Solid Gold plant sold

[bama]

Hi all! Many of us here liked the Solid Gold brand dog food and fed it to our furkids. However, since Solid Gold sold their California operations to Menu foods in MO. I''m no longer a fan. I don't want any food that shares a vat with other foods. I'm looking for a small company that does not out-source their ingredients, nor product packaging. The more desirable smaller companies are being gobbled up by the big mass producers. Even California Natural has sold out!!
Am checking into Merrick and Orijens foods right now. Anyone have any insight on this, please share with me!!!
Otherwise, I'm going to put them on a raw diet. That may be a bit expenses, since I now have 5 dogs!! My most recent is my grandpuppy, Lily. She's a little Shih Tzu we've had since puppydom. LILY is a little old lady in her last phase of life. She actually belongs to my daughter, but I wanted to take her, because her medicines must me administered 4 to 5 times per day, plus she just wants to be touching her grammy all day. So, she is happy and getting the very best in senior care.

[Dogdad]

Bama, 5 dogs you are getting like me. I saw the cutest puppie at tlc I want so badly but..... You know can't have them all

David

[Victory]

I feed them Merrick "Wilderness Blend" these days. Solid Gold gave Dreamdancer the runs and I switched to Purina One for a bit, (not the best, but solid stools and it worked for them), but the formula changed, and I got dull coats and itchy skin, (Firesong had nasty hot areas) I switched to the Merrick and I'm happy with it, they love it, they look great again and no skin problems.

The problem is I think Merrick only makes a small amount of Wilderness Blend each week, I darn near have to special order it, (I know when one of the stores gets it in and I call them so I have a bag reserved)

This might sound weird, but I like how the Wilderness Blend smells, it smells "good" and wholesome. They also make one called Cowboy cookout, not as many calories per cup, so not good for my two, but for little canines and not hyper chows it might work. Again, it smells good.

[bama]

Thanks Victory! I feel more confident with trying the Merrick, if you have had good results. I'd like to read more about their ingredients, so I guess I'll have to do that online, cuz I can't find a bag of it anywhere around here!
It's time to change their food anyway, they've been on the same stuff for a very long time. Change is good (if done slowly) for them.
Thanks again!!!

David,
We are crazy about our furry kids, huh?
They each have their own sad story, however now their story has a happy ending!
Hugs to you and yours!!! Miss you!!!

[JasonandNat]

Thanks for this info. We have enjoyed Solid Gold, but Menu Foods has got to be kidding if they think they can just buy back acceptance. We have been trying the Origen for the last 2 weeks. Good results so far. Looking at the Wilderness as well.

Anyone else got some good feedback since the food landscape has been changing so much n the past few years?

Happy Holidays!

[Zhuyos mom]

Please post a link verifying this information is true. I know their California production was consolidated to their Missouri plant earlier this year. However, the plant is a Diamond Pet facility and not Menu Foods. Maybe Menu Foods purchased the vacated CA plant, as in building. But that does not mean they took over Diamond Pets Foods' clients. So until I read otherwise, to date SG is not manufactured or distributed through Menu Foods.

[Piff Poff]

I didn't know that SG had been sold I have been feeding Henry 2 cups of SG to 1 cup of Orijen for the past 6 months and he's doing really well on that combination. I thought from previous posts that Orijen alone was too protein rich for our furkids, I may start to increase the Orijen and see how it goes - it's cheaper than the SG.

[Zhuyos mom]

I didn't know that SG had been sold

Solid Gold Pet Products HAS NOT BEEN SOLD. It is still a private company, held by its original founder and creator of the brand and original recipe.

They closed their California facility and consolidated it to their Missouri facility. It is very expensive to operate a business in California. Also, I have toured many manufacturing facilities. Do not assume that all brands created in the plant are communal and share the same "vat". There are different rooms and areas of the facility where the equipment, etc are devoted solely for a specific company's product line. Most especially when there are specific guidelines the company needs to uphold. Kosher and Halal plants are separated from non-Kosher and non-Halal plants. The same goes in reputable dog food facilities.

Bama, once again, please post a link on this thread verifying your original post. Otherwise it is a presumption.

[Piff Poff]

OK, so one person says it's been sold and one person says it hasn't - neither person has posted 'proof' but it's already turning nasty

[Sylvia]

The following quote is from Solid Gold's web site. It appears that if you live in one of the states mentioned, then you will no longer be getting dry food from their California manufacturing facility, but instead from their Missouri facility. If you don't live in one of the mentioned states, it sounds like nothing changes.

http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/news.php

Customers in CA, AZ, OR, WA, HI, ID, NV, UT, W. Ca

Date: Jan 18, 2010

For many years our dry dog and cat foods have been made in two different manufacturing facilities in California and Missouri. The areas referenced above have always received food that was manufactured in the California plant. However, for the foreseeable future, all our dry foods will be manufactured in the Missouri plant. Food manufactured on different machinery can have subtle differences in appearance. The kibble shape may be slightly larger or smaller. In addition the raw materials are sourced from different regions of the US, which may account for variances in color. If you happen to encounter this, there is no need to worry. The formulas are identical.

