# Switching from Fromm



## rj16 (Jan 30, 2017)

I never had Monty on Fromm for long enough to notice any of the problems you are having but I switched him off of it after noticing consistently softer (bordering on watery) stools that did not improve with reduced portion sizes or change of protein. It simply did not agree him.


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## scooterscout99 (Dec 3, 2015)

My 17 month old spoo has eaten Fromm with no ill effects since his breeder's home, though I've changed protein sources and Switched to grain-free. I tried Orijen large breed puppy but it caused loose stools. I'm also interested in Acana.


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

scooterscout99 said:


> My 17 month old spoo has eaten Fromm with no ill effects since his breeder's home, though I've changed protein sources and Switched to grain-free. I tried Orijen large breed puppy but it caused loose stools. I'm also interested in Acana.


If you look at the nutritional content of Acana and Orijen large breed, it looks to be about the same. I've also put Lucky on Orijen large breed puppy and he had loose stools despite changing 10% at a time. I have seen really positive results on Acana but they didn't have puppy food so we had to try other brands. I originally had everyone on Wellness Core and switched to Acana and noticed a huge difference: shinier, no grease coat, better teeth, more energy...etc. This was several years ago before champion moved to Kentucky from Canada. So now I think I am going to feed everyone Wild Atlantic. I wish the bags weren't getting smaller as the price increases.


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## spindledreams (Aug 7, 2012)

Which Fromm were you using? There are 3 levels of Fromms. My dogs did well on the Gold formula, not as well on the lower formula. We are not on Fromms now but only because I have a girl who was eating over 6 cups a day and still losing weight. Not just on Fromms but other brands also then I discovered Redpaw and have a nice looking girl who is on only 3 cups a day....


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

We are on Fromm Gold


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## Charmed (Aug 4, 2014)

I was worried about the changes in Acana with the move to Kentucky (for US) also, but it has had no adverse affects on my three dogs. I have one of those super sniffer human noses and can smell more peas in the dog food when I open the bag. I do supplement with Show Dog for skinny boy's appetite. Oh, and I have been spraying Leba III in my 11 year old's mouth because he does not chew enough on anything to keep his teeth clean. The spray is working remarkably well.


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

Charmed said:


> I was worried about the changes in Acana with the move to Kentucky (for US) also, but it has had no adverse affects on my three dogs. I have one of those super sniffer human noses and can smell more peas in the dog food when I open the bag. I do supplement with Show Dog for skinny boy's appetite. Oh, and I have been spraying Leba III in my 11 year old's mouth because he does not chew enough on anything to keep his teeth clean. The spray is working remarkably well.


I noticed you have standards. I realize I am feeding growing puppies but I wonder how many bags of Acana do you go through in a month? These guys eat a lot. I figured we will be going through four bags in a month. At $70+/- (depending on the flavor) and four bags that would be $300. They do give you a free bag for every 12 bags so I would get a free $70 bag every three months.


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## Caddy (Nov 23, 2014)

If I Fed kibble I'd probably go with Accana, but I think most kibble is bad for their teeth. I feed 3 times a day and use to feed kibble for breakfast, since I quit that and all three meals are now home cooked, the difference in their teeth is amazing. I find if I buy meat in bulk and on sale it's no more than a good quality kibble.
Snow, have you considered any of the new honest kitchen products, they have a complete meal now. I keep it on hand especially when we are at the lake and my girls love it.


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

The Honest Kitchen does look good. How long does a 10lb bag last? I think Lucky's brother is on Nature's Variety and he also have plaque on his molars.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

Hey Snow.........toss your dogs a raw chicken leg or wing or even a raw pork or beef rib bone 3-4x a week and that tooth tartar will soon disappear! I stayed at my son's house and Molly only got fed kibble for a week and her teeth got icky .....got home and she got her chicken and other raw meaty bones and in a week her teeth were white again! It seriously works!!! 
Also, there is a '5 star' kibble line called Muenster (muenstermilling.com) that is really economical and you order it directly from Muenster (they guarantee freshness) they are completely USA sourced, natural, & no wheat, corn, or soy. They are family owned and in Texas. 
Shipping is free for orders over $49.99 and they have 60# bags for under $99!!!!!!! (For those of you who have more than 2 Spoos or lots of dogs period!) They are All Life Stages and their kibble (they say) is good for any size dog! Their site is worth a look I think!


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## galofpink (Mar 14, 2017)

I had my spoo puppy on Orijen Large Breed Puppy (long story short - sudden and somewhat severe rear-end GI upset with a new bag of Or LBP, so slowly introducing an Acana regional formula now to rice/pumpkin mash. Not sure at all what precipitated it.).

