Dog foods, can I run through a few?

[Disenchanted3]

Not literally that would be gross

I want to get my pugs onto a complete dry food and so went to our large pet shop tody to have a look.

I'm looking to get the 15kg bags as there are 2 of them (the KKCS) is still on puppy food.

The higher end 15 kg bags seemed tobe around £50,proplan adult, james wellbeloved, science plan.

Thenthere was Bakers adult at about £30 (but is on special offer at £20 at the moment)

Purina was £27

and finallyJolleys own at £23.

The science plan was also on offer down to £40 from £50 but I have to think what it will be in the long run rather than just this month IYKWIM.

I read that if the first ingredient is meat then we are off to a good start, i found it surprising that the jolleys brand was chicken first at 26% and that eukenuba which is double the price is the same at just 2% more (28%)

Just looking for advice on what I should go for really, I have no qualms at getting the top end ones but if the £20 less ones are as good then I'm happy with that.

Also are these foods complete, do you need to add anything else or just measure this out morning noon and night?

My pugs like to have chicken, carrots and rice in the evening can I add ths to the dry food, I don't want them getting fat!

Thankyou

I always presume that everyone else has a dog who gets explosive diarrhea at the mere sniff of a gravy bone - I can't feed mine anything new without a good supply of poo bags handy!

Luckily the cats eat anything and everything, so I ordered them some Arden Grange from Berriewoods at the weekend, which is coming tomorrow. I got a 15kg breeder bag for £36, which is great value.

Damn you, MrsL. Damn you.

Now I'm all in a quandary too

Tempted to go the full ND hog - cut out the Royal Canin and build a bigger ND wall.

Also tempted to try Orijen, but scared to death by the protein levels. ND is 10%, RC 30% - Orijen 45%?

Am I going to end up with this?

I have to stock up on dog food in the UK. Proplan is nearly 70 euro for a 15kg bag here in Belgium, and I've never seen Orijen or ND anywhere.

What do vets say about Orijen and the protein levels? Do you just feed less, so they're actually getting the same amount of protein anyway? Do dogs not need carbs at all? My goldie behaves as though he's permanently starving to death, I'd feel mean feeding him less.

Burns is the best dried food I've found for our dogs - 2 firm poos a day (a bit like clockwork), beautiful shiny coats, fit, healthy, vital dogs. And they don't smell 'doggy' - dogs really do smell of what they eat and Bakers in particular has made all the dogs I've met who eat it honk.

And it has done wonders for one of our labs who couldn't keep weight on and had permanent dandruffy scurf. We can't see her spine or hip bones anymore and she's now very, very shiny - we're so relieved.

I can't praise it highly enough.

If we were in a position to feed a wet diet, it'd be Naturediet for sure. It's also fabulous stuff.

I try and stay off the dog food threads because as you know I think kibble is the food of the devil and discussing which is best is a bit of an enigma!Having studied dog nutrition at uni for three years I do find it hard to keep my mouth shut.

But don't beat down protein.

Dogs do not need grain, dogs need little carbohydrate so what is in all kibble grain and crabohydrate

A large percentage of protein in a diet is less important as to where that protein comes from.

Following links discuss merits of protein in dogs diet protein in the diet

Also just for interest think about protein in NatureDiet .If you look at the label you will see that it is 10% protein. You might think this seems very low in comparison with kibble, but if you take into account that it is 75% moisture - also given on the label - take that 75 off your 100%, that gives you 25 dry weight; 10 as a percentage of 25 is actually 40 - so that pack of Naturediet actually contains 40% protein, higher than most kibbles.

that's interesting Daisy. My goldie has dandruff and I was thinking of switching to Orijen for that reason partly.

Ah yes, true Minimu. I was forgetting the cardinal rule of comparing foods: always do it on a dry weight basis. Had stupidly assumed the ND analysis on their website was given as dry weight: that explains why their protein level is apparently so low.

That'll teach me for musing on this at 7am

Hmmm - so will only really be a small increase if I go fully ND (and yes, cuts out beet pulp etc from the RC) and a small further increase if I swapped RC for Orijen.

Yes, definitely, source of protein very important. Hate to think where the Bakers protein comes from!

Right, so if I go fully ND or put some Orijen in (am more likely to do the former, tbh) - can you guarantee the result will not be this?

Forgot to add - old girl positively perky since she went fully ND. Play bows - the lot! Fantastic to see

Well it is still processed protein so can't quarantee anything could be this here

Hmm. I have one remarkably similar to that already. Just different markings

CSJ - 15Kg for £10. Nothing wrong with it in fact I thnk it's REALLY good.

www.csjk9.com

Mind you, our old lab lived a happy 18 years on purina chow and zero health care. My dad refers to him as 'economy dog'

I buy Burns direct from them. £43.99 delivered. One 15kg sack (chicken and brown rice) lasts my springer about 2 months. I don't add anything to it.
It is one of the few foods that seems to agree with his fragile digestive system.

I am currently using Jollyes own brand, and it is actually 40% chicken in total, which is the most I have found in any adult complete food, other than Orijen and similar. It doesn't contain any 'crap'but it does contain cereals, rice, and (I think) 10% maize, which might put a lot of people off. It did put me off initially, but my dogs appear to have a problem with rice, and because this contains less rice than other brand, they do OK on it.

I have been toying with the idea of Orijen for ages, but not really sure I can justify the cost.

Ideally I would feed raw, but for various reason, I cannot.

Orijen doesn't work out more expensive than Hills' rubbish IME because the dogs don't need as much of it. The bags seem to last a long time.

I love our vet but I wish they would stop selling Hills. The more I read about it the more I become about it.

my fussy ridgeback used to eat burns mini bites as she did not like the larger burns biscuits(lots of expensive mistakes ouch)
but on the burns her poos were much less
Though she is now on a mix of the naturediet lamb and royal canin.
The pup is on the ND puppy/junior and JWB
both dogs look fab imvho and no sloppy turds here

Shouldn't you be helping hubby with your ND delivery, sweetie?

oooh dog food is one of my favourite subjects

Now I feed a raw diet... BUT if I had to feed comercial food i would pick Burns of the dried foods and Naturediet or nature's Harvest for wet food.

I would not personally pick JWB cos I understand it has been taken over by pedigree - which now puts me off recommending it... (correct me if am wrong on that?)

I don't know much about orijen but I just had a quick look on the website and it does look ok actually - but I'd want to read more first!

I find this website useful for helping decifer dog food labels: dog food project

There is also this - but is not always useful: Dog Food Analysis

I do agree with everyone who has said to stay well away from Bakers Complete.

I thought JWB was owned by Royal Canin

They certainly were about a year or so back, when I called the helpline to hear the words, 'Good Morning, Royal Canin/James Wellbeloved'

Bella a quick google search shows that both RC and JWB are owned by Mars Inc - who also own Pedigree.

I don't like RC anyway

I hate Mars Bars

It's looking like a bigger ND wall for me, then.

What should I feed the dogs though?

My lab is fed on "Healthy Paws". He has a lovely shiney coat and no dodgy poos.

Was recommended by my trainer friend and also by the pet shop (who also advocated Arden Grange).

The only problem with it is that is only sold through "approved" pet shops so if I'm away and he comes with us it can be difficult to get hold of.

bella you going to feed raw? I v. highly recommend