Merricks

I am planning on either halfway transitioning to merricks or completely transitioning from Evo.

I have been having problems with Evo for a while now. Kosmo's stools will get so hard that he has trouble passing them and Faith gets the worst gas in the whole world from it. I called the Evo company directly and the lady told me for Faith "she eats too fast" so that's what causes the gas.. icon_nwunsure (not sure I believe that one too much) and for Kosmo they told me that Evo is lower in fiber so I need to add pumpkin to it - ugh.. excuse me?! I thought that was supposed to be a completely nutritionally balanced food?? Kind of threw me for a loop there. I unfortunately cannot add too much to Kosmo's food because I end up throwing it out when it has stuff mixed in with it - especially stuff like pumpkin. Kosmo is the world's fussiest eater..

SO - I have made the decision to make the flip. I really think Evo is a good food it's just not working 100% for us so I think I might try to stick with half and half and see how we do. Faith will eat anything, of course, but I just can't deal with that gas. I tried prozymes and then since I was half and halfing Evo and Innova puppy I just started adding more puppy than Evo and her gas went away completely. Kosmo is my picky guy. He's obviously still eating, but it really upsets me that his stools get so hard that he has trouble passing them.

I went out tonight and purchased a 5lb bag of Merrick's "Turducken" It has organic chicken as an ingredient and I am really impressed with their ingredients overall. The protien content has gone from 40% with Evo to 24% with merricks. Hopefully this will be enough to make the difference.

Of course when I was there I also got sucked into buying an 8 pack "lunchbox" thing of merricks canned foods. They smell SOOO good - the first time I opened the can I couldn't believe it was actually dog food!! The wingaling has actual chicken wings but somehow they cook them so that the bones are soft and safe. Faith will eat anything I put in front of her and depending on the mood he's in sometimes Kosmo actually has some merrick's canned too!! THe last one we got was cowboy cookout and he actually ate probably about 50% of it It's a good thing for him!

Anyways wish us luck for this new journey!! If it doesn't work out I guess we'll have to try something else out. I am also considering buying chicken and turkey on the side and cooking a whole bunch and then freezing into seperate ziplocks and just take them out periodically to mix with the kibble. I know somebody who does that and has a lot of success with it. cross your fingers for us!! :flwr:

That Merrick food does look SOOOO good!!!!

My sister had her dog on Merrick and they both loved it ... The only problem was it was his first ever food with Chicken. Turns out he was allergic and all his hair started falling off (he looked like a reverse Chinese Crested with no hair on his legs!).

She was so sad to have to give up the Merricks ... she actually went the reverse way and has him on the Red Meat Evo. So strange that Evo told you to add the Pumpkin - you would think it should be sufficient as a stand alone food since not everyone knows about pumpkin.

Lani - I guess every dog reacts differently ??? Maybe it has sufficient fiber for some dogs? I am just assuming as I have no clue. Another problem we have is sometimes his stools are SO HARD in the beginning and then runny in the end. He's tested negative for a fecal sample and there's nothing wrong with him I guess the food just doesn't completely agree with him.

The Evo is good food don't get me wrong I just need to do something about those stools. It upsets me watching him strain and walk around and he's actually cried a few times. When it finally passes it's like a ROCK.

I guess I could try the Evo Red Meat - I have heard it makes dogs stools a little less "formed." Maybe we'll try that one out if Merrick's doesn't work?? Thanks for reminding me! :flwr:

I think Merricks and Evo are both great food, and I think you're right Sara - every dog does just react differently, so sometimes you need to try stuff out.

Lucky for example has gone thorugh so many premium foods as a pup and they all seemed to impact his colitis ... now he's on California Natural Chicken and Rice and he just does not seem into it. I am thinkign I might try to transition him to a more flavorful premium food and see if his tummy can handle it. :sl*p: Good luck with your transition to Merricks. :flwr:

We give the boys and Princess the cocker Merrick Grammy's Pot Pie kibble, with some canned Puppy Plate mixed in it. They seem to prefer Grammy's over the TurDucken. We've tried all the Merrick canned, and the Puppy Plate is the only one they like consistently. Maybe because it has a bit more fat...

