ARKAT Dog Food

[bphelps56]

I'm looking for opinions about the Enhance line of dog food from ARKAT. I'm thinking about trying this dog food.

Bill
http://www.hiddencreekkennel.com

[Kiki's Mom]

Why the Enhance VS the VF? We feed the VF Complete Performance and started doing so initially because the Enhance line used chicken by product meal instead of Chicken meal. But that has supposedly changed. I have been told they use straight chicken meal in both formulas now. We are quite happy with the Performance, although like everything else the cost has risen dramatically. I did look at the Enhance Professional Athlete pretty hard though but decided to wait on trying it because we were in the middle of trial season. MAy still try it later on.

[Southwind]

About 1 yr ago I switched from Black Gold to Hunter's Edge 24-18. I have been happy with it so far. It is not as nice as the Black Gold, but it is a lot cheaper. All the dogs seem to do very well on it. During the winter months, esp. when I am running the dogs hard, I have to feed a bit more than what the label says. Other than that, it is pretty nice. In that price range, I think it is far superior than its competition.

[Rick Hall]

Made the two dogs I tried it on crap like custard machines and fart like paper mills. Cutting back portions only served to emaciate them.

[shets114]

Best way to find out is try a bag. The food is guaranteed so you can't loose out. Give it a fair chance and you'll see dollar for dollar it is hard to beat.
Is it going to work for 100% of the dogs? No.. But by far it will work for most.
If you want some good recommendation just go to any SRS event you'll see that nearly half the dogs there are fed Arkat.
Here are some pics from a walking trial this fall. Out of 63 dogs 11 ribbon winners were on Arkat foods. Dogs love it and Owners are happy.
Like Helen said prices have risen in the past year but when compared to like foods they are well below others costs.

[Rick Hall]

Guaranteed? If I'd of know that, I'd of got a refund.

Kidding, of course. The best thing about our Arkat experience was that the company was nice enough to ship a couple individual bags to my home at what I felt a fair price. Doubt there are many feed companies that will match that level of customer service, and I was all the more sorry that my guys didn't do as hoped on it.

(Gary, I don't believe you ever did get me that metabolizable K-cal per pound (not cup) figure on your VF 30/20. Not a big thing, just a curiousity thing.)

[shets114]

Rick the Pro Athlete is 2988 k/cal per lb. The VF is slightly lower I don't have a bag at the house but guessing around 2250 k/cal per lb or so.

[kninebirddog]

I have no issues with by products actually they are more nutritional but humans think it is gross dogs love it

As for the Enhance the Pro Athlete is good stuff...If it was easier for me to get on the road I would have stayed with it for the trial dogs...but I got tired of hauling all the extra weight of the dog food as when we are on the road i had to literally carry 40 plus bags of food for as long as we are gone....to much weight

and the hunters edge..well ...Still not happy what happened there Rick Explains it well and there was ALOT of it when we first started to feed it our dogs did extremly well on it..hope they fixed that issue cause out side of the poop factor towards the end the dogs did do extremly well on it energy wise

[Rick Hall]

Rick the Pro Athlete is 2988 k/cal per lb. The VF is slightly lower I don't have a bag at the house but guessing around 2250 k/cal per lb or so.

Thanks.

[shets114]

Not sure of the issues some have seen with the products. As far as up here I know we haven't seen it. Some dogs took a little longer to adjust than others but by far the majority have had better than normal stools. Some very large kennels I deal with report significantly lower intake and alot less stool.
If you are having such issues I would take note of the lot numbers and dates. Call the office and ask to speak with Keith. Some distributors move food faster than others, some store food different than others. Here we move the food within a month or so of placement so it is usually as fresh as you can get.
The storage is probably more important down south. If the food is not stored in a suitable area, then temperatures can affect the fat and other ingredients.
I imagine in the summer months in Arizona temperatures of near 100 or higher are frequent. If not stored properly, some may use box trailers or such. Then storage temperatures are probably extremely high and would have a greater affect.

[fritzer]

I have been feeding VF Active Adult since early last spring. The stools have been firm and not anymore than the PPAdult Chic. & Rice. I tried the VF Performance but the dog was putting on weight and the stool was firm but sticky.
I think most of the Enhance line has corn in it, but the VF line does not. I have also used
the Active Adult on 2 pups and they are doing great on it.

[kninebirddog]

Storage had nothing to do with the issues we were having...All I ahve to say I really liked the food and how the kennel was when we first started with the food..when we had to change I am sorry it wasn't the same food anymore or we would still more then likely be feeding it seriously

The Professional athlete last we used it was still a very good food stools were solid on it

[Kiki's Mom]

I think most of the Enhance line has corn in it

Pro Athlete doesn't.

[ezzy333]

Sure hope most of them do. Just makes the feed a little better plus cheaper.

Ezzy

[Duane M]

Made the two dogs I tried it on crap like custard machines and fart like paper mills. Cutting back portions only served to emaciate them.

Rick is there any feed your dogs don't fart like paper mills on, seems to be a recurring issue with ya

[Rick Hall]

Made the two dogs I tried it on crap like custard machines and fart like paper mills. Cutting back portions only served to emaciate them.

Rick is there any feed your dogs don't fart like paper mills on, seems to be a recurring issue with ya

Duane, Walmart's Maxximum Nutrition 30/20 was one my dogs did very well on that did not give them gas or loose, copious stools, and when they quit carrying that here, I found Pro Plan's to be another fine 30/20 that did not. But the nearest Pro Plan dealer is a two hour round trip distant, so I've also experimented with Eukanuba, Diamond, Arkat, PMI Exclusive and a couple of private feed store labels: all of which produced copious stools and paint peeling gas. And all of which contain beet pulp not found in the MN, PP or Purina One (which we use for slow season maintenance). Makes me think beet pulp the likely culprit, despite the wonderful things others may think of it.

(Yes, we tried cutting portions. And, no, cutting portions didn't relieve the phenomenon - at least not at levels that didn't emaciate the dogs.)

I've absolutely no vested interest in Nestle Purina or Walmart or believing beet pulp problematic, and my experience certainly wasn't I'd hoped. I dislike both the drive time and expense related to Pro Plan. My experience has simply been what its been, no matter how I might wish it otherwise.

If yours has differed, that's great.

[Duane M]

Rick it was a joke man. I know some feeds give gas bad, been there done that with three house hounds and always one of the A-string riding in the truck with me. Just found it humorous how many times you mention farts and feed together. I think it's all that swamp water your drink myself.

[Rick Hall]

The farts aren't the issue, nutrients wasted on a lawn I'd rather see die than mow are. (And swamp water farts don't stink.)