# which dry dog food is best in your opinion??



## scazza (4 January 2011)

hi i have a year old b/collie pup,i started out feeding him on beta dry food but he seemed to go off it so he is now on wagg dry food,just wondering from peoples experience if wagg is ok,he seems fine on it etc but i dont know what to look for in the ingredients etc to make sure he is getting the best!!


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## NeverSayNever (4 January 2011)

wagg, eeuugh no, sorry  Cheap rubbish really

Arden Grange all the way for my lot.

Other good brands are;

Royal Canine and James Wellbeloved

if the pup goes off the food dont pander to him by chopping and changing, you'l create a faddy eater. Just take the bowl away after 10mins and he'l soon learn to eat what he is given. (and no tit bits in between)


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## littlemisslauren (4 January 2011)

No Wagg is not good at all.

I'm sure plenty of people will be along to help you out regarding ingredients etc.

I feed JWB and other seem to rate skinners and fish 4 dogs very highly.


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## Cinnamontoast (4 January 2011)

Whatever isn't full of crap like filler cereals and suits your dog/pocket. Anything from the supermarket is likely to be rubbish.

I've just put my older dog back on dry and I swear he came up, wagged his tail, put his head on my lap and practically thanked me! I think raw just didn't suit him. I don't think I would use anything other than Orijen or similar. I found a supplier nearby yesterday and Brig is a happy boy. I'd go for something cheaper if I was swapping the puppies cos it's not cheap.

You can Google ingredients in dog food. You'll be appalled! You want actual meat/protein ratio.


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## blackcob (4 January 2011)

Most Royal Canin contains wheat so I wouldn't rate that highly either. 

Fish4Dogs all the way, highest meat content and least fillers of anything I've encountered so far. Then again I don't even feed that routinely any more in favour of a raw diet.


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## shadowboy (4 January 2011)

NeverSayNever said:



			wagg, eeuugh no, sorry  Cheap rubbish really

Arden Grange all the way for my lot.

Other good brands are;

Royal Canine and James Wellbeloved

if the pup goes off the food dont pander to him by chopping and changing, you'l create a faddy eater. Just take the bowl away after 10mins and he'l soon learn to eat what he is given. (and no tit bits in between)
		
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 Wagg is just full of cereals and sugars I found. I feed royal canine (although was told on here that its not the best food) but was told on other forums and by my vet that its one of the most blanaced in terms of nutrients particulalry for an old dog (I feed the mature version) It is expensive at £47 for 12 kg but we mix in sardines or egg once a day to add variety and oils. I tried fish4dogs but it stank our pantry out- and had to get it via mail odrer so when it snowed it didnt arrive for ages so ended up buying another RC bag.


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## scazza (4 January 2011)

thankyou for your replies...so then wagg is going as just looked at ingredients and full of sugar and crap...can someone please explain (as ive seen a lot of posts on here)how and what do you feed when a dog is on a raw diet??


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## Cinnamontoast (4 January 2011)

There's a sticky thread above on how/what to feed raw. Chicken wings, hand fed, are a good start. 

Most commercial dog food in supermarkets is rubbish and lots of dogs are allergic to the cereal in them. Go to Pets at Home and spend some time researching the feeds, read up on the ingredients etc.


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## Spudlet (4 January 2011)

Mine is on Skinners Field and Trial, it suits him well.


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## CorvusCorax (4 January 2011)

Arden Grange (they do a hypoallergenic range) Fish4Dogs, Skinners Field and Trial.

DUCK is a good alternative if you don't want to go the whole hog with raw.


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## galaxy (4 January 2011)

H is fed Burns Pork and Potato.  It does contain a small amount of maize, but that is the only grain.  His poos are very solid and he does very well on it.


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## soloabe (4 January 2011)

shadowboy said:



			Wagg is just full of cereals and sugars I found. I feed royal canine (although was told on here that its not the best food) but was told on other forums and by my vet that its one of the most blanaced in terms of nutrients particulalry for an old dog (I feed the mature version) It is expensive at £47 for 12 kg but we mix in sardines or egg once a day to add variety and oils. I tried fish4dogs but it stank our pantry out- and had to get it via mail odrer so when it snowed it didnt arrive for ages so ended up buying another RC bag.
		
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Just looking at the ingredients should be enough to tell you that RC is pretty shite.


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## shadowboy (4 January 2011)

katielou said:



			Just looking at the ingredients should be enough to tell you that RC is pretty shite.
		
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 Maybe compared to a natural raw diet- but our freezer is the tiny top compartment of a fridge- so raw isnt feasable for us, we ordered fish4dogs it arroved 10 days later and stank in our pantry- so although we have used it it dint appear to change her poo or activity level or farting  yes there are probably loads of nice feeds out ther but RC is a lot beter than other foods! and she's done really well on it- healthy and active, nice solid poos- that are easy to pick up. Vet is happy with her and it is better than the Chappie she was fed in rescue - it works for her so I defend the food in that respect. 

