# Wellness vs. Taste of the wild



## appleblossom (Mar 10, 2005)

Ive had all my chis on wellness for quite some time now & am very happy with it. Its almost time to switch Friday to adult food so Ive been giving him a few kibbles of wellness super5 mix & he seems to have a hard time eating the bigger kibbles. THey really like a variety of flavors so I hate to buy the wellness small breed & just have 1 option I also want everyone on the same food...Ive been thinking about tring Taste of the wild & did a bit of research it seems to be a great food just wondering what you guys thought about it or if anyone uses or used it before.... also is it a better food compared to wellness?


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Wellness Super 5 has grains in it. Taste of the Wild is grain free. It's up to you if you want to go grain free or not. Many dogs have allergies to grains. Some do fine on them. Wellness also has Wellness Core which is grain free.

Here's the ingredients in both ....

Wellness Super 5: 22% protein, 12% fat (Gets 4/5 stars on dogfoodadvisor.com)

Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Oatmeal, Ground Barley, Ground Brown Rice, Tomato Pomace, Rye Flour, Canola Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols, a natural source of Vitamin E), Tomatoes, Rice Bran, Deboned Whitefish, Natural Chicken Flavor, Carrots, Spinach, Sweet Potatoes, Apples, Blueberries, Ground Flaxseed, Ground Millet, Dicalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Minerals [Zinc Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite], Vitamins [Beta-Carotene, Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Vitamin A Supplement, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B-12 Supplement], Choline Chloride, Taurine, Mixed Tocopherols (a natural preservative), Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate, Chicory Root Extract, Garlic, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Green Tea Extract, Dried Lactobacillus plantarum, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation products.

Taste of the Wild High Prairie Formula: 32% protein, 18% fat (gets 5/5 on dogfoodadvisor.com)

Bison, venison, lamb meal, chicken meal, egg product, sweet potatoes, peas, potatoes, canola oil, roasted bison, roasted venison, natural flavor, tomato pomace, ocean fish meal, salt, choline chloride, dried chicory root, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, yucca schidigera extract, dried fermentation products of Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus plantarum, dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin D supplement, folic acid.


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## appleblossom (Mar 10, 2005)

ive tried the wellness core before but it also has the bigger pieces ..Tader & Piper both liked the core & do well on grains or grain free it seems....Tader will be 10 this year & friday will be 1 so Im thinking a all life stages food would be the way to go.


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## appleblossom (Mar 10, 2005)

I also checked out dog food analysis & they rate taste of the wild as a 6 star & wellness super5mix as a 5 star.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

One thing I don't care for about Taste of the Wild is that it's parent company is Diamond. They are the ones who had a LOT of recalls when dog foods were being recalled. Hopefully they have cleaned up their act since then, but they are a huge company with multiple brands. So take that for what it's worth.


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## flippedstars (Dec 16, 2009)

Sometimes it seems to me that chis do better on 5 star formulas, the reason being that what makes the 6 star foods 6 star foods is LOTS of protein. Too much protein for a little dog can do a variety of things, because they are not "working" dogs. It can cause them to be high strung/hyper, for one thing, because it just gives them too much energy, and sometimes the food is too rich, so it can cause loose stools or even vomiting.

I know many chis do just fine on 6 star foods, but many that also do fine on 5 star ones. It's your call, and obviously you will just need to monitor your dogs intake and response =) 

Good luck!


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## appleblossom (Mar 10, 2005)

Brodysmom said:


> One thing I don't care for about Taste of the Wild is that it's parent company is Diamond. They are the ones who had a LOT of recalls when dog foods were being recalled. Hopefully they have cleaned up their act since then, but they are a huge company with multiple brands. So take that for what it's worth.


thanks for that info I wasnt aware of that...perhaps friday can just learn to eat big kibble lol


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## huskyluv (Oct 24, 2008)

Brodysmom said:


> One thing I don't care for about Taste of the Wild is that it's parent company is Diamond. They are the ones who had a LOT of recalls when dog foods were being recalled. Hopefully they have cleaned up their act since then, but they are a huge company with multiple brands. So take that for what it's worth.





appleblossom said:


> thanks for that info I wasnt aware of that...perhaps friday can just learn to eat big kibble lol


So you both are aware, because this was shocking news to me too, Wellness' parent company Old Mother Hubbard has also started using Diamond to manufacture their dog kibbles recently. I just found this out from a pet food store owner about 2 weeks ago so I contacted the company about it and they confirmed that they not now use Diamond to manufacture their dog food but they also use Menu foods as well. Both companies have a very bad history of recalls. Since Wellness confirmed this to me directly I am no longer going to feed Wellness after I finish the bags that I already have open and am already feeding. Very disappointing.


