M.L. Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 I just bought a bag of the High Prairie Taste of the Wild Dog Food for my dogs. I also just learned that it is manufactured by Diamond. I know that Diamond was involved in recalls. Should I be worried about quality? It seems like a pretty good food. My intention is to rotate it with Canidae and some others. My cat has been eating it for over a month and is doing well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 If you know that Diamond was affected by recalls (and I'm assuming you mean the one from a year or two ago), then you should know that was for aflatoxin in the food, and aflatoxin is found in corn, so you should be safe feeding a grain-free kibble. Caveat: If they're producing Taste of the Wild in the same plant where they also produce some of their corn-containing kibble, then there is the possibility of cross-contamination. But I'm betting they learned their lesson after the aflatoxin thing and are being careful. I wouldn't hesitate to feed it (and have, as well as their Chicken Soup line). J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.L. Posted February 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 Yes, I was thinking of cross contamination because that did happen with their last recalls. At least according to the research I did today. I bought the food today and of course did a bit more research when I got home and found out that it was produced by Diamond. I didn't realize this before. The site does say that all of the meat sources are bought from human grade suppliers and are certified antibiotic and hormone free. I was just a bit concerned about the trustworthiness of the company. Their Diamond site (different from the Taste of the Wild site) does say that they now do 151 safety checks, so I'm guessing it would be the same for Taste of the Wild, which has a website that isn't as thorough - maybe not finished yet. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pipedream Farm Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 M.L., Any dog food company that uses any grain in their kibble can end up with mycotoxin (alfatoxin is one of several) contamination in their food. The only way to prevent mycotoxin contaminated food from getting to the stores is to test the finished product as well as the incoming raw material (which Diamond does now). The reason for this is raw gains come in by the tractor trailer load and the moldy grain (certain molds produce the mycotoxins) will have come from a small section of the field and will therefore be confined to a small section of the load. Samples of the load are taken and tested, if the sampling method did not find the moldy section in the load then it will pass the incoming tests and the grain will be used in making the dog food. Testing the finished product as well as the raw materials is the result of recall and the realization that the incoming tests were insufficient. I wonder how many manufactures are testing their finished dog food. I don't believe Diamond had cross contamination of alfatoxin; I believe you are thinking about the Menu Foods adulterated gluten (melamine) recalls. As Julie stated, dog food with no grain will be risk free for mycotoxin contamination. Mark BTW we feed Diamond and currently have 120-160lbs at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiegirl Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 Thanks for the heads up on who manufactures this. I didn't know this was a Diamond product. Thus far, I really like it, and more importantly, so do all the animals- AND there is less pick up in the yard- THIS is grrrreat. This recent bag is the poultry version, but I also fed the fish, next will be the venison. I am mixing it with the canidae for now. Even kitten likes his feline version, and it is not crumbly like the EVO was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G. Festerling Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 All my feeds are Diamond. I feed Diamond Naturals, Diamond Hi-Energy and Taste of the Wild. I have absolutly no concerns. I used to be notorious for changing a lot. Not anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pipedream Farm Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 I understand that the quality of the ingredients is very important; but I also think the following data from the Diamond and Pet Food Direct websites is also informative. Taste of the Wild $42.99 for 30lbs Calculated Metabolizable Energy: 3719 kcal/kg Diamond Naturals Extreme Athlete $33.99 for 40lbs Calculated Metabolizable Energy: 4710 kcal/kg Diamond Hi-Energy $23.99 for 50lbs Calculated Metabolizable Energy: 3820 kcal/kg Diamond Premium $23.99 for 40lbs Calculated Metabolizable Energy: 3886 kcal/kg From these I calculated how much metabolizable energy you get for your dollar from each food. Taste of the Wild: 5,721 kcal/USD Diamond Naturals Extreme Athlete: 12,220 kcal/USD Diamond Hi-Energy: 17,552 kcal/USD Diamond Premium: 14,284 kcal/USD Just some food for thought. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiegirl Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 Mark- can you elaborate on this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 Not Mark, but it appears that the cost per calorie is roughly double to triple for Taste of the Wild, compared to these other Diamond products. