Halo Spots Stew: Lamb

The next kibble on the list was made by Halo. I got the Lamb one to try out first and also have the Surf & Turf for a later date.

Ingredients:

Lamb, Whole Peas, Eggs, Oats, Pearled Barley, Chicken Liver, Pea Protein, Vegetable Broth, Flax Seed, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Salmon Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Sweet Potatoes, Apples, Blueberries, Green Beans, Carrots, Cranberries, Zucchini, Alfalfa, Calcium Sulfate, Monocalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Inulin, Taurine, Salt, Vitamins (Folic Acid, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Choline Bitartrate, Niacin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Ascorbic Acid, Riboflavin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin), Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Cobalt Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Magnesium Proteinate , Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Bifidobacterium longum Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus plantarum Fermentation Product.

Guaranteed Analysis:

Crude Protein 27.0% (Min)
Crude Fat 15.0% (Min)
Crude Fiber 6.5% (Max)
Moisture 10.0% (Max)
4,350 kcal/kg
435 kcal/cup

At first glance this kibble appears to be moderately meaty, has a moderate-low protein content, contains some grains, and generally looks alright. The protein content is on the lower side than I like, but I decided to give it a shot anyways.

The kibbles are small and flat, a brownish color with faint green specks. There are dried carrots and peas mixed in with the kibbles. It has an incredibly strong veggie scent, something I find completly unusual since it is the first kibble I've noticed doesn't smell like generic low-quality "dog food" nor the higher-quality "meaty" kibbles.

Upon first offering, Conker thought it was awesome. Then he quickly decided it was sub-par and would only finish small amounts, like usual, unless mixed with an egg or bacon grease.

Conker rapidly developed a doggy smell on this kibble, and his feet began to smell like fritos. That's new and not welcome. His energy levels were meh, but poop looked alright. A bit more voluminous than I like, but not bad.


Anyways, I did not feed this to Conker long due to his lack of interest and my dissatisfaction right off the bat. It's a bit misleading, as far as actual meat content goes. Upon further discrimination of the label, I realized that the 3 of the top 5 ingredients are plants, and pea protein is pretty high up on the list as well. That makes a good chunk of the protein come from plants (peas), not meat, as I originally thought. It probably contributed to the heavy veggie smell as well.

In general, I was dissatisfied with this food. It is a quality food, but not one that I'd readily feed again.
The Girls got to finish this bag since Conker was switched to full raw in the middle of it.


All further kibble trials will be conducted on the Girls. I'll most likely feed two at a time and use different formulas for each dog. I'm a bit sick of trying out commercial foods on Conker due to his reluctance to eat most of them and deteriorating knee health.
Overall, I have been unhappy with the results of the various kibbles compared to his previous raw/homemade diet.