# Taste Of The Wild formulas



## Sosoprano

I feed my puppy Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream. She loves Wetlands and High Prairie too (haven't tried Sierra Mountain yet), but I'd like wait before offering them regularly because their protein content is a bit higher. 

I chose Taste of the Wild after doing a fair amount of research, most especially on dogfoodadvisor.com. I fed Eukanuba to my previous Golden (who passed away at age 14), but I didn't have a lot of time to do research on food when he was a pup, so I just went by the vet's recommendation. Back then I had three children under the age of six, an elderly Wheaten Terrier, and a parakeet (what was I thinking?:doh!


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## CarolinaCasey

Salmon and Lamb are lower in protein- 25%

Fowl and Bison are higher in protein- 32%

Since I have been feeding this to my puppy since he was weaned at his breeder's house, we have only fed Salmon or Lamb. I felt that he smelled like a fish (ick!) on the salmon formula. He just loves both varieties. However, I've bought Sierra Mountain Lamb the last 4+ bags.


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## fostermom

I feed the High Prairie. My dogs do really well on it and to be honest, it smells pretty darn good, like a hamburger that you take out of the fridge and heat up in the microwave.


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## Stretchdrive

I have been feeding Pacific Stream since December, and I really like it. Very little poop, and it does not contain chicken like most dog foods do. I have been considering trying another formula, since I like to rotate proteins. Will do lamb for my boys, since it don't have chicken, and probably high prairie for my girl.

My cats have been eating Rocky Mountain feline for 4 years now, and have beautiful glossy black coats.


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## Dexell1827

I'm considering switching my two over to TOTW, specifically the Lamb formula (no clue what it's called), but had heard from several people who feed it that it can make dogs excessively thirsty. Has anyone else seen that to be true? As I have one who is excessively thirsty b/c of phenobarbital, I'd hate to feed a food that would increase that thirst.


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## GoldensGirl

We switched to the TOTW grain-free formulas several weeks ago. Our dogs love both of them. Coats are shiny and they don't seem itchy. We chose grain-free in an effort to escape the allergens that are common in dog food, especially corn, beef and chicken.


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## Stretchdrive

Dexell1827 said:


> I'm considering switching my two over to TOTW, specifically the Lamb formula (no clue what it's called), but had heard from several people who feed it that it can make dogs excessively thirsty. Has anyone else seen that to be true? As I have one who is excessively thirsty b/c of phenobarbital, I'd hate to feed a food that would increase that thirst.


I have not heard that, but I don't know anyone that feeds that formula. I would like to know the answer to that one too.


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## Crazy4Gold

I have had my girls on TOTW Pacific Stream for the past three years.Coats are gorgeous and they maintain very well on it.I have not noticed any change in their water intake.

Just switched my boy, Walker, over to Pacific Stream from TOTW Wetlands formula.He is doing really well on it and loves the taste.Can't say anything about them smelling fishy on this as I have no sense of smell so couldn't smell them anyway.

Tried them all on the High Prairie but none of them liked it.They don't seem to like any food with Bison in it.


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## GoldenSail

I have fed my dog TOTW off and on. I like the Pacific Stream, but I have rotated for variety. Of course last time I did that I was visiting family and she had loose stools and they blamed it on that. I think it was stress from the long car ride.


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## SunGold

I rotated through all the TOTW formulas for quite a few months - my dogs coats never looked so bad! Dry, brittle, not healthy at all.  Finally back on a mix of ProPlan & Canidae and things are already looking better. I really liked the ingredients, etc... but my guys just didn't do well on it.


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## Hali's Mom

I fed the salmon and rice TOTW to Hali as she had allergies. I started with Solid Gold "Barking at the Moon" same basic ingredients but about $15-20 more for the large bag. Switched to TOTW and never looked back.


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## babbs

Sandie prefers the salmon and wetlands formulas so I stick with those. We switched from Fromm because of having trouble keeping weight on at 4 cups a day. With TOTW, she gets 3 cups a day and is maintaining nicely. Her coat is much shinier and fuller also.


