Saturday, August 11, 2012

Trying out couple new brands in rotation

So few weeks ago I bought a food called First Mate on amazon because it was on sale for $30 for 33 lbs with free shipping. I mainly bought it because it's made in Canada in their own factory, and they have not been involved in any recalls. I originally planned on giving it to Indy, but he still has another 2 months of Nature's logic left and Uno is running low on Horizon Legacy.
It's a pretty basic formula, nothing flashy really, it's not even grain free but I figured I'd give it a shot regardless. Another reason I wanted to try it was because with summer heat, the dogs haven't been able to exercise as much, so Uno especially put on 2-3 lbs over the summer, so I thin lower calorie food would be beneficial to him.

Anyways, here's the ingredient list for First Mate:

Chicken meal, pearled barley, oat meal, brown rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), herring meal, fish oil, potato flour, tomato pomace, dicalcium phosphate, cranberries, blueberries, raspberries, calcium propionate, calcium propionate, sage extract, rosemary extract, garlic oil, minerals (zinc, iron, manganese, copper, iodine, cobalt, selenium), vitamins (vitamin E, vitamin C, riboflavin, niacin, d-pantothenic acid, thiamine, vitamin A, pyridoxine, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12, vitamin D3), glucosamine

It's 26% protein, 15% fat and 540 cal per cup (which is surprisingly high for this type of food)

http://www.firstmate.com/dog_food.aspx?guid=61D-0ADDA4075CE7


So we will start this food in about a week, gradually mixing with horizon and go from there.

Second food I'm trying out is Back to Basics, it's a relatively new brand of grain free food that is gluten/potato and grain free, making it a good choice for those seeking a low glycemic food. My main reservation about the food is the cost, it's pretty expensive ranging from $57 - $75 depending on protein source. Since I had a $10 off coupon to a new Pet Supplies Plus store, I used that to get a large bag of turkey formula which ended up being $55.
Overall I'm impressed with the ingredient list and the inclusion of organs. It could do without the chicken flavor and I prefer to see ground flaxseed instead of whole, but otherwise it looks good on paper. I'll be a while before we get to this food, so I'll keep you updated.

http://www.backtobasicspetfood.com/instinctively-better



  • Turkey Giblets (Turkey Livers and Turkey Hearts)
  • Turkey Meal
  • Turkey
  • Chicken Meal
  • Tapioca
  • Pea Protein
  • Poultry Fat (Turkey & Chicken, Naturally Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols)
  • Dried Whole Egg
  • Whole Flaxseed
  • Menhaden Fish Oil
  • Natural Chicken Flavor
  • Peas
  • Sunflower Oil
  • Salt
  • L-Carnitine
  • Potassium Chloride
  • Zinc Proteinate
  • Iron Proteinate
  • Vitamin E Supplement
  • L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Source of Vitamin C)
  • Choline Chloride
  • Biotin
  • Copper Proteinate
  • Manganese Proteinate
  • Niacin
  • Calcium Pantothenate
  • Sodium Selenite
  • Vitamin A Supplement
  • Riboflavin Supplement
  • Vitamin D3 Supplement
  • Thiamine Mononitrate
  • Vitamin B12 Supplement
  • Calcium Iodate
  • Pyridoxine Hydrochloride
  • Folic Acid.