Nature's Menu or NatureDiet dog food?

[MrsL123]

We've been feeding the dogs on Wainwrights trays for the past year or so (60% minimum meat content, hypoallergenic with no additives or fillers etc). But since her operation the puppy won't eat it, so we've been giving them both Nature's Menu pouches instead. They really seem to enjoy them and they have veggies in, which the Wainwrights trays don't. But I've heard good things about the NatureDiet trays as well, and they would work out about £20 cheaper each month (the cost isn't a main factor, but a £240 a year saving isn't to be sniffed at either!).

These are the Nature's Menu pouches, and this is the NatureDiet stuff.

Does anyone have an opinion on which one would be better?

Thanks

Mine love Naturediet, but wouldn't touch Nature's Menu

Naturediet isn't raw. You can get it v cheaply from Berriewoods & it works out about 50p a tray

Bella have I told you lately just what a star you are?

I've just looked at the Berriewoods and if I got ND from them, I can feed both dogs for about £72 a month - that's £40 less than we've been spending on Wainwrights And if I just split a tray between them in the morning and bulk it out with some biscuits, it'd only be £54

I'll go to PAH this week and buy a couple of trays to test (a 93p a tray!), but fingers crossed they like it.

Oooh what will I do with all my new found wealth?!

What's the bets the little buggers won't eat it?!

Of course the little beggars will eat it. And if they don't, you take it away after 10 mins and try again later

I haven't tried Nature's Menu, but DDog loves Naturediet (it has also resulted in firmer poos and fewer farts).

I buy it direct from the manufacturer at a cost of £14.16 for a case of 18 and free postage if you order 2 or more cases. Will check out Berriewoods, thanks for the tip Bella

Hello, Molesworth - long time no see

How's your boy doing?

The interactive feeding guide on the ND site suggests 2.5 trays per day each - but as they're labs, and therefore can get fat on fresh air, I'm presuming 2 trays per day will be fine? They usually get a few treats and biscuits during the day so I tend to reduce their food a bit for that too.

I don't know whether I should give them a whole tray each in the morning, or just split a tray between them and add some mixer biscuits to bulk it out and keep their teeth clean. Price-wise it won't make much difference, as it'll only save me about £4 a week in wet food and I'd still have to buy the mixer. But I like to give them some crunchy stuff to keep their gnashers sparkly white!

My old girl is 25kg and she has about 1.5 trays a day, plus a few biccies in a Kong as a treat.
I find these feeding guides are always too generous.
Do you give raw bones (good for gnashers)?

naturediet is great. our staffy loves it - and he is a fussy eater.

we have been using it for a few years now, but i remember when we changed from pedigree/butchers type crap we found the naturediet cheaper as he needs less of it.

2 trays a day maintains four stone of staffy!

1.5 trays plus biccies is about what I thought, so that's good (they're 26kg). They used to get 1 tray of wainwrights at night and a smallish bowl of dry in the morning, and were in good condition on that, so I'll try to stick to the same sort of quantity.

I'm ashamed to admit I have the only dogs in the world who refuse to eat raw bones We've tried them on all kinds, meaty and non-meaty, and they always end up getting passed over to next door's dogs in the end. We even tried chicken wings a few weeks ago after someone recommended them on here, but they just kept spitting them out on the floor and looking at us as if to say "you realise they're raw, don't you?!"

They get a pedigree denta stick thing every day, which they seem to enjoy, and it keeps them quiet for a few minutes! So I think we'll keep getting them, and give them some biccies in their dinner. I'm really paranoid about bad teeth, I've seen dogs the same age as ours (almost 3) with horrible yellow teeth and stinking breath, and I don't know how people can let them get like that. Ours both have spotless teeth, and hopefully they'll stay that way!

