Whats the best dry dog food out there??? any thoughts?? i am feeding my dog james wellbeloved wich is good but dear to buywhat do you feed your dog and why !?? and how much is it !?
well so far never had any problem - it has always been spot on with meQuite a few of us have stopped ordering stuff from zooplus as their delivery is abysmal, I ordered Orijen dog food from them a few months ago and they sent cat food instead. I'm going to start ordering it straight from Orijen u.k. as I've been told they deliver within 24 hours.
Terri
On the hyper thing I dont think you need worry too much with Orijen - its not so much the level of protein as the additives/preservatives/sugary stuff (all the junk food) that makes dogs hyper so with Orijen you should be safeHi
My two - a lab (about 35kg too fat!) and a mongrel (15kg hound type!) have been on Orijen for ages but I think I'm overfeeding them. I've just got a new internet rescue dog - an English Setter (23.3kg) and I want to switch him to Orijen too although I'm scared he will get too hyper. He is also on meds for anaemia as he was abandoned for a long time in Southern Italy.
I've read all the posts on this thread (!) and it seems you Orijen users feed a lot less than the packet says. Can you let me know how much you DO feed?
Thanks!
Fiona
Pets in Italy
When i fed my greyhound complete feed i was feeding almost 1/2 what the packet says. All complete feeds seem to recommend too much hence why so many folk have overweight dogs. As you've already mentioned someone fed there's 1/4 less other 1/3 less. Like humans dogs will have different metabolisms.I've read all the posts on this thread (!) and it seems you Orijen users feed a lot less than the packet says. Can you let me know how much you DO feed?
Thanks!
Fiona
Pets in Italy
a] Most animals are about 80% water including humans and feed on similar. Dry complete is not cheaper depending where you source food from. Your comment 2) is incorrect - on natural food the stomach will not be put under stress, quite the reverse - have you read about raw meaty bone diets or barf. Regarding poo i think you'd find the dog's outgoings would be halved on a wet diet as there isn't so much waste. The higher quality Dry complete seems to produce less indicating that more is used by the body.a] Wet food is 70% - or more - water...to feed a large dog (30+ kilograms) on that you'll need around or more than 1 kg of food per day to supply your dog's needs. this is 1) very expensive, 2) put under stress the tummy and 3) -by consequence- produces excessive amount of smelly poo (with the problem that can cause to the dog to pass it several times a day and whoever picks it up).
b] In my opinion the best way to feed our companions is to vary their diet as much as possible and i use dry food and cook for them (once a week and then freeze the lot). their bowls is usually 1/2 of dry food, and 1/2 of mix of meat, vegetables and rice (I do not use onion obviously) sometimes i add stale bread and some gravy. (fresh and clean water should always be available either with dry or wet food).
c] At the moment and for quite some time, i am buying Sneyd's Wonderdog, the company is based in Doncaster and has a range of very high quality food, without additives. the only draw back is that the BestBefore date is not as long as the high-street brands (that's because Sneyd;s does not contain any additives) so you cannot buy in bulk. however the price is extremely competitive (about £10-£12 pound for 15kg for adult dogs) and a bit more expensive for puppies and juniors.
on your point A) -> food containing that huge amount of water (that you pay for) put definetly under strain the tummy of the dogs (especially a large breed that needs over a kg of wet to supply the body of the necessary nutrients)...a kg of food means at least 70-80% needs to be passed out *and this will cause inflammations given the quantity...a] Most animals are about 80% water including humans and feed on similar. Dry complete is not cheaper depending where you source food from. Your comment 2) is incorrect - on natural food the stomach will not be put under stress, quite the reverse - have you read about raw meaty bone diets or barf. Regarding poo i think you'd find the dog's outgoings would be halved on a wet diet as there isn't so much waste. The higher quality Dry complete seems to produce less indicating that more is used by the body.
b] One should not vary a dog's diet too much. One should not mix Dry complete with Wet as the dry complete is designed to swell and be broken down over a much longer period than a Wet diet. Known cases of intestinal disorders have increased over the last couple of decades. Vets recommend Dry complete a lot of the time because it's easier for the owner... but will the dog live longer? Vet's even now say mix both but they are surgeons and not nutritionists in all fairness.
c] Sneyd do produce what would appear to be quality food at a budget price. Protein 24% is still on the high side for a maintenance diet.
