# Interested in your opinion of this food



## silverhaven (Sep 6, 2009)

I bought this bag of premix food today for Lola to try. I went to the shop for Dr. Harvey's or Grandma Lucy's, but none of the shops had the premix, but they did have the treats. They carry this brand instead. It made locally in BC and it is by NRG the one I got is Maxim which is grainless Salmon and veggie. 

It is dehydrated. Wild Pacific Salmon, winter squash, wheat germ, fresh raw carrots, broccoli, grapefruit, papaya, whole cranberries, goats milk yogurt, apple cider vinegar, salmon oil, olive oil, fresh garlic, parsley, kelp, ground flax seed, calcium carbonate and cod liver oil. 

You just mix it with some warm water. 

Lola has had one portion and enjoyed it. You can feed it dry somewhat too for treats. It is also AAFCO approved.

any red flags? What do you think of the ingredients etc. It looks a lot more like real food to me than the kibble. :thumbsup: Mmmm wheatgerm is in it.... it says grain free, is that different?


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## silverhaven (Sep 6, 2009)

Just wanted to add this link for more information

NRG Pet Products Smart Nutritional Research Group Ltd dehydrated pet food dehydrated dog food
and of course to say I am just asking for my own benefit and have no affiliation whatsoever.


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## mysugarbears (Aug 13, 2007)

I have never heard of it, but it looks good. I wonder if they carry it in the states?


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## Starsmom (Jan 31, 2009)

Wheat germ is the embryo inside the kernal - it's the part that makes the plant when it developes and grows. The food looks yummy - it has wonderful ingredients. The salmon oil, olive oil, cod liver oil, and flax seed are all very beneficial supplements. What is the % of protein?


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## Starsmom (Jan 31, 2009)

mysugarbears said:


> I have never heard of it, but it looks good. I wonder if they carry it in the states?


Don't know if it "carried" in the US, but according to their website it's available for the US. You may have to oreder it from them.


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## silverhaven (Sep 6, 2009)

Starsmom said:


> Wheat germ is the embryo inside the kernal - it's the part that makes the plant when it developes and grows. The food looks yummy - it has wonderful ingredients. The salmon oil, olive oil, cod liver oil, and flax seed are all very beneficial supplements. What is the % of protein?


Looking at the bag I have of salmon it says crude protein minimum 26% that doesn't sound like much. Nothing like the Acana that she is on now. I might consider giving her the Acana in the morning and this for dinner. 

By the way, when I get the bag out to look, Lola is giving me little mini (please give me some, barks Lol) she seems to love it dry. You can see the good ingredients, but it isn't cheap. If you were feeding a big dog this it would cost you $20.00 a day


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## mysugarbears (Aug 13, 2007)

silverhaven said:


> Looking at the bag I have of salmon it says crude protein minimum 26% that doesn't sound like much. Nothing like the Acana that she is on now. I might consider giving her the Acana in the morning and this for dinner.
> 
> By the way, when I get the bag out to look, Lola is giving me little mini (please give me some, barks Lol) she seems to love it dry. You can see the good ingredients, but it isn't cheap. If you were feeding a big dog this it would cost you $20.00 a day


 
How much do you feed her? I did find i can order it in the states and would like to try it for my fluffs. I currently feed Acana Pacifica in the mornings and Dr. Harvey's Veg-To-Bowl in the evenings. I tried the Grandma Lucy's Artisan and none of the fluffs liked it, not even Chloe or Riley who love wet food.


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## silverhaven (Sep 6, 2009)

mysugarbears said:


> I have never heard of it, but it looks good. I wonder if they carry it in the states?


This is the link for the US site https://www.nrgdogproducts.com/Home_Page.html

So far I really like the sound of them, but am awaiting what you good food aficionado's think. The site is interesting.


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## silverhaven (Sep 6, 2009)

mysugarbears said:


> How much do you feed her? I did find i can order it in the states and would like to try it for my fluffs. I currently feed Acana Pacifica in the mornings and Dr. Harvey's Veg-To-Bowl in the evenings. I tried the Grandma Lucy's Artisan and none of the fluffs liked it, not even Chloe or Riley who love wet food.


She has only had it once and she had 1/4 cup for her dinner. She ate it all, except for a few bits of carrot she managed to pull out. She doesn't like carrots much. Lola either has pacifica or grasslands usually, she prefers the grasslands though.


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## Lacie's Mom (Oct 11, 2006)

I just saw an article about this food in either Whole Dog Journal or Holistic Pet Products. After reading the article I had planned to go to their website to see if I could order it because it got very high marks. I love the ingredients -- in fact, I think it's better than what I feed myself. LOL

Right now I'm feeding Wellness in the morning and Dr. Harvey's Veg-to-Bowl at night. I may have to order this when this bag of Dr. Harvey's is finished.

And, DH still has our Black Lab with him in Phoenix. Last time I was visiting him, I was mixing the Dr. Harvey's for the girls and he wanted to know if I thought he should switch Nellie to this food. I had to laugh because Nellie weighs 85 lbs. I can't even begin to imagine how much it would cost to feed her Dr. Harvey's every day. 

It's easy for the little ones -- but not an 85 lber. LOL 

Thanks for letting us know that Lola likes it. I'll look for the article I read and see if I can post it.


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## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

Other than the wheat germ, it sounds like a great food. I'm not a fan of today's wheat, but the rest of the ingredients sound really great.


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## silverhaven (Sep 6, 2009)

Lacie's Mom said:


> I just saw an article about this food in either Whole Dog Journal or Holistic Pet Products. After reading the article I had planned to go to their website to see if I could order it because it got very high marks. I love the ingredients -- in fact, I think it's better than what I feed myself. LOL
> 
> Right now I'm feeding Wellness in the morning and Dr. Harvey's Veg-to-Bowl at night. I may have to order this when this bag of Dr. Harvey's is finished.
> 
> ...


