Taste of the Wild

[Mandzanita]

I'm an absolute advocate of this dog food! Has anyone heard of it? Does anyone feed it? I'm still on my first bag and I just love the way my dog does on it. The ingredients are top notch and it comes in a variety of meat types that are pretty rare to find such as Bison, Venison, Wild Fowl, and Salmon...which are GREAT for dogs who are allergic to basic beef or chicken. When I flipped the bag over I almost wanted to hug it! I didn't see one ingrediant I didn't like :) Lots of high qaulity stuff in there. I didn't find the price to be too outlandish either.

My dog loves it and just thrives on it. I'm feeding her the Pacific Stream Formula (all the fish) because she's allergic to chicken, and I've never seen her look or act better...other than when she was on a raw diet of meat, bones and veggies. She was on Innova EVO before and I liked it ok but I'll be staying with this stuff.

I'm the first to admit I'm somewhat of a dog food critic and there are not many big brand foods out there that get my vote. So many are full of ingredients that are less than nutritious and can actually end up being detrimental to your dog health....yet I see people leaving grocery stores with HUGE bags of absolute CRAP for food! A raw diet is the best way to go but if you can't do that than this food is seriously second best!


If anyone is looking for a new type of food and wants to check it out...

http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/

[SedonaThunder]

Thanks for this Mandi - I hadn't heard of it. I have used the Dynamite dog food since December '03 and all of my dogs look/act great... with one BIG exception. I have battled Bentley's ears since he was a year old... I have tried drops, medications, homeopathics, aloe and stopped all treats. It isn't horrible... they just smell bad sometimes and sometimes he scratches at them. If I clean them with diluted tto and then swab on some aloe they don't bother him again for a few days... if I do it daily it isn't a problem for him, but I'm bad and get busy and don't always remember for a couple of days. I was talking to my vet about this again recently and he said that I might finally have to bite the bullet and have a "two different dog food house". I just haven't done it yet - but was thinking of trying EVO.

[Stellaluna]

I'm an absolute advocate of this dog food! Has anyone heard of it? Does anyone feed it?

YES! I feed it to my shih tzu/poodle mixes. I started feeding it early this spring as I heard about the "grain-free" foods on another forum. Opal was very itchy all the time, had horrible tear stains, and would get bad ear infections all the time. First I tried Orijen, but it's not available locally and was way too expensive to continue with. Plus, Opal put on way too much weight with it, even with only feeding her about 1/2 c. a day!

Then I switched to TOTW that I can get locally and Opal has no more itchy skin, no more ear problems and no more tear stains. Really! It is more expensive than most, but you don't feed nearly as much as the other popular brands so in the long run you're not spending a whole lot more on food. Also, because it's so rich (not to mention you'll feed less) you will also notice less poop because their body will break down most of it unlike the grain foods that have a lot of fillers.

[Mandzanita]

Stella...I love your success story! It's amazing at what a high quality diet will do for a dog. A HUGE percentage of allergies and itching can be traced back to the food. I guess it's totally the same as people in a way. Yeah I forgot to mention you have to feed alot less than normal food (actually with all grain-free foods you do) because they are just packed with good stuff! :) What variety are your pups on? Sage only gets 1/2 cup a day (1/4 2x) and she is at the perfect weight. Being as little as she is (I'm sure you're in the same boat) a medium bag lasts me FOREVER!

Sedona...I've heard good things about Dynamite, although I havn't done too much research on it. What does your vet think the ear thing is? Yeast, bacteria, trapped water, mites? What kind of dog is he? EVO is a great food (Grain-free which is all I'll feed) and it may do the trick. I just love this food because it comes in a variety of high quality protein sources other than the usual chicken or beef. Chicken tends to be a "hot" meat which will trigger allergens more than any other meat.

[SedonaThunder]

Hey Mandi! About Bentley - guess the breed... ear problems, seasonal hot spots, paw licking and possible allergies??? OK, there are probably 5-10 breeds that come to mind but Golden Retriever is almost the first or second mentioned dang it... poor guy was set up for issues. :( My vet thinks the ears are yeasty due to smell and consistency of goop. YUK!


Not only is Dynamite not grain free (rice is the second ingredient) but it's first ingredient is chicken... which I'd never heard called "hot" before! I put the ingredients below - I am paying my distributor price of $40 for a 40lb bag... retail is $60!:eek: Dynamite Dog Food - Chicken Meal, Ground Rice, Barley, Chicken Fat (preserved with natural mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Feeding Oatmeal, Lamb Meal, Dried Beet Pulp, Flaxseed Meal, Herring Meal, Tomato Pomace, Natural Flavors, Dried Kelp, Dried Carrots, Dried Potato, Dried Apples, Dried Yucca Schidigera Extract, Brewers Dried Yeast, Dried Celery, Dried Beets, Dried Parsley, Dried Lettuce, Dried Watercress, Dried Spinach, Vitamins [Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Pantothenic Acid, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Beta Carotene, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Biotin, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid], Minerals [Zinc Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Managanese Proteinate, Selenium Supplement, Cobalt Proteinate, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Cobalt Carbonate], Lecithin, Rosemary Extract, Direct Fed Microbials [Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Dried Bifidobacterium thermophilum Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product].