The point i was making is that animals feed on feed that naturally contains 70+% water. Do you have dried beef for Sunday lunch? As it contains more nutritional value you don't feed more and more is digested than a grain based complete feed.on your point A) -> food containing that huge amount of water (that you pay for) put definetly under strain the tummy of the dogs (especially a large breed that needs over a kg of wet to supply the body of the necessary nutrients)...a kg of food means at least 70-80% needs to be passed out *and this will cause inflammations given the quantity...
hi, probably due to the long papyrus i wrote, you haven't had the chance to read it thoroughly, but it appears that we are saying more or less the same things ...Have you put some kibble in a bowl of water and soaked it overnight - and looked at what its swelled to.
You feed your dog what you like. I think you'd see a big difference in their vitality on natural food.
She is a beautiful looking girl [rehome] and a lovely character too [albeit a bit tinkish at times]. Great cuddler in bed. Still a nervous girl but getting better.That is the most lovely Saluki cross Jess.
Thanks. Previous owner dumped her off at the council pound claiming she didn't like his cats - i object to the view that a dog is considered second class in the animal kingdom to cats.That is the most lovely Saluki cross Jess.
It's interesting you refer to Burns as expensive. After owning a pet shop for a number of years, I find Burns to be the cheaper brand in comparison to the market leaders - Science Plan, James wellbeloved, royal canine, etc. I have never seen a bag of Burns retaisl for £40 + and even large 15kg bags don't go for that much. Perhaps you are buying Burns at an inflated price. I for sure have never sold Burns for so much money.The previous poster said 'The nice thing about Burns is that it isn't expensive. '
I have to confess that to my way of thinking any food costing over £40 a bag is expensive. It is perfectly possible to buy a low protein/low fat food (which is basically what Burns is) for £10-£12 less than Burns which makes me think that Burns is vastly overpriced, even though I used to feed it myself in the past.
Burns works simply because it is a low protein/fat food, and therefore keeps a dog lean which is the healthy state for any dog. Most people overfeed their pets, and therefore feeding a light diet such as Burns helps ensure that not too much fat/protein is not being consumed.
There are any number of light diets out there. Check out the Pets at Home website to get an idea of what's there.
There's a lot of myth around Burns, but the truth is that it suits some dogs and not others - some end up very thin. The secret of healthy feeding is not so much the brand but the type of food being fed. As long as you are not overfeeding, and you are not feeding a lot of indigestible cheap ingredients, and you are excercising your dog regularly then you should have a healthy pet!
And to repeat, you don't have to buy expensive food to have a healthy dog!
Ive never seen Burns retail cheaper than JWB, AG and the like. It is one of the most expensive feeds on the market.It's interesting you refer to Burns as expensive. After owning a pet shop for a number of years, I find Burns to be the cheaper brand in comparison to the market leaders - Science Plan, James wellbeloved, royal canine, etc. I have never seen a bag of Burns retaisl for £40 + and even large 15kg bags don't go for that much. Perhaps you are buying Burns at an inflated price. I for sure have never sold Burns for so much money.
What size bag are you looking for? I sell Burns; however, depending on the size and where you live, postage can cancel out your savings. My shop is www.waggintailsonline.com; however, I only post large bags of food as a special request. If you let me know what size you are after I can call Burns when I return and get a price for you.Ive never seen Burns retail cheaper than JWB, AG and the like. It is one of the most expensive feeds on the market.
I contacted numerous pet shops when i wanted to feed it, but it was always priced at £40 a sack or over.
Perhaps you could link us to where we can obtain it at a cheaper price.
Got to agree with you all Burns and JWB is expensive and you end up feeding more like I said previously i've always fed mine of Oscars ok I have the top end of their range Pinnacle + because it suits my dogs which as the extra glucosamine, MSM and Chondroitin but they do other ranges and their delivery is FREE OF CHARGE and some of their food looking on their website Oscar Pet Foods UK - Nutritious quality pet foods delivered to your door start at £15:95 for 15kg bagWhat size bag are you looking for? I sell Burns; however, depending on the size and where you live, postage can cancel out your savings. My shop is www.waggintailsonline.com; however, I only post large bags of food as a special request. If you let me know what size you are after I can call Burns when I return and get a price for you.