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pipedream Farm Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 Metabolizable energy (ME) is the caloric content in the food, the calories in the food. There is an accepted method to calculate the ME in food based upon the measured items in the food (like protein and fat). ME is how the manufacturer determines it's feeding guidelines. Like humans, dogs will need a certain amount of calories to function based upon their activity level and body weight. What I have done is calculated how much these calories from each food will cost. For a human example: There are 69 calories in 4 oz of plain yogurt. The cost of those calories will vary depending upon if you purchase the store brand, Dannon, Yoplait, Stony Field Farms, etc. Also the cost of 69 calories will vary depending upon if you get them from yogurt, cereal, beef, lamb, candy, etc. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 Julie, What Mark did was take the amount of energy available in each variety and then figured out the cost of that amount of energy. So for every dollar you spend on Taste of the Wild, your dog gets nearly 6,000 calories of energy, and for every dollar you spend for Diamond Premium, your dog gets more than twice that amount of energy in the form of calories. Mark's example shows that in terms of price, you are actually getting more useable energy per dollar from the lower-end Diamond foods. ETA: I see that Mark already answered. Oh well. What else this illustrates is that you're paying more per calorie for specific ingredients (or lack thereof). It's cheaper to get calories from corn than from meat (from a manufacturer's standpoint), so if your reasons for feeding the higher-priced product are because you wish to avoid grains, then the cost breakdown shown here won't make a lot of difference in your choice of food. If you are not concerned about grains in the diet, then it makes more economical sense to feed the product that gives more "bang for the buck." J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pipedream Farm Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 When dog food is discussed, price is rarely brought up. However, if the caloric content is similar and you’re okay with the ingredients then why not choose the less expensive product. It's no different than choosing the generic/store brand over the name brand. I see ME and price as overlooked pieces of the decision making process. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.L. Posted February 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 Thanks for the info Mark! All of our dogs really like the food, although they have only eaten it last night and this morning. Even the cat wants to eat it. She sits there waiting until the dogs are done and then licks out their empty bowls. I did mix it with the Canidae I had left. No stomach issues so far. Bailey has the most sensitive stomach, and normally if a food gives him issues he starts with the loose stools and gas within 6 or 7 hours of eating it for the first time. I don't have a problem feeding grains to my dogs. They have been eating Canidae for the last year or more and recently my husband's dogs and Ginger haven't really wanted to eat it. They munch on it and walk away. I just wanted to switch to something different to get them eating again. I'm sure that next time we will go back to something a bit less expensive. The feed store I go to doesn't sell the other Diamond foods, but they have Merrick, Wellness, California Natural, Innova and others - plenty of premium foods that don't cost as much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pipedream Farm Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 The bottom line is how well your dogs do on the food you feed them. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patty Abel Posted February 2, 2008 Report Share Posted February 2, 2008 I found the Diamond lamb and rice at Tractor Supply. No corn at all. 44lbs for 23.99 and sometimes I can catch a sale or 10% off coupon. It is a tiny kibble so it does get used up more quickly than Nutro lamb and rice at 33.99 for 40lbs. My dogs will eat anything, but several get itchy skin if I pick up the feed store brand with lots of corn. Even the hi-pro varieties seem to be corn based. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura L Posted February 4, 2008 Report Share Posted February 4, 2008 I use the Diamond Naturals Chicken & Rice-a 40# bag for about $20. It doesn't have any corn in it either. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patty Abel Posted February 4, 2008 Report Share Posted February 4, 2008 I use the Diamond Naturals Chicken & Rice-a 40# bag for about $20. It doesn't have any corn in it either. Laura I haven't seen that locally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura L Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 I get the Diamond Naturals at Tractor Supply, they have both the chicken & rice and lamb & rice. Maybe it's just a regional thing for TSC, but if you look at Diamond's website, they offer both of them plus a few other Naturals formulas. None of them have corn in them. My cats get the Diamond Naturals Active Cats formula. No corn there either. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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