Hi, I am really interested in knowing what is really wrong with dry dog food such as bakers or waggs ?? We are on a budget and our lab puppy has a fast motablisim ( excuse spelling) so she has to have double the normal amount of food to keep her weight up. A normal 15kg bag only lasts about 3 weeks tops so at £30-£40 a go its working out very expensive. My neighbour feeds all three of her dogs on bakers and she swears by it and my other friend loves waggs.........are these foods REALLY that bad ??? Surely if they cause harm / ill health they wouldnt be allowed to be sold ??? ( I am new to all this , sorry ) ....would putting my puppy on one of these really do her any harm ? Please I would really loves some thoughts ...thanks xxx

Fags and tobacco are bad for our health and still sold so cant use that argument

In my eyes why feed an animal who needs meat a diet of less then 4% of "meat" which half the time can be hoofs, tails, bones and the rubbish thats left over in the food rather then actual meat they also have added colours e.t.c which isnt very good for anyone or anything

Skinners is pretty good food and cheap, i use one that is good which is £17 delivered a 15kg bag it has 20% chicken in it e.t.c

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Owner to-
lots of rodents
2 monster dogs
1 slinky cat

I think it's because these foods have a low meat content and have lots of additives in, so basically it's like giving a kid smarties. These foods can send dogs hyper.
Although some dogs do, do well on it.
My lab used to be fed pedigree wet food, until I found out what was in it, we've now changed to Nature Diet and although he's still a hyper lad, he's a lot calmer than what he was.

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I think the products you mention are full of artificial colourings, preservatives etc and are not very good for dogs, very hard to digest and can make them hyper!

Now your pup needs the best food you can afford which will help support her growth. Also the more expensive food can actually work out cheaper in the long run - quite often the dog does not need so much food as it is more easily digestible and also if it helps keep dog healthier then it could mean less visits to the vets.

Now there are some very good foods out there that are not going to bnreak the bank - apparently Pets At Home have their own brand which is meant to be a good quality product. Also Arden Grange has a good reputation and you can find that on e bay for very reasonable prices.

PS pics of your pup is a must!

Hi, I have just bought a bag of pets at home own brand today and I am trying that as it is slightly cheaper...I was just curious as why to stay clear of the said brands ......my puppy needs double food as she was underweight and when checked by vet and breeder was told to double her food. So as you can imagine a normal bag of food doesnt last long and is costing us a fortune ( i would put a photo on if I knew how ?? )

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i feed our dog on bakers two boxes a week cost 13 quid
i feed the ferrets on whiskers adults and they have 14 tins a week cost 15 quid
the kitten had whiskers meat and buiscuts and that cost 9 quid a week
and they have never been ill of there food of had runny poos so must be ok for them as they eat it as soon as its put down

It could be the quality of food that is causing the weight problem. Its false economy. There is very little decent nutritional value in cheap foods such as Bakers and Pedigree. What is in there, is from artificial or unnatural sources. Not the mention the colourings and chemicals that can cause all manner of behavioural and medical problems.

Being unemployed im on a very tight budget. I still manage to cut corners elsewhere, sacrifice and buy a decent food for two dogs.

In the long run, you will get out, what you put in.

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Knacker Lacquer - Adds Luster To Your Cluster

are you feeding your pup the puppy food or adult food?

I think it comes down to-

1, Ingredients and what is believed that dogs need nutritionally.
The additives, preservatives etc.. are not popular. Meat content not thought to be high/good enough.

2, People's experiences
Dogs have been hyperactive, badly behaved on certain diets and it is attributed to ingredients.

However that said we have two geriatrics who have had mixed diets over the years- the staple of which has always been the foods that everyone says are "crap" and they are robust, healthy and fit 13 year olds. One of them has literally only ever been to the vet once in his life for ill health and that was for a scratched cornea when he ran into brambles. People might not believe that but it's true and I have no intention of changing as a result. Their mother was on the same dog foods and was 19 when she died. Maybe I have been lucky and my dogs have good genetics anyway- they are also exercised a lot and have been their whole lives so I think that is really important too.