TOTW is out!

I think I don't want to be dependent on one food either -- I am going to work with both Acana Ranchlands and Earthborn Holistics Great Plains so I have both ways to go and more access (Earthborn is on Amazon prime in a pinch).

Working with an autoship pet food company to nail down a delivery schedule.

I coulda lived without dealing with this (especially this pity party weekend) but I will angrily blame Diamond and happily switch my little ones to better.

You know, flea prep, HW prep, probiotics, and food. That's all they need on a daily basis. Don't want to skimp on really so little requirements. That's why we didn't have kids . . . so we could afford the best for the pets.

 

Right -- TWO separate issues.

The recall some time ago I switched to BB from TOTW and that was a salmonella recall. Shay did so poorly on BB lamb that I went back to TOTW after quite some time.

This is several ingredients being purchased from China. That quote I posted is pretty buried. It is in the "people post to page" section on the TOTW FB page. Scroll back to May 21. Several people (including self) have asked again about that issue. If you scrollback to May 21, someone asked point blank about the ingredient issue and that quote is what TOTW responded as a comment to the post.

I mentioned this on te GSD board and they absolutely knew about it as "common knowledge" and were none to polite about the fact -- typical for the GSD board!

I know Barb -- you and I are in the same ship on TOTW puppy. My dogs have done brilliantly and even lost weight and I am rather distraught they let me down but I can't do Chinese igredients. One ingredient is taurine (not in the dog food). The other is folic acid which is the last ingredient in the dog food. My doomsday prepper/conspiracy theorist/organic food obsessed neighbor told me folic acid from China is really really bad and has harmed humans too. He actually became quite concerned for the dogs when I told him this issue.

I am just hoping Acana and Eartborn Holistics will sit well with my shepherd. I have both coming and will introduce one and the other in time. The pup won't be eating TOTW at all since he isn't coming for a couple weeks. I even habve a brand new bag of TOTW which I will hang onto for a couple weeks til I know the new food is tolerated and then I will donate it to a shelter. I am sure it is fine, but Diamond blew it. China. They should know better. I am so sick of lack of ethics and doing right by man and beast alike.

 

Ugh. Just checked MY post over the weekend on TOTW page:

June 14 at 11:11pm (My post)
I have fed TOTW High Prairie for many years. I recently have switched to TOTW High Prairie puppy for a little lower protein and calories and my dogs are doing brilliantly, even losing just a touch of weight. This is also the only food I have found which my shepherd tolerates without the grumbly tummy problems. However, I recently have been told some ingredients are from China and other countries and that the company has confirmed that directly. Would you please explain which ingredients are obtained from countries other than the US. Thanks so much.

• Taste of the Wild Pet Food Cara, for information on where each ingredient comes from, please contact our customer service team at [email protected].
  
  
  
  
  

Well then, it sure wasn't a "we use American ingredients" answer. I don't WANT to throw TOTW under the bus. We have done SO well on it. I have fed this since 2010 with only a few months away during their salmonella recall. I have a brand new bag of it! Man.

Don't feel bad bkzoo for the news scoop! If it is something healthier I am moving towards, I am still thanking you . . . BTW I DO get to meet the little Cubbers on Friday! Can't wait til your visit to hear which boy captures your heart too!

 

I am actually sold on Acana being lower in protein & fat & calories. However, I am going to add Earthborn because Acana is unbelieveably expensive here and I am trying to cut a bit of a cost break for us with 3 dogs and about 4 cups being fed out per day between them. But Earthborn has higher protein & fat & calories so I don't want to go all that either just to save money. Merrick is just TOO high for sure in protein. Someone's comment about being ONLY on one food hit home a bit. If you can't get it, if there is a backorder from the supplier, etc., they will be accustomed to a second food and one can cover the need until the other can be obtained. I am going to make sure they can handle both these foods over time. Not too much transition too fast.

 

Found this embedded on the Earthborn FB page. Left themselves loopholes but it sounds like they have some quality controls in place. Diamond admitted during the salmonella incident that they have little quality control.

Quoted material below:
Thank you for your interest in Earthborn Holistic® Natural Food for Pets. Earthborn Holistic® dry pet food is manufactured in our company owned manufacturing facility in Monmouth, Illinois, USA. Midwestern Pet Foods was founded in 1926. A family owned business, now in it’s 4thgeneration, Midwestern Pet Foods owns and operates three state-of-the-art petfood production facilities in the Midwest. We are proud of the fact that we manufacture all of our own dry pet food and do not specialty co-pack for any companies. Our Earthborn Holistic canned cat food and dog foods are produced in a human-grade facility by USPet Nutrition a division of Chicken of the Sea.


We source all ingredients from US suppliers if ingredients are available, grown or produced in the US. All ingredients in Earthborn Holistic dry pet food are grown or produced in the US except for lamb meal which comes from Australia or New Zealand and flaxseed which comes from Canada. Our products and ingredients are ethoxyquin-free. Our vitamin premixes are formulated, sourced and blended in the United States by a US company in a human grade facility. Certain subparts of the vitamin premixes are only available overseas. Our US supplier assures us that they make every effort to source from reputable non-Chinese vendors. All these ingredients are thoroughly tested and undergo many quality checks to insure safety and that specifications are met. But even with these checks in place, it is difficult if not impossible to say that some subpart of some vitamin ingredient may originate in China. We feel that it is unethical to claim, like some manufacturers do, that even though our vitamins and minerals are formulated, sourced and blended by a US company in the United States that there could not be a trace or subpart of a vitamin that comes from China. We at Earthborn Pet Foods strive to provide correct, truthful information.


You can be sure your pet is safe with Earthborn Holistic. Our ingredients are tested when they are delivered. We test for toxins (vomitoxin, aflatoxin, fumitoxin). We check peroxide value and for free fatty acids in the fat. We also test for salmonella. We check for water activity to prevent mold. Samples are sent to an independent lab if there are any questions on a test result. Our suppliers also run a multitude of tests depending on the ingredient including testing for melamine. So, ingredients are tested by the manufacturer; ingredients are tested by us upon delivery; our pet food is tested before being packaged and shipped.


Our facilities are inspected multiple times per year by USDA APHIS. The facility where Earthborn Holistic® is manufactured is approved for sales to the European Union, Russia, Israel, Australia, and many more all of which have strict regulations. We are HACCP approved and FDA inspected.


WE HAVE NEVER HAD A RECALL.


Sincerely,
Midwestern Pet Foods, Inc.

 

Weeelllll. Explained to husband the below response and he x-nayed the Earthborn. He voted for the 100% china-free Acana (which they say on their website). He also volunteered to pay for it so we are going to see how well Shay does with a beef/bison/lamb combo. Not sure we have tried beef yet. We do tolerate venison well though too.

Can't believe dog food is THIS big a deal this week. Sigh.