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## jweisman54

I've been feeding Taste of the Wild Sierra Mountain which is the lamb forumula for about 5 months now. She did not do well on Fromm or the Merrick, probably had a poultry allergy. Her poops were always loose on those. Her coat is beautiful, soft and silky and her poops are nice and solid. I feed 2 cups a day and she is almost 13 months at 61 pounds.


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## Stretchdrive

I had to feed more of other brands I have fed too, even when I fed Orijen. All 3 of my dogs only get 2 cups of food each per day. one is a 60lb 11 year old, and the other two young performance dogs with tons of energy. If you looked at the poop in my backyard, you would think I had 1 cat, and 2 small dogs. Their coats look great too! Another thing I really love is that it is a food that I can afford, and still feel good about feeding


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## TonyRay

W have been using TOTW for about a year now....
I think it's the best food out there for dogs...
Just got the newer Lamb formula...
the coats of both girls are shiny and soft......
Everyone sez our girls feel like mink..lol
there stools are always solid, never mushy...
The best thing about all the formulas is the low calories...
Just noticed the Lamb formula is even lower than wetlands and the Salmon..

Our girls are big water drinkers so we would never know if any foods
make them extra thirsty....


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## Jamm

I dont feed TOTW but I LOVE the food. I always recommend it to customers who come in my store looking for a new food. The most common one in our store is the Fowl one. Don't remember the name of that one.


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## Stretchdrive

Anyone try the feline formulas? We have been feeding Rocky Mountain feline for a few years, but I am wondering if peoples cats like the taste of the Canyon River one. We have yet to try that formula.


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## iansgran

When I switched Jaro to adult food I started with Wetlands because he had been on a chicken based puppy food. He had a lot of eye buggers (read that is the body getting rid of protein) so when the bag was empty we went with Sierra Mountain. Now only occasional eye buggers--the lamb has lower protein.


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## leonidas7

after doing much research and many trips to many stores seeking advice, we finally decided to pick up a bag of TOTW Pacific Stream formula.

Leo has been loosing a lot of fur and has been itching his ears and biting his paws, not to mention the loose stools and very gassy.

He was on Proplan Chicken and Rice formula before and we either think he may have an intolerance to one of the ingerdiance in the proplan formula.

We put him on Hills Science Diet I/D to help his digestive system get back on track after the coccidia. We were going to go with the Wetlands formula but we decided to go with the pacific stream since it has salmon in it and doesn't have any chicken.. 

Anyways, we are on day 1 of our switch and are hoping for good results.:crossfing


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## Bentley's Mom

I just switched Bentley to the Pacific Stream TOTW. He LOVES it and he has never loved any food, treats yes but food...not so much. So far everything is great. I hope you have the same success


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## Deber

My dogs are on TOTW Lamb (think it is the Sierra Mtn). They are doing really good on it (from Eucanuba LB puppy). Stools are finally firm and coats are really looking great. Big plus is that it is avaliable at our local Tractor Supply store instead of me driving over an hour to get to a Petsmart. We will stick with this unless we have problems.


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## Wendy427

I've been feeding Lacey TOTW Salmon since I adopted her back in April 2008. Her previous owners had her on Beneful :no:

Well, her skin and coat are MAHVELOUS! Never had an allergy.

She LOVES this food. I mix in a 1/4 can of unsalted French-style green beans with the 1 cup TOTW. She's fed twice a day.


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## Ljilly28

SunGold said:


> I rotated through all the TOTW formulas for quite a few months - my dogs coats never looked so bad! Dry, brittle, not healthy at all.  Finally back on a mix of ProPlan & Canidae and things are already looking better. I really liked the ingredients, etc... but my guys just didn't do well on it.


I had this experience too. I really want to feed it( Fromm too), but the dogs lose weight and their coats suffer. Nature's Variety and the new Solid Gold chicken formula are my latest trial. The tried and true is Eukanuba Premium Performance with Honest Kitchen topping. I always get beauitful coats and beautiful bloodwork/CBCs. I am not sure why I change away, except that I feel pressure to feed a "better" brand. Dog food is perplexing.