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## jan896 (Dec 9, 2009)

for bigger kibble... I put some in a baggie and use a hammer to it or a rolling pin...LOL... I don't pulverize it but crack the kibble in smaller pieces .... I doesn't take long and I can then buy whatever 'flavor' I want........


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

huskyluv said:


> So you both are aware, because this was shocking news to me too, Wellness' parent company Old Mother Hubbard has also started using Diamond to manufacture their dog kibbles recently. I just found this out from a pet food store owner about 2 weeks ago so I contacted the company about it and they confirmed that they not now use Diamond to manufacture their dog food but they also use Menu foods as well. Both companies have a very bad history of recalls. Since Wellness confirmed this to me directly I am no longer going to feed Wellness after I finish the bags that I already have open and am already feeding. Very disappointing.


Wow, I didn't realize that Wellness was taken over by Diamond. That is very disappointing! Seems like these big companies just swallow up the smaller ones. Thanks for the info.


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## lilbabyvenus (Feb 8, 2009)

huskyluv said:


> So you both are aware, because this was shocking news to me too, Wellness' parent company Old Mother Hubbard has also started using Diamond to manufacture their dog kibbles recently. I just found this out from a pet food store owner about 2 weeks ago so I contacted the company about it and they confirmed that they not now use Diamond to manufacture their dog food but they also use Menu foods as well. Both companies have a very bad history of recalls. Since Wellness confirmed this to me directly I am no longer going to feed Wellness after I finish the bags that I already have open and am already feeding. Very disappointing.


That's very disappointing. I don't know if I dare stick with it now. I'm so sick of this run-around with dog food lol


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## Quinn (Dec 11, 2008)

As far as I know these foods (TOTW and I'm assuming Wellness) are still manufactured in different factories from the "crappy" Diamond that everyone knows. Not to say that they wont have recalls, but I don't think TOTW has had recalls, or at least bad ones (they had one issue I know of with the amount of protein but it was very small and wouldn't really be detrimental).

While I'm not for the company if they are at least manufacturing better foods thats something! As long as they don't change them up.

I know of a ton of Dane people who feed TOTW and love it. Halpert was on it for a bit (till I found Raw supplier to be able to afford it for him) and he never quite had firm poops on it. If you can find a place where Orijen isn't ridiculous I'd do that. (pet supply near me sold it for $56 for the 30lb bag. Which is a much better price than most!) TOTW definitely seems the most cost effective grain free. I always prefer grain free to grain inclusive foods, as I don't feel dogs need that grain.


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## pigeonsheep (Nov 8, 2008)

totw gave me expired samples last time -.- i gave up from there LOL. dexter hated wellness, he only tolerates blue wilderness


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## appleblossom (Mar 10, 2005)

well taste of the wild is out I tried a few of the kibbles & no one would touch them.......

I had no idea that Diamond had taken over wellness..now Im not sure if I want to use Wellness anymore uggg what to do!!


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## huskyluv (Oct 24, 2008)

Diamond hasn't "taken over" Wellness. According to the people in Consumer Affairs that I talked to at Wellness/Old Mother Hubbard, they told me that the Wellness dog foods (Core, Super5Mix, and Simple Solutions) are now being outsourced and manufactured by Diamond, Menu Foods, and ANI.


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## Deme (Aug 18, 2009)

Jake struggles a bit with big kibble so I soak it slightly with hot water, allow it to cool enough for him to eat and guess what.. he wolfs it all down. When he was on puppy kibble he was fussy and would often leave it.

When you add the water it gives a bit gravy from the kibble as well which makes it enjoyable.

when oyu add only a little water it softens the outer a little but not all of it so you still have something for your dog to crunch on.

Oh and I feed James Wellbeloved...


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## Tink (Oct 14, 2009)

A note on the bigger kibble.....as long as your dog can get his mouth around it, bigger pieces are actually better for his dental health. Anything a dog has to chew more to eat, is going to provide some cleansing/scraping action on his teeth, which is what you want to help keep plaque and tartar at bay.

I've begun feeding mine a combination of Red Meat Evo Innova, and Orijen. I like the different protein sources (beef from the Evo, and fish and fowl from Orijen) but an added benefit is that the Orijen kibble is larger than the Evo kibble, which means a bit more chewing work, so it has additional dental health benefits beyond just the nutritional.


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