Timberwolf Organics

I've been involved in golden retrievers for over 20 years and have not found a better dry food than Timberwolf. It's interesting that some of the reviewers comment about how other foods like Canidae, Orijen are better, etc. To each his own, but personally, I would never feed Canidae by choice to my dogs again, especially since they changed the formula a few years back and many of my Canidae user friends noticed runny stools after the change. Orijen has a protein percentage of 38%, and many large breed dogs have to watch protein levels as growing dogs to ensure they don't grow too fast and stress bones, joints, etc. Timberwolf is also the only dry food I have found that doesn't leave tartar build up on my dogs' teeth. The proof is in the pudding. I have an 8 year old golden with perfectly white teeth and she doesn't even chew bones regularly. It's all about the food. In the few times I've switched experimentally to other foods over the years (Canidae, Orijen, Natural Ballance, ... Read more

My dogs will stay on the various varieties of this line of dog kibbles. The company now has control of the making of their foods, so we are going to be enjoying each variety. It is pricey, but you feed the pets less. Taste of the Wild (I just learned) is made by Diamond. Buyer beware. When Diamond was making Timberwolf there was a lesson learned...the hard way. They cannot be trusted. They have a history of producing food that gets animals sick. You will also appreciate that while you pay more up front for Timberwolf, it lasts longer and you won't have vet bills breathing down your neck from food they've eaten. TImberwolf is trustworthy and now their line of products is excellent again.

I was asked by Timberwolf to spread the word that they are certainly NOT going out of business! This is a wonderful food and I believe made with the highest quality ingredients and with great care. I have never had any problems with their customer service or their products. My dogs will eat pretty much anything, one of my dogs even ate alfalfa sprouts from my sandwich today! But they go absolutely WILD for Timberwolf! Their favorite and mine (because of the moderate protein content) is the Wilderness Elk formula...I can't think of any other pet food that uses Elk meat. Every dog is different and some foods work wonderfully for one dog and not so wonderfully for the next dog....but I have had better results feeding Timberwolf than even a balanced RAW diet. I always thought that raw was the best I could do for my dogs, but I am not convinced of this anymore! You don't always get what you pay for, but with Timberwolf I believe you do!

I've been feeding Timberwolf's Southwest Chicken & Herb Canid Formula Dog Food to my cocker spaniel since I adopted him roughly ~1.5 years ago. Unfortunately last month every store around me stopped carrying Timberwolf (they told me Timberwolf was going out of business) and was told to try Orijen's Red Regional Red. Well it turns out the my cocker spaniel was HIGHLY allergic to Orijen's food and now is covered in a red rash which spans ~80% of his body. I searched the internet and found some on-line sites that still carry Timberwolf and bought two 33-lb bags. I cannot wait until the food arrives. Until then, I switched him to Innova Evo's chicken formula as he was fed that from the rescue I adopted him from and he wasn't covered in a rash when I received him. On Timberwolf my dog's coat was beautiful, soft and glossy. He never had any skin problems and had lots more energy. I've recommended this food to everyone I know. Yes, the price has gone up, however I don't mind paying it since... Read more

First, it is evident from the reviews below that not every food is for every dog. With that said, based on the aggregate of positive responses on this site and others concerning Timberwolf and on the recommendation of my pet food store, I gave Timberwolf (Ocean Blue formula) a shot for my 1-year old French Bulldog, Harley. Prior to the switch, I was feeding her Solid Gold (another premium brand) and was satisfied with it (as was my vet). I switched foods because it was time to leave her puppy formula behind. In the process I did a lot of research and decided to try Timberwolf. Giving Timberwolf a shot was the best thing I could have done for Harley and me. Harley and I love this food. Our experience has been better than I imagined. Prior to switching I really didn't have any complaints other than those that most Frenchie owners have: shedding and gas (Frenchies are known to be able to blister paint with their gas). After moving to Timberwolf, Harley's breed-common problems ... Read more

TimberWolf is one of those brands that meets all my requirements for a food I feel comfortable feeding to my dogs... and yet I don't buy it. The price is astronomical, especially compared to other brands with similar formulas. And, as some other reviewers have indicated, I just don't feel that the company is quite as honest or on-the-ball as they should be.