KC

ah it must be "switch the ol food day"! I went out and bought Solid Gold Puppy today! Kodee's stools went from mush to good by cutting the Innova puppy to 50% and then adding Canidae for other 50%. I also add a good tsp of Merricks Puppy Plate. But her skin is still a bit flakey so I decided to cut out Innova all together. I dont want to do an complete All Stages yet, so I opted to try out the Solid Gold as its rating is the same as Innova but the ingredient list is less (apparantly its a lower allergen option). When I tried her on it back when I thought about Innova and Canidae she loved it the most. So now that I shell out the bucks for the whole bag.... SHE SPIT IT OUT. SPIT IT OUT! Well tough, its bought now Princess! Oh I just should have gone Canidae all the way :sl*p:

Jean~

I was reading yesterday and apparently even the "puppy" is an all life stages food. Maybe they just branded it that way?? I have no clue. The guy gave me 1 sample of merricks pot pie so I will try that one too.

They also gave me a sample of this food called FROMM which I am also impressed with the ingredient list although I've never heard anybody from here talk about it before?

Kodee - if you bought your food form Global Pets you are allowed to take it back. :flwr: That's the great thing - most premium companies stand by their food 100% and they don't fuss if you have to take them back. I would call and see if you can if she still insists on not eating it. It gets quite expensive when you're trying to find the right food!

I am also considering buying chicken and turkey on the side and cooking a whole bunch and then freezing into seperate ziplocks and just take them out periodically to mix with the kibble. I know somebody who does that and has a lot of success with it. cross your fingers for us!!

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That person would be me.

My boys gobble up their food, I always add a little of chicken or stewing beef with a few veggies to the food and it is gone.

I just boiled a huge pot of chicken yesterday,put it in the food processor and then placed it in ziplock bags into the freezer.

They absolutely love it, Sara Kosmo gobbled up his food when he ate at my house.

I don't feed table scraps, and refuse to.

Both of mine have perfectly formed stool, although I would love to feed them both Raw I can't as Dudley will not eat it. This is the closest I can get to raw without feeding it.

They are actually sitting here waiting for me to get them breakfast. :yikes :yikes :yikes :yikes

arasara said:

Kodee - if you bought your food form Global Pets you are allowed to take it back!

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Even after its open? Wow I hope as I have thrown out the breeders kibble I got there last mth already and would love to switch the Solid Gold for Canidae since I am low anyways. I think I will just give her all Canidae from now on mixed with the puppy plate since she likes it and it agrees with her. I give up on the puppy or all life debate at this point!! Also the problem with me adding shredded carrots, green beans, chicken, yogurt, pumpkin etc.. she loves them all and digests them all, but she picks or licks off all of them and doesnt eat ANY kibble. Maybe when she is older and less fussy - I'll try adding them back into meals. For now, she gets shredded carrot , chicken and frozen green bean as training treats as she thinks they are candy! Works for me!

I have heard of Fromm and seen lots of people buy it at our petstore - maybe its a Canadian popular thing, plus it is a low cereal allergen one ( I would try it if the whole Canidae doesnt help the flaking later) It is rated a 5 star just like Canidae, Merricks, Timberwolf and Innova.

A little off topic, but for Kodee's flaking I started her on Dr Maggies oil - which is just different omega 6 and 9 mixture. Its supposed to work great to reduce shedding, flaking and itchy skin. I'm interested to see if it works - but no problem giving it to her, she just licks off the 1/2 tsp off the spoon!

My sister had her dog on Merrick and they both loved it ... The only problem was it was his first ever food with Chicken. Turns out he was allergic and all his hair started falling off (he looked like a reverse Chinese Crested with no hair on his legs!).

She was so sad to have to give up the Merricks ...

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Does she know about Merrick's Wilderness Blend? It has buffalo, salmon & venison! That's what I feed Darby & she absolutely LOVES IT!!!

