TWO feeders- the poop looks good!!!

Hooray for firm poops!

ORIGINAL: jjsmom06

I decided to make the switch to Timberwolf Dakota Bison yesterday. I was going to wait 2 more weeks on the Pinnacle chicken to see if we got a change in poop consistency, but after 2 weeks on this formula & 12 weeks on the duck formula the poops were worse than ever.

 
Let me know how that goes.  I was trying to stay out of the $2/pound range, especially for a food that is not grain free, but I am considering TWO Bison or Elk.  I was already in the $1.50/pound range (with a coupon) and since I'm only feeding one mid size dog I guess it won't break me.  []  I picked up a sample pack of TWO Bison Saturday but have not tried it out yet.  Since I've only got one serving or so I won't be totally certain of the input-output correlation but I think I usually get it right.
 
My German Shepherd's output on Pinnacle was far worse on their chicken than their other two varieties.  I think I stopped it after her 2nd or 3rd meal.  I have seen a ridiculous improvement in her coat with Pinnacle and it seems to be getting even silkier and longer by the week.  I would still like consistently firmer output than the Duck & Potato gives and have a bias towards higher protein as the solution.  It is formed and I can pick it up but seems a bit.  Flip side is it isn't very smelly.  Too much detail maybe...
 
When I mixed 1 part Evo (sample, original dry) with 4 parts Pinnacle Duck & Potato the difference in poop color and firmness was quite noticable.  It even has me wondering if the Evo was overrepresented in the poop.  Hmmm.... [8|]
 
I am curious about the results you get with your dog(s).  I'm aware the TWO Bison & Elk are much lower in protein than Evo but they are a step up from Pinnacle.  I'm not sure about millet (TWO) versus quinoa (Pinnacle) as far as potentially itch causing grains.

Does your dog have an allergy to chicken?
If not, try TWO's Wild and Natural if you're looking for higher protein. It has 36% and the ash is only 5%. I have Ella on it, she loves AND her poops are wonderful and she poops LESS on it. Instead of pooping 3 times a day, she'll poop MAYBE 2, sometimes even only once. And each bowel movement is smaller, too.

I have seen a ridiculous improvement in her coat with Pinnacle and it seems to be getting even silkier and longer by the week.

 
Dakota-
I know. .  .the coat quality made a drastic improvement on Pinnacle and that is after a huge improvment on Canidae and EVO!  JJ's energy level is great, his coat looks wonderful and super shiny and very soft, his allergies (feet) look much improved since putting him on Pinnacle but the poops are just not great and my new greyhound has worse soft poop issues than JJ. Interesting what you said about the Chicken formula, their poop is worse on the chicken than the duck too.
 
For me TWO was one of the only choices to try next becasue JJ is an older pup and I didn't want him on the higher protein levels such as EVO, especially since I supplement with fresh meats for variety. YET, there are few rice free options out their without going grain free.
  I pay about $42+ for a 30 pound bag of Pinnacle (but then have had to supplement with Pumpkin and Prozyme so that bumps up the cost). It is really expensive to get the TWO from the only store in town that carries it (about $65 per 33 ound bag) but if I order on the TWO website with free shipping then 33 pounds is about $54+ so for me the $$ for the switch was really a small margin of difference.
The ELk and Bison are identical in their protein levels, fat and fiber and their ingredients are pretty much the same too. Might be worth a switch. I will try and remember to update you in a week to tell you if it is still going well, but if I forget, then feel free to m me and I can give you an update if you are still possibly interested in switching.
 
Glad it isn't just my dogs that were having great coat and all, but bad poops on Pinnacle. .  .I was really hesitant to change and felt if I gave it enough time it might resolve itself, but looks like I made the right choice.   []   
 
 
   

jjsmom06~
 
I am SOOO happy for you! CONGRATULATIONS! I know nice, firm, solid, consistent poops are what I live for in life! [] It is great that your dogs love the food too, that is always really important to me. I am wishing you luck that all goes well and stays well from this point forward. [sm=wink2.gif]
 
I am praying that I get my Wilderness Elk delivered today...I ordered it September 2. I was telling you that they had 2 stores in Truckee that sold TWO...well I found one in Reno, NV. Boy was it EXPENSIVE....ouch!! [] They were selling the small 4lbs bags for $15.00....and not only that but they had a sign by them that said "New, LOWER, TWO prices!!" So, does that mean that those tiny 4lbs bags were normally like $20 or something? I paid $10.50 off their website. I think I will probably just use their website. They did not have a price by their bigger bags...I don't even want to know how much those were....probably like $50.00 for the 16lbs bag!! []

My 4lb. bag of TWO Wild and Natural cost me $8.95 and that is the most expensive formula, I think, not sure.
The store I go to is cheaper than ordering it online. I think I'll get a bag the next size bigger of this same formula, and then I might switch formulas. I think I'll email them and find out when they're coming out with canned exactly. I want the canned so I can give Ella some variety.

Rebecca-
 
Yeah, the canned looked really good. My boy loves canned and it is soooo good for him. I would love to find another one like EVO that has different flavors. I can't remember but I think they were going to have some unique flavors like Qual? Anyway, that's awesome that you get it so cheap! [] I wish it was more prevalent here in California...

