Wellness CORE Dry Dog Food, Grain-Free, High Protein, Natural, Healthy Weight Turkey & Chicken Recipe, (26-Pound Bag)

I am a dog owner and dog trainer with a thirst for knowledge. When I first started hunting for a great dog food I did my research and began with Blue Buffalo. I tried a number of premium brands and formulas before this came out and nothing, including the regular line by this brand, can hold a candle to CORE. It's not the most affordable, but at least in MN, I can't find a better price for this. If you can get the subscribe and save discount this food is a steal! My dogs are constantly observed as extremely healthy by vets and trainers alike. They have noticeably softer coats since switching them to CORE and less skin issues. I also no longer deal with frequent gas - something several premium brands caused. If you're still not sold, here are some guiding principles for why this food is great and how to shop for quality dog food. Everyone has a budget, but try to find one you can afford with the best of these: - The first ingredients should always be meat. Just like human labels, the first ingredients comprise the largest quantities within the product. - Lamb and then chicken tend to be most digestible for most dogs. - Meal is like a protein powder made by rendering down a stew-like mixture to maximum potency. It contains more protein than meat alone by eliminating water per ounce. That said, not all meal is created equal. Make sure the source is specified. Simply saying "poultry meal" can mean it came from any source they could find and usually that means varying degrees of quality. - Avoid grains as they can irritate many dogs stomachs. You want potatoes, oats, and/or brown rice for fiber and carbs. If you see "brewers rice" on a label, it shouldn't be in the top five ingredients (or at all for me). It's a cheaply obtained processed carb and a filler. - Flaxseed and fish oils are great for skin and coat. I used to supplement my dog food with salmon oil in winter, but it hasn't been necessary since they started this food. Mentioning the source of the fish oil indicates its quality, just like the meal source. - I like a food with few antioxidant ingredients in it, such as blueberries and broccoli. Healthy for us, healthy for them. That's just my opinion though. I treat with the fresh stuff when I can. - That list of vitamins at the end? It's your dog's daily multi vitamin. Glucosamine is important to joint health for any size, age, or weight. This product has natural preservatives, which is my preference where possible for their diet and my own. - Protein percentage! Vets say stay above 15% for a normal adult dog; my goal is closer to 25% or 30%. If your dog is very active, that should be your goal too; however, even if your dog isn't that active a higher protein content is fine. Early research used to claim it could cause renal failure, but that research has long been debunked. Don't believe me? Do the research yourself. Don't trust the word of food reps, breeders, or even many vets. Most haven't paid attention to nutrition science, it's advances, or have an agenda of their own. Even a well meaning vet may not know some of this and be operating on outdated common knowledge. Never transition your dog's food all at once. Pay attention to their unique reaction to a new food over the first few weeks at 100% of it. Pay attention to their stool and frequency of bowl movements. Watch for weight fluctuations. New food means you may have to increase or decrease their volume per meal. Each dog has unique needs and sensitivities, just like we do, so even a great food may not be great for your dog. I hope this helps!

