Best Food For Shelties in the USA?

Sandy in CT said:
Here's a good read on the DCM food issue - short and sweet.
https://stpetersbark.com/our-take-on-the-fda-update-regarding-the-dcm-investigation/

I had fed Merrick for YEARS prior to getting Brodie. He was on Purina Pro Plan when we got him, the Merrick gave him issues. I did try Wellness. With Shelties, protein content is an issue to be aware of as well. Feeding your pupper is a very personal thing - you will find something you like that you are comfortable with.
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That's a great article. Thank you for sharing. With our first Sheltie, I feel like we failed him as parents because we didn't tailor his food, probably fed him stuff that was bad for him and neutered him too early - all b/c we relied on others. We got him in 1999 and he died in 2010 of kidney complications and some other stuff. To later learn that we probably contributed to his hip dysplasia (neutered too young bc of breeder) and he always had a bad reaction to his food but we kept feeding it to him and the vet didn't have a problem with it (he was an idiot). But to give you an idea of how much we cared for him, my wife wasn't ready to have another "child" until now and only now because the kids pushed for it and she did it for them. She still has his picture on her bedside table - that's the only picture on her stand.

So now we have Remy and a better grasp of the internet, so we're determined to do this right. I don't know where Wellness was discovered (by her) but it "seems" better than the alternatives that we know of (big name brands). Then the vet (a very smart lady and a family friend b/c of our kids) recommended Purina Pro Plan and I come here and get scared to death about the Peas in Wellness and many who suggest Fromm - which looks like a really good company and one we'd want to support. Yet I see Fromm on that list and not Wellness but I see Peas in Wellness and not in Fromm. Your article makes me feel better about Fromm, but stpetersbark sells Fromm - so there's that.

I know that all dogs are different and that Shelties are special unto themselves, but I'm bothered that there are no easy answers for "This is the best food for Shelties" out there. However, I think that you are right that this is all a personal thing. I ordered 2 harnesses online and brought home 6 different kinds/sizes from the stores until I settled on one that made me feel comfortable I could keep Remy from breaking free for a car passing by - It says Kong on it, but they don't make harnesses I learned and after reading the complaints about every one of the harnesses we tried (it's made in China by an unknown for Petsmart), I simply decided to go with the one that seemed right for Remy. I'm very happy with my choice because I believe it is the most secure based upon its structure and how I can control Remy with it. Reading about it doesn't do me any favors, but in practice it's just fine. Maybe my excessive worrying over dog food needs the same approach...
 
I really did go through this same agony, we all try to do the best by our dogs and it is maddening to not have a clear-cut answer. In the end after all my research I did go with our vet's recommendation. Meadow is doing super well on the Fromm, I like the ingredients but she will only be on it until she is an adult, just because I want to feed the same food to all of them. Faith and Eli have done very well on the Pro Plan Lamb.

Try not to make yourself too crazy about it. I think if you go with either Fromm or Pro Plan you will be fine.
 
Well, we're going to switch over to Fromm for the next 6 months and then it will be time for adult food and we'll see where we go then. After listening to you fine folks and reading about 3 dozen articles, I'm okay with Fromm Puppy Food for now.

You all are awesome! Many many thanks for your time and attention.

and Remy thanks you too ;-)
 
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just to say, there is no one best food for all dogs.
my first puppy sheltie came home on Taste of the Wild years ago when it was marketed as an all life stages food. he was on it for at least 2 years and I switched my other dogs to it as well. then Diamond had the big recall out of their one plant and I didn't know at that time that it was made by Diamond. one of my concerns with that company was someone else here fed that and in one of her bags of food there were 2 obviously different kibbles and it was more how the company responded to her asking about that issue that turned me off.
so I decided then that I would never rely on only one company. we switch between a variety of brands and proteins. we have used Fromm, Natures Variety, Earthborn Holistic, Acana, Orijen- not really sure how many others. a lot of these companies are now producing legume free formulas so currently my shelties are eating Earthborn Holistic Alaskan Pollock and Pumpkin meal. Something I like about their website is they show how much protein comes from each source along with the standard breakdown of ingredients and percentages.
 
Bill Porter said:
I simply decided to go with the one that seemed right for Remy. Reading about it doesn't do me any favors, but in practice it's just fine. Maybe my excessive worrying over dog food needs the same approach...
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This about sums it up, Bill. In my years of raising Shelties I think I've tried almost every food there is. You can find something wrong -- or right -- with all of them. You have to just make an informed decision based on nutrition and ingredients and then go with the one that works best for your dog.

One thing I have found that is important, for when Remy is an adult, is that rotating proteins is very healthy for them. It's not good to feed the same food forever. If you choose a food brand that offers different proteins and rotate through varieties, it's better than feeding them the same protein all the time. I also rotate proteins on the home-cooked diets I make. We wouldn't want to eat chicken or beef every day, so it makes sense to me, and my dogs do well on this regimen.
 
