Taste of the Wild dog food issues

PrairieBelle

PrairieBelle

New member
Just a heads up but it appears that there could be an issue with some bags of Taste of the Wild dog food with an expiration date of Aug 2015. I know there are others who feed this brand on UPH. Up until now I've been thrilled with it.

Beginning 2 weeks ago my GSP started skipping meals and was very uninterested in his food. He was acting lethargic and has generally not been himself. 2 other dogs that he has regular contact with also were off of their food and began to exhibit skin allergies. I assumed they got a bug which traveled through the pack but it turns out all three are on Taste of the Wild dog food. Other than a minor physical change in the food (texture) I never would have noticed a problem except I was at a wedding last weekend and fed my GSP from the stash of food in the truck (an older bag) and he inhaled it like he hadn't had a meal all week.

The manufacturer said the formula has not changed but the way that they flavor the dog food has. Apparently the flavoring is now added after the fact instead of being part of the nuggets. This explains the dusty/greasy texture of the food in the new bags. I'm sure this is the problem with the 3 dogs appetites as they have been readily eating other brands. I feel guilty that I was essentially starving my dog by expecting him to eat this food. Both other dogs have seen the vet for the symptoms with no explanation. I'm not sure if the allergic reaction is related to the food but it could be. My dog has also been scratchier than normal (very minor).... my gut says that the lethargy, lack of appetite and skin issues are probably related. There are several posts on their Facebook site complaining about vomiting, diarrhea, and dogs who wont eat the new bags.

Taste of the Wild is offering a refund for the bags the dogs won't eat. I plan to call them tomorrow to get my refund but I think it is time to move on to another brand...

Anyone else having any issues?
 
I have not seen any difference in TOTW food or my dogs intake or energy level but thanks for the heads up, I will keep an eye on them. What formula are you feeding?
 
quail hound said:
I have not seen any difference in TOTW food or my dogs intake or energy level but thanks for the heads up, I will keep an eye on them. What formula are you feeding?
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The bags that we have had trouble with are the bison and salmon flavors but my understanding is that any bag with an expiration of Aug 2015 was manufactured differently than the older bags. You can tell right away when you open the bag because there is a sandy residue and it tends to dirty my dog's dish.
 
When did this change happen? I feed about 90 lbs of TOTW a month and haven't noticed any change in the the food or dogs. The last 2 bags I used have "best by Sept 2015". I train with a few people that also feed TOTW, I haven't heard anything from them either.
I switch "flavor" pretty regularly but pacific stream is the most common.

PrarieBelle thanks for the heads up. But if I were you I would keep digging into what's up with your dog.

Steve
 
I'll call them today and let you know what else I find out. It sounded like the Sept 2015 bags may not have an issue (??) but I haven't seen one to know if it is the same 'type' as the Aug 2015 bags or if they have gone back to the older production. I purchased the food in September.

I'm certain that the palatability is related to the Aug 2015 bags because both my dog and a friends dog have readily gone back to the older TOTW food that we keep in our trucks and horse trailer - but they don't eat the newer bags.

The lethargy could be a result of not eating - so is pretty easy to explain. The allergies, I'm not sure. One dog has pretty severe skin rash, one is very scratchy and mine is scratchier than normal (enough for me to check his frontline schedule, but not bad) and his eyes have been red and tender. This could still be a bug that they all picked up, but it is worth noting that the symptoms coincided with switching to the newer bags of TOTW.

I hope the allergies are not a food issue, but I think people should keep their eyes open because if it is, I likely would have missed this if there had not been 3 of us having issues at once. Especially if the dogs hadn't readily eaten the older TOTW food.

TOTW says that the ingredients have not changed, just the form of manufacturing - so that is worth noting. Maybe we just have picky dogs. :)
 
PrairieBelle said:
I'll call them today and let you know what else I find out. It sounded like the Sept 2015 bags may not have an issue (??) but I haven't seen one to know if it is the same 'type' as the Aug 2015 bags or if they have gone back to the older production. I purchased the food in September.

I'm certain that the palatability is related to the Aug 2015 bags because both my dog and a friends dog have readily gone back to the older TOTW food that we keep in our trucks and horse trailer - but they don't eat the newer bags.

The lethargy could be a result of not eating - so is pretty easy to explain. The allergies, I'm not sure. One dog has pretty severe skin rash, one is very scratchy and mine is scratchier than normal (enough for me to check his frontline schedule, but not bad) and his eyes have been red and tender. This could still be a bug that they all picked up, but it is worth noting that the symptoms coincided with switching to the newer bags of TOTW.

