Doggie nutrition and well being Q&A - chance to win £100 ANSWERS NOW BACK

[AnnMumsnet]

Do you have a dog (or 3) in the family? Thinking about getting one? Ask your questions of two experts from the Waltham® Centre for Pet Nutrition on this thread.

The team at Pedigree say "our philosophy is to provide leading edge nutrition that's affordable for everyone, and with over 80 years of experience making dog food, we're proud of our products. But we know that it can be hard to find the right diet and balance of food for your dog, with a wide variety of advice available which is often confusing or conflicting. So, in partnership with the Waltham® Centre for Pet Nutrition (the world’s leading scientific authority in pet nutrition and wellbeing), we want to lay out the facts and answer your questions on how best to feed your dog, what they need nutritionally, and how Pedigree® products can help support your dog’s health and wellbeing".

The two experts who will be answering your questions are Dr Gale and Dr Butterwick:

Dr Jo Gale MRCVS Science Engagement and Communication Manager Jo Gale is the Science Engagement and Communication Manager at the WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition. Jo qualified as a veterinary surgeon from the Royal Veterinary College, London in 2002. After working in veterinary practice with a wide variety of species from farm animals and horses to dogs, cats, and small pets, Jo joined WALTHAM in 2012. Jo and her husband have two daughters, two dogs, two horses, seven chickens, and very little free time!

Dr Richard Butterwick Global Nutrition Advisor at Pedigree Richard Butterwick is Global Nutrition Advisor for Mars Petcare, based at the WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition, UK. Richard obtained his PhD in 1990 from research on the metabolic and nutritional consequences of growth hormone treatment in dairy cows. In 1991 Richard joined the WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition and has led a number of research programmes, covering a broad spectrum of nutritional areas in dogs and cats, including energy requirements, obesity, digestive function, probiotics, growth, oral health and clinical nutrition. Richard has published widely in the field of dog and cat nutrition and is a member of a number of professional bodies.
Richard shares his passion for pets with his wife Sarah, three children and Tucker the Labrador.

Post your questions to the Doctors on this thread by Friday 13th May and we will send 20 questions over to them to be answered. We will then post a link to their responses on the thread ASAP.

Everyone who submits a question will be entered into a prize draw where one winner will win a £100 John Lewis voucher.

thanks and good luck!

MNHQ
Standard Insight T&Cs apply

[sharond101]

Is variety important for dogs? I have read conflicting advice.

[ilovesprouts]

Why do many border collie owners say not to give puppy's pedigree food ??

[Earbudbitter]

Do pedigree still test on animals? If so what type of tests?

[whatsitallabout1]

What do you think is the ideal meat % in a complete dry feed and should they contain grains? I ask because all the vets I've ever asked have steered me away from Pedigree because they felt it was lacking in quality (that, and the artificial additives!) Are they all wrong?

[whatsitallabout1]

What do you feed your own dogs and why?

[squeezed]

How can I provide the best nutritional support to an aging dog?

[tabulahrasa]

Why is the Ingredient labelling so unclear on pedigree food?

Is it because they contain controversial ingredients or just that most of them wouldn't be recognisable as anything actually edible?

Also why is cereal the main ingredient when dogs are carnivores and when so many dogs are intolerant to certain cereals?

[CopperPan]

My ds feeds his British bull dog chicken including bones, will the bones cause damage to his digestive system?

[LetThereBeCupcakes]

Exactly how would you define "meat and animal derivatives" - commonly listed as an ingredient in pet food? What exactly does it include?

[Lulabellx1]

What is the ideal weight for a male Staffy. We have a male Staffy who is almost 2 years old. He is very muscly in stature and he weighs about 20km. The vet said he is a healthy weight and the way we can tell is by looking for the nip under his tummy and by checking he doesn't have any fat rolls when he sits.

However, I find staff's vary so much from one another and so I worry 20km is a bi t heavy, but as I say... he is solid as a rock! :)

[EasyToEatTiger]

I have been looking at all sorts of different dog food as we have in the past, had problems with maintaining weight. Our previous (slim-line) food used to contain brown rice but has more recently changed to white rice. It seems that white rice is an ingredient in a lot of dog food brands. Why the change? White rice is supposed to be far less nutritious to dogs.

[ScrotesOnFire]

ilovesprouts that would be because herding breeds seem to be more sensitive to sugar, artificial flavourings and colourants making them more hyperactive and more likely to be intolerant to grains, poor quality ingredients and have tummy trouble.

To Pedigree, gosh there are many....

• why is the meat percentage so low?
  
• why do you use such a teeny amount of the featured flavour eg chicken?
  
• What exactly are 'derivatives'?
  
• why do you add various sugars?
  
• why do you add cereal?
  
• why do you use such a high proportion of cereal?
  
• why does your food give dogs such eye wateringly stinky, soft stools?
  
• why do you use preservatives that are banned in other countries?
  
• what are the living conditions for the dogs you use in your 'research' ?
  
• why is animal testing even necessary in the first place?

[RoseBud2016]

What is the best way to keep your dogs teeth free from plaque?

[VilootShesCute]

I fees my dogs raw, it's the best. I wonder if you've ever thought of bringing out a raw range or freeze dried raw dog food?

[Magpie18]

My dog recently had bladder stones and was treated with antibiotics, anti inflammatories and a prescription diet (which she hated) for three months. She was on a mixture of kibble & cooked meat & fish before this - would this have caused/contributed to the bladder stones in any way? She is now on raw food and loves it.

[SavoyCabbage]

My dog is not keen on kibble. Is it ok to mix kibble with wet food or with other things such as chicken?

[ButterflyOfFreedom]

Should a dog's diet change over time?
Ie. How should the diet of a puppy differ from that of a, say, 10 year old dog?

[needastrongone]

Everything Scrotes said, I wouldn't feed my dogs Pedigree if there were nothing other than Pedigree available. Rather they had a grain free, rice free, high meat content (70% plus), high quality kibble which enhances their well being, coat, behaviour and all round quality of life, or feed raw of course.

Marketing sells Pedigree, and lack of understanding about canine nutritional needs.Plaster a Pedigree ad during BGT or Corrie and you'll get high sales, never mind whether it's right for the dogs.

[DementedUnicorn]

Why do you think there is so much animosity towards your brand? It was only this morning the vet told me to bin the pedigree and feed my puppy something else

[dontevenblink]

How often can you change a dog's food? She was on one type whilst in the rescue, then since she's been here we've changed it to a higher quality one but she doesn't seem too fussed by it. We are thinking of trying a grain free but will too much change cause problems for her? (Will obviously introduce it as gradually as possible)

[MothershipG]

From your web site...

New PEDIGREE® Adult Complete Nutrition Chicken Flavor is perfect for your best bud. The meatier recipe is made with the right balance of whole grains and protein with vegetable accents that will keep your adult dog healthy and active. It is 100% complete and balanced for health and vitality. The unique kibble is just the right size and has a tasty chicken-flavored crunch in every bite.

What are vegetale accents and does chicken-flavored mean that there is not actually any chicken in it?

[needastrongone]

To rephrase my statement to a question.

Why don't you produce a high quality, grain free, rice free, high meat content (70%) kibble that will enhance canine health and well being, instead of using marketing to sell an extremely low quality food that does not?

[VilootShesCute]

needsastrongone

[purplepandas]

What is the most important element of dog food to look for when feeding a small but older dog?

[Campbell2016]

I have a giant breed dog. He is not interested in food and we have trouble getting enough food down him in a day to keep his weight up. He has three meals a day, canned food, dried food, eggs. Can you suggest anything to increase his appetite?