine*     Not less than     250 mg/kg
Chondroitin Sulfate*     Not less than     200 mg/kg
Beta-Carotene*     Not less than     5 mg/kg
Total Lactic Acid Microorganisms*     Not less than     80,000,000 CFU/lb

The 4lb bag normally costs about $16 but I got it for $14. I also bought a can of the CORE, a can each of the 95% meat varieties: beef, lamb, and salmon as well as one can of lamb and beef stew.

This food (kibble) has about 32% protein, 37% fat, and 31% carbs (calorie weighted basis from Original formula on dog food advisor) which is a noticeable deviation from Conker's "normal" diet of something like 30-33% protein, 50-55% fat, and 15-18% carbs. The protein is good but the fat and carbs are off, so hopefully this won't affect him too much. (It has with certain foods in the past.)

The Kibble Trials: Natire's Variety: Results

The Nature's Variety trail went quite well. Conker never refused to eat the food (I think he might have, given enough time eating the same thing over and over again. He's not into that.) and had no transition period. He went straight from raw food to NV with no problems whatsoever.

The Kibble

The 4.5 pound bag and three cans lasted about 25 days. Longer than I thought, but I did add in cans so that lengthened the trail a bit.

Conker did pretty good on this food, better than I thought he would. Not as good as his normal diet, but good enough for me to really like the results.
He developed a slight "doggy" odor. He doesn't usually have one, and I have noticed that this happens only when he eats commercial foods. It wasn't enough to notice unless you stuck your face into his fur.
His poop was nice and small, but bigger than usual. It was not nasty smelly though, which is a plus.
Conker did develop some gross on his teeth but I was easily able to get it off with a tooth scraper and by giving him some chews.

The Cans

The kibbles are very small and quite dense. The canned food was dense as well, nice and compact instead of icky like most dog food is. It didn't have a terrible odor either.
I did add in a can of Prairie Pork & Sweet Potato which is labeled as a stew, and did look like stew. Conker liked that one a lot.

The kibble and canned

Overall I really liked this food. My only problems with it are some of the nutrient levels. Unlike most dog food companies, Nature's Variety lists the complete nutrient analysis for several of their foods instead of just a guaranteed analysis. I really like this, but at the same time, I was able to fully compare this food to Conker's normal food and I did not like some of the things I saw. (More on this later.)

The Kibble Trials: Contestant #1 Nature's Variety Instinct: Salmon

Since Conker has been being stupid about his food for about two weeks now, only eating small amounts and of select items, sometimes outright refusing an entire meal, I decided to bump up the Trials and instead of starting in April, started them at the end of March.

I drove over to Petco and bought two bags of kibble that were on sale.
I looked at the protein, fat, and carb ratios of the two kibbles and decided upon Nature's Variety Instinct: Salmon since the ratios were closer to what Conker's "normal" diet is than the other kibble. They were pretty close, but I decided not to upset his system too much with the sudden switch.


The Rundown.

Nature's Variety has a nice selection of grain-inclusive and grain-free kibbles. I would have gone with grain-inclusive if it weren't for the high carb content (42%) so I went with grain-free. Fortunately, the formula I chose has no potatoes, an item I have linked to digestive problems with Conker. (Sometimes though, as in the case of dehydrated taters, Conker can handle some potato products just fine.) Unfortunately, my Petco has a slim selection of Nature's variety foods and I was forced to chose from chicken, duck and turkey, or salmon formulas. The two I actually wanted to try, beef and rabbit, were not available, neither were the two limited ingredient diets lamb or turkey. So I went with salmon, my number 3 choice.

Ingredients:
Salmon Meal, Herring Meal, Menhaden Fish Meal, Canola Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Tapioca, Pea Starch, Pork Liver, Natural Pork Flavor, Coconut Oil, Sun-Cured Alfalfa Meal, Tomato Pomace, Montmorillonite Clay, Vitamins (Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Biotin, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin A Acetate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Carotene, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Potassium Chloride, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide), Salt, Dried Kelp, Taurine, Carrots, Garlic, Apples, Pumpkin, Rosemary Extract, Yeast Culture (Saccharomyces Cerevisiae), Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus niger Fermentation Extract, Dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum Fermentation Extract, Dried Bacillus subtilis Fermentation Extract, Freeze Dried Cod.

Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein (min): 35.0%
Crude Fat (min): 20.0%
Crude Fiber (max): 2.5%
Moisture (max): 10.0% 
 

The 4.4 pound bag normally costs $19, making each cup cost $1.14 and each pound about  $4.31. That equates out to about 11 days of food for Conker. Fortunately for me, I was able to acquire a $3 off coupon directly from Nature's Variety, and the kibble was on sale for $2 less than normal, so I got $5 off for a total of cost $14.10, bringing the cost per cup down to $.84 and price per pound down to $3.20 (it was the most expensive kibble per cup in the Trials before the sale and coupon).

The ratios are: Protein:31 Fat:47 Carb:23 (using calorie weighted basis from the turkey and duck formula on dogfoodadvisor) which is right about what I was looking for in a kibble. The carbs are almost equal with Conker's normal diet (15-19%) and the fat a bit lower lower (50-55%).

