Wellness CORE Dry Dog Food, Grain-Free, High Protein, Natural, Original Turkey & Chicken Recipe, (26-Pound Bag)

I am a dog owner and dog trainer with a thirst for knowledge. When I first started hunting for a great dog food I did my research and began with Blue Buffalo. I tried a number of premium brands and formulas before this came out and nothing, including the regular line by this brand, can hold a candle to CORE. It's not the most affordable, but at least in MN, I can't find a better price for this. If you can get the subscribe and save discount this food is a steal!My dogs are constantly observed as extremely healthy by vets and trainers alike. They have noticeably softer coats since switching them to CORE and less skin issues. I also no longer deal with frequent gas - something several premium brands caused.If you're still not sold, here are some guiding principles for why this food is great and how to shop for quality dog food. Everyone has a budget, but try to find one you can afford with the best of these:- The first ingredients should always be meat. Just like human labels, the first ingredients comprise the largest quantities within the product.- Lamb and then chicken tend to be most digestible for most dogs.- Meal is like a protein powder made by rendering down a stew-like mixture to maximum potency. It contains more protein than meat alone by eliminating water per ounce. That said, not all meal is created equal. Make sure the source is specified. Simply saying "poultry meal" can mean it came from any source they could find and usually that means varying degrees of quality.- Avoid grains as they can irritate many dogs stomachs. You want potatoes, oats, and/or brown rice for fiber and carbs. If you see "brewers rice" on a label, it shouldn't be in the top five ingredients (or at all for me). It's a cheaply obtained processed carb and a filler.- Flaxseed and fish oils are great for skin and coat. I used to supplement my dog food with salmon oil in winter, but it hasn't been necessary since they started this food. Mentioning the source of the fish oil indicates its quality, just like the meal source.- I like a food with few antioxidant ingredients in it, such as blueberries and broccoli. Healthy for us, healthy for them. That's just my opinion though. I treat with the fresh stuff when I can.- That list of vitamins at the end? It's your dog's daily multi vitamin. Glucosamine is important to joint health for any size, age, or weight. This product has natural preservatives, which is my preference where possible for their diet and my own.- Protein percentage! Vets say stay above 15% for a normal adult dog; my goal is closer to 25% or 30%. If your dog is very active, that should be your goal too; however, even if your dog isn't that active a higher protein content is fine. Early research used to claim it could cause renal failure, but that research has long been debunked.Don't believe me? Do the research yourself. Don't trust the word of food reps, breeders, or even many vets. Most haven't paid attention to nutrition science, it's advances, or have an agenda of their own. Even a well meaning vet may not know some of this and be operating on outdated common knowledge.Never transition your dog's food all at once. Pay attention to their unique reaction to a new food over the first few weeks at 100% of it. Pay attention to their stool and frequency of bowl movements. Watch for weight fluctuations. New food means you may have to increase or decrease their volume per meal. Each dog has unique needs and sensitivities, just like we do, so even a great food may not be great for your dog.I hope this helps!

I'll start with the long story, but you can skip to the bottom for the quick version... I happen to like listening to stories, and gathering information from reviews, so I suppose I should allow others to do the same with mine!A little over a year ago we adopted a beautifully chubby (75#), wonderfully sweet, low maintenance (5yrs old and very mellow) pit-bull from our local kennel. She seemed pretty hearty and easy going, so we were in LOVE. One month later, we were still in love, but we were out $2K and giving our pretty girl sub-q fluids twice a day to keep her hydrated while she recovered from a horrible pancreatic attack. Apparently, all of the love (treats) and training (treats) we were giving to her, combined with what we thought was the best food we for our budget and her taste buds (Pedigree), caused her to have an acute attack. According to the vet, this wasn't her first, and every subsequent attack would be worse, eventually causing her constant pain from her organs being "digested." If we notice her starting to exhibit any signs of discomfort, she should get a prilosec and skip a meal or two. After hearing all of that, I did what any loving mother would do, I turned to Google! What I found was very different from what the local high end pet food boutiques told me, and pretty different from the vet-pushed Science Diet that they wanted me to feed her. Protein is NOT the issue, fat is. Dogs need protein, but sometimes they need it in different ways, and dogs with pancreatitis need to never eat anything with a crude fat max of more than 5-7%We tried different foods, spent money on broken promises, subjected our poor sweet marshmallow to more than one tester tummyache, and finally found this.The reduced fat, grain-free Wellness has kept us out of the vets office, and showed us the true personality of our adopted dog. Before we learned of her condition, she was always a little "depressed." She was slow-moving, slept often, didn't play very much, and sometimes ignored her food. She's still one of the cuddliest and laziest dogs I know, but she's so much more playful and energetic after we learned how to treat her! She has not lost weight, but for us, that's not why we bought this food. She is a bit leaner, but I think that's because she plays tug every night that she isn't feeling bad! Yes, it is more expensive than the stuff you get at the grocery store, but it has saved us cash and peace of mind with our situation. I know my dog isn't the only one with pancreatitis, and I know that it can be a struggle to find something that works and fits into your lifestyle, while giving your dog what he/she needs.Ok, so that was a lot, but basically, this food has allowed us to find a way to nourish our dog with real food without compromising her digestive condition. It isn't the food that she loved the most, but she certainly does like it. It has helped her to the point that we can even give her a treat or two every day (sweet potatoes or a piece of dried duck jerky). Try it.