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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

The minefield of choosing dog food

129 replies

PupsterDude · 12/12/2021 17:29

I have a happy lovely puppy whos 3 months old. She was being fed raw (natures menus frozen puppy nuggets, when she came to live at mine. Having done research, I’d already decided to switch her to dried because I’m immune compromised and I think it’s an unnecessary risk even with extra hygiene.
Trouble is that everyone has an opinion and now I’m feeling confused and deflated. :( I’ve started introducing a dry food but people said, oh you’ll never potty train her with that and that it’s not the right food. Someone said raw is best but if not, dried raw? It feels like I don’t know what I’m doing now.

OP posts:
Veterinari · 15/12/2021 18:40

@GuyFawkesDay

There's a middle ground, which is high nutrition kibble. It's not a "raw or shite" argument. Some dry is crap. So use a decent independent website like all about dogfood and make an informed decision from there.
I agree there's a middle ground.

But I wouldn't suggest that a website run by a bloke with no animal nutritional qualifications and a zoology degree from 2002 is the bastion of canine nutritional information

Cuntnugget · 15/12/2021 18:49

My 4 year old AmBull is on raw, he went straight on it at 8 weeks
You do what you feel is best for your pup, I personally wouldn't feed anything but raw but we all have differing opinions and budgets
I hope you have many fun filled years with your four legged friend

Cuntnugget · 15/12/2021 18:50

Also watch 'Petfooled' on Netflix, should still be on there.
Very informative with regards to what we feed our pets

Veterinari · 15/12/2021 19:07

@Cuntnugget

Also watch 'Petfooled' on Netflix, should still be on there. Very informative with regards to what we feed our pets
Not unless you live in the USA. UK pet food legislation is very different and much stricter www.pfma.org.uk/pet-food-film
whereisthekey · 15/12/2021 20:02

@Veterinari dry boring biscuit lacking in any fresh produce / vegetables.
I've seen you post questionable advice for a long time on these doghouse threads.. are u actually a qualified vet or is it just a screen name to try and come across as one?

Mickarooni · 15/12/2021 20:09

In all my years owning animals and attending various vets, I’ve never had a brand pushed on me. I know different vets sell different makes of pet food but I’ve never felt I had to purchase it. It’s never even been suggested or recommended.
If you don’t feed appropriately, it’s bad for your dog - be it raw or dry.

Veterinari · 15/12/2021 20:18

[quote whereisthekey]@Veterinari dry boring biscuit lacking in any fresh produce / vegetables.
I've seen you post questionable advice for a long time on these doghouse threads.. are u actually a qualified vet or is it just a screen name to try and come across as one?[/quote]
So you consider any dog food not containing fresh vegetables as 'shit'
Yeah that sounds grounded in nutritional science Confused

Please do point out my questionable advice. Or do feel free to educate me if you feel my knowledge is lacking.

If you have a point to make you'd probably achieve more by sharing your 'expertise' than throwing around unwarranted insults.

TheVolturi · 15/12/2021 20:18

Current dog is fed James wellbeloved as that's what the breeder fed him on. And he does great on it. Our jack Russell lived to 17 and he lived on scraps from our meals. With a bit of Bakers dry food, which is really cheap. He was fit and healthy and never unwell.

ChocolateDeficitDisorder · 15/12/2021 20:23

Mine get food from whichever budget supermarket I shop in

That's where my boundary lies...the supermarket dried food is generally very, very poor quality and marketed at those who don't read any small print. With a couple of exceptions, you're not going to get food of any quality in supermarket. Bakers especially, is utter junk.

whatsnext2 · 15/12/2021 20:23

Raw is probably best but really you need a large freezer to make it workable.

I give AATU dried as it uses free range chicken and I have a thing about welfare.

GuyFawkesDay · 15/12/2021 20:46

We feed Eden as it was recommended to us by many people as a high quality, complete food.

Vet was happy when I told them what I was feeding when asked, and dog is very happy on it....so job done, surely?

Meets all feeding guidelines and then some, + lots of supplements for joints etc.

I am sure raw is great IF you have to space, time to prepare and can ensure your hound doesn't lick anyone but that's just not practical for everyone.

thevampirelestat · 15/12/2021 21:13

When I switched my dog from cheapish kibble (supermarket brand, Pedigree Chum) to a grain free kibble I saw a big difference - coat is much shinier and healthier looking, and (for my own benefit), poop is much smaller and tidier/easier to deal with, and way less farting! She also gets wet food once a day, usually the cheap stuff as it's more just to keep things interesting, as she gets the good nutrition from the dry food.