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## leonidas7

day 3.. checking in, we are now at 1/2 Hills I/D, and 1/2 TOTW Pacific Stream. Leo is doing well on it so far:crossfing, his stool is firm and doesn't smell too fishy lol.. Although his ears are starting to smell a little like fish.


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## CarolinaCasey

leonidas7 said:


> day 3.. checking in, we are now at 1/2 Hills I/D, and 1/2 TOTW Pacific Stream. Leo is doing well on it so far:crossfing, his stool is firm and doesn't smell too fishy lol.. Although his ears are starting to smell a little like fish.


I really doubt the food at this point has anything to do with his ears. It sounds like the beginning of a yeasty ear infection.


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## Hali's Mom

Also, make sure that any treats you give are free of grain and chicken or you are wasting your time switching to a food that does not have those ingredients.
Sometimes people forget about the treats.


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## leonidas7

CarolinaCasey said:


> I really doubt the food at this point has anything to do with his ears. It sounds like the beginning of a yeasty ear infection.


What can I do to avoid/ prevent this?


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## tedatac1

Just got a bag of TOTW Pacific Stream to try with Packer and Lambeau. Our local Tractor Supply Store was sold out of the TOTW foods, got there today just as their truck arrived.


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## leonidas7

Leo has been doing pretty well on TOTW, he's probably been on it for about 2 weeks or so. However, the vet wanted me to switch him back to a large breed puppy formula. He is in the process of switching to Wellness super5mix puppy..


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## scout637

*TOTW test*

Ok, my golden is a 7 year old male who was raised on Beneful dog food. He was neutered last July and since then has shown all the signs of food allergies. His paws are swollen, he licks them all the time, bloated belly, some hair loss, and very lethargic.
Last night I stopped the Beneful and just gave him lightly cooked venison starting this morning. By lunch time we noticed his paws don't seem quite as swollen and he is a little less lethargic.
After some research I have decided to put him on Taste of the Wild High Prairie Formula. All their formulas looked good but this one contains venison and he has already shown improvement with venison. So tonight will be feeding number 1 with TOTW. I will post updates as often as I can. :crossfing


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## PrincessDi

We had our 14 year old golden, Max on High Prairie and the Salmon for about a year. We would get 1 bag of one flavor and rotate the other the next. He was doing really good on it and wasn't having as many hot spots and no ear infections. But just this week after his kidney values were high on a blood panel, the vet put him on K/D. Probably the Deramaxx that caused this.


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## CarolinaCasey

scout637 said:


> Ok, my golden is a 7 year old male who was raised on Beneful dog food. He was neutered last July and since then has shown all the signs of food allergies. His paws are swollen, he licks them all the time, bloated belly, some hair loss, and very lethargic.
> Last night I stopped the Beneful and just gave him lightly cooked venison starting this morning. By lunch time we noticed his paws don't seem quite as swollen and he is a little less lethargic.
> After some research I have decided to put him on Taste of the Wild High Prairie Formula. All their formulas looked good but this one contains venison and he has already shown improvement with venison. So tonight will be feeding number 1 with TOTW. I will post updates as often as I can. :crossfing


Some of these symptoms point to hypothyroidism.... coupled with the fact that it just started after being neutered... it makes me wonder. 

I would recommend a full thyroid panel sent to MSU or Dr. Jean Dodds. Your vet should be told this specifically because some are just sent to IDEXX and it isn't the full panel.

On the food topic, I feed TOTW and am VERY please with the results.


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## GoldensGirl

scout637 said:


> Ok, my golden is a 7 year old male who was raised on Beneful dog food. He was neutered last July and since then has shown all the signs of food allergies. His paws are swollen, he licks them all the time, bloated belly, some hair loss, and very lethargic.
> Last night I stopped the Beneful and just gave him lightly cooked venison starting this morning. By lunch time we noticed his paws don't seem quite as swollen and he is a little less lethargic.
> After some research I have decided to put him on Taste of the Wild High Prairie Formula. All their formulas looked good but this one contains venison and he has already shown improvement with venison. So tonight will be feeding number 1 with TOTW. I will post updates as often as I can. :crossfing


Welcome to the Forum!

