Prairie Real Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Natural Dry Dog Food by Nature's Variety, 27 lb. Bag

Several years ago I adopted a 2 year old German Shepherd under the pretense that the owner was moving and couldn't take him with.It didn't take long for me to discover the true motivation. Brody was prone to uncontrollable diarrhea.Long story short, after many weeks of frustration, gaining recognition on a first name basis a the carpet rental place, and much money spent at the vet, I learned that Brody suffers from IBS - Irritable Bowel Syndrome. (Interesting side fact: The vet I take him to happens to be the vet his previous owner took him to. They know Brody very well, and he loves them. But they did NOT know he had diarrhea problems. Apparently his previous owner spent two years cleaning up after him without ever being motivated enough to mention his issues to the vet or spend the money to have him tested.)He was put on medication and a prescription diet. The food alone cost $80 a week, and while it DID do the trick of managing his issues, that's a LOT of money to spend on food for one dog.So I began researching IBS and how to manage it with diet. Everything pointed to trying out better, higher quality foods - either a raw diet, or higher end dry food.I tried many different options, but most of them proved to be too rich for Brody. I finally came across Nature's Variety.Brody is now 7 years old. He weighs 105 pounds (an ideal weight for his large frame) -- the vet said he'd never weigh more than 80. He needs no medication other than occasionally some Metamucil as a fiber supplement to help him maintain gut health. He still has the energy of a puppy. His coat is shiny. I can even feed him treats or other mild variations from his diet (in strict moderation).And a large bag of Nature's Variety lasts my TWO German Shepherds two weeks, which beats the heck out of $80 for one week's worth for Brody.I won't say that Nature's Variety is automatically right for your dog. I tried a number of high end brands, brands that I know other dogs thrive on, and they didn't work for me. But it has done wonders for my pups. Maybe it will for yours. Or maybe another brand will work better.Whether you just want healthy dogs, or you are dealing with health issues, it's worth your time and effort to look into the higher end brands like Nature's Variety, Blue Buffalo, Innova, etc. There's a good chance you'll find one right for your dog(s). And while they will cost a little more per bag than the mainstream grocery store crap, keep in mind that you're getting a higher quality food, too. You won't have to feed them as much to get them the nutrition they need, because this stuff isn't loaded with fillers, so in the end, the cost works out either the same, or even less.

I used to happily feed my dogs a different premium brand, but in the last six months or so, it seems the formula's changed. All three dogs were gaining weight, even though they were getting the same amount of exercise. It seems the protein content of the other food was lowered & the grain/carb content had been increased, so I started shopping for alternatives, did some online research and decided to try this instead.It's a big hit--all three dogs (two yorkie poos and a white lab) seem to love the taste and all are gradually trimming back down to their normal weights and they're feeling energetic. The kibble size is small and works great for the little dogs as well as the large one; we just keep it in a feeder something like this one  Petmate Le Bistro 10-Pound Feeder with Microban, Bleached Linen , so they eat whatever amount they like, all day long.Glad to see this is now available through Amazon's Subscribe & Save service, so I can have it on "permanent order." Happy dogs, happy dog lover!---UPDATE 10/10/15: UNFORTUNATELY, while working on our second bag of this food, two of the three dogs have developed severe skin allergies. Regrettably, I have to change my review from a 5-star to a 3-star. The allergy issue may be specific to my dogs, but I've since learned that both grains and chicken are potential allergens for some dogs. Your mileage may vary--I can say they DID enjoy this food's flavor : )-----UPDATE 10/10/15: I visited a local Pet Store & bought a 4 pound bag of Nature's Variety INSTINCT Limited Ingredient Food & all three dogs LOVED it. The itchiest of the three, a white lab, has actually stopped scratching & is resting comfortably, after only one day of "food change"--I'm so glad to have this option & hopefully, this will solve our problem:  Nature's Variety Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Lamb Meal & Peas Formula Dry Dog Food, 4.4 lb. Bag . From my research, diagnosing & treating food allergies will be a hit & miss proposition, but many vets recommend moving toward a fish-based food for severe allergies. This is a half-step change for our dogs, but I'm hoping that just moving away from chicken will do the trick. Will update when I have more info, but for now, all 3 dogs are HAPPY!

I have one of the pickiest dogs on the planet (pit/collie mix) and he LOVES this dog food. He has been eating it now for about six years, and has kept a beautiful coat and is very healthy and strong. About two years ago, I got a Saint Bernard, and the vet recommended he eat this food right from puppy stages (since extra-large breeds should not eat regular puppy food). He stated that the nutrients in this food were perfect for a growing Saint. My Saint Bernard is now a healthy 180lbs and eats about 2-3lbs. of this food daily.I like that I am able to switch the flavors without any disruption in their diet. (While I will say, they do not like the salmon flavors.) It lets me add variety without fearing they will get an upset stomach. I have the dog food delivered on auto-delivery, so I don't even have to think about it! The food is always here when we need it!

Good while it was good? Our dog recently had a month or so of "intestinal distress" in the house, repeatedly. We visited the vet three times, and after trying various fixes we determined it was either worms or the dog food. Under the vet's instructions we stopped using this food to go more mainstream (Purina One Chicken & Rice, for whatever that's worth).Dog has been okay since de-wormer, and switching foods. Since I can't conclusively say it was the food, I'll say 3 stars. We used the food for almost a year without issues, so maybe it was the worms. Dogs certainly can develop allergies to their food, or maybe we got some bad batches that made her sick.