Alert for Canidae Users: Formula Changes

[bliss7373]

I do not feed Canidaee, but I know many here do. I ran across some information in a different forum that you may want to know.

Canidae is changing it's formulas. In a nutshell, the food will no longer be gluten free, as barley and millet will be added. Rice bran is a new ingredient as well (I believe), as are peas. Instead of "herring meal," they'll be using "ocean fish meal" which gives them quite a bit more leeway in exactly what they're putting in that food.

Here are comparisons, with links to the website:

Canidae All Lifestages
Old Formula: Canidae® Pet Food All Life Stages: Dry
http://http://canidae.com/dogs/all_life_stages/dry.html:
New Formula: Canidae® Pet Foods - All Natural Dog Food - All Life Stages dry

Canidae Platinum
Old Formula: Canidae® Pet Foods: Platinum: Dry http://http://canidae.com/dogs/platinum/dry.html
New Formula: Canidae® Pet Foods - All Natural Dog Food - Platinum Senior and Over Weight dry: Canidae® Pet Foods - All Natural Dog Food - Platinum Senior and Over Weight dry

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: Canidae® Pet Foods: All Life Stages: Dry: Chicken & Rice Canidae® Pet Foods: All Life Stages: Dry: Chicken & Rice
New Formula: Canidae® Pet Foods - All Natural Dog Food - Chicken & Rice dryCanidae® Pet Foods - All Natural Dog Food - Chicken & Rice dry

Canidae Lamb & Rice
New Formula: Canidae® Pet Foods - All Natural Dog Food - Lamb & Rice dry
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

[chrisjd]

What a bunch of crap. Cost cutting at it's finest.

[brunie's mom]

Yes...it's all up on their website...."New and Improved Formula"....what a bunch of crap!
I have a feeling that the price of rice went up and they had to find some cheaper sources of grains and fiber. Peas most often make dogs gassy.

I sent them a letter asking why they changed the formula?? and telling them that they have changed it for the worse not better.

I also said that I would NOT be recommending this food to any fellow dog lovers, or my boarding customers anymore.
It's not a terrible food, but Costco's Kirkland Chicken & Rice is very similar now and less then half the price.

They had a good thing going....not sure why they had to change it???

Gina

[observer]

I noticed that the calories per cup on the platinum went from 400 to 330. That may be a significant difference over time, for those who are continuing to use it.

[debbiej]

well dang it. my pet food store finally started carrying the lamb and rice formula of canidae. I've wanted them to for quite a while. boris does not do well on any food with turkey in it.

all the dogs are doing ok on taste of the wild, but the calorie per cup is 370 and the protein is 32%. that seems strange to me. shouldn't calories be higher in a high protein food?

anyway, I was delighted that they were going to sell the lamb and rice formula. I felt it give me a choice of a good food that claims to use human grade lamb, with a price of under $1.00 per pound. protein on it is 21% and cal/cup is 457. so is this not such a good food anymore?

I bought a 40# bag (it is the new formula) for $37.90 + tax.

[sweetlee]

I also wrote them a couple of weeks ago and told them that many dog owners watch their dog's food carefully and will not be fooled by the "new and improved" rice and lamb formula.
I love the part of the website that says your dog may experience loose stools for a day or two. Well Dodge went more than a day or two and when I bought him a bag of California Natural he firmed back up again. Immediately. I got lucky this time. It took me months to find a food that set well with him and I was a huge believer in Canidae lamb and rice and recommended it often for people here who had dogs with mushy stools and were searching for a food.
Of course it's cost cutting, and they think we are dumb enough to believe they are improving their foods. Wonder how much they spent on that marketing strategy? I gotta admit, on the website it looks wonderful for those who aren't ingredient checkers.
I had written them and told them I would be donating the rest of my 40 lb bag to my local shelter, but since they haven't bothered to contact me back, I think I am going to ask for a refund now, and still donate the rest of the bag. the fact they have ignored me really has me pissed. I talked to the manager at the pet food store and nobody notified her of any changes and they certainly didn't bother putting on the bag for anyone to look before forking out the money.
Dog food is high here, the Canidae was 45.99 for a 40 lb bag and now the California Natural is the same price for 36 pounds. But when you have a dog who is as sensitive as mine, trust me you will pay whatever for the convenience of picking up turds instead of hosing yellow cow pies off the yard. Not to mention we all know it feels to have warm, yellow, bilish and mushy poop. poor baby. Sorry about that last graphic bit, but most of you probably know what I mean.

[MarleysMama]

This is so funny that this is being brought up b/c Marley downright refused to eat his Canidae after a while!! We switched to CA Nat, and are getting ready to switch to raw.

It's very sad that what was known as a great dog food, and great company, does this.

I did hear from the pet store we used to buy our Canidae from, that the company was supposedly bought out...not sure how true that is though.