At 16 weeks, 21lbs, she was eating about 300 grams (2.5 cups) of food a day. The mid-size bag (6kg) was lasting us just under 3 weeks. Shae is very active so eats what I consider to be a lot. She'd eat more if I let her, but monitor condition carefully and feed to that. Our older dog has done wonderfully on Acana (we are down 1.5lbs y/y to 28lbs - still overweight - good coat, firm stool (trouble area), less hungry and less table surfing due to hunger). 

Reasons I went Orijen LBP over Acana was the calcium: phosphorus ratio of Orijen was lower and the Orijen had the 6kg bag size available.

Looking at the caloric content of Acana LBP (405kcal/120g cup) vs Orijen LBP (446kcal/120g cup), you would need to feed more to keep the kcals the same. For us, that would mean feeding about 330g/day instead on Ac LBP. There's only an 11.4kg bag of that available so would mean a bag would be a 34 day supply (vs 38 days Orijen same size).

I've been using this formula as a rough estimate to figure out a baseline suggested kcal intake: =(70*(weight in kg ^0.75))*3. The 3 at the end is a growth factor. Supposed to switch it to 2 after 16 weeks. Then take the kcal result and divide by kcals/cup to figure out cups. Weigh a cup of food then can figure out how long the bag will last (Orijen and Acana state each cup weighs 120g - for the Or LBP I have found this to be accurate).

Note: all based on Canadian analysis of products (may differ for other countries, not sure)


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

Thank you galofpink for the detailed analysis. Unfortunately, Acana puppy is not available in the United States. We ran out of Fromm a few weeks ago and the boutique we get it at did not have it in stock for a few more weeks so we fed everyone Acana and the very little left over of Fromm we had. My husband said it was gone in about 1.5 weeks. This was the 25lb or 5.9kg bag. Our previous setup with my elderly dog was one bag of Acana every 1.5 months because no one ate very much and we fed our large older dog home cooked meals almost every day. Small dogs eat a lot less. lol 
I think we are going to switch everyone onto Acana and then do raw food along with it. It seems like a good way to get rid of tarter and have a healthier dog.


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## Caddy (Nov 23, 2014)

snow0160 said:


> The Honest Kitchen does look good. How long does a 10lb bag last? I think Lucky's brother is on Nature's Variety and he also have plaque on his molars.


On the outside of the box it tells you how much to feed for the size of the dog, and how long it will last you.


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## Charmed (Aug 4, 2014)

We go through two bags of Acana per month, but sometimes we will treat with a can of Daves, or some Honest Kitchen. We will also throw in some raw chicken. Mostly they eat the Acana though.


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## galofpink (Mar 14, 2017)

snow0160 said:


> ...I think we are going to switch everyone onto Acana and then do raw food along with it. It seems like a good way to get rid of tarter and have a healthier dog.


You are most welcome for the analysis. 

Still hoping we can stick with Acana once the pup's system settles out for both our dogs, but am considering the "feed a bit of raw too". My best friend goes to the butcher and makes her own raw mixes and it's amazing the difference it has made for her dogs, especially the one's teeth. I'm not sure if I could be as dedicated as her with making a full raw diet, but I think every little bit helps. Maybe someday.


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## cecethepoodle (Aug 23, 2014)

*Fromm user*



snow0160 said:


> I feed our small dogs acana regionals and the large dog Fromm large breed puppy. We are noticing some problems: 1. tooth have plaque at 6 months 2. coat is a bit greasy 3. nails a bit brittle on one dog.
> 
> We are switching everyone to Acana. None of the little guys have these problems. Or perhaps it is bad genes? This will probably raise our monthly food bill to over $300. :afraid: It came highly recommended by neighbors, pet store owners, but our experience has not been positive. Does anyone also have problems on Fromm?


I have used Fromm ever since my first tpoo started being picky in her old age. She was getting frequent UTIs and the vet suggested a lower protein content diet, so I switched to Fromm Gold Senior. She LOVED it, and UTIs were a thing of the past. 

My current tpoo is still using Fromm but I use Fromm Gold Adult, I was trying the grain free diets, but he eats more than my first tpoo, and it was getting too expensive. 

Coats on both were soft and skin great, no tear stains (both white), and BMs good. I honestly think it just depends on the dog. I had tried several brands of food on Cece before I found Fromm all quality, top brands, but some just didn't agree with her. I even tried Honest Kitchen, and she would only eat it if I made it into meatballs for her...


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