Virtue Dog Food - Page 3

I have a samsung G9 running Android.  This is screenshot with image expanded a bit.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/mkghndvcj9nmmv9/Screenshot_20200421-131217_Samsung%20Internet.jpg?dl=0

I will be ordering once my dog’s are done with the food I have. Looks to be great food.

I saw the banner ad and decided to give this small business a try. My order was shipped from MN to here in Phoenix in about 5 days I think.  Quick turnaround considering the current logistical situation.  The transaction and a few questions were answered straight away from my phone. I’m not necessarily a kibble feeder as kibble has its limitations, nor strictly raw/homemade but cycle all the above.  Transition was easy and it seems to be as good as advertised.  Only consideration from some of you with lower output dogs or older would be the 32/24 protein-fat ratio.

Although we have near endless choices for commercial dog food here in the US with a lot it of being inferior, I think virtue fills a niche while retaining a decent price point. 

GK1 - please state whether you reduced the food amount and saw a corresponding 'output' reduction once your dogs have had a chance to settle with new food. Thx

Hi Koots, I meant output as physical exertion; my dogs are active and do fine on high calorie food to include raw fats. But more to your point the caloric ratio of this kibble may not be ideal for sedentary dogs - or maybe it could be but in small portions. Just depends on the individual dog I suppose. I started about 25% less than I would normally with other kibbles I fed. Easy transition in my experience so far with virtue.

Thanks GK1 - I meant 'output' as in feces. I expect a calorie-dense food such as this, with high bio-availability (easily digested and used by body) to result in lower stool volume. Also how much less you need to feed to maintain weight would be interesting to note.

Koots the shovel factor (digestive bioavailability) is minimal with this kibble, when compared to the last kibble I used - popular victor pro 30/20. Do you equate low stool volume with food quality? I don’t think this is a simple formula. For example, if I feed skinless boneless chicken breast, or 90% lean ground beef plus oats, the shovel factor will also be minimal. But does plain chicken offer complete nutrition for an active dog? No imo. For my lactating 50 pound Malinois, I give about a 1/4 cup evaporated whole goat milk, a scoop of goat kefir and a small scoop of organic coconut oil in the am, and around 2 cups of virtue in the pm and maybe some meat or egg to augment; so far this seems to be working for her and her pups with no apparent stress on her digestion.

A raw diet that is balanced will still produce the least amount of stool volume as has the most easily digestible and bioavailable nutrition. An excellent-quality kibble (I consider Virtue to be this) compared to a premium kibble is what I am curious about. I think that Victor food is considered a premium-quality food and have heard on here that many people like it, so interesting to note the comparison between Virtue and Victor. Thanks for the info. I just wish that it wasn't so expensive to get Virtue in Western Canada, as I am very interested in trying it out. As of now there are no distributors for it here.

In response to the comment regarding comparing Virtue to Victor (Victor Hi Pro Classic, specifically), I can attest that the dogs seem to find it more palatable, and they definitely have stools as nice as they did while on Victor, or better. Stools are smaller and firm, and not that sickly yellowish color I've gotten from pretty much any other food except Victor. In fact, in my opinion, the dogs poop doesn't smell..., uh, poopy. We had an accident in the house the other day (it rarely happens but when it does, we generally know RIGHT AWAY), and nobody knew because we saw it before we smelled it. We find we can feed significantly less, which is good, as we have 14 adult German Shepherd dogs. My only concern, initially, was how dense the kibble is. I had worries that my puppies may have a hard time eating it, as it doesn't break down as quickly as other kibble, but that was not an issue. I feel much more comfortable recommending a breeder-formulated food to my clients with large breed puppies, as well.

Thanks for the feedback, Four Leaf - good information.