What dog food?

Dogs, Cats, Fish, Parrots, Horses, ALL Domestic Pets
User avatar
Spreckly
Legendary Laner
Posts: 5826
Joined: 26 Mar 2011, 14:21

What dog food?

Post by Spreckly »

We've fed our dogs on several different makes of food over the years. Think our GSD was on B.t...ers, and our Rough Collie was on J...es W..ll...ved due to a skin condition. Certainly the JW was really, really good, and kept the problem under control.

Angel was on food manufactured by the Natural D.g F..d Co, costing over £50 for a large bag. I nearly collapsed when I learned the price, even a smaller size was over £20, so I bought B..k..rs, and mixed it until the NDF was finished. Then I moved on to I.ms, which suits her, but she does tend to get bored with food, and her previous owner did say that it was hard to put any weight on her. She also gave her a portion of the foil range, which I have continued.

Today, gazing at the huge choice in P.ts a. H.me, I picked up a bag of JW for small dogs, and will slowly introduce this. I know some sheltie owners feed their dogs on raw food, with great success, but I do want to do what is best by Angel.

Perhaps Laners could advise what they feed their dogs on, please.
User avatar
Spreckly
Legendary Laner
Posts: 5826
Joined: 26 Mar 2011, 14:21

Re: What dog food?

Post by Spreckly »

I left out Ch..p.e, which we fed Nation on for years.
Grannyof4
Legendary Laner
Posts: 3611
Joined: 07 Feb 2010, 13:30
Gender: Female
Location: South Notts/Leics border

Re: What dog food?

Post by Grannyof4 »

I don't have my own dogs any more but spend days and weeks looking after other peoples when they go away. The sort of food available nowadays is mind blowing. I have a Labradoodle in at the moment and the different foods her owners have brought ..........!! She has a dried food which they mix with a wet food but not the ordinary stuff, it is tins and containers of very expensive natural food, ie protein mixed with rice and vegetables.
Both my dogs were fed E**anuba all their life and did incredibly well on it.
The diet of some dogs is horrendous and equivalent to us living on things like crisps, chocolate etc.
I would be interested to know peoples views of whether you feed a dog once or twice a day.
User avatar
Spreckly
Legendary Laner
Posts: 5826
Joined: 26 Mar 2011, 14:21

Re: What dog food?

Post by Spreckly »

Grannyof4 - we fed our GSD once a day at teatime, but our Rough Collie, his successor was fed twice a day, because he was given to bringing up bile if his tummy had little in it. We have continued the regime with our shelties, breakfast and tea.

Thank you for your reply to my query.
jannie
Hedgehog Champion
Posts: 4536
Joined: 21 Jan 2010, 22:46
Gender: Female
Location: Dulais Valley, South Wales

Re: What dog food?

Post by jannie »

I changed Barney onto Applaws a few months ago after discovering that the well known brand we were feeding him on was so high in cereal content that he was malnourished. He had muscle wastage, an enlarged liver and yeast infection. The vet couldn't find the cause so I looked at his food and realised that cereal has no place in a dogs diet. The improvement in his health since putting him on Applaws has astounded his vet and he's told me that he is now doing his own study into the diets of the dogs brought into his surgery. He told me that in all the years of college study that vets do they only get a few hours on nutrition ..and a big part of that is presentations by the manufacturers.

I also have our new rescue dog Bella on this food with a little butchers tinned food added. She is losing her nervousness a lot quicker than anyone expected. I am sure this is down to the fact that she is on a cereal free diet and getting the right nutrition in the form of 75% meat and 25% fruit and veg. She is on 3-4 small meals a day at the moment as she is underweight but once her weight is normal we'll feed her the same way as Barney .. half his food in his dish in the afternoon and the rest in his kong toys through the evening.
User avatar
wendy
Moderator
Posts: 29794
Joined: 30 Apr 2007, 14:13
Location: Hertfordshire
Contact:

Re: What dog food?

Post by wendy »

There is such a variety in the dog food market that it really depends on

Does the dog like it.

does it suit your pocket.

I personally have never fed my dogs on processed food.
So they have always had raw with raw vegetables. I like to see what they are eating. Heard far to many scare stories over the years.
http://www.busheyk9.co.uk

If you can't be a good example........
you will just have to be a horrible warning
User avatar
kitla
Legendary Laner
Posts: 3752
Joined: 30 Oct 2009, 23:25
Gender: Female
Location: Northants

Re: What dog food?

Post by kitla »

I used to feed my dog B*kers but started investigating when she developed a variety
of lumps and skin problems. I found this site and was horrified by what I'd been
feeding her!
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
She changed to Or*jen fish and has been wonderfully healthy since, but it is rather
pricey & I've recently changed to Sk*nners fish to see how she does.
"He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
--Immanuel Kant
User avatar
Spreckly
Legendary Laner
Posts: 5826
Joined: 26 Mar 2011, 14:21

Re: What dog food?

Post by Spreckly »

Thank you all for your helpful replies. Definitely food for thought, pardon the pun. I couldn't get on the link to the website, but after nearly throwing the pc through the window, did find a site, which after losing it several times is now on favourites.