My dogs have been on TOTW grain-free food for almost a year now and they are doing very well. 

The symptoms you describe do sound like an allergic response. I don't know what is in Beneful, but many dogs are sensitive to beef and chicken. The classic way to test for food allergy is to stay away from the suspect food for three weeks and then try it again, but be prepared for a strong reaction on that reintroduction of an allergen.

Good luck!


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## elly

My dog is on TOTW venison but didnt do well on the chiicken. Orijen didnt agree with him and he wasnt keen on the salmon but to be fair hes been on salmon foods most of his life and seemed to get sick of fish! He has suspected chicken allergy and hasnt done well on most foods but TOTW venison is one of few foods that doesnt upset his tomach or give him bad eyes. Hes not a very foody dog so getting him to eat is an issue but hes liked it better than most foods and I wish we could get the lamb flavour over here as I would prefer a lower protein. I will keep a look out and maybe contact our suppliers


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## cgriffin

I switched my dogs to Taste of the Wild Sierra Mountain formula, which is the roasted lamb formula, last August. They are doing great on it. I picked that one, because of the lower protein content.
The dogs were on a light dog food previously, which had barely any meat protein and did nothing for their muscles,skin and coat. My dogs have not gained any weight on the TOTW. The only thing different, I just had their geriatric profile done and both had increased protein listed. But, of course this is because of the change in diet. Actually, my lab mix's bloodwork was much better on TOTW than on the light food. My vet was saying that for their age, both dogs have excellent bloodwork results, no red flags at all.
Oh, somebody had a question about increased thirst with the lamb formula, no, I have not noticed that with my dogs.


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## 3 goldens

I have been using TOTW for several years. The only ones I have used is the High Prairie and WSetlands. KayCee was only it a short time before I lost her to cancer,but she LOVED it, as does Honey. I have noted that Honey prefers the HP to the Welands.

Honey's coat feels like velvet. Everyone coming here comments on her soft, thick and shiney her coat is. And as for poops, heck I have a hard time finding them. She will do one about the size of my little finger and that is it.

I had switched to the grainfree, not becaue of allergies, but because I was hoping to ward off cancer as I have read so many times cancer feeds on carbs and grains are so rich with them. Little did I knowKayCee already had a turmor. Honey also had a mast cell turmor removed from her leg a little over 2 1/2 years ago, and I am hoping that by continuing with the grainfree food and giving her benadryl ech day, it won't come back, or at least come back for a long time. She has some fatty lumps that we are keeping a very close eye on and having tested every few months, but so far no cancer cells in the "sample.: She is 10 1/2 and this is to be expected.

As an added note, even Honey is 10 1/2, she looks and acts more like she is a year or two old. Last night my grandson spent the night and honey was tossing a piece of crumpled paper in the air and pouncing on it, turning in circles with it, then tossing it again. Zack said to me, "MamMoo, doesn't she know she is an old lady and not a puppy anymore." I know I could lose her tomorrow or next week or next month, but at the moment, nobody believes it when I tell them she is 10 1/2.


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## 3 goldens

Scout637, I agree with post that said to hae your guy checked for thyroid. I do know that the TOTW is a much better food (I woudl hav known that 20 years ago), but also his symjptons sound very much like low thyroid. We have dealth with that twice, full brothers, different litters. The older one was diagnosed about the time he turned 4 and he had the lack of energy, thinning , coarser fur, even a change in temperament. But once on meds, he returned to his old self--by the way he was a top duck retriever. Then his younger brother was diagnosed at age 10---and he didn't have a single sympton. His was caught during the full blood panel before a dental---and his was much lower than his brothers had ever been. Strange the the one with the much lower thyroid show no symptons at all which the other showed them all.

Bucks low thyroid took us and our vet by total surprise. Usually they will show at least one syjpton. So I do advixe you to have your boy checked, and good luck. also, keep him on TOTW. And welcome.


