Vets/pet parents - what do you think of Millie's Wolfheart

[Focusfocus]

We've got a 5 month old shih tzu x Bichon Frise who began with us at 8 weeks on James Well Beloved.

Fast forward to last week, when, after some (lot of) researching I wanted to upgrade her to a higher quality food, with a better proportion of good meats or fish.

She has now moved to Millie's Wolfheart - a mix of the obedience mix and riverside mix and loves it. Digestion etc all ok, but always was, and only extras she has are her treats which are home baked liver and plain yoghurt.

I do want to make the right choices for her and wanted some opinions on Millie's wolfheart. It hasn't been around long, and doesn't have the evidence of labs and research and all that say Hills and Purina boast of, as it's a small family business. But - I hope the food is sound, and that all this protein won't be bad for her?

I know Millie's have been popular on this board, and wondered what vets thought of it, if there are any here.

Thanks!

[atonofwashing]

We had a llhasa x Maltese until recently and we fed her on wainwrights.

I'm afraid I don't know much abt Millie's, but I know the smaller doggies can be picky eaters, as ours was.

I did notice that,right up until she stopped eating (just before she was pts), she had a lovely shiny coat. She'd eat a ton of wainwrights, she really loved it.

I can't remember what the proportions were, but it worked for her.

She sounds like a real cutie!

[crapcrapcrapcrap]

I haven't fed it myself but I've raw fed in the past and Millie's is highly rated by proponents of raw feeding. I think it's probably one of the better quality foods around but every dog is an individual and what suits one won't suit another :)

[Nellymay]

We met a couple while out walking our black lab who bred springers and she recommended this and swears by it for her dogs.

[Runnyhunny]

Has anyone heard of Nature Diet? Ingredients look great but my Cavelier has almost doubled in weight..

[needastrongone]

focus - I use it for my spaniels. I have nothing but good things to say about Millie's. It's excellent quality, and pretty much the only thing that keeps a bit of weight on my cocker spaniel. Service and delivery are excellent.

You should be able to find enough reviews though, as it's been around long enough to be established?

[Focusfocus]

Thanks all for your messages.

She got on brilliantly with the sample bags of Millie's and I really felt very optimistic and ordered large bags.

But now she seems off it again, but she also got spayed yesterday so maybe is a bit off everything. Just want it to work as I've got loads!

We can't do raw feeding so want the next best, so really wanting Millie's to work. Is something about the size or the hardness of the kibble that sometimes seems to put her off. She takes it in her mouth sucks it around and throws it out. At other times she will crunch it all up fine. This wasn't the case with jwb which has cereals in it!

[atonofwashing]

Our vet did say that some small doggies prefer soft/ wet food.
It was true for our ddog. She hated dry stuff.
Sucking and then spitting out is exactly what ddog did.

She's maybe just a picky eater, and after an operation, maybe feeling a bit sensitive?

Anything further and i'd check with the vet.

[needastrongone]

Maybe soften it with some boiled water first? Mine have theirs like this sometimes, sometimes dry. Also, as Ddog2 is so thin, he gets a raw egg or some sardines mixed a few times a week.

[TheHappinessTrap]

We use it Millies and love it. Really trust the ingredients. The delivery is quick and cheap to get a named day. My dogs maintain a stable weight (and the quality of their poo is fab!).

[Cutleryhands]

I'm a vet nurse. Highly recommend Millies and my dog is thriving on it. Glossy coat, bags (and bags) of energy, wonderful poos! Their customer service is second to none.

I'm sure one of their types has a kibble that is kind of mini doughnut shaped. I'm not sure which though, and it may not suit her energy wise but might be worth a look.

Can't wait for their Lionheart range so that I can feed my cat the good stuff too :)

[Cutleryhands]

Blimmin husband with his own mumsnet login! I'm not cutleryhands!!

[Focusfocus]

Oh dear.

She just won't deal with the Millie's kibble. She sucks and throws it out. She is hungry. She will eat smaller kibble like James well beloved puppy. It's a little shih tzu cross by the way a little one.

Not sure what to do, she really liked the samples. Now i am stuck with nearly 4-5 kgs each of the salmon and veg, riverside mix and obedience mix.

Feeling really stupid. What a waste :(

[Focusfocus]

Yup, indeed the kibble size and hardness. Just as a one off I whizzed up the kibble in nutribullet,It became a powder, made that into a mousse with hot water and voila - she lapped it up greedily. So she likes the taste.

But obviously this isn't a viable alternative. Still regretting the giant bags staring at me :(

[AvonleaAnne]

We recently switched to Lily's kitchen and our puppy now finishes every meal. Her output has also improved! It is a small sized kibble.

[needastrongone]

Focus - I would phone Millie's and speak to them, as said above, their customer service is absolutely amazing. Explain what has happened and see what they say.

[VivaLeBeaver]

My bichon cross puppy has a delicate tummy and had the shits on various food inc Millie's Wolfheart. I've had to change her to a sensitive food now. Think its Burns which I know isn't the best quality wise but its also not the worst and most importantly it suits her tummy.

I gave all my bags of unused, unsuitable dry dog food to the local wildlife sanctuary for the hedgehogs. Something like that or rescue kennels would welcome any food.

[WeAllHaveWings]

Our lab loves millies and w echo all te good points above.

Have you tried putting in a bag and bashing with a rolling pin to break up a little. Or adding a little warm water to soften. She might just be lazy due to recent op.

[christofy]

Focusfocus

Try putting a small amount of warm water in the bowl for 5 mins before serving to soften the millies up. My schnoodle loves the stuff. didnt like the riverside mix tho but loves the countryside and obedience mix. Her stools have become a lot smaller as no filler going strait through her and her ear infection has cleared up since changing from the grain packed Iams rubbish. Also she only needs half the amount.

Totally recommend Millies!

[TipseyKisses]

I use Millie's for both of mine , they've been on it since 4 months & 3 months .
"Puppy porridge " made by blitzing it up and cooled boiled water is great for youngsters then you can bash it a bit with a rolling pin if your dog isn't keen on the kibble size.

I've spoken to mark a few times on the customer advice line , he is very knowledgable & has been very helpful .

[Buttholelane]

Have you had her teeth checked by the vet?

Small breeds are very prone to gum disease as the teeth are quite crowded.
If a dog was hungry, taking in kibble and spitting it out my first thought would not be 'she must hate the food' but would be 'I bet she is finding it painful to crunch...'

[Sossidge]

It's reviewed on the whataboutdogfood website, which is excellent. Our wee one was on Vets Kitchen and we recently changed to Millies Wolfheart, no noticeable difference in her, though she seems to like it slightly better than VK, and her shits don't stink as much.
I wouldn't listen to a vets opinion on foods, all the vets where I live are sales reps for shitty brands people are fooled into thinking are good.

[weanamadl]

I have spent weeks/days checking out all the wet foods as my staffie x is now 7.5yrs old. I want to give her the best and happiest and healthiest life possible. It started off with finding out that there is arsenic in rice with brown rice being the worst and finding that many "good" dogfoods contain rice. And in chickens to puff them up and give them a good colour for selling.

Lilly's Kitchen was the worst food for mine. She smelt dreadful and so did her stools. I am now going to try Millies Wolfheart and hope for the best.

Regarding kibble, it will be Orijen as it has a high rating. Fortunately, I managed to get a taster pack of 340g! Comments welcome. Always willing to learn.