WOW Darby's mom - I'm not sure if she knew about that or not. I am thinking maybe she could not find it because she was really looking hard for a non-chicken alternative and liked Merricks so much. I'll have to tell her! Thanks for the info. :flwr:

Ahh no such luck with the Merricks. Kosmo was sick yesterday and hadn't eaten for 2 1/2 days. This morning I put some Evo in a bowl and also put some Merricks in a bowl next to the Evo and he didn't even look at the Merricks but he ate the Evo. I actually hand fed him a piece of merricks and the little stinker had the audacity to spit it out! :yikes :yikes

I am considering just doing what Linda does or switching to the Red meat.

I seen the merricks wilderness there but I was fearful of giving that one a try because it has such exotic meat in it - I am going to wait for a sample to come in of that and see what happens from there I guess. Faith is doing great on her Innova puppy but she's going to be switched to an all life stages food after she finishes this bag. maybe I'll give her the turducken merricks, LOL icon_whistling She likes it at least but then again, she likes anything!

Kodee - Yes Global will take back food - bring back your receipt and the bag and they will refund your money providing there's not like 75% of the bag gone or whatever. It's worth a try because food up here is really expensive!

Sara can Kosmo eat fish..or does he like fish...Because I (as you've seen) put King on Solid Gold's Holistique formula and her loves the stuff. Can't seem to slow him down when he eats...See if you could get your hands a a sample bag of it... It has a fishy smell like the Evo so mayb Kosmo will like it...

Product Description
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New Formula! Dry food formula made with Oatmeal, Barley, Ocean Fish, and Potatoes. Ideal for less active adult or senior dogs, to maintain total health. Perfect for those dogs who require less protein and fat.

Protein, Min 18%
Fat, Min 6%
Fiber, Max 4%
Moisture, Max 10%
Calories per cup, 336


Ingredients
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Oatmeal | Cracked Pearled Barley | Millet | Ocean Fish | Potatoes | Canola Oil | Tomato Pomace | Flaxseed | Natural Flavor | Salmon Oil (source of DHA) | Choline Chloride | Taurine | Dried Chicory Root | Amaranth | Parsley Flakes | Spearmint | Almond Oil | Sesame Oil | Yucca Schidigera Extract | Kelp | Thyme | Blueberries | Cranberries | Apples | Lentils | Quinoa | Vitamin E Supplement | Iron Proteinate | Zinc Proteinate | Copper Proteinate | Ferrous Sulfate | Zinc Sulfate | Copper Sulfate | Potassium Iodide | Thiamine Mononitrate | Manganese Proteinate | Manganous Oxide | Ascorbic Acid | Vitamin A Supplement | Biotin | Calcium Panthothenate | Manganese Sulfate | Sodium Selenite | Pyridoxine Hydrochloride | Vitamin B12 Supplement | Riboflavin | Vitamin D Supplement | Folic Acid |

Give it a try you've really got nuttin to loose. :lol: Oh I also just found this searching the Solid Gold website: All our dry foods now contain tomato pomace, taurine, and salmon oil.

Tomato pomace is an excellent source of the super-antioxidant Lycopene. Research shows that people with diets rich in tomato products, which contain lycopene, appear to have a lower risk of certain types of cancer. Tomato pomace is also a superb source of soluble fiber.

Will help Kosmo with the hard stools of his... http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/ Here look-up who carrys it near you...See ya later

Sara As you've seen I switched King over to Solid Gold's Holistique formula. He absolutly loves the food... Mayb you might want to try it on Kosmo.. Does he like or will he eat fish?? It's meant as an adult maintence food so if you also but Faith onto it you would want to supplement with some canned food or something so she gets all the protein and fat she needs as a pup... Here's the ingredients list look it over see what you think of it:

Product Description
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New Formula! Dry food formula made with Oatmeal, Barley, Ocean Fish, and Potatoes. Ideal for less active adult or senior dogs, to maintain total health. Perfect for those dogs who require less protein and fat.

