Bought a pack of Acana Single protein series for the PAOs to try out. Not that they suffer from any form of food allergy, but mainly because the retailer is giving a 15% off for 6.8Kg Acana Lamb & Apple which cost around RM159 after discount. Although I had in mind was to stick to Orijen Poultry & Fish of which the price doesn't really have much difference.
Been trying this for the past 2 weeks, I have to admit that I was quite impressed with the quality of it. The PAOs accepted it, at least Dao Sah Pao didn't go on strike when I serve it to her. Not that Orijen is bad, after monitoring the PAOs' poops since the day I started them on Acana, their poop became less significantly, which means their digestive systems are actually coping in a much better pace with Acana compared to Orijen ( though both comes from Champion Pet Food). I think, the next time if I ever need to grab a bag of dry food for the dogs, I shall put Acana on the top of my list, of course without the limitation when it comes to the range of protein ( well, at end of the day it still depends on the best possible deal that I can get, but I'm open to varieties).
Today's dinner for the PAOs, this is Dao Sah Pao's portion.
I got to admit, Teh Pao is quite a glutton when it comes to food, so it doesn't really affect her much what sort of food we are feeding her ( but it does concern me when it comes to the quality of food!). Problem with food now lies with Dao Sah Pao. She is a picky eater, she choose her food, preferably freshly cooked meals ( homecooked, which usually is stew & potatoes), fresh raw diet, or canned food. Dao Sah Pao will still eat kibbles, only on the bare minimum, and often left more than half the portion served untouched. So whenever it is available, I try to cook on daily basis by dumping everything in a slow cooker.
Silly girl was so happy and well manner when I take her out for a car ride.
It has been closed to 5 months Dao Sah Pao join the family. Overall, she has been a sweet nature girl, a little timid but playful, and yes, she loves car rides! Which means she had a family before getting herself into motor vehicle accidents months ago, whether they left her behind on the street, or she is the naughty one that ran out from her home and gotten herself into trouble, I have no idea.. I love her as part of the family, that's what matter now.
Reality check, I still need to work on Dao Sah Pao's tendency of dashing out from the house whenever gates are open ( we got a complain from neighbor through the visit of an officer from local authority), which is the priority; and to socialize her more often so that she doesn't sway from anyone nor behave in an inappropriate manner in public places.
I remember being shocked by how expensive Acana and Orijen were when I went back to Taiwan in July/August. I'm very happy it's there, but it seems like such a waste that it has to come all the way from Canada -- and that there isn't a local manufacturer with high enough standards and proper formulation to do a similar job!
ReplyDeleteWe prefer Acana over Orijen here, especially after they increased the amount of protein in Orijen. It just seems a bit too much for dry food, for us. But the Bows really love Acana. We just can't afford it all the time, so we rotate with some cheaper foods. A 6.8 kg bag is about 110 RM around here.
I haven't tried Acana yet, I have too many foods stockpiled in the freezer waiting to be eaten right now. Once I run out or low on those, I'll probably pick up a bag to try, but the closest place that sells it is 30 miles away which is 60 miles round trip, or at least $20 in gas so... Not doing that anytime soon. I was thinking of ordering some online, but I'll only do that if I find enough other brands to try that my order will qualify for free shipping.
ReplyDeleteMy experience with Orijen kinda sucked, but my Shiba was having a host of digestive issues when I attempted to feed it so that could have been the problem. I'll give it another shot eventually.
I got to agree with you M.C. on how expensive Acana and Orijen is over here. But there are at least 2 to 3 parties in between that earns a fair share of profit before reaching the end users here, so I suppose that is one of the reason why.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was working in the pet industry, retailers are often given a minimum 25% profit margin here, sometimes better rate when order hits target for the month. Local distributor who spent huge amount of money in shipping will usually double up the cost of transportation and include it into the cost of sales to their distributor which is later given a fair square of profit margin ( I mean a minimum of 40% or more)... this is usually how the trade works over here in M'sia.
