The Dog Food Project's Response To Canidae's Formulation Change

Upcoming changes to Canidae formulations
Admin | June 30, 2008 3:56 pm
I wanted to give a heads up to dog owners feeding Canidae products about a few details that the makers of this product aren't telling you in their sales pitch for their changed formulas:

Under the new formulation, Canidae dry foods will no longer be gluten free, due to the addition of barley. If you know that your dog is gluten intolerant, start shopping around for a different food.

Even if your dog doesn't have problems with gluten (not all do, and many foods do contain high-gluten grains like barley), the change in formulation to include rice bran and peas may contribute to gas and digestive upset. Dogs who aren't particularly sensitive may not have any problems at all, others will get over it within a few days of transitioning, but again, for individuals with a delicate digestive system, expect that they may no longer tolerate the product.

Millet is generally well tolerated, but again, it doesn't work for every dog.

"Diversifying" ingredients may sound catchy, and Canidae certainly has made an effort to put a positive spin on it in their statement, but please remember that not all dogs do well on foods that include a wide variety of items.

Also note that "Herring Meal" will be replaced by generic "Ocean Fish Meal", meaning the company reserves the possibility to use different fish from batch to batch without having to change the ingredient list. This has not been addressed in their statement at all.

Whether these changes are indeed an improvement, as Canidae claims, is for you to decide - after observing how it affects your dog.

Canidae All Lifestages
Old Formula: http://canidae.com/do...
New Formula: http://canidae.com/do...

Canidae Platinum
Old Formula: http://canidae.com/do...
New Formula: http://canidae.com/do...

Canidae Chicken & Rice
(Note that after the change it's no longer going to be a true "Chicken and Rice" formula, but instead a "Chicken, Rice, Barley and Peas" formula)
Old Formula: http://canidae.com/do...
New Formula: http://canidae.com/do...

Canidae Lamb & Rice
New Formula: http://canidae.com/do...
The old formula has already been overwritten. "Lamb and Rice" formula will now also be a misnomer - even though it's legal as far as labeling regulations go. This is the current ingredient list:


Lamb Meal, Brown Rice, Canola Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Flax Seed, Sun cured Alfalfa Meal, Sunflower Oil, Lamb, Lecithin, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Linoleic Acid, Rosemary Extract, Sage Extract, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Extract, Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Extract, Inulin (from Chicory Root), Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Fermentation Solubles, L-Lysine, Taurine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Mixed Tocopherols (source of Vitamin E), Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Cobalt Amino Acid Chelate, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Ascorbic Acid (source of Vitamin C), Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (source of Vitamin B2), Beta Carotene, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid, D-Biotin, Organic Selenium, Dried Papaya, Dried Pineapple, Vitamin B12 Supplement

is canidae bad for the dogs? i noticed that the first ingredient is lamb meal. Isn't that bad for the dogs? I noticed in one of the bags of food in the store they had animal fat as one of the ingredients. Please correct me if I'm wrong?

Nikki ~

Lamb meal is a good ingredient. Lamb meal is better than Lamb as it has had the moisture removed and is more nutritionally dense. Animal Fat is not good, because it does not specify which animal is the source of the fat. For more information on this subject go to:

Ingredients to Avoid

Identifying Better Products

Susan

Thanks Susan...I just picked up a new bag with the new ingredients, I still have half of the old bag left. When it gets close to the bottom I will mix some old with the new to transition. I hope they do as well on it as the old formula. I hate when things like this happen.

Sherrie ~

Even with the new formulation, it is still a good food, providing your dog does not have an allergy to gluten. If you have been feeding treats with wheat or barley with no problems, the new formulation should be just fine.

Susan

No gluten allergy that I am aware of. I have been very happy how they have been doing on Canidae for the last 9 months, so I really hope they still like it and it likes them!!!
Thanks Susan!