After trying many of the higher end dog foods on the market today, I was told about Timberwolf from another German Shepherd breeder in our area. This food produces amazing coat, muscle mass and performance; giving me a dog who glows...inside and out. I do credit Timberwolf Organics for Ch. Laxfield's Hit Man winning an Award of Merit at the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club dog show in 08. The excellent nutrition it provided gave him that edge that is so required of a top show dog. We have 4 German Shepherds; all of which are fed Timberwolf exclusively. I rotate the proteins between the Wilderness Elk and Salmon and the Southwest chicken and herb. They are in phenomenal condition; even my 11 year old senior! Her coat is rich and she still has more than enough energy to keep up with her kids! This is an amazingly compassionate company as well, working closely with Rescues throughout the country. The customer service is excellent and they are ALWAYS readily available for questions o... Read more

As a follow-up, in the end we learned that there were only certain lots of food (very narrow date range) that were responsible for making animals sick. Thus the customer who had no problems likely did not have a bag from the affected lot. Timberwolf did pay for the majority of my customer's vet bill, however they were afraid to ever put their dogs back on the food. My other customers continued to use the food and their dogs thrived, however the price increase made it impossible for them to continue using it. I have one remaining customer, her dog has severe allergies, and they had gone through so much with that dog, that they will never change from the Timberwolf Bison as their dog is beautiful and thriving unlike during the previous years constantly at the vet, on one prescription after another, losing weight and most of her coat. This food has been a true blessing for them. The food I rate 5 stars! The customer service I rate 2 stars. The price is just more than most can afford.

During the whole TIMBERWOLF ORGANICS recall I too wrote a negative review because my dog's did have a problem. They seem to have resolved the issue because my dogs haven't had any problems ever since I started feeding them TIMBERWOLF ORGANICS again. Their vet check-ups are great and one of my dog's who is very sensitive has done very well on TIMBERWOLF. Also, after doing extensive research online I have come to the conclusion that almost all brands have had issues and recalls at one time or another.

I'm sorry--I have to disagree with some of the info on this site about Timberwolf. I have many clients on this food..including my 4 dogs. All of them are doing very well with small, firm stools. Their coats are gorgeoous with no allergy problems in site. I have no problem getting through to the customer relations department. I NEVER have had a probelm with Timeberwolf, period. My dogs use to eat Canidae, but never again. When they were on Canidae they never had a nice, soft plushy coat like they do now. Just thought I would spread some truth to this page. You can contact me if you would like to discuss this further.

A lot has changed since I last used this food. The changes unfortunately are in the wrong direction, and coupled with the deceptive advertizing and justification I no longer feel comfortable recommending Timberwolf products. I would have rated it a 3 even with the ingredient changes to lesser quality, but the company has exhibited a certain bravado and arrogance, if not dishonesty, towards its clients, which leaves me with no choice but to drop my rating to a 2. A rating of 1 is reserved for products like Eukanuba, Kibbles n'bits, etc. Timberwolf is still a little better than petsmart or petco brands. starsUpdate 09/14/07: Bacchus (my cocker) just finished a run of Timberwolf that lasted 2 months (he is currently on Orijen) and what I said in my original "review" still rings true. The one exception is that over time he ended up going to the bathroom a little more frequently on a daily basis than I would have liked, but I certainly will not begrudge this product for that. He has done ... Read more

I stumbled upon these reviews of Timberwolf and realized that ALL four of our German Shepherds recently develped the health issues listed in these reviews. Our dogs recently started having very loose stool, vomiting and watery diarrhea, stinky butts, itchy paws, extreme thirst,and the puppies have been refusing their food. We've also seen stray bits of other kibble in the last few bags. We are NEVER going to use this food or anything made by Diamond again. We are very upset because we have researched and researched to find the right food, especially since one of our dogs has allergies and one of the pups is training to be a working dog--so we have some specific needs. We were commited to using a top brand and paying a hefty price for it--this should not have happened.

My dogs did well on Timberwolf initially until about a year ago, then had problems with vomiting, refusing to eat, scratching, restlessness. Discovered on web searching MANY owners reporting same problems to the company, who did not respond to their customers, stonewalled, denied problems, refused refunds: the very worst in customer response. Eventually foods manufactured in a specific time frame were pulled from shelves, but Timberwolf had NEVER said what the problem was, or every really admitted the problem. So were my dogs eating Chinese melamine? Recently Timerberwolf sent an e-mail customer survey, saying if you will complete, we will e-mail a $20 off coupon for web use. W I completed the survey -- NO coupon. I wouldn't do business with this dishonest bunch or feed their food to my dogs ever again. I love my dogs too much for that. You don't know whether the bag of food you buy from these folks is going to make your dog sick or not. You don't know where they are getting ... Read more

I have four chow chows that have been on timberwolf for two years and have not had any bad effects from the food.Since I started my chows on ocean blue my black male chows coat is awesome.I take ocean blue and another timberwolf flavor and mix it together.I have noticed recently that they are drinking alot more water now than before.Something has changed in the ingredents of this food.I will probably change to another food.If this product was bought by diamond dog food they had a recall on the food a couple of years ago where some dogs died.The product was getting hard to find in connecticut a few months back which was odd.I kept getting different stories on why limited supplies were avaible.I think it will be best for my dogs to find another product that I can rely on,not timberwolf.