When it comes to providing your furry friend with the best nutrition, Wellness CORE Grain-Free High-Protein Dry Dog Food takes center stage. This premium dog food is designed to meet the nutritional needs of dogs, prioritizing high-quality ingredients and a grain-free formula. Join me as we delve into the benefits, ingredients, nutritional value, and overall wellness provided by Wellness CORE Grain-Free High-Protein Dry Dog Food. Wellness CORE Grain-Free High-Protein Dry Dog Food offers a multitude of benefits for your dog's overall wellbeing. With a focus on high-quality proteins, it supports healthy muscle development and maintenance. The grain-free formula is ideal for dogs with grain sensitivities or allergies, promoting better digestion and reducing the risk of adverse reactions. The balanced blend of nutrients, including antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, supports a strong immune system, healthy coat, and optimal energy levels. Wellness CORE Grain-Free High-Protein Dry Dog Food is a comprehensive solution that supports your dog's vitality and overall health. Ingredients: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 The ingredients in Wellness CORE Grain-Free High-Protein Dry Dog Food are carefully selected to provide optimal nutrition for your canine companion. Real meat, such as deboned turkey, chicken, or lamb, is the primary ingredient, ensuring a high protein content that supports muscle development and maintenance. The recipe incorporates nutrient-rich fruits, vegetables, and superfoods, such as spinach, kale, blueberries, and flaxseed, to provide essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. With Wellness CORE, you can trust that your dog is receiving a wholesome and balanced diet. Wellness CORE Grain-Free High-Protein Dry Dog Food is formulated to provide dogs with a complete and balanced diet. With high protein content and a careful selection of carbohydrates, it supports optimal energy levels and overall health. The grain-free formula reduces the risk of allergies and digestive issues, while the inclusion of essential fatty acids promotes healthy skin and coat. The nutritional value of Wellness CORE Grain-Free High-Protein Dry Dog Food ensures that your dog receives the necessary nutrients for a vibrant and active lifestyle. The Wellness CORE Grain-Free High-Protein Dry Dog Food prioritizes your dog's overall wellness, going beyond basic nutrition. By providing high-quality ingredients, a grain-free formula, and a balanced blend of nutrients, it supports your dog's vitality, immunity, and long-term health. The carefully crafted recipe helps maintain a healthy weight, supports a strong immune system, and contributes to a lustrous coat and healthy skin. Wellness CORE Grain-Free High-Protein Dry Dog Food ensures that your dog thrives both physically and mentally. Wellness CORE Grain-Free High-Protein Dry Dog Food stands as a premium choice for dog owners seeking optimal nutrition and overall wellbeing for their furry companions. With its high-quality ingredients, grain-free formula, and balanced nutritional profile, this dog food provides essential proteins, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to support a healthy and vibrant life. Nourish your dog's wellbeing with Wellness CORE Grain-Free High-Protein Dry Dog Food and experience the difference it makes in their vitality and overall health.

Appreciate that this dog food is high quality and a good value for the money. It aids in maintaining a healthy weight and is especially advantageous for our older dogs. The grain-free formula avoids cheap fillers, its reduced in fat content, and its effective in promoting healthy skin and coat on our fur babies. It's been a positive impact on our dogs digestive health, and reduced their allergy symptoms significantly.

In short, our experience has been that this is awesome food for adult years. Two dogs: Male GSD on Core from five years old to 10-1/2 years old. Female Rottie, On a mix of 1ea 26lbs bag Core and 1ea 35lbs bag Canidae All Life Stages formula at five years old, still on it at seven years old. All dogs are different, so your results may vary. Took a bit more than 9 days for a smooth transition for the GSD, with a bit of loose stool during the transition (off Purina One). The Rottie, had no problems, and made the switch in an easy 7 days. For the GSD senior years, it is too much protein. GSD eats about 2.5 cups a day. Rottie eats over 4 cups a day. Fed Super-Mutt (the GSD) on this for about 7 years, until he was 10-1/2. He did great on it for all that time. Great coat, firm stool, easy to maintain weight, and great blood tests at his yearly check-ups. We were extremely active, with daily runs and walks, play at the park, etc. But digestibility was always a bit on the low side. If I cut the volume of food down, he would loose weight before any noticeable decrease in stool size. I could also use the kibble for training, as he really liked the flavor. My Girl Friend's Rottie is on a mix of this with Canidae All Life Stages. She is a high drive, work-aholic! Honest, you would be hard pressed to find a more active dog. She does amazingly well on this. Stunningly beautiful coat, great digestibility, easily maintained weight. She has been on this mix for about 2 years now, and she is seven. No kidney issues with high protein, but we will watch as she ages. Her focus, and attention seems more rock solid too on this mix... At Super-Mutts yearly check-up (when he was 10-1/2) we noticed kidney functions were out of whack. So as a test I switched him to a senior food (Chicken Soup for the Soul), this is much lower protein. This change brought his kidney functions back to normal, and digestibility is better. So he is enjoying his senior years on "senior food". Hth,

Food is good quality, size is perfect with reasonable price, dog loves it.