I also got some cans. One each of venison, lamb, and beef. I will add roughly 25% canned every other day or so unless for some reason they cause complications.
Venison cost the most at $4 per 13.2 ounce can can (I got it for $3.60) and beef and lamb cost the same at $3.29 per 13.2 ounce can (I got for $2.92 each).

The ratio for the cans are:
Protein:30 Fat:54 Carb:16 (based off the duck formula on dogfoodadvisor)


So far Conker likes it and switched over just fine. We'll see how well he does on it (short-term) when the bag and cans run out.
More information and a proper review will be included at the end of the trial.

The Kibble Trials: The Contestants

I have found the brands that I am going to include in the trials. I have a small group to chose from, due to there being no "boutique" style dog shops in GP (maybe I should like, open one, or something) that carry higher end, "natural", holistic, or whatever you want to call it, brands of kibble. The stuff without the cruddy ingredients.

Anywho, I chose several brands, eight to be exact, that will be tested sometime or another. There are several others that I may try if Conker shows that he can handle kibble. If not, they won't be included.
The criteria for the kibbles I chose are:
Must be locally available. This one is a biggie, since I hate ordering stuff online.
Cost no more than $20 for a 4-7 pound bag, and less than $1.25 per cup.
Have more protein than carbs. Slightly more carbs is permissible. (Calorie Weighted Basis)
Contain quality ingredients that have absolutely NO: Wheat, corn, soy, unnamed meats or by-products.
Chicken and potatoes are permissible, but preferably not included.

The kibbles that fit that criteria that I can get locally are:

EVO: Herring & Salmon and Red Meat
6.6 pounds for $19, $.81 per cup, $2.87 per pound, about 18 days of food
Protein:37 Fat:41 Carb:17

Nature's Variety Instinct: Salmon
4.4 pounds for $19, $1.14 per cup, $4.31 per pound, about 11 days of food
Protein:31 Fat:47 Carb:23
(I have a $3 off coupon, and it's currently on sale)

Wellness CORE: Ocean
4 pounds for $16, $.92 per cup, $4.00 per pound, about 10 days of food
Protein:32 Fat:37 Carb:31
(also on sale)

Canidae pure: LAND and SEA
5 pounds for $16, $.81 per cup, $3.20 per pound, about 15 days of food
Protein:30 Fat:37 Carb:33

Solid Gold: Barking at the Moon
4 pounds for $17, $.91 per cup, $4.25 per pound, about 13 days of food
Protein:46 Fat:22 Carb:24

Fromm Four Star: Surf & Turf
4 pounds for $13, $.61 per cup, $3.25 per pound, about 12 days of food
Protein:27 Fat:42 Carb:31

Blue Buffalo Wilderness: Salmon
4.5 pounds for $19, $1.12 per cup, $4.20 per pound, about 10 days of food
Protein:33 Fat:35 Carb:32

Before Grain: Salmon and Buffalo
6.6 pounds for $18, $.64 per cup, $2.72 per pound, about 16 days of food
Protein:31 Fat:35 Carb:34

I am a bit reluctant to include the Before Grain kibble since the second ingredient in both the Salmon and Buffalo formulas is chicken meal, which renders it a good portion of the food. But I liked the protein to carb ratio compared to some others I researched so I stuck it in there as a strong possibility.


I will be noting any changes that happen to Conker during the trials, with special attention given to: Digestibility (includes poop facts), plaque and overall tooth health, smell (Conker has none), and amount needed to maintain a healthy weight.

Each kibble will be fed as long as it lasts and Conker digests it well. If he can't seem to digest it good, it will be dropped and fed to the Girls. Kibbles that I am unsure of their digestibility or effects at the end of it's trail may be given an extension. Once the trial for that kibble is over, I will switch Conker back to his regular diet so he can "reset" any changes that may have occurred on the kibble until he is in default condition so I can accurately judge each kibble and it's effect on him. Kibbles that I like may be given a longer run at the end of the trials for further analysis.


Due to Conker being a douche and outright refusing to eat his food for several days now, The Kibble Trials begin today.
(He is otherwise normal, healthy, active, and has quite a large apatite. Just not for his food.)

The Kibble Trails: Research

A mentioned sometime earlier, Conker has been found to be able to digest some kibble. I don't know if it's long-term digestibility or what, but I have decided to experiment with it a bit and see how it compares to what he normally gets. I will  be taking note of any good or bad physical, energy, or other changes that may occur during the trails.

I have been researching various kibbles for the past few days and have drawn up a list of brands that I am, might, and won't be testing out on him. Most of them are higher-end and a good many grain-free (but that is not a reason for picking them).
Since I have never really thought of feeding Conker a kibble for like, more than a year, I have not done much research into kibbles. All my research has been on individual food items, fats, protein, carbs, energy, and other things like nutrient requirements and signs of deficiency/excess. This whole "dog food" thing is actually very new to me.

I am shooting for kibbles that are priced within $10-20 for a 4-7 pound bag that  quality ingredients with no wheat, corn, soy, and preferably, as little chicken and potato as possible, has a good amount of protien, moderate fat (since no kibbles are high-fat) and as low carbs as possible. If they have a canned variety that is not to horribly priced and had a good ratio of fat/protein with again, as few carbs as possible, I will include it in the trails.

I plan on starting the trails in just under a week when my pre-made raw food batch is finished. Or sooner, if Conker keeps up this picky streak he's currently going through.


This is, hopefully, going to be fun.