Thanks for letting us know. Canidae is the brand we have been feeding our rescue boxer and he has been doing well. I will research a bit to see if this formula change will be significant.

I hadn't heard about that, thanks for posting it. Our Pet Food store was out of Canidae last time we needed dog food, so I bought Eagle Pack. They seem to like it better than Canidae, so we might stick with it.

Thanks for posting this, I went to the Canidae website and read about the changes. If I recall correctly, it's four grains now (barley, rice, peas, millet) instead of just rice. Also the meat formulas changed. I read a bunch of comments from irate pet owners who ended up changing foods because Canidae did not announce the formula changes and their pets had non-stop digestive problems with the new formula.

Millet? that is for birds.

We are most concerned about how Diamond was part of those big recalls a few years back. What happens if more bad food is produced by them and it contaminates the canidae? I bet they use all the same machines. Also, who is buying the raw products for the food? Canidae or Diamond?

-renee

This may expalain why my dogs have had loose stool the last 10 days. I just recently bought a new bag. They have been feed Canidae for quite some time and it has always agreed with them. I took my dogs to the vet they had stool test and nothing turned up. He gave me some probotics. They both still have loose stool.

Just so you know Canidae never did have their own manufacturing plant. Most of the better foods don't.

I had read that they do have a manufacturing plant but it is small. If they do not, do you know what company was making it for them?

-renee

I don't think millet is just for birds. Humans eat it all the time, but it's not as common here in the US. (Apparently millet turns light and fluffy when cooked, kinda like rice.)

Here's the info I have: Canidae is produced at Western Pet Food Company/Canidae Division in Hamlin, TX, according to Whole Dog Journal as of February this year.

I didn't hear that Canidae switched all their production to Diamond, only that Diamond is handling the production of their additional supply needs. I got that information from another forum, pets.ca, where a member posted the email she got from Canidae when she asked about production (hope that's okay that I'm reposting this here!). I just wish Canidae would address this somewhere on their website.

I sent my own questions to Canidae today to see if the feedback I get from them is the same, I'll post when I get a response. I asked them if Canidae will be specifying what sources Diamond should use for their food, if Diamond will do the same (extensive!) testing that Canidae does, and if there will be dedicated equipment at Diamond for Canidae's food, to help eliminate cross-contamination risks from other foods. (At the Hamlin, TX, plant, Canidae is made on equipment used solely for their food.)

In any case, Diamond dog foods were on the approved list this year by Whole Dog Journal (who added a "full disclosure" requirement for a dog food to be recommended by WDJ), and I trust WDJ to make good judgment.

The only thing that will make me not buy Canidae is if my sheltie's tummy doesn't accept the new formula. I have about a month's worth left of the old formula, so I'll soon be buying a small bag of the new formula to see how my dog takes to it.

Here's what Canidae wrote to someone else:
www.canidae.com/new-formulas.html

Dear ****,

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 its 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

Got a response from Canidae already, in case anyone's interested in reading it:

Hi ********,

Our production partnership with Diamond Pet Foods has already surpassed future AAFCO and FDA standards. By meeting the newer pre-process and post-process monitoring guidelines with state of the art equipment and procedures, our partnership has enabled us to produce a safer, higher quality product with specific procedures in place to assure the health and well being of your pet.
To assure the safety of our products, CANIDAE has strict protocols which require that all formulas are tested in-line during our production runs, and cleared by a second supervisor every 30 minutes. Additionally, there are 141 ingredient tests and 10 finished product tests. We at CANIDAE understand the level of trust that you have come to expect from us and our products and it is our responsibility and commitment to deliver on that trust!
Now with three production facilitates we are also able to cut down on pollution, fuel consumption, carbon emissions, as well as many other positive environmental impacts. In addition to these environmental improvements, these changes also dramatically reduce our freight costs and reduce transit times, enabling even fresher products.
CANIDAE is committed to providing the highest standard of excellence for nutritional benefit, palatability, and customer satisfaction.

Sincerely,

Beth@TEAM CANIDAE

I purchased Canidae for my golden retriever and maltese just a few months ago. Bought 2 bags. Went through the 1st one with just a few problems trying to convince the dogs that the food was "good". The maltese would eat, no problem. The golden retriever who is just a regular Hoover vac, didn't transition as well. I had a hard time convincing her that this was her food, she wasn't getting anything else and no, she could NOT have food from my plate.