I couldn't be bothered with raw, but would recommend grain free as a decent middle ground.

whereisthekey · 15/12/2021 21:49

@Veterinari what insult have you seen ?

Stellaris22 · 15/12/2021 21:51

We switched to grain free to help with our bassets ear problems, it's really helped.

Cuntnugget · 15/12/2021 22:13

@Veterinari my vet sells raw food. There's a row of freezers full of Natural Instinct

Veterinari · 16/12/2021 05:13

[quote whereisthekey]@Veterinari what insult have you seen ?[/quote]
Well you've told me my advice is questionable.
As I said, do feel free to share your expertise and answer my questions rather than sneer and make personal attacks

Suzi888 · 16/12/2021 05:34

Introduce any new food slowly, just swapping one food for another can cause stomach issues.
My dog has Forthglade dog dinners - wet food in his old age as he seems to enjoy it more than dry.

Chappie is one I always see recommended as an inexpensive but ok food.

Leonberger · 16/12/2021 06:12

I wouldn’t feed grain free due to the link between grain free diets and DCM. Particularly more important in large breeds.

I also don’t like allaboutdogfood. He trashes some of the diets which I know are proven to be nutritionally balanced yet supports some of the less balanced. He has no qualifications to back up his theory.

I wont do raw due to the risks to proven risks to human health. I also have multiple dogs and don’t want them arguing over bits of meat.
Finally I’ve seen lots of raw fed dogs with bone impaction and intestinal bacterial infections.

Personally I feed a mid range kibble and add in extras to keep them interested. They do get some veg just because they like it and it keeps them busy not because they need it.

Everyone has the right to make their own decisions but I hate how people who feed raw think raw diet fixes all dog problems and it really does not.

GoodnightGrandma · 16/12/2021 06:15

Your dog needs to want to eat it, and you need to be able to afford it. Those are the two most important things when choosing dog food.
Everything else comes after that.

Veterinari · 16/12/2021 06:19

Totally agree @Leonberger

Parkmama · 16/12/2021 06:31

We feed raw and use "the dogs butcher" meals for our Labrador and from a hygiene perspective it really straightforward. All the food comes frozen in boxes (like a box of mince from the supermarket) and we defrost it in a lunch box, store it in the fridge and dish out 250g twice a day washing the same spoon in the dishwasher. It's no different to handling raw fish / chicken etc that humans eat. To be honest I have less contact with her food than I do my own. Do what's best for your pup ❤️

Veterinari · 16/12/2021 06:44

@Parkmama

We feed raw and use "the dogs butcher" meals for our Labrador and from a hygiene perspective it really straightforward. All the food comes frozen in boxes (like a box of mince from the supermarket) and we defrost it in a lunch box, store it in the fridge and dish out 250g twice a day washing the same spoon in the dishwasher. It's no different to handling raw fish / chicken etc that humans eat. To be honest I have less contact with her food than I do my own. Do what's best for your pup ❤️
Except your dog is more likely to be persistently shedding antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacteria into the environment.

I find it fascinating on these threads how many raw feeders are generally uninformed about the risks and public health implications of raw feeding.

amp.theguardian.com/society/2021/jul/10/raw-dog-food-may-be-fuelling-spread-of-antibiotic-resistant-bacteria

www.theveterinarynurse.com/review/article/educating-clients-about-raw-diets-and-the-associated-parasitic-risks

Cuntnugget · 16/12/2021 07:21

@Veterinari are you a Vet?

Veterinari · 16/12/2021 10:01

[quote Cuntnugget]@Veterinari are you a Vet?[/quote]
Yes, why?

What's your expertise in canine nutrition?

Wolfiefan · 16/12/2021 10:09

Those articles are really interesting. But even they say things like freezing food properly and hand washing. Careful with dog poo! I follow those guidelines.
Raw feeding definitely doesn’t suit all owners or dogs. It’s not for everyone.
But for us? It’s been a revolution. My eldest dog would hardly eat. Unless it was her own feet. Actually eating her feet. It was bloody awful.
On a careful raw diet she’s fine. We have gone from daily vet visits to a yearly check up. So it’s definitely the best for her.