As always, please feel free to contact us directly with any questions or concerns that you may have.

[kingalls]

I give the Hunden Flocken to my 2 and will continue to give them Solid Gold unless there are significant facts that would change my mind.

[Piff Poff]

Sylvia has put my mind to rest too, there will be no changes here at this time either

[Zhuyos mom]

Thank you, Sylvia for posting the release from SG's web site. I live an hour from Lathrop, where the plant is located. So I heard and read it on our local news at the time (unemployment concerns etc... especially since the Nummi plant was also being closed). Again, thank you.

Piff Poff, I have no idea why you thought my asking Bama for a link was turning the discussion "nasty". I was just asking. I sent an email to SG and was waitting to hear back. However since it was the holidays, I didn't expect for them to reply till after the weekend. If there was a change with the products that could endanger our chows, the site's Admin would have to know. In the Articles page of this site, we endorse SG as the proper kibble for the breed. It was recently revised when ProPlan's formula changed. A fellow member provide verifiable info and our Admin decided to update the article and recommend Solid Gold. So it was important for me to ask Bama where she got her info so I can forward it to our Admin.

Anyways, below is what Solid Gold sent me via e-mail:

To: Lou
Sent: Monday, December 27, 2010 9:16 AM
From: Dane (Solid Gold)
Subject: Solid Gold Health Products

Thank you for contacting Solid Gold. Diamond Pet Foods makes our dry foods. For years our foods were made in the Diamond plants in California and Missouri, but now we just use the Missouri plant. However, we recently switched some of our production over to another plant in Kansas. They are making about half our product line for us but that food has not hit the market yet.

Our canned foods have never been made by Menu Foods. Currently they are made by Simmons Pet Foods in Arkansas. They actually just recently bought out Menu Foods.

Best regards,
Dane
Solid Gold
dane@solidgoldhealth.com

``````````````````````````````````
From: Lou
Sent: Friday, December 24, 2010 12:43 AM
To: Dane (Solid Gold)
Subject: Solid Gold Health Products

Hello Dane,
I moderate a dog forum. I need to verify info a member posted since our site recommends SG products publicly. Are SG products manufactured by Menu Foods? A member has written SG's association with Menu Foods once before. I wrote your products are processed through Diamond. And consolidated your facilities to MO. However your web site does not indicate whether there is a Menu Foods link with SG. Please provide me with a correct statement to post.
Thank you.

[Piff Poff]

Piff Poff, I have no idea why you thought my asking Bama for a link was turning the discussion "nasty". I was just asking. I sent an email to SG and was waitting to hear back. However since it was the holidays, I didn't expect for them to reply till after the weekend. If there was a change with the products that could endanger our chows, the site's Admin would have to know. In the Articles page of this site, we endorse SG as the proper kibble for the breed. It was recently revised when ProPlan's formula changed. A fellow member provide verifiable info and our Admin decided to update the article and recommend Solid Gold. So it was important for me to ask Bama where she got her info so I can forward it to our Admin.

It was the tone of the written word that came across as argumentative and provocative, sorry if I misread the tone, it did come across a little as baiting.

[JasonandNat]

Interesting info an developments. Not sure we like the idea that the company they source to just bought Menu Foods. Of course we're just being protective of our fur-kids.

We're still looking at other options as one needs choices even when dealing with your usual supplier in your local area as they don't always have product on hand.

Either way, Happy Holidays to everyone.

[bama]

Geez Lou, I felt the heat in your response....doesn't sound like you?

I just returned from Christmas vacation and haven't been online since my original post. My bad...I meant Diamond Foods. However, I because I view both Menu Foods and Diamond foods in the same way, neither company has my seal of approval. I agree, the canned dog food is manufactured at a different plant, the one here in Arkansas. However, I was referring to the dry dog food, I should have specified.
Originally, I read the info in stock market news. I will try to find it again. If I can't find it, it's no big deal, as everyone on here has the internet at their finger tips.
I encourage everyone to do their own research on whatever food they feed their chowdren.

[bama]

This not the info that motivated my original post, however it is enough for me. I am not comfortable with Diamond Foods processing and packaging any food for my furbabies. Diamond Foods does not have a very good track record. I feel better with a small company, such as Merrick who processes and packages their own food. This is my personal choice.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_Pet_Foods

<<<<<<<Diamond introduced Diamond Naturals in 2006. These products contain no by-products, corn, or wheat. They also manufacture Bright Bites brand dental treats, Taste of the Wild brand pet food, and Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul brand dog and cat food.

They also manufacture under contract, for other companies, at least some of the pet foods sold under these brands or business names.

* Canidae Pet Food
* Costco's Kirkland Signature
* Solid Gold Health Products for Pets
* Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Pet Foods
* Taste of the Wild Pet Foods>>>>>>>>>