# Horizon Legacy



## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

I just put the dogs on this new Canadian food (new as in last year or so I believe) and they are loving it! It's grain-free and has really good ingredients and both Kubrick and Hitch are scarfing down their food every meal. Their stools are also very small even in comparison to Innova Evo and hard. It is a little hard to find and I have to buy it online and get it shipped to me but it's from a store in Jersey so the shipping isn't that expensive and quite fast.

I just wanted to pass this on in case someone is looking for a new food to try as I haven't seen it mentioned on the forum before. It has entered our rotation permanently now (I feed Innova Evo, Orijen and now Horizon Legacy for 3 months each on rotation)!


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Thanks for sharing. I am curious to learn more about this and wonder if I can find it near me. As you know, I've gone with foods that aren't easy to find and have driven quite a bit to find them when I can't get them shipped. I am not quite ready for a change, but always reading when I can.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

By feeding in rotation, does it keep your dogs from getting tired of their kibble? Kodi has been eating Royal Canin Mini Puppy since i got him, and within the last couple of weeks has just stopped wanting it. He east it because he ahs no choice, but he's skipping meals altogether, and when he does eat, he looks at me like it's prison rations.<g>

I got samples of several other good quality foods to see if something else would temp him, and with the expection of California Natural (which he dropped and rolled on like he does with deer poop!<g>) if I just put a sprinkle of ANY of the in with his current food, he'll eat it.

Do you have trouble with tummy upsets when changing foods so often?


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Karen, I don't feed in rotation because of them getting sick of it (though I guess that could happen?) I do it because it's bad for your dog to eat the same food day-in and day-out. The reason it's bad is because they can develop allergies to that food by being exposed to it daily for such a long period of time. Allergies will develop at any point though they usually will start after 5-6 months or so of continued exposure. So, I change kibbles every 3-4 months or so to ensure that they aren't developing any allergens to the particular food - in this case it's important to change not only the protein but also the actual food source as companies use the same formula for different proteins so an allergy could develop to the same formula instead of protein. It's not an exact science, but it has been proven for sure that constant exposure to a specific food can and most times will develop into allergies. And food allergies are a royal pain to deal with, so I want to minimize my dogs' potential to start one.

I very rarely have tummy upsets when changing foods. Every once in a while if *I* am the one that is doing something wrong they do get a bit of soft stool, but usually it's because I changed them too quickly on a day. If you do it slowly and take your time it shouldn't pose a problem at all.


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## Leslie (Feb 28, 2007)

Lina~ I'm glad your boys like it. It's a good food. When I decided to change Tori's kibble at the end of summer, I tried HL w/my picky little Miss and like most kibble, she didn't eat it all that well. The kibble I did try that she's gone "head over tail" for is Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural The first time I gave it to her, she devoured the entire meal it in one sitting! I've _never_ seen her do that with any other kibble. It's funny, they have a "warning" with the feeding guidelines that states: _"Due to extreme palatability, free feeding is not recommended"_ They haven't met a picky Hav, have they? ound:


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## michi715 (Apr 8, 2008)

Carolina...did Guapo eat this at your house? You know we're always looking for a food he "like"


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## arlene (Jul 28, 2007)

Hi Lina,

I thought that you fed Fromm's. Was I mistaken? If you were feeding Fromm's did you change for a reason?

I still feed Nature's Variety morning and evening meals but I free feed kibble and have made the move from Innova to Fromm's.

Just want to make sure I didn't miss something on the Fromm's.

A


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

from Sabine 
Won't my dog get bored eating the same food all the time? Dogs are creatures of habit, so they do not have a problem eating the same food all the time. This doesn't mean that you can't or shouldn't provide some variety though! For this you don't have to feed different brands of food at the same time (see "Myths about Dog Nutrition"), but you may want to consider rotating between several quality products instead of feeding the same one for many years. Don't stress the animal by switching food too often either. 

Personally I recommend giving some variety in meals by adding different fresh, unprocessed foods such as leftover bits of meat or vegetables, plain yogurt or cottage cheese, an egg, pieces of fruit and other things as often as possible. Dogs love it and that way they will get nutrients that are less likely to be present in ample amounts in commercial dog food


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Leslie, it's funny how they are all different, no? I will keep the Earthborn in mind should I ever decide to try something else. Thanks! 

Michelle, no, I was feeding them Innova Evo Red Meat at the time (I was actually in the process of switching them when Guapo was over). He did seem to like it, but you never know... it just might be because he had competition! 

Arlene, yes I did as of about a year ago or so but I've found that though Hitch is fine on the Fromm's, Kubrick was developing soft stools (and large) once I went grain-free I haven't had that problem anymore. Not that Fromm's is bad AT ALL, just didn't work 100% for us!

Dave, scientific research does state that feeding your dog the same food every day can lead to allergies. That's why I change it every 3-4 months. I notice that your Sabine says it's okay to rotate every so often and that is what I would suggest in practice for people as allergies can be a complete pain to deal with... just talk to those who have dogs with food allergies and they will tell you! Of course a dog won't get sick of eating the same thing day in and day out and that is not why I switch, it's only for the potential to allergies, as I stated in my post above.


