Dog Community

Wellness CORE for dogs

Posted : 7/7/2007 12:11:00 PM

I know this has already been mentioned on a few other threads, but I thought I would post one here in case some of you weren't aware that Wellness made a grain free food for dogs. The reason I am posting this is because it is SIGNIFICANTLY better than it's grain free competitors!
A few things I find most pleasing are 1) They mention its not appropriate for large breed puppies 2) They list MAXIMUM levels of Ca/P which foods like EVO only list minimum 3) It has a more controlled level of protein and fat in both versions and 4) It has more fiber which = less gas and better digestion than the other grain free foods.

Wellness CORE original:

Deboned Turkey, Deboned Chicken, Turkey Meal, Chicken Meal, Potatoes, Dried Ground Potato, Tomato Pomace, Natural Chicken Flavor, Canola Oil, Chicken Liver, Salmon Oil, Flaxseed, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Kale, Broccoli, Spinach, Parsley, Apples, Blueberries, Vitamins & Minerals, Chicory Root Extract, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate, Dried Lactobacillus plantarum, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Products, Rosemary Extract.

Protein: 34% (although they do list this as a minimum which is unusual)
Fat: 14% ( "";)
Ca: 2% (max)
P: 1.4% (max)
Fiber: 4% (max)

pugs2

Posted : 7/7/2007 12:53:22 PM

Thanks for posting this. I am going to hopefully pic up a bag this weekend.

jenns

Posted : 7/7/2007 1:27:29 PM

This looks great - I'd love to know others' experiences with it. My dog did not do well on the regular Wellness puppy (super 5 mix or something like that), she had very large poop.

Melissa Camiel

Posted : 7/7/2007 1:33:47 PM

I definately like the protein level---It seems to me that EVO, BATM, Raw Instinct, etc have way too much protein for the average dog.

Thalie

Posted : 7/7/2007 1:43:54 PM

I would love to use this in my rotation. It is higher in proteins than what I currently feed without being way up there and I like the ingredient list a lot. It is unfortunately not available in my area (I called around to check). It is kinda pricey so ordering out would bring the price thru the roof and DH would just faint when we get the bill. I hope I can find it in the future to give it a try.

ottoluv

Posted : 7/7/2007 2:15:10 PM

I may give it a try, I transitioned my cat maxwell to the cat core last month and he actually eats it which is a freaking miracle.

papillon806

Posted : 7/7/2007 2:42:11 PM

I may give it a try but Wolfie has been doing so well on his current food (he's back on Royal Canin Special 30mini) I don't want to switch again, lol (especially with his previous problems w/ most grain free foods). However, my ferrets have been eating Wellness CORE for cats for awhile now and have been doing fantastic. I think I won't be able to resist though and will have to pick up a bag [

]

jk

Posted : 7/7/2007 4:44:01 PM

I talked to a 'rep' today at the Wags For Wishes dog extravaganza today, and she said that the max protien that a dog can absorb is 34% and that more than that is going through kidneys etc, and not good. (im sure hoping im telling this right) Im certainly going to give it a shot..

Luvntzus

Posted : 7/7/2007 5:22:07 PM

I ordered a bag from Only Natural Pets yesterday. The shipping was almost as much as the food, but I'm kind of at my wits end with what to feed and there are lots of stores around me that do carry Wellness. They just don't have Core for dogs yet because it's so new.

Anyway, I'm much, much more comfortable with the protein and fat levels in this food and the ingredients look great. I'm very excited to try it! [

] Now I just have to wait until next week when it gets here...

papillon806

Posted : 7/7/2007 6:29:30 PM

ORIGINAL: jk2

I talked to a 'rep' today at the Wags For Wishes dog extravaganza today, and she said that the max protien that a dog can absorb is 34% and that more than that is going through kidneys etc, and not good. (im sure hoping im telling this right) Im certainly going to give it a shot..

No offense but that rep was blowing smoke up your butt, lol. Every dog is different when it comes to the "threshold" of protein they can absorb and it is very dependent on the amount of moisture present [

].

Luvntzus

Posted : 7/8/2007 8:44:36 AM

I just thought of a couple of things- Does anyone know the ash percentage? Also, any idea why it's not recommended for dogs under 1 year of age? I was planning to feed it to Fudge (he's almost 6 months old).

jk

Posted : 7/8/2007 9:48:03 AM

Well, i remember[8|] 'something' *good* about the ash but i dont remember what it was..[

] (you all ought to send me out on an investigation huh,,,i come back with reports of somethings, somehows. and somewhats..lol) Sooooooo, there ya have it, a post with absolutly no info, but i totally remember feeling good about this food and something about the ash....[sm=rolleyes.gif]. (hehe......smoke or no smoke) Oh, but it is spoke of as looking like "a nice food" by well known lady around these parts on another board.

tony

Posted : 7/8/2007 10:46:18 AM

Also, any idea why it's not recommended for dogs under 1 year of age?

I am guessing that the calcium is too high for a pup. I am more familiar with Large Breed puppies, where you want the calcium to be no higher than 1.2%, but I have also read some studies saying that smaller breeds should also not have too much calcium, but I am less familiar with them.

papillon806

Posted : 7/8/2007 11:19:26 AM

Tamara--my guess is that they are referring mostly to large breed pups, but just say puppies in general to be safe (aka ppl w/ mix breeds that could be considered medium or large, etc). For a small breed puppy calcium levels are not a concern.

I'm not sure of the ash content, but my guess is that it is better than the other grain free foods because it has a lower protein %. Probably wouldn't hurt to email them and ask. I know their CORE for cats has a controlled amount of ash as compared to EVO.

Luvntzus

Posted : 7/8/2007 11:30:21 AM

ORIGINAL: papillon806

Tamara--my guess is that they are referring mostly to large breed pups, but just say puppies in general to be safe (aka ppl w/ mix breeds that could be considered medium or large, etc). For a small breed puppy calcium levels are not a concern.

I'm not sure of the ash content, but my guess is that it is better than the other grain free foods because it has a lower protein %. Probably wouldn't hurt to email them and ask. I know their CORE for cats has a controlled amount of ash as compared to EVO.

Thank you for your input! [

] I'll go ahead and e-mail them to ask about the ash %. I figured it would be lower because the first two ingredients are deboned chicken and turkey. I'm not sure if this is right or not, but I think of bone contributing more to ash levels than meat.