[shybird]

Originally Posted by MarleysMama

I did hear from the pet store we used to buy our Canidae from, that the company was supposedly bought out...not sure how true that is though.

I've heard the same thing. Rumor has it that it is Diamond Food.

*BCAA members that feed Canidae wish to thank you for the information. You have solved the mystery as to why at least 5 members dogs have diarrhea shortly after opening their new bags of Canidae.

*BCAA is an all breed rescue group that I volunteer with.

[debbiej]

how can one find out who, if anyone, bought canidae? knowing that diamond makes taste of the wild was one of the reasons I was suspicious of the food. darn.

as far as the changes go, I'm confused. I have been spending a lot of time researching food and diets. peas are in a number of "home cooked" recipes for dogs. so is barley and millet. the canidae website claims that the amount of meat has increased.

[CleasMommy]

I'll be switching my guys off of Canidae and probably on to California Natural!

[hawksview]

Im not sure that diamond actually bought canidae but from what i have been hearing they will be producing it for them at one of their factories

[ibkittykat]

Man this really changes things. I already emailed them and told them this was not a good decision,a nd I would not feed/reccomend the food anymore either. They had to go and ruin a good thing. Im definately switching. doggoneit.

[brunie's mom]

This is the reply I got back from Canidae when I e-mailed to ask them why they had changed the formula of their foods. I also told them that I was disappointed and would not be using the product or recommending it again.

://www.canidae.com/new-formulas.html
Dear Gina,

Please click on the above link, we have updated our site to insure all your questions are answered about our newly improved formulas. Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom of that page.

Our quality of raw material as well as quality control has actual increased not decreased. Yes we have diversified our complex carbohydrates as rice continues to climb and high quality availability decreases. Our products are better than ever and more consistent. Yes we have cut costs on shipping rates as fuel continues to go through the roof. To ship pet food from one location is no longer cost effective. Our economy is facing some challenging times and we are being proactive in offering you the highest quality products, yet affordable enough for our consumers to purchase. We are not sure about other companies and their plans for change or their reasons in the past, however we feel we are being open and honest about our changes. We are getting alot of positive feedback from our customers that are actually feeding their pets our improved formulas, who also refrain from listening to rumors or incorrect information.





We thank thank you for your comments, and hope you are able to try our products.

Sincerely,
Julie@Team Canidae


Gina

[ZoesMomma]

Here is their response:

> CANIDAE® Pet Foods: Facts About the Improved CANIDAE and FELIDAE Dry Formulas
> Dear Bev,
>
> Please click on the above link, we have updated our site to insure all
> your questions are answered about our newly improved formulas. Be sure
> to scroll all the way to the bottom of that page.
>
> Due to overwhelming customer support and increased demand on our
> products, we have been faced with unique production capacity challenges.
> Our growing customer support and demand has pushed for increased
> capacity, therefore we have outsourced additional production from
> Diamond Pet Foods. Our customers demand and deserve no less than the
> highest quality safe ingredients, as well as state of the art consistent
> manufacturing. Outsourcing additional production from Diamond comes not
> without first carefully instating and accepting only the strictest
> testing protocols, as well as mandating stringent operating procedures
> to ensure the highest quality products possible at every level of
> production. We are very happy with this relationship and the high
> quality formulations we are able to bring to you. Expect Excellence!
>
>
> All of our suppliers must follow strict protocols set forth by us.
> No single employee can be responsible for the testing of incoming
> ingredients. All testing and reporting must be confirmed by a second
> party. In addition all grains are purchased from a single supplier in
> low aflatoxin risk areas. Even though CANIDAE does not use corn in any
> of our products, we are proactive in creating testing procedures to help
> assure the safety of your pets. Also all CANIDAE formulas are tested
> during our production runs, and cleared by a supervisor, every 30
> minutes to assure the safety of our line. We understand the level of
> trust you must have with the foods you feed your pets, and it's our
> responsibility and commitment to deliver!
>
> *Our quality of raw material as well as quality control has actual
> increased not decreased. *Yes we have diversified our complex
> carbohydrates as rice continues to climb and high quality availability
> decreases. Our products are better than ever and more consistent. Yes we
> have cut costs on shipping rates as fuel continues to go through the
> roof. To ship pet food from one location is no longer cost effective.
> Our economy is facing some challenging times and we are being proactive
> in offering you the highest quality products, yet affordable enough for
> our consumers to purchase. We are not sure about other companies and
> their plans for change or their reasons in the past, however we feel we
> are being open and honest about our changes. We are getting many
> positive feed backs from our customers that are actually feeding their
> pets our improved formulas, who also refrain from listening to rumors or
> incorrect information.
>
>
> We thank thank you for your comments, and hope you are able to try our
> products.
>
> Sincerely,
> Julie@Team Canidae

[Patinka]

Let's stay on topic here and talk about Canidae. Another thread has been started on what to feed as an alternative to Canidae.

Patinka