Seeking input re: Fromm Family Pet Foods

[sriley]

I'm liking what I've read and heard about Fromm Family Pet Foods, particularly their Four Star Nutritionals line. I had a lengthy conversation with a representative from the company on Friday and was really impressed with what I was told (I realize, of course, that NO company is going to say anything negative about their product, hence the reason I'm here seeking third-party input). Their foods are highly rated and contain no ethoxyquin. Their fish meal is preserved with citric acid (a natural preservative). They use only muscle meat. All of their ingredients come from either the U.S. or Canada, are human quality/grade, and contain no by-products. Their Four Star Nutritionals line is an all life stages formula, comes in four varieties, and from what I can tell, they have no history of recalled product.

I realize that Fromm's foods are not grain free with the exception of their Surf and Turf formula (which isn't too much of a concern for me). I also realize that there are foods on the market that are rated higher (e.g., Orijen and Evo), but my guys can't seem to handle the high protein levels of these foods.

For those of you who feed Fromm and care to share your experience with this food, I would appreciate your input. Many thanks.

 

[griffdiz]

I have never fed Fromm since it contains rice and my dog is allergic, but this is the only reason I didn't try it. I think their foods looked great and with the given information (human grade, no ethoxyquin, no by products) are a really good choice. The reviews on DFA are a good guideline, but I think not every single factor is taken into account when the foods are reviewed, such as where the meat is sourced and whether it is human grade and what kind of testing they use to ensure quality. A few things I like to check out on foods is whether they are ethoxyquin free, whether a meat is the first ingredient (preferably a meat meal, or the fresh meat followed by the meat meal), whether it uses chelated minerals, how high quality their meats are, and whether by products are used.

 

[sriley]

Well, I'm no genius when it comes to analyzing dog food, but here's Fromm's ingredient list from it's Four Star Nutritionals Chicken a la Veg formula:

Ingredients: Chicken, Chicken Meal, Pearled Barley, Oatmeal, Sweet Potato, Brown Rice, White Rice, Whole Dried Egg, Menhaden Fish Meal, Millet, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Dried Tomato Pomace, Safflower Oil, Herring Meal, Cheese, Flaxseed, Carrots, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Apples, Green Beans, Lecithin, Chicken Cartilage, Potassium Chloride, Cranberries, Blueberries, Salt, Monocalcium Phosphate, Chicory Root Extract, Alfalfa Sprouts, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Folic Acid, Parsley, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Bifidobacterium Longum, Enterococcous Faecium, Vitamin A, D3, E, B12 Supplements, Choline Bitartrate, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Riboflavin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Cobalt Carbonate, Calcium Iodate, Sorbic Acid, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite.

According to the FAQ section on the company's website, "Fromm Family Foods recipes do not contain ethoxyquin. All of our ingredients and final products are free from artificial and industrial preservatives. Additionally we pay more for our fish, whitefish, and salmon to not be treated or preserved with ethoxyquin."

 

[sriley]

Nobody feeds Fromm???

 

[Caney Creek]

There was another post about Fromm recently:
http://www.boxerworld.com/forums/feeding/149755-fromm.html

I don't feed it just because I've never seen in anywhere, but it looks pretty good to me. Definitely worth a try IMO

 

[sriley]

Thanks for pointing out the other thread regarding Fromm. I've ordered my guys a bag of the Chicken a la Veg Four Star Nutritionals formula that will be ready for pick up at my local pet food supply store on Friday, so we'll see how it goes. It's going to cost me approx. $72.00 (Canadian funds) for a 30 lb. bag which isn't too much more than I was paying for TOTW. I do remember reading somewhere else (in addition to what has been posted on BW) that the Surf and Turf kibble size is quite small, so I'm hoping the kibble size of their other Four Star Nutritionals line is larger than the size of a pencil eraser which, if I remember correctly, is how the company describes the size of their Surf and Turf variety on their website.

I just hope my boys like it and don't have issues during the transition.

 

[samsons]

confused

i feed taste of the wild - and it is a 6 ish star food ( more then 5 but not a 6 ) is this food better ? , i thought i read it was a 4 star food ??? and its more ? hence my confusion ...

not that i am looking to change - sam is doing so well on TOTW - but just checking facts for futer reference .... in case i need to make a change.

did i miss something .......

 

[sriley]

i feed taste of the wild - and it is a 6 ish star food ( more then 5 but not a 6 ) is this food better ? , i thought i read it was a 4 star food ??? and its more ? hence my confusion ...

not that i am looking to change - sam is doing so well on TOTW - but just checking facts for futer reference .... in case i need to make a change.

did i miss something .......

Well, as good as dogfoodanalysis.com is, each pet owner has to make decisions based on what he/she is comfortable with and what he/she thinks is best for the health of the dog. According to dogfoodanalysis.com, TOTW is a higher rated food than Fromm, but I don't feel comfortable with the ethoxyquin in TOTW. Fromm is ethoxyquin free. I also like the idea that their formulas are all holistic.

Dogfoodanalysis.com appears to be down at the moment, but I suspect the difference in ratings has to do with the fact that TOTW is grain free and Fromm is not. It could also be because TOTW has a higher percentage of meat content in their kibble than Fromm. Personally, I'd rather include a few healthy grains in my dogs' diets than to keep feeding a food that's preserved with a potential carcinogen (and you pretty much have to go with your gut on this issue since there's plenty of evidence on either side of the ethoxyquin debate in terms of whether it's a safe or unsafe preservative). I also provide fresh, raw meat to my dogs several times a week, so the fact that Fromm's diets do not contain as much meat is not really an issue for me. My only hope is that the dogs like Fromm and don't react negatively to it. Time will tell.

According to Fromm's website: "All of our dry pet foods are manufactured at our own USDA-certified plant in Wisconsin where we utilize ingredients like fresh sweet potatoes, apples, cranberries, cheddar cheese, and other fresh produce from local markets in the area. The fresh hand-trimmed meat and fish we use is ordered as needed depending on what recipe is being made that particular day. We accept nothing less than the choicest cuts of meat and fish and each delivery is thoroughly inspected to make certain it meets our stern quality standards."

I suspect their alleged high standards and their use of ethoxyquin free ingredients have something to do with why their food is pricier than TOTW. Ethoxyquin is a cheaper preservative than many others that are considered safer.

I don't think you missed anything but I hope this helps to clear up some of the confusion.

 

[cantfindlog]

sriley: I don't currently feed Fromm, but I can tell you I live only about 35 minutes from their facilities and Fromm has been a long standing member of the community and has a very good reputation. The customer service is great and they do stand behind their products.

It's too bad that it will cost you so much to buy it in Canada because it is not that much here in WI, but I guess it seems to be prices will differ a bit.

It is worth a try and of course if it doesn't work out the food can be returned.

 

[sriley]

I don't currently feed Fromm, but I can tell you I live only about 35 minutes from their facilities and Fromm has been a long standing member of the community and has a very good reputation. The customer service is great and they do stand behind their products.

Good to know. Thanks so much for passing that information along. I appreciate it