Molly's Aloha Spirit and Macanna by Grandama Lucy - #chewyinfluencer

Molly got the ALOHA spirit this month and decided to try the new "raw" diet by Grandma Lucy - Macanna. We both loves loves loves Grandma Lucy treats and tried previous freeze-dried foods by the company. In the past, the experience was not so good. Molly turned her nose up at it completely -and me. . .  well if you can imagine a PUG picking at her food and not finishing it. . .

But this was a new formulation and so Molly thought WHY NOT? After all, the Stella and Chewy Chik'in Patties were very successful in our household. Ms Natalie from Chewy.com said SURE to the Grandma Lucy Macanna and shipped the food right out to Casa de Noodles. It was great timing because Molly was out of soft foods to try and since her dental crunchy kibble is out of the question. Within a DAY her trial supply arrived.

The EXCITEMENT!!! The ANTICIPATION!!! Our household went absolutely BONKERS when the box was opened. Molly wanted to try the FOOD right then and there and I did not disagree. So we LOUDLY let Mommy know. After 10 million minutes (Mommy's note: about 5 minutes) she gave in and made a SMALL batch for us to try - all three of us, Sunshine was also beg. . . I mean, asking. . . to try it.

If you look on the right side of the above photo, you will see a bowl with food in it. This is Macanna and it pretty much looks like this once rehydrated. Maybe a little seedier - Mommy thought it was chia seed but it isn't. We now think it is Hemp Heart.

Mommy gave us each a tablespoon to try and OMP we loved it. Molly spent 10 minutes in pug bowl licking mode to get every TASTE molecule out of the bowl. Sunshine did not try more than a lick. Not fresh enough for her. . . and what does she care about coconut, hemp and pinto beans? She's a CAT - Bring on the BEEF. Okay - she also does not like beef.

Like all of Grandma Lucy products, Macanna is certified organic and is human grade food. Yes, any meat eating human could live quite nicely on Macanna foods and have all of their vitamin, mineral and protein needs met. But I digress. Here is the ingredient list for Macanna - Beef Recipe
USDA Beef, Pinto Beans, Hemp Hearts, Carrots, Coconut, Kale, Blueberries, Pumpkin, Tumeric, Vitamin A, Vitamin D3, Vitamin E, Niacin, Iron, Calcium, Phosphorus, Zinc, Riboflavin, Thiamin, Potassium, Manganese, Chloride, Copper, Magnesium, Pyridozine, Cyanocobalamin.

Did you catch that? The first item is BEEF and all the first row of ingredients are FOOD. I'm telling you - this is a healthy foodable from a very reputable company. Chewy.com carries a whole line of Grandma Lucy products.

So everything was fine for the first couple of weeks. Molly DEVOURED her Macanna and I sampled it now and then. I am testing a different food so for me Macanna was a treat.

Then on week TWO Molly began to vomit about 1 hour after eating her Macanna. And she was clearly in some distress. That was so odd because she obviously enjoyed the food and seemed to be thriving on it. Mommy watched her for a day to see if she was picking up strange stuff and eating it (like around the couch or in the yard. NOTHING. She was being a good girl and not eating taboo stuff. It could only be the food. Auntie T made her some special chicken and rice food to calm her tummy and that is what Molly has been eating since.

Mommy wrote to the Grandma Lucy people to see if perhaps there were other pups who had problems with the food. The nice customer service person, Jorge, had not heard of any problems with the food. He was very sympathetic and discussed with Mommy some of the ingredients Molly MIGHT be reacting to. He also said, quite honestly, that maybe Macanna was not the right food for her but one of their other formulas might be. He might be right there. After all WE LOVE THE TREATS from GRANDMA LUCY and have NEVER ever reacted negatively to them. She was glad that Jorge took the time to puzzle the problem out and give Mommy some suggestions. She was very impressed. She knows that Customer Service is very important. It is one of the MAIN REASONS we love Chewy.com so much.

Mommy hated to see the Macanna go to waste so she fed it to me a couple ofdays. On the third day I also had an upset tummy. I didn't toss my proverbial cookies like Molly BUT I was clearly in some abdominal distress. So Mommy quit feeding Macanna to me as well. Something in the food is not agreeing with us and so far Mommy cannot isolate it. It is still a great food and we are pretty sure at Casa de Noodles that some dogs will not react at all to the recipe. It just did not work for us.

**We were not paid to write this review nor were we told what to say in this review. All of the opinions expressed in this blog belong to a PUG, a Maltese Mix, and a kitty. We did receive product free of charge for the sole purpose of trying it and writing about it.