I hope the allergies are not a food issue, but I think people should keep their eyes open because if it is, I likely would have missed this if there had not been 3 of us having issues at once. Especially if the dogs hadn't readily eaten the older TOTW food.

TOTW says that the ingredients have not changed, just the form of manufacturing - so that is worth noting. Maybe we just have picky dogs. :)
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I called a buddy who feeds TOTW to his 2 dogs. About 2 months ago one of the had a skin rash. It cleared up pretty quick with no real treatment...... Maybe???
 
Totw

I fed TOTW for years with no problems. I needed a food with more protein and fat so I switched to Kinetics. It's cheaper than TOTW and my dogs are doing really good on it. It's not grain free, has barley in it. I feed the 32K formula during hunting season. It's made in the US, but not by Diamond. Kinetics is a sponsor of the NAHRA and the UGA. Good food for the money. I pay $41.00 for the 35lb bag of 32K. If you decide to switch it's worth looking at.

http://kineticdogfood.com/
 
Just wanted to give you guys an update. I spoke with the TOTW customer service today and the lady said that the August bags were in fact a little different "flavoring grind" but they have had some complaints about dogs refusing to eat and they have since changed back to the old type. She said any bags marked Sept or later should be normal. I'm currently feeding Blue Buffalo but it is about $10 a bag more than TOTW. The allergy problems have cleared up... I'm still not certain if that was related or not.

Wilson, thanks for the recommendation. I've seen Kinetic around but hasn't heard any first hand reviews except from guys who are selling it.
 
PrairieBelle said:
Wilson, thanks for the recommendation. I've seen Kinetic around but hasn't heard any first hand reviews except from guys who are selling it.
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Been feeding Kinetic, both Puppy and their 30/20 formula for the past 5 months now. Both my Adult and Puppy GSP have been doing excellent with it.

Anything particular that you would like to know? the breeder who I get my dogs from who's in Iowa, had a part in developing and trialing the food initially and now is involved with promoting it as well.

Ask away..
 
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Totw

I fed TOTW for the first two years of my pups life and I just couldn't put any reserve weight on her and she was just as skinny as a rail going into the last two hunting seasons. I switched to Nutrisource at the beginning of the summer and at the vets last week she weighed in at 53 Lbs, which is exactly a 5 lb weight gain. I knew she gained some, and she looks better. She just plain eats more, for some reason. She'll run it off in the next two months, but maybe a little reserve is good.
 
birdshooter said:
Been feeding Kinetic, both Puppy and their 30/20 formula for the past 5 months now. Both my Adult and Puppy GSP have been doing excellent with it.

Anything particular that you would like to know? the breeder who I get my dogs from who's in Iowa, had a part in developing and trialing the food initially and now is involved with promoting it as well.

Ask away..
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Are your dogs from Top Gun?
 
Longtime lurker, but I just saw this thread. Good thing I did! I couldn't figure out why my dog was eating half a bowl and then just laying down. She didn't tolerate it at all and of course the bag was labeled Aug. We have been feeding TOTW for a year with no problems, but this has me wondering if a switch is in order.
 
Totw

I have been feeding TOTW for about a year, using the High Prairie Bison and Roasted Venison. Just about through my second bag with the best by 25 Aug 2015 date. No problems what so ever, have another bag in reserve with that same date.

Hope you get your problem worked out.
 
birdshooter said:
Been feeding Kinetic, both Puppy and their 30/20 formula for the past 5 months now. Both my Adult and Puppy GSP have been doing excellent with it.

Anything particular that you would like to know? the breeder who I get my dogs from who's in Iowa, had a part in developing and trialing the food initially and now is involved with promoting it as well.

Ask away..
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Would this be the same guy who was doing the Native???:D
 
Just to follow up -

I did get a check from TOTW to refund me for the bad bag. I have switched to Blue Buffalo for the time being and I don't think I will return to TOTW since there was no admission of any problem even with a ton of complaints about sick dogs from the same bags on facebook. I tried to feed the food from my bad bag again, mixing it in with the new food because I still wasn't sure if the food was making him sick or what was going on. My GSP began puking his supper up, that sealed the deal for me, so I threw the rest of the bag away.

My friend who was having the problem has switched back to TOTW without any issues with the new bags.
 
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