Open Farm - Salmon and Ancient Grains ; Opinions?

[bassplayer72]

Hi, so I'm looking for opinions on this food.

I took him off royal canin because I could not afford the price, and the quality of dog food is not the same as that of cat food. We then noticed he had allergies, and we know that grain-free diets are NOT the best (Given the risk/high correlation with heart disease). I want to make sure he gets good food though, so opinions are welcome

P.S. he is allergic to flaxseed, chicken, beef, venison, and lamb. I prefer fish over duck (my mom runs a bird rehab). He loved the lamb one, and seems neutral about this flavor. Also, he will not eat nature balnce food, he just refuses).

EDIT: Why does everyone downvote the comments who like Open Farm...? I'm genuinely confused, is there something I'm missing?

 

[prophecy7777]

@bassplayer72 I love open farm ancient grain dog food! My dog is sensitive as well too chicken, as well as others. And I put him on open farm ancient grain lamb. I also use the freeze dried raw as a topping. He has been way healthier now! No more chewing his feet or scratching all the time and his skin and fur look way way better. I am really happy I found open farm. You should really give it a go

 

[aldert]

@prophecy7777 What dog breed do you have? My Amstaff also constantly scratches and chews his feet.
I am hoping a transition to Open Farm will help his skin / overall health.

 

[profsanctvs]

@prophecy7777 Which freeze dried do you use as a topper? Is it also Open Farm? I feed mine the raw mix but thinking of changing to the lamb and getting a separate topper.

 

[stryker4]

@bassplayer72 What about pro plan sensitive skin and stomach in the salmon flavor? It’s WSAVA compliant and checks all your boxes

Also like someone else mentioned if you got the allergy results from a test they are likely incorrect. Environmental allergies are more common

 

[lyndam]

@stryker4 Second Purina Pro Plan, it's WSAVA and studied extensively. My girl (now about 13) has been on it for 3+ years now and is thriving.

 

[zetana]

@stryker4 It’s not impossible though, anecdotally I’ve had multiple dogs have allergies that (as advised by a vet) after switching foods either went away or significantly decreased, and I know lots of other people with the same experience. One dog I had had the reddest itchiest skin on every big five dog food he was ever on but was healthy as a horse on anything else. Pro plan is great and I’m not trying to dissuade OP from it but ‘feed the dog in front of you’ is a pretty important thing to keep in mind IMO. If their dog is consistently doing poorly on foods containing those ingredients but fine on other things then it makes sense to avoid them in favour of foods without those ingredients.

Edit: am I really being downvoted for following a vets advice lol. To be clear I’ve had some pets who did great on big five food. But I’ve also had some who had health issues vanish when switched to something else. If OP has issues with feeding their dog big five brands, they shouldn’t be attacked for doing what’s right for their dog, especially if it’s recommended by their vet…which, again, was the case for me.

 

[stryker4]

@zetana I totally agree. I have a cat who is allergic to chicken and turkey that my vet and I determined after doing months of elimination diets. Our options were hydrolyzed protein prescription food or a non WSAVA wellness brand food and my vet encouraged me to try the wellness before getting on a prescription diet both for convenience and because of supply chain issues with prescription diets.

 

[zetana]

@stryker4 This was years ago and I don’t think hydrolyzed diets were a thing at the time (or at least not something I was offered) but the vet took one look at him and asked what we were feeding (some purina brand chicken flavour), said switch to a salmon one and probably 70% of the itching went away. I know people in this sub and in some dog nutrition fb groups are really fond of saying that it’s unlikely which is totally fair but I don’t think anyone should rule it out, especially if they’re seeing direct results.

WSAVA compliant is great but personally I’ve had lots of pets who were far healthier and with more energy on other brands. I understand the hesitance to recommend them (and am hesitant myself) but I have a hard time telling anyone that they shouldn’t ever even consider it cuz god knows I’ve had animals who totally turned around on boutique brands.

 

[bassplayer72]

@stryker4 His reactions started when we first swapped his food from a crappy one (fed by his foster mom), to blue buffalo and then other foods. Furr loss, red skin, itchy nose, inflamed in his ears. Chicken seems to agrevate furr loss, beef the nose, lamb the red skin. He was used to being outdoors often, and these symptoms only happened after the food, so that's what we're treating atm. thankyou for the advice

 

[apachemom]

@bassplayer72 Open Farm is an amazing brand of dog food. The big difference between this brand and Purina is that Purina is a mass produced brand and doesn’t care about the meat industry standards for the proteins they use. Open Farm does only Certified Humane meats and Line Caught fish as opposed to using a net…which catches anything in the ocean.
Remember those feeding trials you talk about are usually beagles from a puppy mill run by Marshalls. They are not the family pet trying the food. The dogs who are doing the trials are usually kept in smaller crates so they don’t get a lot of exercise and certainly no human interaction in any loving manner.
I do believe theres not one dog food that works for every dog but as for quality standards Open Farm is top notch.