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## Posh's Mom (Dec 20, 2007)

lina this is a great thread. thanks for posting it. i hadn't even thought about the allergies, but that totally makes sense to me.

i actually haven't switched for quite some time from the EVO small bites chicken because DRUM ROLL PLEASE- Posh is actually eating all of her food!!! i no longer have to add any hot water or wet food to entice her to eat.

i think i will try switching around a bit and see how she does.

any issues with cling ons when you switch? i'm guess not...


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Amy, no issues with cling-ons UNLESS I make a mistake and get the new food too late and have to switch them more quickly. If I do it slowly and correctly I have absolutely zero problems. I only made that mistake once and never again, let me tell you! Having two dogs with poopy butts is NO fun!

I'm glad that Posh is eating all her food now! I really like the Evo as well though I feed Red Meat as the Horizon Legacy has chicken/turkey, etc.


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## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

Thanks for sharing Lina. I'll look into it!


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

Thanks, Lina. Good info. I feed EVO Red Meat (sometimes the chicken if I can't find the Red Meat). I also give them Little Cesar, but have been doing away with that and giving them chicken, turkey, veggies, etc.


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Karin, you mention Kodi tiring of eating his Royal Canin Mini Puppy. It does have quite a few grains in it, including corn gluten and is only rated a 3 at Dog Food Analysis: http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=1530&cat=all If you should choose to change his food to one with fewer grains and more meat protein, or even better, to one with no grains at all, Kodi might enjoy that more.

Lina, I have been recommending people change foods, company and meat protein for over 2 yrs. now.... for the very same reasons you mention.  Some people that come to the store I work at, think that switching every bag (usually lasts a month) is o.k., but that's just too much change, too soon. Every 3-4 months is what I tell them is best. I'm no professional, but based on my own research, it seems to be close to ideal for most dogs.

Horizon has been on the market here for a while. Quebec is another story, as it seems some products take longer to get here due to the French language thing and other laws. Horizon started selling their kibble 3 1/2 years ago.


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## arlene (Jul 28, 2007)

Thanks for the info Lina.

I'm feeding the grain-free Fromm's Surf & Turf. 

Poops are still small . . . mostly because the main diet is still the Nature's Variety.

I've added another puppy to the family - Captain Jack. With five havs and litter boxes, size and amount of poop is a factor in food choice.


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Marj, I know that Horizon has been out for a while but from what I understood Legacy is their new product that just came out this year? Or I should say last year as it's now 2010!

Arlene, I couldn't even imagine having that many dogs and that much poop! LOL.


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## arlene (Jul 28, 2007)

Actually Lina, neither can I and I am living it.

I just did a round trip drive to Florida with three dogs over the Holidays and we are leaving on Friday night to go back with all 5. It's a good thing my husband has a sense of humor . . . flying with 5 is really not an option. On the food front, I found freeze dried food by Stella and Chewy's - Chicken Dinner and Carnivore Crunch - which even my pickiest eaters loved. We drive straight through (19+ hours) and it was easy to feed while in motion. It is less expensive than the Natures Variety freeze dried and my furkids liked it much better.


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## gelbergirl (Jun 9, 2007)

I love hearing about poops.
Glad everything is coming out well!
And glad they like the food.
(where does it ship from in NJ)


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## Janet Zee (Mar 16, 2007)

gelbergirl said:


> I love hearing about poops.
> Glad everything is coming out well!
> And glad they like the food.
> (where does it ship from in NJ)


I found Horizon Legacy at ... TheHungryPuppy.com and they ship.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Here is a letter from Sabine that I got about dogs and allergies. I thought I would share. 

"In my opinion the main problem is that many people seem to expect that a dog should be able to tolerate the same, highly processed food (read: a commercial product of one brand or another) for pretty much all his/her life, without problems - which is totally unrealistic, but possible. 

We are talking about products made up of many different ingredients, more often than not of very poor quality (disgusting meat scraps, contaminated grain, industrial vitamin/mineral premixes) and preserved with all kinds of stabilizers and preservatives. All of these ingredients and additives can change at any time, with manufacturers generally not bothering to notify consumers of a change, especially if the basic formulation of the product stays the same. 

Reality looks very different though, and I'm always amused when someone tells me "but I've fed XYZ for 15 years and all my dogs have always done well on it" because on average especially formulations for dry kibble change every 2-3 years, even within the same brand. So for example the IAMS products people are feeding their dogs today aren't the same as it was, let's say in the early to mid 90s. Back then the brand was independently owned and a high-quality product only available at specialty retailers, then the company was bought up by Procter & Gamble and their products turned into poor quality mass market brands. In that progression, every formula has changed so many times that they aren't even close to what they used to be. The same goes for many other products that used to be high-quality to decent products made by independent companies, that were eventually bought up by corporate giants. But I'm getting off topic here...

Allergies can develop at any time, but they don't have to. It's more likely that an individual who is known to be very sensitive doesn't react right away if they eat something they have never previously been exposed to, but there's no telling whether they develop an allergy a week, a month or a year later.

Personally I'm convinced that a dog is far more likely to develop issues (including food allergies) from eating highly processed foods, especially if they are of poor quality. All that contamination and processing wears on the immune system, and any allergic reaction is an inappropriate immune response."


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