I inherited two dogs last year, and used Timberwolf as that's what they were previously fed. The product was great, ordering and delivery were easy. All was good until the last order. Neither dog is a picky eater, but the older dog refused to eat the Southwest Chicken, so I opened the bag of Bison, with the same picky result. My wife also noted that the water bowl was constantly empty, and that the other younger dog was drinking quite a bit of water. Both dogs also started getting up in the middle of the night to eat grass. I did get an update from Timberwold a few months back stating that they were "Going back to Basics" and had moved to an alternate processing plant. I didn't think much of it before placing my last order for food. Well after the dogs change in eating habits I started doing some research and stumbled upon this website. It was just a little too much of a coincedence to see other posts with the same problems. I took the Timberwolf out of their diet, and increased the am... Read more

People, stop complaining about Timberwolf not being forthcoming with information. Who cares! Take the matter in your own hands, send two different samples of dry kibble to either your local food analysis lab, or to a nationally recognized lab. Test for: melamine, and other toxins. It is not an expensive process, but you might have to call around. Do include the results here, or on a searchable web page. One of MANY labs is http://www.expertox.com/ 281-476-4600 for Analysis of food and nutritional supplements. A fur test might be more revealing, it reflects longer term efforts.

My dogs love the new food.  I am glad they switched plants.

We have two english mastiffs. It's difficult finding something they like and is good for them. We found Timberwolf Organics through The Dog Food Project and its forum, OurDogsOnline.com. Incredible ingredients but extremely poor customer service. We'd order directly from the website and shipping was free or discounted (can't remember which). Anyway, our boys did well for over a year. Ocean Blue and Lamb & Apple were they're favorites. Then others started noticing different colored kibble in the same bag, or color and size changing from bag to bag. There were at least 3 customer service people who visited the OurDogsOnline website to provide more information as our moderator is a dog food nutritionist. Anyway, we never got straight answers, even when they changed formulas. I was fine with all of this until last year when our younger mastiff started waking up multiple times at night, extremely thirsty. Another odd thing that someone else noticed. We switched t... Read more

I had to adjust my rating again.  There are just way too many pets being hurt by this food and Canidae.  So sad as both these foods were wonderful before they got caught up the in the "Big Business" mode of doing things.Update- 02/10/08.......  I still think this is a good food.  As I am not sure what is correct with the whole label issue, I will not comment on that.  My dog did really well on this, but most recently, it's almost like she has developed heart burn or something on this food.  She is constantly swallowing and making unusual sounds.  I have had to change my rating because this is just really odd.  I have since moved her to another high quality food.My dog has never, ever been so excited to eat her food...that includes the 2 at the top of this list too. She loves every flavor, but her favorite is the SW Chicken or the Wilderness Elk. They use great ingredients, as you can tell from the low ash content with such a high protein amount. The food also requires less amounts to b... Read more

Timberwolf continues to make dogs ill!! I have talked to many people who have become VERY frustrated with the way they conduct business. They are unfortunately very unethical and seem to care less about animals. I for one have switched to BLUE BUFFALO dogfood which is enriched with their Lifesource bit (contains vitamins, minerals, probiotics, etc,) which is a cold process not destroyed by heat!! My dog's health, coat, and just overall well-being has NEVER been better. And--NO throwing up, upset stomach, gas, etc. that he got on Timberwolf!!!!

I am having the exact same problem and got on line to see if there had been ANY complaints. I am the loving owner of a Newfie and he will not touch any of the Timberwolf dog food I have for him. $120 later btw. I have samples of other dog food and he has gobbled them up. What is going on with Timeberwolf?????