 

[sevilodorf]

@apachemom Do you... think that Open Farm is not "mass produced?"

Remember those feeding trials you talk about are usually beagles from a puppy mill run by Marshalls.

That is a totally incorrect characterization of feeding trials. Those are done in house by Purina, RC, and Hills, not farmed out to places like Envigo that have been in the news, and they are not run that way at all. That is fear mongering misinformation perpetuated by places that don't want to invest in humane feeding trials.

https://dcmdogfood.com/pet-food-company-visits-hills-pet-food-topeka-kansas/

 

[newlight]

@sevilodorf purina never list meat on its own, its always "chicken-meal, turkey-meal" etc.

any meat with a "-meal" on it means its terrible meat, possibly rotting that they cooked at extremely high temperatures to make it passable.

 

[sevilodorf]

@newlight That is absolutely 100% inaccurate.

It's simply rendered meat, which means it's more nutrient dense and has less water weight than muscle meat. That means there is more of it. Meals are well regulated ingredients and are not "terrible" or rotting.

https://www.aafco.org/consumers/understanding-pet-food/whats-in-the-ingredients-list/

https://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2016/05/dont-be-bothered-by-by-products/

https://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2016/06/why-you-shouldnt-judge-a-pet-food-by-its-ingredient-list/

You are also incorrect on the basic premise of Purina ingredients lists. Take a look at this one:

https://www.chewy.com/purina-pro-pl...wvMbjoKwYmFnKRnzMpLRukbA7KXz-6ZIaApNDEALw_wcB

 

[newlight]

@sevilodorf Chicken meal is derived from carcasses of chickens:

"Because meat can be rid of infectious agents through the rendering process, “4D” animals (dead, dying, diseased or disabled) are allowable chicken meal ingredients."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_meal

 

[sevilodorf]

@newlight Nope! Chicken meal that is not heavily regulated for pet food can be used for any number of things like this. Chicken meal that is used in pet food is subject to the definitions established by AAFCO as linked above.

That wikipedia article uses Susan Thixton as a source citation for that claim; she is a known anti-science person with zero education or experience in the pet food industry. That is not a reputable source and is the precise reason wikipedia is not a reliable resource for stuff like this.

 

[shagsnacks]

@bassplayer72 So first of all I would go with a food that is fully WSAVA compliant. Unfortunately, Open Farm is not because they don’t do feeding trials… Purina Pro-Plan and Purina One are cheaper than Royal Canin, and are backed by research. Second is that a lot of at home dog allergy tests are apparently pretty suspect. I would talk to his vet about allergies because you might actually need to do a full elimination diet. But your vet might find that he has environment allergies, which are more common than food allergies. Good luck with your pup!

 

[bassplayer72]

@shagsnacks Thanks for the advice! His vet actually ordered a blood test for allergies. Prior to that, based on his reactions when we swapped foods to try and stop his furr loss, those are the proteins we've noticed he reacts to. Chicken has him shed horribly, beef makes his face and skin itchy. Lamb is the least reactive out of all of them, but he still sheds considerably and his skin gets a bit red. Venison was highlighted by the report. He, unfortunately, failed at being a carnivore Thank you for the advice by the way! I have noticed people make connections between WSAVA being funded heavily by all the companies it states as 'compliant', so I'm a bit cautious about taking them at face value. I will definitely look into Purina though!

EDIT: I'm not saying WSAVA is bad, I'm saying I'm trying to be cautious about things and taking both sides I've heard into consideration so that I make the best choice for my pup (he's not a 'puppy' but well.. aren't all dogs puppies?)

 

[saussiona]

@bassplayer72 ALL companies are able to donate to the research that the WSAVA conducts, they simply choose not to. It’s interesting how the only brands that have decades of research and prioritize science in their food are also the only brands that donate to this giant scientific organization.

 

[sevilodorf]

@bassplayer72 WSAVA doesn't list, evaluate, or rate any diets! They do not name "compliance" of any kind.

They just publish a list of guidelines that consumers can ask companies about; it's up to us to determine which ones meet the highest standards. And luckily vets have done the legwork for us in outlining what those high standards are.

I actually think that system kind of sucks because it leaves room for boutique brands to claim they meet high standards they do not meet, but it isn't about being pay to play for those guidelines since they work that way. You won't find anyone from WSAVA talking specifically about any brand.

Those guidelines are also endorsed by more than three dozen national and international vet organizations who DO recommend we take them at face value