Experiencing digestive issues with your beloved dog can be incredibly worrying. For pet owners dealing with conditions like Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), finding the right dog food is paramount. One Australian dog owner, ‘Deb,’ shared her experience with Call Of The Wild Dog Food, specifically the Taste of the Wild (TOTW) Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb formula, and it raises some important questions for dog owners, especially those in Australia and considering imported brands.
Deb, a loyal Taste of the Wild customer for two years, noticed a significant change in the quality of her dog Patch’s recent bag of TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb kibble. Having previously found this formula to be beneficial for Patch’s IBD, this time was different. The first red flag was the altered smell and noticeably smaller kibble size. Initially, Deb hoped the smaller kibble would be easier for Patch to digest, as he tends to swallow his food without chewing thoroughly.
However, Patch’s reaction to this new bag of Call of the Wild dog food was concerning. Despite eating smaller, frequent meals throughout the day due to his IBD, Patch began exhibiting signs of discomfort. He started eating grass excessively, a common indicator of digestive upset in dogs, and seemed generally unwell and whiny. Deb initially attributed this to stress from a recent move exacerbating his IBD. But the turning point came when Patch, a usually eager eater, refused to eat the TOTW kibble altogether. This was highly unusual, as Patch had only refused food twice before in five years, and those instances were during severe bouts of Colitis and Pancreatitis.
Concerned, Deb contacted Pet Circle, the online pet food retailer from whom she purchased the Call of the Wild dog food. Pet Circle’s customer service was commendable; they promptly refunded the $70 cost of the bag and advised Deb to discard the remaining kibble, even suggesting it be thrown away rather than donated, and reported the issue to Taste of the Wild Australia.
This experience led Deb to reconsider feeding imported Call of the Wild dog food and explore Australian-made and owned brands. She highlights “Meals For Mutts” and “Ivory Coat” as potentially superior alternatives. While Ivory Coat is now owned by a Chinese company, it remains Australian-made and is expanding globally, possibly due to the appeal of Australian ingredients like kangaroo and lamb.
Deb raises a crucial point about ingredient quality. She notes that Australian kangaroo meat used in pet food is typically farmed, unlike “wild kangaroo” sometimes mentioned in American kangaroo formulas, which could be of lower quality and potentially carry diseases or parasites. Furthermore, some brands may use cheaper fillers like lentils to boost protein percentages while reducing the actual meat content. Deb expresses concern that as Ivory Coat expands, ingredient quality might be compromised to cut costs, a common practice in the pet food industry.
She also recommends “Canidae” as another excellent brand, noting their commitment to sourcing vegetables from local farmers, similar to some Australian pet food manufacturers. Specifically, she suggests exploring Canidae’s “Pure” and “All Life Stages” formulas, highlighting the “Canidae Pure Meadow Senior” formula as beneficial for older dogs, improving coat condition and energy levels compared to cheaper supermarket brands. Nutro’s new grain-free and “Frontier” formulas, made in Australia, are also mentioned as promising options.
In her immediate need to replace the rejected Call of the Wild dog food, Deb opted for Nutro Essential, which Patch readily ate, resolving his digestive upset and grass-eating behavior. She also plans to try “Meals For Mutts” new CN Vital Health Hypoallergenic Holistic Remedy Diet Turkey & Veggies. Deb emphasizes the importance of having a reliable “go-to” food for dogs with IBD, a role previously filled by Taste of the Wild, which now needs to be replaced.
Deb’s experience further delves into broader concerns about the quality and safety of some American pet food brands, including Call of the Wild dog food. She references reports from the previous year that tested various popular American pet foods, including Canidae and Taste of the Wild, for contaminants and toxins. While Canidae performed well, Taste of the Wild formulas, specifically the Pacific Stream Smoked Salmon and High Prairie varieties, reportedly showed high levels of contaminants and toxins. She advises readers to search online for “Toxins in pet Foods” to find these reports and see the performance of brands like Holistic Select, Wellness, and Earthborn Holistic, which allegedly also ranked poorly in toxin tests.
Finally, Deb recommends the Australian “Pet Food Review” website as a valuable resource for Australian pet owners. This site reviews dog foods sold in Australia and often references the American company conducting pet food and baby food toxin testing, increasing transparency about pet food safety. The site also reportedly issues warnings about problematic pet foods, such as “Baxters” kibble and treats, which were linked to dog deaths in Australia.
Deb’s detailed account serves as a cautionary tale for Australian dog owners relying on Call of the Wild dog food. Her experience highlights potential inconsistencies in product quality and raises concerns about the broader safety of imported pet food brands. It encourages dog owners to consider Australian-made alternatives, prioritize ingredient quality, and stay informed about pet food reviews and safety reports to make the best choices for their canine companions’ health and well-being.
