Ultimate Dogfood

[Mjingaxx]

I have a 5 month old and a 9 year old. Pup is on Royal Canin and the adult is on something I can't remember the name of.....for racing greyhounds. Older girl doesn't seem to like her food and they both mostly eat the royal canin. Neither have big appetites and mostly graze.

They both eat better if I cook up chicken and rice, eggs or meat and veg

So...I'm looking for the ultimate food, that gives firm non smelly poo. That I can feed to both but doesn't cost £60 a bag

Chappie dry??

Have a look on All About Dog Food, it's great for comparing different foods.

Bear in mind some foods which are more expensive per bag can actually work out cheaper to feed in the long run because you need to feed less so the bags last longer.

Chappie dry is pretty crap, it's nearly all unnamed cereals and very little meat. Skinners Field & Trial isn't bad for a pretty low price, it's similar to (or better than) some other brands which present themselves as premium foods.

I really rate Millies Wolfheart and although the individual bags seem quite expensive I find it's relatively economical for my lot.

I've just moved from Royal canin onto Millie's Wolfheart for my picky 4 month puppy and can't rate it enough. I emailed and received great advice for which food to put her on. The kibbles are quite large compared to the puppy Royal Canin but I currently as advised by them soak them in a little warm water which makes them softer and almost gives a gravey. Def less smelly poos!!

i get really good quality cat food from zooplus for a good price have a look see i did see this it has some quality ingredients

www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/dogs/dry_dog_food/taste_of_the_wild/ecopack/488762

ingredients on this page

www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/dogs/dry_dog_food/taste_of_the_wild/177823

We feed ours skinners field and trial duck and rice. It's not full of wheat/rubbish, they seem healthy. it's about £20-£25 for 15kg

Ah, thanks for all your replies
It's so confusing! I want to choose and stick with it, so I don't upset their stomachs

chips are yours working dogs? Mine are pets

scotch yes, mines not very impressed with Royal Canin

"Working dog food" is really just a label that allows it to be sold VAT free, same with "greyhound food". It's totally fine for pet dogs.

Mine are all just pets but do great on MWH which is sold as a food for working and sporting dogs.

Not too rich/calorific for pampered pets??

I'd never feed any food with rice in. Do you imagine wild dogs eat rice? That if your dog was lost it'd seek out rice?

Thyme wild dogs eat anything they can get - look at the street dogs in India or in China

OP
RC and Chappie are not the best nutritionally speaking.

As suggested, take a look at allaboutdogfood.co.uk.

Go for nothing less than a 3 out of 5. Look for one with a named meat source as one of the first three ingredients and avoid anything with maize or wheat as many dogs are intolerant.

Get the best you can afford but be aware that price is not an indication of quality - there are plenty of poor foods with a top price tag.

As has been said a more expense bag can work out cheaper than one with a £5 lower price tag as the better the quality the less you may need to food.

If budget is a concern, then in my view one of the best price to quality ratios is Skinners Field and Trial as its about the same price as Bakers/Pedigree/Wagg but far superior quality.

We are using canagan - £68.50 per 12kg bag but lasts approx 7-8 weeks as the amount we need to feed is lower than others.
RC is marketed (and priced) as something better than it is - pretty crap quality.

Pets at hone own brand food Wainwrights is a decent compromise. Grain free and rated the same as skinners quality-wise, it's also reasonably priced

Why don't you keep making your own dog food? My dog won't touch shop bought food and I make her food every few weeks or so then freeze it in individual portions. It really helped with her poo too

Also have a look at Simpsons. We feed ours the salmon and potato and have done for years. Good value for grain free.

Paula, can you give more details please of what you make? Thank you.

If you can afford it, I highly recommend James Wellbeloved Grain free. My dog's coat is lovely since he has been on it.

OP, Royal Canin is much cheaper on Amazon. I buy the Lab Retriever adult 12kg bags for £37.99 as opposed to £55 in Pets at Home.

I feed my two (cocker and collie) with Tails.com
It's an online company, they make the food to suit your dog. You tell them the breed, weight, exercise and any allergies/intolerance and your dog gets a tailor made diet. It costs me £60 a month for two dogs with a combination of dry and wet food. Honestly can't recommend them enough and the dogs love it.

FanofJapan if you google homemade dog food recipes there are loads and you can see what would work for you and your dog. Atm my dog is having sweet potatoes, chicken, peas, green beans, carrots, olive oil, kidney beans and apples. All cooked then you can blend or mash it. She gobbles it up. She won't touch dry or wet food. Have tried so many different brands on advice of the vet but she just wasn't touching it.

Thanks very much Paulat, I'll have a look.

My pug has Chappie dry and his poos are very soft and smelly, which leads to his anal glands not being able to sort themselves out and I have to take him to the vets every month to have them squeezed at £8 a time (I can't bring myself to do it myself!).
The vet recommended James Wellbeloved dog food as her dog had the same problem but it sorted his poos out nicely, apparently!

Have you considered a raw diet? It's worked out really well for my dogs - no more soft, smelly poo and they love it.

Mine aren't working dogs, they're pets. I don't think it's that high a fat content in comparison with other dog foods and they're both in good shape, however we have to soak DDog1's as she's old and has had to have a few teeth removed because of an accident.

Thymelord I doubt they'd find much rice growing in Wales However I think it's much better for them than most dried dog foods in that price range, which are mostly wheat based. I'm quite interested to know what you feed your dogs?

I second Canagan- it's grain free (uses sweet potato to bind the kibble). High protein content with fruit and vegetables, completely natural. Cost effective too as you feed much less than certain other foods.
I would avoid Royal canin, Chappie, burns, burgess and some others listed above.

I suggest you take a trip to your local pets corner store- all staff are trained in nutrition and know what they are talking about, and they have a wide range of healthy foods.