I have been feeding my two Golden Retrievers (8 and 4) TimberWolf feeds for about 4 years. The four year old has grown up on it. They are both so healthy looking and acting and their stools are great. We have never had any trouble with the feed at any time. I have never fed them Ocean Blue, they typically rotate between Black Forest, Wilderness Elk, Dakota Bison, and Lamb with Apples. I am sorry to hear about these problems that have occurred with your dogs and hope that they all return to good health quickly, but as of now I am still a believer in TimberWolf feeds. Many of the other "good" feeds use canola oils for fat and this is just not a good alternative...cheaper, yes, but the rape seed is not a good source of oil for you or your dog. Ron Parks Charleston, SC

Help to me to purchase in Russia Timberwolf Organics

Hello, my name is Ann Martin and I am the author of "Food Pets Die For:) (the third edition has just been released) and "Protect Your Pet:" In researching this last book I contacted a number of quality pet food companies in order to find out the sources of ingredients they use in their foods. The reply I received from Timberwolf, "we are not at liberty to divulge this information as it is proprietary in nature." Other pet food companies were willing to answer any questions I posed. In reading this blog I note that problems seem to have existed for some time now when feeding Timberwolf. I have to wonder when the company did decide to issue a recall. Oddly enough the pet store where I live knew nothing about it and calls to the company have not been returned. By the symptoms people have described I would suspect salmonella contamination. Many companies do their own in-house testing for this toxin and I would question if Timberwolf undertook such testing. I'd also be questioni... Read more

I breed and show rough coated collies and own a total of nine dogs. I had been feeding Timberwolf Organic for close to a year and initially my dogs did fantastically on it. However, in the last two months - ALL my dogs have been ill with bloody diarrhea and some with vomitting as well. Eventually, they were diagnosed with Salmonella - I have had my well tested and we now believe that the source of the problem is the food. I have sent a sample from the last bag they ate from to be tested and should get results within a week. The food is NOT one of the ones they recalled but rather a bag of the Elk and Salmon (33 lb) new packaging. I would be very careful with this whole line if you are still feeding it - I have over $1500 in vet bills to date and am very concerned about this. [email protected]

***As of June 3, 2008 there is a voluntary recall of some batches of Ocean Blue and Dakota Bison. Please got to dogfoodproject.com for more info****I have been a user of TimberWolf Organics for a while and previously gave them a 5 star rating. However, I had bought a large bag of the Wilderness Elk Formula for my highly sensitive dog who usually does great on this food. To my surprise his ears started to flare up and his eyes were quite runny. I had to take him off of it immediately and after doing some research I noticed the drastic change in their dry formulas. There is no way these ingredients were in the food all along (ex-chicken fat) because my dog would have shown signs of discomfort  much sooner. I am very disappointed and will no longer be using there products.The worst part is that their best formula, the Ocean Blue, is practically irrecognizable at this point. They took amazing ingredients and not only downgraded them but put the better ingredients to the bottom of the list ... Read more

We have been feeding the Bison to our two dogs for well over a year and they loved it. I bought a new bag of the tightly packed bison and overnight, they just stopped eating. I thought maybe they just got tired of the food, so I bought a small Ocean Blue bag that had been on the shelves awhile and they loved it. So, I bought a 33 lb. bag that was in the new tightly packed bag. From the first cupful, they have refused to eat it. There is definitely something going on with the newly packaged Bison and OceanBlue. At this point, I think I will need to switch brands, but has anyone had any problems with any of the other Timberwolf blends?

After my dog had a seizure and diarrhea problems after eating some of the Timberwolf dakota bison and ocean blue, I filed a formal complaint with the FDA. They asked that everyone who has had problems do so. They think there are some discrepancies with Timberwolf that bear some research. But, everyone must report the problems. There is power in numbers. Please speak up for the safety of all the innocent dogs.

I think Timberwolf is the best dog food available. Regarding the poor reviews, we have never had a problem with this food and our English Mastiff puppy, Rosie, loves it. I was very concerned when I read the other reviews for the safety of our pup and emailed them concerning the issue. They addressed it as such: "Thank you for contacting us. We are aware of the negative 'reviews' floating around on the net and we are taking steps to address them very soon. I can assure you that all of our food is of the highest quality and that every possible step is being taken to ensure that our food is safe. If you have any other questions feel free to email or give us a call. Thank you for choosing Timberwolf Organics." Since we think it is a good food, and Rosie is doing so well on it, we will continue to buy this product. We feed Rosie Timberwolf Black Forest, as it has the least amount of protein- important so that giant breeds don't grow too fast for their bones and joints- which leads t... Read more

