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MNHQ

How do you decide what to feed your dog? Share with tails.com – £300 voucher to be won NOW CLOSED

302 replies

JustineBMumsnet · 22/03/2018 11:12

For many of us, dogs are part of the family. Choosing the right food for them can feel really important – but with so much choice, how do you know what’s right for your dog? Share your experiences of finding the right food for your dog, and be in with a chance of winning a £300 voucher for a store of your choice.

To get us started, here’s what Sean, the Head Vet at tails.com, has to say: “From raw feeding to grain free, we are seeing more human diet trends crossing over into the world of dog food. While trends come and go, I believe in three founding principles of a good diet to improve and extend your dog's life. High quality ingredients, tailored to your dog's individual needs, and fed in the right amount to keep them in great physical shape. The question is how do you find the food that meets all three principles?”

What do you prioritise when it comes to choosing food for your dog? How can you tell if the food you’re giving your dog is beneficial to their health and general condition? Do you have feeding tips that you’d like to share with new dog owners? If your dog has ever gone off their food, how have you encouraged them to start eating again? And if you’re thinking of getting a dog, what do you think you’d feed one - would you buy generic dog food or would you think more deeply about their diet?

Everyone who posts on the thread below will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher for the store of their choice.

Tails.com have supplied a 1 month free discount code - if you'd like to use this please click here.

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

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How do you decide what to feed your dog? Share with tails.com – £300 voucher to be won NOW CLOSED
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MAT12 · 19/04/2018 17:10

Our frenchie has a very sensitive tummy so i decided it was best to cook his food everyday, its not really any hardship as we eat alot of fresh ingredients ourselves so i only have to add here and there

mummymel19 · 19/04/2018 19:26

I feed my dog fresh cooked chicken and beef.

Kangakate · 19/04/2018 20:35

I work at a vets, so I go for a complete dry food suitable for my dogs age

CGORST · 19/04/2018 20:59

This question couldn't have come at a better time. I am having a nightmare with my dog. He is only 3 but for some reason has developed jaundice. Usually he eats dry food but the vet has said he has to eat "high quality protein" which apparently means chicken and beef, so the answer to the question is that I don't decide anymore. Now Stanley has to eat "high quality protein" he's eating better than I am - stewing steak and chicken every day. If he doesn't want it, I panic and make something else, because he's ill! The problem is that when he recovers (which I desperately hope he does), the chances of getting him back to eating real dog food and not steak or chicken, are slim to nil!!

Cailin7 · 19/04/2018 21:36

we feed ours grain free food which was recommended by a dog trainer we visited. He loves it and is full of health.

grannybiker · 19/04/2018 22:03

We have a rescue dog who had been scavenging.
We initially fed him a puppy food, (He was under 12 months,) for longer than usual to help build him up. Now he's very active so he gets a working dog mix- no VAT is a bonus!

baconbap · 19/04/2018 22:27

Our Heinz 57 fed with tinned dog food - not the cheapest, but not the most expensive

blue25 · 19/04/2018 22:38

Evolution dry food works well for our dogs. We tried lots before sticking with this.

Smellophant87 · 19/04/2018 22:43

We have tried a few different foods for our spaniel, we have settled on the one that keeps his poo at a good consistency!!

jamielmdjs · 19/04/2018 23:45

growing up, our dog got the most horrid looking tins of wet dog food, just didn't look or smell good at all. my pooch wasn't going to get that stuff. we look for what we perceive to be a high quality dry. good ingredients, some good recommendations.

jazzitup · 20/04/2018 09:01

Try different brands and he will let you know one way or the other, lol.

greensmith68 · 20/04/2018 11:34

my 2 staffies eat working dog biscuits but my Jack a poo will only eat chicken and veg that i cook for her

MillyVanilli222 · 20/04/2018 12:58

I go by what my boyfriend's parents feed their dog - ours is the same breed!

fazkin · 20/04/2018 16:21

We feed it mixture of dry food and raw food from our local pet store

cathyov · 20/04/2018 16:45

I have had working cocker spaniels for many years and they wolf their food down and none have ever been difficult feeders. They have dry food and are fed twice a day. We measure out their allowance daily so they are not overfed as we have one that can be prone to being overweight and know this is not good for their joints.

cathryn1 · 20/04/2018 19:30

It would be really hard between time and quality, would love to give my boy the best

Awoof · 20/04/2018 20:40

Mine has an intolerance to red meat so he eats fish and rice most days!

Ethan260908 · 20/04/2018 20:56

Anything that is grain free to be honest, Wainwrights,Evolution, Lily's Kitchen. All types seem to agree with him

DiWoo · 20/04/2018 21:09

I buy a variety of different tinned dog food, mainly because I assume he'd get bored with the same one all the time, plus I used to buy the biscuits that he had been fed on at the rescue. Turns out he didn't really like them but I'd mix it up with the dog food. He goes through phases of what he likes but mostly his preference was the cats' food - and theirs the dog's. Now my cats have popped their clogs and we have another dog, his preference, her food - and hers, his! They both have Tails.com dry food too though now and they eat that

mkt13 · 20/04/2018 23:45

Even as a child i remember my parents buying fresh kidneys, liver and hearts to cook to feed the family dog, always with some cabbage thrown in. So I have always done the same, no additives just freshly cooked food

GeorgeW78 · 21/04/2018 00:02

We were recommended a brand by friends after our rescue dog didn't settle on a more expensive brand. We think it was too rich and she was eating it. Once we switched it didn't happen again.

charliechinuk · 21/04/2018 12:10

We feed our dog a hypoallergenic dog food due to almost losing her last year. She had a problem with her stomach and she will be on this food for life. Expensive but worth it. Although it is fish based and stinks! The vet recommended it.

FlickeringEmber · 24/04/2018 15:28

It is about treating the dog as you would a human - I would get bored wihout variety in my diet so it's safe to assume a dog would too....so it's nice to mix it up for them

KarlaD22 · 24/04/2018 22:40

We just try our jack russell with different brands when they are on offer. He will let us know if he likes it by eating it or not... Or his toilet habits will let us know if it agrees with him lol!

ConfusedLlama · 25/04/2018 19:47

I have a VERY greedy dog who will eat anything he can get at (think carrot peelings, raw potato, onion anything that gets dropped whilst chopping basically) but we get the awful repercussions from his other end... the entire room needs to be fumigated. So far the pedigree pouches and mix seems to be clearing up the bad smells but have been considering a raw diet for him.