Normally, you don't find fish in cheaper dog foods. If you do, it is likely processed with a very toxic chemical called "ethoxyquin". Wellness core specifically states that they DO NOT use fish processed with this chemical! Very important to find that on whatever fish based food you purchase. Also, there is no Wheat or Corn in Wellness Core products. Both wheat and corn are common causes of allergies in dogs. There are also NO "animal by-products", "rendered", or "animal digest" products. If you knew what those were or how they are made, you would get sick (think all the animal parts left over that cannot be eaten be humans). If the zombie apocalypse comes, I'd not have an issue eating some Wellness Core in a pinch :-) Why I use the fish version. My previous dog were on the regular wellness core for 10+ years. Both passed away and I adopted an adult dog and started him on the same food. He had an existing skin condition and I though putting him on a "wheat and corn free" diet would help. Well it did somewhat, but the skin issues didn't resolve. Asking around I found out that omega 3 fats can make a huge difference related to skin issues. Initially I was going to use ground Flax and add it to the food, but discovered that the omega 3's from Flax are different from the omega 3's in fish oil. Fish oil has EPA and DPA, while flax is mainly ALA (alpha lineolic acid). Both are types of oils are good, but the benefits of fish are not provided by flax. Why I switched to Wellness Core Fish. The omega 3 fat content from this food is very high and helped tremendously with my dog's itchy skin. He use to chew the top of his back at the base of his tail and on the sides above his rear legs. After about a month of switching to this food, the chewing started to stop and after another month, his skin cleared up and hair started to fill in. He was previously on the regular Wellness Core (which I think is turkey based?) The protein, fat, carbohydrate breakdown of the two different types of food are very similar. The only obvious difference is one is fish based. Most of the other ingredients are the same. From the research I've done, dog allergies that are food related, are commonly caused by WHEAT, and CORN. You won't find either of these in Wellness Core. You will want to keep this food in an air tight container. It is fish based and is a bit smelly. It will smell like someone opened a can of tuna in the kitchen.

Good quality dry dog food. I do recommend it.

I adopted an adult German Shepherd 9 years ago who had horrible fur, skin, and digestive issues. After trying several different kinds of food, none of which helped the skin issues, and all made the digestive issues worse (even with slow switching over a month), Wellness CORE turkey was the ONLY thing he could eat and he loved it. His fur became softer and thicker and his skin issues went away. We also have a Border Collie adopted when she was 7 months old, and she started out on Wellness puppy until she was ~12mo, then switched to Wellness CORE turkey for the last 7 years. Her fur is super silky, and looks so healthy people typically comment. When feeding a large dog, this is more economical than it seems (see calories per cup and calculations below). I didn't have to feed him as much at a time compared to cheaper grain filled kibble, which seemed to also help the stomach issues he was plagued with. CALORIC INFORMATION Per the Wellness CORE website: 421 calories per cup HOW TO DETERMINE HOW MUCH KIBBLE YOUR DOG NEEDS w/ NEW KIBBLE (a general guide) Caloric calculations seem to vary, but the Ohio State University School of Vet Medicine recommends the following as a starting point (google for original source). I'll use my Border Collie as an example: My Border Collie is 30lb, 8 years old and spayed. Weight must be in killograms, so divide her weight in pounds by 2.2: 30lb / 2.2 = 13.636 kg We then plug her weight into their formula for her resting energy needs (how many calories she needs w/o activity): (70*13.636)^0.75 = 496.6 calories Then we need to multiply by the appropriate activity factor to get her daily energy needs (google the website for the full table of activity factors) 496.6 x 1.6 (her factor for a fixed adult) = 794.5 calories / day Now I take the calories per cup (8 oz per cup per the website) and divide by 8 to get the calories per oz 421 / 8 = 52.6 calories per oz kibble Total calories per day (794.5) / Calories per oz (52.6) = 15.1 oz / day or slightly under two cups This is the starting point for how much I would feed her per day. I'd also monitor her weight and adjust if she's losing or gaining to find the amount of kibble per day to maintain a healthy weight at her activity level. Because she's getting older, I actually feed her a little less than this and an activity factor of 1.5 or 1.4 might be more appropriate as she's not as "BC crazy" as she was when she was younger. TIPS ON SWITCHING FOOD When switching kibble make sure it's a slow transition to minimize any GI distress they might experience from a sudden diet change. Depending on tolerance, I typically decrease the old kibble by 10-20% and add in the new kibble to maintain about the same amount of food per day. Changing the percentage every other day, depending on tolerance, until they are eating nothing but the new kibble.