I just don't understand the appeal of FRR. Sure, it's above average (average being quality like Science Diet and Eukanuba), but it's not great. Online or phone ordering is less convenient than a trip to the neighborhood pet store. And the price? $60-$70 for 40 lbs? That is pretty steep, and the type of price that one would expect for a MUCH better food. The original FRR formula is carbohydrate heavy and contains the virtually undigestible (and common allergen) wheat, as well as useless filler beet pulp.

There are SO many much better products out there, I just don't understand devotion to Flint River Ranch.

The appeal for me is that this is the only food my dog does well on. We've tried many "outstanding" dog food brands and she did not do well on any of them. She has issues with many ingredients and is on the FRR Lamb, Millet and Rice. She loves it and it loves her! I was driving 20 miles round trip to purchase these other super premium brands and I love that I don't have to spend extra on gas or shipping costs for FRR. It's pricey, but so are the others. Plus you get quite a discount by stocking up. My cat eats kitty FRR and looks and feels wonderful. I recently changed her to Wellness Core because I kept reading how cats need high protein and no grains. During her second bag she started looking like hell (terrible shedding) and during this time she had to see the vet for a UTI. I changed her back to FRR and all is well. I don't ever plan to change again.

to sheltervt:

I'm not sure where you got your information, but NONE of the FRR formulas contain beet pulp. Here is the ingredient list for the original formula you mentioned:

Chicken Meal, Whole Wheat Flour, Ground Rice, Lamb Meal, Chicken Fat (preserved with tocopherols - healthy antioxidants - and ascorbic acid), Ground Whole Wheat, Flax Seed, dried whole egg, lecithin, fish meal, brewer's dried yeast, wheat germ meal, dried kelp, dehydrated alfalfa meal, salt, potassium chloride, ferrous sulfate, dl-Alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), zinc oxide, selenium supplement, manganous oxide, riboflavin supplement (vitamin B2), copper and cobalt, niacin, ascorbic acid (source of vitamin C), vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, D-Biotin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), calcium iodate, thiamine mononitrate, folic acid, and vitamin D3 supplement.

Yes, whole wheat flour is listed as the 2nd ingredient and I do not feed my dog with this formula because she does have food allergies (though probably not to wheat). In my opinion it is still a good formula for those who have no trouble with wheat.

I do feed my dog the Lamb and Rice formula which has no wheat. Its awesome ... and she LOVES the taste of it (before feeding this food she would not even touch her food until she exhausted every possibility of getting 'something else' to eat).

The Lamb and Rice formula is completely free of allergens like corn, wheat, eggs, chicken, and soy. Here is the ingredients (note the top 5):

Lamb Meal, Ground Whole Millet, Ground Whole Rice, Rice Bran, Menhaden Fish Meal, Grape Seed Oil, Flaxseed Meal, lecithin, garlic, rosemary and sage extract, choline chloride, zinc sulfate, dl-Alpha tocopherol acetate, zinc amino acid complex, selenium supplement, mixed natural tocopherols (Vitamin E antioxidants), niacin, iron amino acid complex, Vitamin B-12 supplement, calcium pantothenate, Vitamin A acetate, ascorbic acid, iron sulfate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, manganese amino acid complex, thiamine mononitrate, manganous oxide, copper amino acid complex, copper sulfate, riboflavin supplement, folic acid supplement, ethylenediamine dihydriodide, D-Biotin supplement, Vitamin D3, bromelain, papain, dried bacillus subtilis fermentation product, and dried aspergillus oryzae fermentation product.

Great food!

You are absolutely correct. I forgot that FRR removed beet pulp from their formulas a few years ago, using instead rice or oat bran for their fiber additive.

I never said FRR was BAD. It's just not all it's cracked up to be, and better foods can be found in almost all areas, at local pet stores, usually for the same price or cheaper.

Possibly you could mention a few of those brands and I would certainly consider them. I have searched high and low for a formula that has few (if any) common allergens like the FRR Lamb and Rice (at a comparable price) and have not found anything significantly better. Cheaper would be great.

I personally do a lot of online shopping so ordering online is a big plus for me rather than a downside, shipping is free and the product arrives within a couple days so no big deal. The closest pet store is about 15 mins from me, not bad but completely out of the way to anything else I do in town. I also like the claim that FRR is fresher since it does not sit around in a truck or distribution facility for months before ending up in the pet store (could be hype I guess, but it sounds reasonable).

A very simple guideline for finding a worthwhile food is to read ingredients. Ignore most of the rest of the label, the ingredients are what matter. Read the first ten ingredients, and avoid any foods that contain corn, wheat, soy, gluten, vegetable protein, or byproduct. Corn, wheat, and soy are all top allergens, and all have low digestibility. Gluten is insoluable grain-based protein, making it a filler, and byproducts are meat waste products, unfit for consumption. Preferably, unless the ingredient list is very small, you should see a good, species-specific meat as at least two or more of the first five ingredients. Also, it's best to avoid foods with the same non-meat ingredients listed multiple times (such as ingredients lists including whole grain brown rice, white rice, brewers rice, AND rice bran) All of those components can be found in whole grain brown rice, so why add them all individually? Great brands include Innova, California Natural, Natural Balance, Blue Buffalo, Pinnacle, Merrick, Wysong, TimberWolf, Solid Gold, Canine Caviar, Orijen/Acana, Wellness, Castor and Pollux, Nature's Variety/Prairie, and the list goes on. For PetSmart availability, I like Blue Buffalo first, by Nature Organics second. At Petcos, I prefer Blue Buffalo, then Solid Gold, Wellness, Castor and Pollux, and Natural Balance.