Protein, Min 18%
Fat, Min 6%
Fiber, Max 4%
Moisture, Max 10%
Calories per cup, 336


Ingredients
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oatmeal | Cracked Pearled Barley | Millet | Ocean Fish | Potatoes | Canola Oil | Tomato Pomace | Flaxseed | Natural Flavor | Salmon Oil (source of DHA) | Choline Chloride | Taurine | Dried Chicory Root | Amaranth | Parsley Flakes | Spearmint | Almond Oil | Sesame Oil | Yucca Schidigera Extract | Kelp | Thyme | Blueberries | Cranberries | Apples | Lentils | Quinoa | Vitamin E Supplement | Iron Proteinate | Zinc Proteinate | Copper Proteinate | Ferrous Sulfate | Zinc Sulfate | Copper Sulfate | Potassium Iodide | Thiamine Mononitrate | Manganese Proteinate | Manganous Oxide | Ascorbic Acid | Vitamin A Supplement | Biotin | Calcium Panthothenate | Manganese Sulfate | Sodium Selenite | Pyridoxine Hydrochloride | Vitamin B12 Supplement | Riboflavin | Vitamin D Supplement | Folic Acid |

Also I found this on the site, to help Kosmo with to horrible hard stools of his: All our dry foods now contain tomato pomace, taurine, and salmon oil.

Tomato pomace is an excellent source of the super-antioxidant Lycopene. Research shows that people with diets rich in tomato products, which contain lycopene, appear to have a lower risk of certain types of cancer. Tomato pomace is also a superb source of soluble fiber.

Look it over see what you think...Oh here's the site itself
http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/ Let us know what's your next move with the food switch...See Ya Later

Also I found this on the site, to help Kosmo with to horrible hard stools of his: All our dry foods now contain tomato pomace, taurine, and salmon oil.

Tomato pomace is an excellent source of the super-antioxidant Lycopene. Research shows that people with diets rich in tomato products, which contain lycopene, appear to have a lower risk of certain types of cancer. Tomato pomace is also a superb source of soluble fiber.

Look it over see what you think...Oh here's the site itself
http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/ Let us know what's your next move with the food switch...See Ya Later

LOL Aaron you're so funny I think I read your response about 5 times!! I think the site must be having some problems or something - thanks for the recommendations. I don't know if Kosmo likes fish - I don't like the smell of fish I know that for sure. The Evo food makes me gag if I stick my nose in and sniff it so I try to stay away.. :yikes I have only given him chicken, turkey and beef so far. He did get some treat salmon sticks that he really liked but I don't like to give them to him because they smell like fish and then he smells like fish for a good hour after eating. :yuk:

I'll see if they have a sample bag though - as long as it's not "raw" fish sticks or something and not smelling worse than Evo I think I can stomach it. I am up for anything although I thnk we may end up sticking with Evo and mixing meat in it if nothing else works :flwr:

Alrit...You know your dogs best, and I wouldn't want you to have them on a food that made them smell so bad you could be near them :lol: You know there is always cooking for your kids :lol:

But mayb it's best to keep them on a dog food that both you and them enjoy. Well hope Faith's gas is under control...And tell Kosmo to maby drink a lil more water, mayb his body absorbs to much and that's why his stool is so firm...mayb or could be something else...Who knows, he can't tell ya...And if he could WOW you one special pup :lol:

Take care

Kingofthehouse86 said:

Sara As you've seen I switched King over to Solid Gold's Holistique formula.

Click to expand...

I love Solid Gold's ingredient list! I hate fish, but odd I dont notice the smell. Maybe Kodee does since she is being so picky about it!

Hey your new avatar is so cute!

Interesting - we had the opposite problem with Willow - we're in the process of switching her off Evo because her stools were too loose when she was eating it - at the worst of it, we had to take her to the vet for medication before we figured out it was the food. Our pet store gave us some samples of the Fromm salmon, and she seems to be eating it, but not as enthusiastically as the Evo - I hope we don't have the same problems you did and have to find a way to make the Evo work - Willow is another fussy eater.

We're going to buy a bag of the Fromms today, and hope it works - her stool has been much better even since we started mixing it with the Evo to start the transition...

Ruby LOVES the Merrick's wet food, especially the Grammy's Pot Pie and the Mediterrean one. Good luck with the changes!!