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## scout637

Ok, here is an update on my golden. Started his new diet on the 5th. The morning of the 6th he had a bad tummy which left me with a huge cleaning job. I did not feed him that evening. After cleaning up I decided he needed a bath as well. when I removed his leather collar I noticed the skin under the collar on the chest side was bare and pink. It seemed very irritated as well. After bathing him I dried him off and applied some ointment I had from the vet for hot spots. I left his collar off and put his harness on instead. The next morning he seemed full of energy and hungry. I gave him a small amount of TOTW and he ate with no hesitation. The hot spot on his neck looked 100% better and didn't seem so sensitive. He has been eating TOTW ever since and is doing well. His feet aren't swollen and I haven't seen him licking them. I wonder if all this was from his leather collar irritating his skin.


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## Deber

We also feel TOTW Sierra Mt. (lamb) and dogs are doing very well on it. Glad to hear your boy is doing better. I would still get a full panel run on him as soon as you can. It would tell you what is going on with him. Could just be allergies, could be low thyroid, but you would have a better idea. Panels are really good to have on record as our dogs age for comparison so things can be caught in the beginning not later.

Let us know how things go.


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## wmag

Kasey has always been on proplan chicken and rice. She did good on that except for really bad gas. I decided to try sensitive skin and stomach thought maybe it was the chicken bothering her. That was a nightmare. I started adding a 1/4 of it into her usual food. She had even worse gas and diarhea from that small amount. I gave it to her for 2 days and she just could not get used to it. I decided to try taste of the wild sierra mountain lamb. So far I love it. Kasey loves it too! She has always been food motivated but I never had a problem with her sitting and waiting patiently for her food until now! As soon as I open the bag she is putting her face in it. I have to fight her to get it in her bowl!


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## tedatac1

About a month ago, Packer decided she had enough with TOTW. We tried the different kinds, tried mixing it some other foods (some she wouldn't eat at all still, other she'd pick around the TOTW) - in the end Lambeau would eat his food then try to go eat Packers as well. We now have switched them onto Pro Plan and Lambeau doesn't get an opportunity to go after Packers food - they both eat what's put in their dish before the other has a chance to check it out! 
Before Packers TOTW strike, she had been eating it pretty good. Was strange to just see her refuse the food one day. We had a little TOTW remaining and offered her a little bit just a few days ago, she still won't touch it.


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## capegoldenbaxter

Hi, Baxter is 9 weeks old. He came from breeder on Pro Plan focus puppy food. I prefer to get him on a better quality food. His eyes are runny also and I think it is this food. I tried the taste of the wild puppy food for a couple days last week mixing it in small amounts. His eyes were getting better for sure, but his stool became a bit softer. I think I got nervous so I switched him back 100% on the pro plan again. Stools normal again, but his eyes are teary and his nose a little runny. I want to try to get him on taste of the wild puppy again, but what it to be successful for him. How do I do it? Maybe I did it wrong before. He doesn't see the vet for 2 weeks. Thank you.


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## mylissyk

I really think you would attribute runny eyes and nose to environmental allergies rather than food. 

If you want to switch foods, do it very slowly. Start with replacing 1/3 cup per meal of the old food with about 1/3 cup per meal of the new food. A week later increase the new food slightly, keep the mix at that amount for another week, then increase the new food again, until you made the switch to the new food over a couple of weeks. If the stool gets loose as you increase the new food, it's likely the food won't work for your puppy.

Pro Plan is a good quality food, unless your puppy is doing poorly on it, tummy upset, loose stools, not gaining weight or not growing, you could just stay with it.


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## capegoldenbaxter

Thank you. I just thought food allergies because his eyes were so much better when I started switching the food. I'll go slow and see what happens


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## mylissyk

These are more typical food allergy symptoms:

Excerpt from Food Allergies & Food Intolerance in Dogs

Symptoms

The symptoms of food allergies are similar to those of most allergies seen in dogs and cats. The primary symptom is itchy skin affecting primarily the face, feet, ears, forelegs, armpits and the area around the anus. Symptoms may also include chronic or recurrent ear infections, hair loss, excessive scratching, hot spots, and skin infections that respond to antibiotics but reoccur after antibiotics are discontinued. There is evidence that dogs with food allergies may sometimes have an increased incidence of bowel movements. One study showed that non-allergic dogs have around 1.5 bowel movements per day where some dogs with food allergies may have 3 or more per day.