The cost of feeding a big dog would be pretty substantial indeed. I am sure you could get it cheaper in much larger quantities though. They seem to have one specifically for large breeds.

Great to hear about the article :chili: nice to know it has received a good rating. I can feel a little more confident about her having it now. I hope yours like it too. She was a bit thoughtful initially about it wet last night, but was begging for more dry. I will be interesting to see how she likes it today. I will let you know.


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## silverhaven (Sep 6, 2009)

Nikki's Mom said:


> Other than the wheat germ, it sounds like a great food. I'm not a fan of today's wheat, but the rest of the ingredients sound really great.


When I was typing out the ingredients I was surprised to see that too.
They defend there position in the FAQ's, 

"WHY DOES MAXIM CONTAIN WHEAT GERM?
Many dogs to day have an intolerance for grains. The trigger for this intolerance is
gluten and wheat germ does not contain any gluten. We include wheat germ in all our
formulas because it is the most digestible natural source of many nutrients.

I HAVE BEEN TOLD MY DOG IS ALLERGIC TO GRAIN, WHICH N-R-G DIETS CAN MY
DOG EAT?
Dogs that have an allergy to grain are usually intolerant to the gluten in wheat as it has
been overused in pet food for decades. In human medicine people with wheat
allergies substitute oats and we find many dogs with a wheat intolerance can do very
well on Vitality and Optimum.
Maxim is the obvious choice if your dogs last reaction to any grain was sever."

They are saying it doesn't contain gluten, but the gluten site seems to say differently. They also say in their site that adding oatmeal is giving the dogs more stable insulin levels than not feeding it. 

Anyway, I will see how she does on it. If she shows any signs of allergy etc. then I will discontinue.


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## mysugarbears (Aug 13, 2007)

Lacie's Mom said:


> I just saw an article about this food in either Whole Dog Journal or Holistic Pet Products. After reading the article I had planned to go to their website to see if I could order it because it got very high marks. I love the ingredients -- in fact, I think it's better than what I feed myself. LOL
> 
> Right now I'm feeding Wellness in the morning and Dr. Harvey's Veg-to-Bowl at night. I may have to order this when this bag of Dr. Harvey's is finished.
> 
> ...


 

I feed Acana Pacifica in the mornings and Dr. Harvey's Veg-to-bowl in the evenings. I think i'm going to order the NRG Maximum when the bag of Dr. Harvey's get close to be being done in case they don't like it and i will be able to make another batch and have time for another bag to get here. I really like the ingredients and hope the fluffs like it. I was trying to find something in Whole Dog Journal last night about the food.


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## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

silverhaven said:


> When I was typing out the ingredients I was surprised to see that too.
> They defend there position in the FAQ's,
> 
> "WHY DOES MAXIM CONTAIN WHEAT GERM?
> ...




They can say what they want, if it has wheat, it has gluten. Oatmeal has a type of gluten, too. 

The only thing you can do is to try it and see how it works for your dog. 

Dog foods contain grains because grains are cheaper than meat. They can give you all the reasons in the world as to why their dog food contains grains, but the main reason is that it is an inexpensive filler. If all dog food companies made grain-free food, most of them would go out of business, because right now they can make their food very inexpensively. Take out the grains and add meat, you add a substantial amount to their cost. 

IMO, most dogs can do fine on just meat. They also do quite well on meat/veggies/fruit. Rice in moderation usually doesn't have any negative effects on many dogs. Regarding other grains, I personally wouldn't feed them, except maybe for quinoa once in a great while - but quinoa isn't a grain, but a grass seed. 

This is my opinion, from doing my own research. Everyone has their own opinions, and everyone has to do their own research. If folks want to disagree with me, that's fine. :thumbsup: Don't expect me to debate, though. I don't have the time.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

silverhaven said:


> They also say in their site that adding oatmeal is giving the dogs more stable insulin levels than not feeding it.


Lady's homecooked recipe has oatmeal and she does very well. Lady is diabetic/insulin dependent and the fiber helps stabilize her blood glucose. The soluble fiber in oatmeal also helps absorb ammonia and reduce nitrogenous wastes which is good for dogs with liver disease like Lady.

Liver | B-Naturals.Com Newsletter


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## silverhaven (Sep 6, 2009)

Nikki's Mom said:


> They can say what they want, if it has wheat, it has gluten. Oatmeal has a type of gluten, too.
> 
> The only thing you can do is to try it and see how it works for your dog.
> 
> ...


Thanks Suzan, no debate from me. Just interested in your opinion  I will see how she does on it for now.


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## silverhaven (Sep 6, 2009)

Ladysmom said:


> Lady's homecooked recipe has oatmeal and she does very well. Lady is diabetic/insulin dependent and the fiber helps stabilize her blood glucose. The soluble fiber in oatmeal also helps absorb ammonia and reduce nitrogenous wastes which is good for dogs with liver disease like Lady.
> 
> Liver | B-Naturals.Com Newsletter


Interesting. I personally don't do so well on much wheat, but am finding I do very well on a good oatmeal breakfast with no added sugar.


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## silverhaven (Sep 6, 2009)

Just to let you know. I don't give this to Lola anymore. I am not sure she was doing that well on it. She ate it just fine, but I thought she seemed a bit off. I put her back on the Acana and she seemed more herself again. I have now bought the Dr. Harvey's veg to bowl from Crystal. She had her first today with salmon and gobbled it up. I guess I will soon see how she is doing. Apparently not all dogs do so well on raw.


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