They have recently come out with another dog food but it is $37 for 25lbs (distributor cost!) and it is weird.. not kibble. Here's the link... http://dynamitemarketing.com/Ultimate_Diet_For_Dogs.htm

[Mandzanita]

I was guessing he was a Golden in my mind but I thought I'd ask :) Those dang golden ears...they seem to be yeasty dogs in general...but oh so cute and great to have around :)

Chicken is a very common dog allergen...VERY common actually. Others at the top of the list are corn, dairy, soy, wheat, and oats. That's why grain-free is probably one of the best ways to go for a dog who's got allergies or is allergin sensative.

It could very possibly be the chicken or oatmeal that's really encouraging the yeast in his ears. The food you mentioned looks to be of great quality actually, it's not grain free but all of it's ingredients are high quality. Rice is not a huge concern as far as grains...it's pretty benign, if you think about it you feed rice to a dog with an upset stomache because it's bland and not a rich source of nutrients. It's more the corn that you definitely don't want to see :)

I think it would do you good to get Bentley on a No-Filler, No Chicken test trial with a food that's made of a protein source other than any he's ever had. Tase of the Wild is great for this kind of trial because it's got a couple rare varieties to choose from...Fish, Venison, and Bison. It should take at least 2-4 weeks for you to notice a difference, depending on how bad his ears are. If there is no difference than it may not be the food at all!

I did the trial with sage with the fish and it's been fantastic..no more weepy eyes, itchy ears or scratchy belly. It's worth a try....and if you want to try EVO you could always try the Red Meat variety.

[Stellaluna]

What variety are your pups on? Sage only gets 1/2 cup a day (1/4 2x) and she is at the perfect weight. Being as little as she is (I'm sure you're in the same boat) a medium bag lasts me FOREVER!


I tend to rotate between the venison and the duck varieties. I haven't tried the fish yet, but I'm sure they'd enjoy it just as much as the other two. Yeah, I get the 15 lb. bag and it lasts about two months with the two of them. They get the same amount as your Sage (is she the little meerkat in your avatar? LOL!).

For anyone who wants to try it, if you go to their website you can request samples and they'll send them to you at no charge.

[Remali]

I started feeding Taste of the Wild last summer, a friend of mine recommended it....both my dogs have done so well on it, but especially Bentley, my Cavalier...he used to have intestinal issues, and his colt was rather dull and dry....but not any more, he has gained weight and his coat is shiny and glossy, and he doesn't have any more soft stools any more. I can't say enough good things about this dog food, it's wonderful! I feed the Pacific Stream Canine food with smoked salmon..the dogs eat this better than any other food I have tried!

[rums_mom]

Thanks for the referral. I will have to try it out........do you get it at Petsmart? There are so many choices out there it is really hard to decide.

[SedonaThunder]

I looked on their website and they had one of those searches where you put your zip code in - I was pleasantly surprised to see that there is a small petstore about 20 minutes from here that carries it!

This morning I was making the dogs breakfast and as I started spooning out their vitamins over their food, I thought "hmm, when I ran out of this (http://dynamitemarketing.com/Showdown.htm for two weeks last month did Bentley's ears stink less?" I looked down at the ingredients and realized corn germ meal is the base.:( They only get a heaping teaspoon but I suppose that could be enough to irritate him further... when I try the switch in food I guess I'll go awhile without the vitamin too and if things improve I'll see what happens if I reintroduce the vitamin.

This sucks because the vet always comments on how wonderful my 13.5 y/o Beagle is doing and how amazing my Chesapeakes coat is (mom and dad use it too and also get compliments from their vet)... I attribute this to the food and vitamin I use so it's scary to me to take Bentley off both.

[Mandzanita]

Rums...I'm almost 100% sure they don't carry it at Petsmart, try doing what Sedona did and type your zip code into their little "finder" and it will show you what pet stores carry it in your area. There are a ton of choices for dog food out there, I totally agree! What makes my choice easier is the fact that I will only feed Grain-Free food so it cuts A TON of choices out. From then I choose what type of protein source I want to feed...for Sage I can't do chicken so I look for a food that has another kind. From then I go by which is cheaper or which one I've heard great stuff about :)

Sedona...I totally understand that feeling! Change is always scary but you know, not all dogs are created the same and what will be GREAT for one dog won't always be GREAT for another :) As far as the vitamin goes, I took a look at the ingrediants and it looks to me like alot of those same ingrediants are already in TOTW's formula. The food itself is already packed full of the vitamins they need (anti-oxidents, probiotics, amino acids, and TONS of vitamins)...minus all the corn and yeast fillers. So that may help you feel a little better about taking him off both...he'll still be getting all the nurtients the others are getting :)

[Mandzanita]

Remali, I'm so glad your dog is thriving on it! I can tell it's pretty flavorful just by the looks of it, it's nice and oily and strong smelling, lol. I'm feeding the Pacific Stream too and she LOVES it!! Cleans her bowl in 10 seconds flat :)

Stella, Yup that's my little Meerkat, lol.

[Remali]

I love the shiny coats it puts on dogs, and they really do love it.....before that they hated everything else I tried.

[dustys_girlly]

i love TOW, i recommend that and Diamond Natural to everyone that comes into the feed store i work at looking for high quality dog food at good prices. the only reason that i dont feed it is because i need or prefer a dog food with glucosamine for my dogs hips, makes it easier that having to give it to him separately.

[rocknK]

My wife buys Wolf King Solid Gold, its about the same price as gold! It's got bison, salmon, & unicorns (I think) in it. Our two,springer & lab sure like it mucho!