I have had my two dogs on Timberwolf Organics for a year, the older dog on Wilderness Elk and Salmon, the puppy on Wild and Natural Dry initially and then also on the Elk and Salmon. I thought that the puppy had a delicate digestive system--I'm wondering now if it was at least exacerbated by something in the food. I bought a 33 lb. bag in April and noticed the name had changed to Wilderness Formula and that the bag was now a heavier metallic lined plastic. Within two days of feeding them the new food (about April 19, 2008), the older dog threw up and wouldn't finish her meal. I fasted her and the next day she dropped the food from her mouth while eating and later threw up again. A $320 vet bill later, her blood work was normal, and then the puppy started walking away from his bowl. My dogs eat twice a day, and inhale their food. This was when we realized it had to be something in the new batch of their food. Meanwhile, I located several bags of the old version of the Elk & Salm... Read more

We sell Timberwolf in our store, and have had great results and feedback from clients who feed it to their dogs. Lately, there have been questions about the company and their products, ranging from insolvency to ingredient misrepresentation. I do know there were issues with batches of the Bison formula, as dogs were throwing up and/or refusing to eat it. As of May 15, there has not been any response regarding this issue. One of Timberwolf's biggest problems has always been their poor customer service. Not having a dedicated department for issues like this, they tend to be non-responsive or, worse, defensive in their language. I won't throw them under the bus for unprofessional PR, but at the same time they need to step up and answer concerns. Some stores in our area have either discontinued the brand or are phasing it out. I want more concrete evidence one way or the other, but right now I'm leaning towards replacing them with another brand. I gave 3 stars just to remain neutral. Zo... Read more

I just found this site, and have also had the same problem with my Golden. I have used Timberwolf Bison for about a year, and have been very happy with it, until about a two weeks ago. My dog ate her dinner, and then she started throwing up and having severe diahrea. She refused to eat her food, which was so different for her. I took her to the vet and he said to change foods which I did and she ate that eagerly. I then put the old food down and she again refused to eat. My neighbor also had the same response with her dog after she bought a new bag. I called and email the company and was also given the same runaround. We have permantly switched foods and I hope no one else has to put their dog through that misery. I don't know what we can do about this, but this site at least helped me feel better!

I am so glad I saw your post. I am going around and around with the Timberwolf Rep. I have been feeding Dakota Bison to my 6 large breed dogs for well over a year, and they have always loved the food. I have a friend that has 4 large breed dogs that also feeds Timberwolf Dakota Bison. She mentioned 2 weeks ago that her dogs all of a sudden refused to eat it. Thats ALL of her dogs. They would literally let the kibble drop out of their mouths. A week later, I opened a new bag. One of my dogs refused to eat it, and the other 5 ate it, but without their usual gusto. I ended up switching the food of my one dog, but my interest was peaked while watching the lack of excitment with my other 5. At night, I was petting my dogs, and I noticed their breath REEKED of a horrible rancid sour milk smell. I checked the rest of my dogs, and their breath all stunklike a gallon of sour milk locked in a car trunk for a month during a summer heat wave. It was extremely gross. I figured it had to... Read more

I have always fed high quality food but after the food recall reached the Wellness brand, I decided I needed a change. I originally switch to Timberwolf because I had heard great things about the brand and the great ingredients.I fed Timberwolf (both Bison and Elk formulas) for about 9 months. Even after the price increase, I continued to buy their products because I want the best for my dogs. When I was at the store last Saturday, I noticed the packaging and names were a little different. I asked if anything had changed besides the name and was told "only the labeling". I bought a large bag of the Bison and fed as usual.After feeding my dogs dinner that night (Sat) and breakfast the next morning, I noticed their breath had a strange smell, almost metallic. By the 3rd meal (Sun. night), my husband informed me our Lab hadnt finished his meal (all 3 of my dogs take eating very seriously and would NEVER skip a meal). The other 2 both threw up randomly starting Sun morning. My Lab continue... Read more

We switched to Timberwolf brand due to our dogs allergies and have noticed a dramatic change. The older of the two with joint and hip problems is now able to climb stairs that she once couldn't and the one with the food allergies has not had a problem since. The complaints about the other dogs reactions may just be that, allergies to the food. Organic or not, all dogs cannot eat all foods, as with our dogs, they have food allergies. We have used other high quality digestive foods and have had the same results of diarrhea etc. So it may very well be that the bad results of this product may be the animals themselves and not the product.

I have a foster Boxer that we have been feeding the Ocean Blue, he was doing great until the last bag. He was having a lot of big plopy poops and diarhea, I stopped feeding that bag and got another bag and instantly his poops were firm. The kibble definitly looks different between the two bags.