Thanks everyone. I had hoped to put Rollo on raw food and include bones, as his breeder had suggested - to fulfil his need to chew everything and anything. But the vet school vet was adamant I shouldn't go near raw food.
Minimu, can you give me a link to any report that suggests otherwise? One vet at the ordinary practice we go to, had long ago suggested we give Rollo a far wider, varied diet with kitchen scraps included - so he wouldn't develop a sensitive stomach oevr the course of his life. But after that, he just got recurrent diarrhoea so many times that the vet school were convinced he shoudl have a lifelong restricted diet to a high quality kibble only - and no treats at all.
Other than tiny pieces of cheese within which he gets his antibiotics twice a day, he has no access to anything at all and wears amuzzle at all times he's out and about. He does manage to chew skirting boards and wooden handles off all the lower kitchen drawers!! but that's it and his poos are currently perfect and he only poos about 2 to 3 times a day these days not 4 +.
IF he can't ever go on a raw diet, which of all the recommended kibbles would be best? There have been so many suggestions from different people on other food related threads that I'm muddled as to what to do for the best. I HAD thought Fish4Dogs was good but it seems not. I've never heard of SymplyPetFoods but it sounds good. Many thanks.
What I don't want to do is keep trying several types and never staying long enough with one to know if he's OK with this. I also won't be changing anything at all until he's managed (if he can) to withdraw from antibiotics and still NOT get diarrhoea. It was 5 days after he came off them last time that he developed awful diarrhoea again so I won't be convinced he's OK until we're 2 to 4 weeks without them and that won't be for a while still.
Another reason to keep him on kibble is that I give all food in a food treat ball so that he's occupied for about 20 mins eating and thus distracted from chewing or barking (his two remaining issues!).
I've not completely written off raw food but would need to see him stabilised on some kibble and meds free and developmentally more mature to dare to try it, given the strongly worded advice against it by the vet school.
He's been on a sleepover with his trainer and her 3 dogs - including one she recently fostered. Rollo has apparently been the only dog so far to get the rescue dog to play and has been v therapeutic for her. Although it's v expensive for him to stay with his trainer, he adores her and her dogs and I get some much needed time for the DCs and my business. It really has helped me to cope with a puppy and all my other life demands, by having some 'respite care'. Presumably it's not too different from anyone letting their dog stay with a trusted relative, either if they go on hol. or go out or are working. Still do feel guilty of course but it seems like a win-win situation for everyone, including the dogs (except for my purse!)
Otherwise, Rollo has turned out to be absolutely perfect - gentle, laid back (no fear of fireworks etc), easily trained, adores people and gets on really well with other dogs. It's my life that's the problem really, not him! Even the DCs have got used to an hr long walk every single night no matter what the weather, in jet black darkness!