Do you brush, MrsL - the dogs' teeth that is!

lol @ bedlam's wall - had forgotten that

Never had to bella, they've always stayed clean with their biccies and chews. We bought a tub of tooth wipes that you put over your finger and use like a toothbrush, but we've never even had to open them! The older dog literally doesn't have one bit of plaque, not even around her back ones or her gumline, and her teeth are shiny white. I'm wierdly proud of her teeth

I'd go with Naturediet every time. It's excellent for my GSD, who has quite a sensitive tum and who's a beggar to keep weight on and not too fattening for my older Lab X. It's used a lot by those with epi dogs and so on, because of it's lack of additives and I know that many breeders and rescues swear by it.

Helloo! Our boy is getting on brilliantly, thank you! We've had him almost a year now and he's well and truly settled. Getting him was one of the best decisions I've ever made: helped by all the advice from you and other mners of course

Hi, I have an ESS who has a very delicate tum and he eats CSJ Champ (dried) with a spoonful of NatureDiet.

NatureDiet every time for me too

Naturediet is fab. Every time my boy gets a bout of the dicky tums he has solid ND for a few meals which tends to clear him up. When he is fighting fit (relatively!) he gets burns lamb and rice dry with 1/5 of a pack.

Am gutted I have missed out a way to get it cheaper - costs me 79p a tray at the moment! Thanks for the tips

naturediet is brilliant for dogs with sensitive tums - our staffy has colitis.
however, even on naturediet he does get the odd flare up.

when this happens we give him slippery elm bark powder - it is amazing stuff. totally non-toxic and available fairly cheaply from any health food shop. we just mix it with hot water to a gloopy consistency (looks yuck i have to admit!) and either mix it in his naturediet or with a bit of live yogurt. it stops all the rumblings and gurglings and firms up his poo in no time.

i am a bit evangelical about slippery elm ,i think every pet owner should know about it and keep a pack handy for tummy upsets. with a combination of naturediet and slippery elm our dog has not needed drug treatment for his colitis since he first got it about 4-5 years ago.

it's great for humans too - dh has ibs and he take it regularly (slippery elm, not naturediet...)

Thanks for everyone's replies. We bought a few trays of the ND on Thursday night and so far it seems to be going down very well with our older dog who wolfs it down (HOW much does the prawn one stink?!) but the younger one is struggling a bit with the texture because it's quite dry (very similar to the WR which she's gone off). We've tried it mushed up and diced into cubes, and the cubes seemed to go down a bit better but it still didn't look like she enjoyed eating it, as she kept spitting it out mid-chew and then licking it up off the floor. She seems to prefer the Nature's Menu because it's wetter and probably slides down easier, but we're persevering with the ND. She definitely likes the taste, so I'm sure she'll get used to the texture!

Try mixing in a little water if you want, MrsL

Good idea bella, I'll try that. She's just out for a walk with DH so she'll be getting fed when she gets back. She is eating it all eventually, just very slowly with a pained expression on her face! Funny how the pickiness doesn't extend to treats, biscuits or left over steak - me thinks she is taking me for a mug

ours is fussy - he likes it warm!! i just chuck in some boling water and mash it up, result is warm slop......but he likes it!

You're making my tummy rumble, ceres

I bet the prawn one smells lovely - have only tried lamb and fish so far. Or, should I say the dogs have only tried lamb and fish so far

Just fed her and the warm water seemed to work - I don't know whether it was the heat making it a bit smellier or the water making it a bit sloppier or just the fact she hasn't been fed yet today, but she scoffed it down

Given that a certain part of her anatomy seems to have swollen up to look like angelina jolie's lips today, I think she may be coming into season, which explains why she's been acting a bit strange and is off her food. There's no blood yet but hopefully this is it because it'll be perfect timing - she's housebound for most of the day at the moment and is only allowed short walks on the lead until she's signed off by the surgeon in March, so there's no chance of any unwanted encounters!

lol @ Angelina Jolie's lips

Yes, the prawn and salmon one really stinks - it's also sloppier than the other varieties, which, I agree, can be a bit on the dry side.