It is difficult to distinguish an animal suffering from food allergies from an animal suffering from atopy or other allergies based on physical signs. However, there are a few signs that increase the suspicion that food allergies may be present. One of these, is a dog with recurrent ear problems, particularly yeast infections. Another, is a very young dog with moderate or severe skin problems. A third tip off, is if a dog suffers from allergies year-round or if the symptoms begin in the winter. And the final clue, is a dog that has very itchy skin but does not respond to steroid treatment.


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## LUCKYme

Ive fed TOTW for 6 years now, never any problems. Lucky has maintained a healthy weight, a great coat, and overall the food has been wonderful. Never any problems with recalls etc. We fed the high prairie and the salmon formula. I recently switched to Fromm only because their sourcing is better and less commercial.


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## Susabelle

I've been feeding Bonnie Fromm since she was a pup and we brought her home. Now she is (almost) 8 months and she just isn't wanting it. I have my 10 yo shepherd on TOTW Pacific stream and have done so for most of her life, we rotate different varieties, we had put her on the Fromm when we brought Bonnie home, but she didn't seem to thrive on it and we switched her back after a few months. She had developed hot spots and lack of energy, her back started to bother her and she seemed to be developing arthritis. Now that we have her back on TOTW her energy is back and the hot spots are gone and she doesn't seem to be in pain anymore...It is a good food and after such good results I'm getting ready to switch our Bonnie over. Bonnie has had a few bouts of diarrhea and Ava NEVER had such problems with it yet her stools were softer (and larger) on Fromm.


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## Melfice

Susabelle said:


> I've been feeding Bonnie Fromm since she was a pup and we brought her home. Now she is (almost) 8 months and she just isn't wanting it. I have my 10 yo shepherd on TOTW Pacific stream and have done so for most of her life, we rotate different varieties, we had put her on the Fromm when we brought Bonnie home, but she didn't seem to thrive on it and we switched her back after a few months. She had developed hot spots and lack of energy, her back started to bother her and she seemed to be developing arthritis. Now that we have her back on TOTW her energy is back and the hot spots are gone and she doesn't seem to be in pain anymore...It is a good food and after such good results I'm getting ready to switch our Bonnie over. Bonnie has had a few bouts of diarrhea and Ava NEVER had such problems with it yet her stools were softer (and larger) on Fromm.


Which Fromm line were you feeding your shepherd btw?


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## Susabelle

The purple bag...not sure what it is called right now since I no longer have the bag. It was chicken based though. I still believe it is a good food for the right dog, but I've decided to try Bonnie on TOTW based on the results from Ava.


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## Melfice

Susabelle said:


> The purple bag...not sure what it is called right now since I no longer have the bag. It was chicken based though. I still believe it is a good food for the right dog, but I've decided to try Bonnie on TOTW based on the results from Ava.


Oh ok cool. That line is not grain free, and being chicken maybe that's why your Shepherd had issues with Fromm etc.


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## momo_

Ooo, I like that this 4 y.o. thread has been bumped! 

We're waiting on our first TOTW bag to be delivered. It's the Sierra Mountain one. We'll see how he goes!


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## thorbreafortuna

We rotate between Pacific Stream and Sierra Mountain. Those are the two that have no chicken which my pup is sensitive to. He loves them both and does well on them.


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## momo_

thorbreafortuna said:


> We rotate between Pacific Stream and Sierra Mountain. Those are the two that have no chicken which my pup is sensitive to. He loves them both and does well on them.


I just saw this comment after I posted a whole thread on it. :doh:
How old is your puppy? Are you feeding the adult formula Pacific Stream? 
I'd also like the rotate between lamb and salmon, but there's no puppy salmon formula in Australia, and I'm not sure if the adult one is okay!


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