I contacted both Wellness and Fromm regarding the FDA investigation, and they both responded. Here is the response from Wellness
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Thank you for taking the time to write to us about our Wellness® products.

We are aware of ongoing research conducted by the FDA on grain-free diets that contain high levels of legumes. Wellness has added supplemental Taurine to all dog diets since 2004 as a precautionary step following similar research that was published relative to the use of lamb and brown rice in diets. Currently Taurine has yet to be considered a requirement for dogs, and we add twice the minimum level of Taurine required for cats since it is a required nutrient for cats. It’s also important to note that unlike cats, which are dependent on their daily diets for their Taurine, dogs can synthesize (produce) Taurine given the proper precursors in their daily diets. Our team is working with veterinarians, animal nutritionists and industry partners to help ensure that our diets continue to remain safe for all pets. We’ll continue to monitor the situation closely. As always, our Consumer Affairs Team is available to talk with you if have any additional questions. We can be reached at 800-225-0904.

Thanks again for contacting us.
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This is the response from Fromm:
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Thank you for contacting Fromm Family Foods with your concerns about the FDA notification regarding taurine deficiency and Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM). I appreciate the opportunity to discuss this issue more comprehensively with you.

In the FDA update of June 27, 2019, and its Questions & Answers, the FDA is not advising dietary changes based solely on the information they have gathered thus far. At this time, it is not known if, or how, legumes impact taurine metabolism. The underlying mechanism is likely very complex and involves several factors. Fromm is actively monitoring the FDA report and the results of all related studies, and at this time, there are no clear results or conclusions. In the University of California at Davis study, which was published in December, 2018, the authors aimed to describe the influence that legumes might have on taurine metabolism and thus, the development of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). The dietary histories of 24 Golden Retrievers were reviewed, and the authors concluded that taurine deficiency and DCM in Golden Retrievers is likely multifactorial – due to a combination of metabolic, dietary, and genetic factors. The study concludes that further research is needed to determine the interaction and possible relationship between DCM, taurine-deficiency, and particular ingredients.

At this time, taurine is considered a “non-essential” amino acid, meaning that, given the proper amount of amino acid building blocks, dogs can synthesize taurine from the food that they eat. Our foods contain ample levels of amino acids cysteine and methionine which dogs use to metabolize their own taurine. Additionally, Fromm has supplemented with taurine for many years and will continue to supplement all recipes. More research is needed to better understand if there is a clear cause-and-effect relationship between specific diets or ingredients, taurine deficiency, and DCM.

To put this into clearer focus, it's important to iterate that, in this update, there are 560 reports of dogs with possible taurine deficiency; there are currently more than 77 million pet dogs in the United States. As a pet parent myself, however, I completely understand your concerns regarding the recent media publications about grain-free diets and DCM. Fromm has grain-free and grain-inclusive recipes in our Gold and Four-Star lines, and these recipes are meant to be rotated. Our Classic line does not contain any of the ingredients - legumes or potatoes - that are listed in the FDA notification.

I've included links to each grain-in recipe below for your review.

Classic Recipe

Gold Recipe

Four-Star Recipes

All of our grain-inclusive and grain-free offerings are held to the same high nutritional standard, and our variety of recipes allows our retailers and consumers to make buying decisions they are most comfortable with. If you are concerned about the risk of DCM and grain-free diets, you can easily transition your pet to one of our grain-containing diets without the risk of digestive upset.

Please feel free to contact me with any additional questions you might have - I'm always delighted to assist you.
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At the end of all of this, I have concluded that nothing is perfect but you can minimize your risk by following the news about what's relevant. Although I'm no longer distressed about the peas in the Wellness diet, Remy has had a lot of gas and inconsistent movements that might be attributable to his food (or the 100 other things he eats that he shouldn't). Based upon the folks here and my own research, I have a good comfort level with Fromm Gold Puppy and we have already begun mixing that in with his food so he'll be completely switched over by this coming weekend. He only has 6 more months of puppy food and then we'll determine where we go from there. Whatever we do, we will certainly rotate proteins for him so that he gets a well rounded assortment for his proper development.

Again, I want to thank ALL of you who have responded to this thread. I feel a lot smarter today (dog wise) than I ever have.

Take care of yourselves, your special furry friends, and your families!

Sincerely,

Bill
 
Ann said:
Fromm is a family company that's been around for years. It used to be available on Chewy but Fromm pulled it when Chewy was sold to a chain. That's also why you can't get it from Petco or Petsmart. They will only distribute through independent manufacturers. There are several online that sell it if you do a search. You can also email Fromm and they'll tell you where you can get it, and probably also send you some coupons!

My dogs did well on Fromm for years until I had to start feeding specialized and homemade diets for medical issues. All my puppies have eaten it. I have also fed Nutro and it's an excellent food. Not every dog does well on every food, no matter how good it is, so to some extent it's trial and error. Also, not every dog likes every food, although most Shelties are chow hounds.
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Locally Hollywood Feed has it but I prefer the local Feed Store that is awesome for a lot of things (C T Garvin) same price but the owner is in store most days.
 
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