JW seems to be well up the comparison site recommends, but I will not replace the I.ms.
Ap..e.aw seems to be top of the pops on more than one site, but the expense...

Wendy, I am sure you have mentioned it before, but what are you giving Dave? We only shop once a week, and in the summer are frequently away in the caravan, so raw food would be more of a problem.
User avatar
wendy
Moderator
Posts: 29794
Joined: 30 Apr 2007, 14:13
Location: Hertfordshire
Contact:

Re: What dog food?

Post by wendy »

I get mine delivered from Anglian Meat products.
He has tripe every day for one meal. The others it can be lamb, chicken, rabbit, beef, He has a chicken wing every day as a treat, to keep his teeth clean. I used to use T*sco mixer. But he wouldn't eat. So now he only has veggies.
We have realised Josie now has colitis. So she just has Nature diet senior lite. Not too processed and nothing else, just meat.
http://www.busheyk9.co.uk

If you can't be a good example........
you will just have to be a horrible warning
Mercedes
Legendary Laner
Posts: 2238
Joined: 01 Jul 2010, 13:21
Gender: Female

Re: What dog food?

Post by Mercedes »

I'm also a convert to raw food and Daisy has been on raw for a year now and loves it. I would never go back to a commercial diet and I wish I had known how bad it was when we had our last dog. Sadly I believed what our vet told us, which was that Hills Science WD was the BEST food for our dog and I really think with hindsight that it caused her a lot of health problems as that stuff is full of rubbish.

A lot of people who feed raw manage to go away on holiday and take their raw food with them, although it obviously takes a bit more planning. Or you can always just pick up some raw food while you are away as dogs will eat supermarket raw meat and it will keep for quite a few days in a chill box :-D
Lyn
_______________________________________________
Gold/White Shih Tzu, Green Cheek Conure
User avatar
kate egg
Legendary Laner
Posts: 7077
Joined: 18 Sep 2008, 20:37
Gender: Female
Location: East Notts

Re: What dog food?

Post by kate egg »

Mine were on CSJ they don't advertise just sell by reputation it is very good stuff but my ESS has an iffy digestive system and now seems to have developed a problem with rice, which is a main ingredient as I was already avoiding grains.

I swapped to salmon and potato based which sorted things out. Just bought Call of the Wild bit pricey but you supposedly feed smaller quantities as it doesn't have any grain or rice just salmon etc and potato etc.. We shall see, it is definitely full of good stuff and no nastiness or colourings and they both like it (mind you the Dachs would eay ANYTHING!)

'Bonkers' is like feeding your dog McD's and blue smarties all at the same time!

We did try raw but I couldn't get myself organised enough for that.....
User avatar
jemberelli
Legendary Laner
Posts: 2520
Joined: 17 Dec 2011, 18:42
Gender: Female
Location: North Yorkshire

Re: What dog food?

Post by jemberelli »

I have spent most of this morning reading old threads & just on the interweb about the BARF diet. It is certainly looking like the way to go - will have to wait until I have some more freezer storage though, we don't have a lot of space as it is.

If I decide to go down this route with Lollie, would I be best phasing it in gradually? Also, I was thinking about getting a little pack of chicken wings, just to see how she goes on with them - is this a good idea for a 7/8 month puppy?

Sorry for hijacking your thread Speckly {hug}
No girls at the moment but look forward to getting more in the future. Proud mummy to Hector, a Bedlington Terrier x Jack Russell
User avatar
Spreckly
Legendary Laner
Posts: 5826
Joined: 26 Mar 2011, 14:21

Re: What dog food?

Post by Spreckly »

Jemberelli - no worries. I am really interested to read what Laners are giving their dogs.

Wendy - thank you for your dogs menu.

Is it too late at nineteen months to start on chicken wings?

A friend of mine was telling me that a breeder she knows feeds nothing else, don't know the breed though.
User avatar
wendy
Moderator
Posts: 29794
Joined: 30 Apr 2007, 14:13
Location: Hertfordshire
Contact:

Re: What dog food?

Post by wendy »

Not at all
http://www.busheyk9.co.uk

If you can't be a good example........
you will just have to be a horrible warning
Gwenoakes
Legendary Laner
Posts: 7325
Joined: 11 Aug 2007, 19:58

Re: What dog food?

Post by Gwenoakes »

Another one here who would recommend the BARF/raw diet although Bella our Staffie has yet to be convinced. LOL

Teddy has two meals a day at 8 months old - morning is now dried food (cant remember the name of it :oops: but it will come to me) which has absolutely no cereal in it whatsoever. The people who sell it looked thoroughly into dog food as they were having probs tummy wise with their dogs. He then has the raw at night which can be beef, venison, chicken wings, tripe, rabbit and a lot more which I cant remember. Some of it is mince with bone and the other is chunks and delivered in bulk for the freezer.

The reason Clare went solely from the raw to 50/50 was because he wouldnt eat it all, but this way seems to be a happy medium. He also has dried chicken feet which have Glucosimine in and he just loves veg especially carrots.

Like any change of diet I would do it gradually no matter what the dogs age.
Post Reply