They were selling the small 4lbs bags for $15.00....and not only that but they had a sign by them that said "New, LOWER, TWO prices!!" So, does that mean that those tiny 4lbs bags were normally like $20 or something? I paid $10.50 off their website. I think I will probably just use their website. They did not have a price by their bigger bags...I don't even want to know how much those were....probably like $50.00 for the 16lbs bag!!

 
Twin- OUCH!!!
that is very pricey. I think the store that I found it in has the 4 pound bags for $16 or $18 and I can't believe that it is more expensive in SD than in Truckee!! [sm=eek.gif] 
I paid $32 yesterday for 16 pounds and the 33 pound bag is about $65!
 
I can't believe you haven't gotten yours yet,  today makes 6 business days! Good to know that I need to order probably 2 weeks before I need it when I start ordering off the website. I think I will have to order 2 bags at a time just to be safe.
 
Hope you get it today. It was a coin toss for the Bison or Elk and I would like to try the Elk eventually and rotate between the 2 formula's so let me know how the poop is on the elk! []
 
 

I would love to find another one like EVO that has different flavors. I can't remember but I think they were going to have some unique flavors like Qual?

 
I know that Mudpuppy and Willowchow both use Evangers canned 100% meat and I just started using it and the pups LOVE it. They have some different game meats such as Buffalo, Pheasant and rabbit so this might be something for you to try in the meantime until TWO has their canned. ??? 

ORIGINAL: chewbecca

Does your dog have an allergy to chicken?  If not, try TWO's Wild and Natural if you're looking for higher protein. It has 36% and the ash is only 5%. I have Ella on it

I do not think my dog has any problems with any particular meat.  I believe it is only barley (and rice to a lesser extent) that does not work too well for her.  I picked up a bag of Barking A.T.M. Saturday along with my base kibble Pinnacle Duck & Potato.  Based on the label, it appears to use more expensive ingredients than the other ultra high protein foods and therefore justify it's $2/pound price more. 
 
The jury is still out on the results (output).  I hope I haven't made a mistake since I never tried a sample!  I have been mixing foods too much the last couple of days to determine anything.  I will try to stick to it more exclusively for a couple of days to determine output.  It was not my intention to keep my 1 yr old dog on the > 40% protein food for any length of time but rather use it as a protein booster.
 
What breed and age is Ella and how long have you fed the Wild & Natural?

Oh yes! You will definitely be hearing about my boy's poop on the Elk!! [sm=lol.gif]
 
I chose the Elk first because my boy tends to go for Venison over Beef...so I thought I would give Elk a whirl. I will hopefully be rotating through their varieites...at least the Elk, Bison, and Ocean Blue. I hope the Millet doesn't cause an allergy...
 
I am just about out of food...and I still need to mix for a few days to ease the transition, but now I don't know if I will be able to. The cat is out of kibble, so he has been eating EVO canned...not that he seems to mind. But it seriously needs to arrive SOON!! [8|]
 
Yes, I would recommend ordering way in advance...that is what I am going to do from now on...

ORIGINAL: jjsmom06

Interesting what you said about the Chicken formula, their poop is worse on the chicken than the duck too.

Unlike the TWO Bison & TWO Elk, the Pinnacle formulations vary more.  I just noticed that the Chicken has the highest fiber content (5%) as well as fat and protein content but I don't think fat is the problem.  The Duck & Potato has only 3.5% fiber.  That's actually a pretty big difference.  The Trout & Sweet Potato has the lowest fat content but higher fiber than the Duck. 
 
My dogs output firmness among the Pinnacle varieties is correlated to the fiber content with lower being better.

ORIGINAL: DakotasDoode

ORIGINAL: chewbecca

Does your dog have an allergy to chicken?  If not, try TWO's Wild and Natural if you're looking for higher protein. It has 36% and the ash is only 5%. I have Ella on it

I do not think my dog has any problems with any particular meat.  I believe it is only barley (and rice to a lesser extent) that does not work too well for her.  I picked up a bag of Barking A.T.M. Saturday along with my base kibble Pinnacle Duck & Potato.  Based on the label, it appears to use more expensive ingredients than the other ultra high protein foods and therefore justify it's $2/pound price more. 

The jury is still out on the results (output).  I hope I haven't made a mistake since I never tried a sample!  I have been mixing foods too much the last couple of days to determine anything.  I will try to stick to it more exclusively for a couple of days to determine output.  It was not my intention to keep my 1 yr old dog on the > 40% protein food for any length of time but rather use it as a protein booster.

What breed and age is Ella and how long have you fed the Wild & Natural?

Ella is a pit bull mix, she's 3, and I've been feeding Wild and Natural only since Friday. She's been handling it well and LOVES it. I mean, I have a pretty picky girl and she LOVES it. I was a bit unsure how she'd like it because she didn't like the Ocean Blue and she usually likes fishy foods. That made me think it might be the other stuff that T.O adds to their food. But she LOVES the wild and natural a LOT.
Also, I have NEVER had a problem (so far) cold switching to T.O.
I did it with Ocean Blue and with Wild and Natural and haven't had any issues so far.

That is great news; I hope the new food keeps working for you. []