When we hit the second bad, both dogs came down with severe diarrhea (sp?). Trip to the vet couldn't find a cause other than suggesting to test the food to see if there was a problem. I couldn't afford that so I just went back to my old food. After about 2 days, the stools returned to normal. Well, two days and a lot of probiotics. I was really disappointed. I had heard so many good things about this food.

One thing though, while the golden was on that food, she didn't chew at her paws. When I put her back on the old food it started again. But maybe she didn't chew because she was so consumed with running to the bathroom so it took her mind off the paw. geezzz...

PJ

My 3 are eating it ok but did get mooshy poo's . I am going to keep an eye on it but I am in hopes they will adjust. They love Canidae and I love it since it is so good for them.

Julie, Gus , Greta and Mackenzie

I've been feeding Canidae for several years and been quite pleased. Since I've been feeding this new formulation, all of my dogs (5 + 2 fosters right now) have had very loose stools. After almost 2 weeks, they're starting to get back to normal, but one in particular seems to be having continuing issues with it. I too may have to consider another brand.

I'd appreciate any further feedback from others continuing on the Canidae.

I'm wondering now how Canidae compares to Diamond (formulations)since they've cut the corn out of their feeds. Anyone have suggestions for feeds along the same priceline as Canidae?

Here's another article on Canidae: Canidae tests negative for acetaminophen

I'm not happy about the manufacturing switch to diamond.

Though I don't feed canidae exclusively, I also feed Nature's Menu.

I may switch to Nature's Menu exclusively, but its more expensive...

rumor has it Canidae will also be adding some grainless diets too in the near future, or so I hear.

I did a stupid thing.

I had thrown out all my Canidae food because I was having severe issues with my two dogs (posted previously).

I was working in the kitchen and reached over and tossed my retriever some dog treats because she was being an exceptional good girl.

The next day she had the bloody diarhea. Not loose stools, out and out pure liquid and often. I had some baby acidophilus in the fridge left over from my granddaughter, so I took a fourth of that bottle and mixed it with about a tablespoon of peanut butter and fed it to my dog. I did that until the bottle was gone over a period of 1 day. Stopped the diarhea cold and reset the intestinal tract.

It dawned on me to check the treats that I had given her and sure enough it was the Canidae treats. I don't think it was the food at all, but the treats. I don't know why I didn't think to toss them the first time around. But now I feel like I know what was the cause. I won't go back to Canidae, it was a horrible experience...but good luck with those that aren't having any problems.

PJ

Not certain if this is too late, but I have to post my good experience of switching to Canidae's new recipe. My sheltie was a little too fat, so when it came time to get a bag of the new recipe, I also switched her from our old All-Stages to the lower calorie/senior formula.

A month ago I also started "cold turkey", no transition, of feeding her raw in the evening (chicken neck, raw veggies), and my dog took to that like a champ (she normally has a sensitive tummy). I did the switch to half-raw as my sister is a big supporter of the raw diet for dogs. I didn't switch entirely because I recently bought a $45 super-duper kibble container that keeps ants out, and gosh darn it, I'm going to get my money's worth out of that container by continuing to feed Canidae kibble at least half the time. :)

Anyway, I'm almost done transitioning my dog with her Canidae in the morning (she gets a half cup of kibble) from the old formula to the new formula, and she hasn't had ANY problems. The only hiccup we had was when my husband, who normally doesn't feed her and had no idea I was transitioning her to a new recipe, gave her a handful of the new kibble on the 2nd morning of the transition. My sheltie got a little case of the farts, but that was it.

So, granted, my sheltie does get a half-raw diet, but she hasn't had problems with the half cup a day she gets of Canidae's new formula.

"I recently bought a $45 super-duper kibble container that keeps ants out, and gosh darn it, I'm going to get my money's worth out of that container by continuing to feed Canidae kibble at least half the time. :) "

I have two of those nice plastic kibble containers - on wheels right? I hated to see them go to waste when my dogs went to raw a few years ago, so I store dog coats in one and stuffies in another. You can use them for other things. Stick them in the bottom of a bedroom closet for kids toys or your own out of season sweaters.