Pedigree Chum

[Lauren5071]

My dog will eat anything you put in his bowl (even his worming tablet) but not everything agrees with him. I tried various types of expensive kibble when he was younger and all of them gave him the trots, multiple times a day - made house training incredibly difficult. I tried raw but again he got the runs. I tried various expensive tinned foods but had the same problem.

One night we ran out of food and the only stuff I could get in Co-op was Pedigree Chum. Amazingly his poops went solid overnight and on PC twice a day he never has loose stools.

Various articles and research has taught me that pedigree chum is full of rubbish and is super processed. I also read on here about the lovely quality food people feed their dogs and I feel very bad that he’s getting cheap rubbish dog food.

Also worried he’s not getting the nutrients he needs. That being said, he’s a healthy weight, his coat is soft and shiny and his poops are solid and regular.

Is it worth revisiting raw/kibble or is that unfair on my pooch to give him something that could make him unwell? Should I be supplementing? Am I worrying too much and should I just feed him whatever works for him?

[BiteyShark]

I am all for the 'if it isn't broke then don't fix it'. If your dog is fit and healthy then that is the most important thing at the end of the day.

[Pasithea]

I feed raw. Took awhile for one of mine to get ypused to it. Fed only fish then added chicken and introduced it slowly. We would never go back now.

[pigsDOfly]

Sounds like your dog has quite a sensitive stomach, as does mine.

I feed my dog on one of the expensive vet prescription foods which suits her very well so won't be changing it. But if you're not happy with Pedigree chum, which is pretty awful, have a look at Chappie.

Chappie is a very basic food that is often recommended for dog's with sensitive stomachs and isn't full of rubbish additives and fillers like Pedigree chum.

My vet's nurse has suggested I try my dog on it as it's a lot cheaper than the food she on, but is in fact, almost identical in make up; the only difference being it's slightly lower in protein than my vet food.

You don't say what breed your dog is but my dog is a small breed and I suspect that some dogs, especially the less active breeds, don't need the high protein levels of some of the high quality foods we feel we should feed our dogs; obviously, high energy dogs need high protein food.

I also found that cutting down the amount I fed my dog help her stomach to be less sensitive.

[mateysmum]

Chappie is made be the same manufacturer as Pedigree.
Pedigree is not full of rubbish - either the cans or the kibble. Pedigree has been researched to the n'th degree and provides more balanced nutrition than a raw diet.Your dog's condition and health is telling you that he is getting good nutrition.
The canned Pedigree is no more processed than canned meat for human consumption and it doesn't contain any kangaroo/rat or other weird meat.

[pigsDOfly]

Oh, I was given to understand that Pedigree Chum was full of additives. I owe it an apology then. In my defense I've heard awful things about it.

Stick with it then OP. If it's the same as Chappie.

Clearly it's working for your dog.

[Lauren5071]

Thanks guys. That’s put my mind at rest.

Funnily enough we did try Chappie early on as our family dog used to eat it when her tummy got sensitive in old age. Sadly it also gave him the trots.

My dog is a pug, we have to be very careful about how much we feed him as he gains weight so quickly. I’m embarrassed to say he was quite overweight as a young dog but we had so many issues with feeding him that it took a lot of trial and error to get the balance right. He’s now a healthy weight and gets loads of exercise. He has so much energy that he needs super long walks to tire him out.

[Florries]

Fed is best. Ha! And you clearly love your pup. He's sounds gorge!! If the chum works. The chum works!!!!!!

[DogInATent]

I've always kept at least one emergency tin of PC in the cupboard since the first week our dog arrived - it's the only one our corner shop stocks, and contrary to the instructions from the shelter she wasn't eating dry kibble. That and Chappie both seem to be appetising and easily digestible to all dogs even when they're a bit under the weather.

I'm very wary of that oft-quoted dog food review website because when you see the relative reviews given to the like of PC and Chappie you realise that there's far too much weighting being given to rather faddy considerations, and too much credibility being given to user reviews that just repeat the "processed rubbish" myths.

Nothing wrong with PC or Chappie, providing (like with any food) you're watching the overall balance of the diet and monitoring your dogs health and well-being. Just ignore the serving quantities on the packaging and feed what your dog needs. The recommended servings are always far too much (and that may also be biasing the review websites).