Locally, fresh, raw feeding is still relative new to pet owners ( that also explains why it is so difficult to get animal parts), most of us were brainwashed from the beginning ( even from childhood by advertisement) that feeding pet food is the right and only choice available, but Malaysians being Malaysians, anything which is cheap, or on discount will always be the best. PedXgree, AlpX, SmXartheXrt... any Thailand made, cheap product are sold almost everywhere, even in some well established veterinary clinics or hospitals due to demands or they risk losing out in the market =/
For Champion Pet Food, I started with Orijen Puppy when Teh Pao was around 5months old, was feeding Nutriedge back then, and able to see the difference after a week on the shinny coat, lesser poop. So I decided to stick to Orijen whenever I went out of town, and continue with raw feeding when I'm home. Orijen works fine with Teh Pao, good with Dao Sah Pao, but Acana works better on both of them, so I've a rough idea on what to get to suite both the girls at home right now =D
I got to admit I'm jealous of your new food box, Losech. =P For Orijen, digestive issues is a common problem for a lot of pet owners here, or started off with Orijen. My vets suggest that it might be the amount of protein in there, and usually they will recommend something like Arden Grange ( food from UK), Canine Caviar ( some alkaline based food from US) or Acana ( from Canada) as alternative switch. ;)
I'm curious what you think about Thai-made products. There is one US brand of canned food that we can get here called Weruva that is made in Thailand. The company has gone to great lengths to explain to consumers that Thai-made products are not evil like China-made products, and that the laws in Thailand governing food and fish processing are very strict because they process *so much* of the world's food and fish.
ReplyDeleteSure, not all companies in a country are the same standard, even if they have to follow the same laws. But generally speaking, is there any concern over systematic failures with Thai products as I see with Chinese products?
M.C.:
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to the law enforcement, Thai Govt. is indeed very strict when it comes to the food processing, as well as their agricultural industry. Even here in Malaysia, most of the food we have in the market either product of Thailand, or raw material been sent to Thailand, processed and later send back as end product.
Generally speaking, not so much concern about human food, Thai Govt can be much more reliable when it comes to the enforcement of law and their strict protocol in processing food compared to M'sian Govt. But when it comes to Pet Food industry, I still have my doubts on how reliable the Thai's products. A lot of big corporation moved their processing plants/ out source their product manufacturing in Thailand ( well known brand includes PedXgree, AlpX, SmartheXrt, CombX), there are also Thai locally made dog/ cat treats & food like Jerhigh, Caesar. Those are the common type that I can see in Malaysia market, well known to consumers here, price isn't cheap but when compared to those imported from the West ( EU, USA, Aus), products from Thai beat them all. I'm not saying that Thailand made pet food are evil in nature, but I would say most of those that they cater mainly to Asia market cast doubts on consumers if we were to question their source of raw material, as well as whether it is really safe for pet consumption ( any risk of contamination).
There are also quality types available but those are limited only to a small percentage. Up till today, brands like Weruva, Doggery Bakery, Fussie Cat, Petite, Tiki..etc are at the tip of the pyramid, or at least at the middle upper range, where they cater only to certain market ( Doggery Bakery is only available in Thailand itself, small production, but quality assured). I have yet to see any Weruva in Malaysia, but Fussie Cat, Petite Cuisine are those upcoming brands in Malaysia because they are relatively cheap for the quality that pet owners are paying. Not the highest sort of quality you can get, but those are very much decent compared to certain well known brands.
If I were to put it in a Good vs. Bad scenario, first thing about Thai Pet Product, I will be looking out for the manufacture [ I personally trust Perfect Companion Co. Ltd.] before reading anything else on the product packaging, for the proven good track records over the years in pet food manufacturing. Of course, there are quite a number of reliable manufactures in Thailand which I did manage to try out their products during my trip to Bangkok, Thai almost 2 months ago, some of them cater mainly to local market; the rest are for OEM, or local private/ small batch productions.