These are the ingredients- Dehydrated poultry meat, maize, rice, maize flour, animal fats,
hydrolysed animal proteins, beet pulp, fish oil, minerals, vegetable oils (soya, borage),
egg powder, yeast, fructo-oligo-saccharides, sodium polyphosphate, green tea and
grape extracts (rich in polyphenols), L-lysine, hydrolysed crustaceans (rich in
glucosamine), hydrolysed cartilage (source of chondroitin).

These are the ingredients of wagg: Wheat, Meat Meal, Wheatfeed, Maize, Poultry Fat, Digest, Rice, Beet Pulp, Chicken Meat Meal (min 4% in brown chunk), Linseed, Peas (min 4% in pea kibble), Carrot (min 4% in carrot kibble), Lucerne, Minerals, Yeast (0.08%), Citrus Extract (0.04%), Yucca Extract (0.01%)


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## kirstyl (4 January 2011)

NeverSayNever said:



			wagg, eeuugh no, sorry  Cheap rubbish really

Arden Grange all the way for my lot.

Other good brands are;

Royal Canine and James Wellbeloved

if the pup goes off the food dont pander to him by chopping and changing, you'l create a faddy eater. Just take the bowl away after 10mins and he'l soon learn to eat what he is given. (and no tit bits in between)
		
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Mine is on Arden Grange too with a bit of meat or sardines mixed in. She looks very well on it!


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## Nickijem (4 January 2011)

Purdey started off on Chudley's but then I looked at the ingredients so changed to Skinner's, that gave her the runs so she is now on James Wellbeloved and has been absolutely fine since.


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## shadowboy (4 January 2011)

kirstyl said:



			Mine is on Arden Grange too with a bit of meat or sardines mixed in. She looks very well on it!
		
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I do the sardine too- i found some on offer in Tescoes the other day 21p for a whole tin of finest whole sardines- so we bought 20 of them but now running low- where do you get yours from?


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## CAYLA (4 January 2011)

As already mentioned my adult dogs are on skinners duck and rice and the pupy is in fish4puppys
I usually recommend JamesWellBeloved when the rescues go to new homes as it easier to get hold of for them, mixed with Sardines.


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## Slinkyunicorn (4 January 2011)

Best dry is Skinners - also about half the price of JWB and its bascially the same thing ie hypoallergenic no added crap.

For the cheapest sardine,pilchards,tuna etc try you local Lidl/Aldi


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## Brownmare (4 January 2011)

Mine are on CSJ Herbie rings / Fit n Fast and I've never seen their coats look so soft & shiny before. The JRT is moulting less and the Lucher is maintaining a good weight for the first time ever. Plus its a fraction of the price of other quality feeds because its VAT free and the company has a zero advertising policy so you are paying for dog food not tv advertising


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## CorvusCorax (4 January 2011)

Aw, but Brownmare, the doggies are dressed as ASTRONAUTS on the telly! That's kewel! That means the food must be AMAZING!


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## jasmine (4 January 2011)

When i feed dry, i always use Royal Canin.  Never had any problems with it and the dogs are always in good condition.


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## soloabe (4 January 2011)

shadowboy said:



			Maybe compared to a natural raw diet- but our freezer is the tiny top compartment of a fridge- so raw isnt feasable for us, we ordered fish4dogs it arroved 10 days later and stank in our pantry- so although we have used it it dint appear to change her poo or activity level or farting  yes there are probably loads of nice feeds out ther but RC is a lot beter than other foods! and she's done really well on it- healthy and active, nice solid poos- that are easy to pick up. Vet is happy with her and it is better than the Chappie she was fed in rescue - it works for her so I defend the food in that respect. 

These are the ingredients- Dehydrated poultry meat, maize, rice, maize flour, animal fats,
hydrolysed animal proteins, beet pulp, fish oil, minerals, vegetable oils (soya, borage),
egg powder, yeast, fructo-oligo-saccharides, sodium polyphosphate, green tea and
grape extracts (rich in polyphenols), L-lysine, hydrolysed crustaceans (rich in
glucosamine), hydrolysed cartilage (source of chondroitin).

These are the ingredients of wagg: Wheat, Meat Meal, Wheatfeed, Maize, Poultry Fat, Digest, Rice, Beet Pulp, Chicken Meat Meal (min 4% in brown chunk), Linseed, Peas (min 4% in pea kibble), Carrot (min 4% in carrot kibble), Lucerne, Minerals, Yeast (0.08%), Citrus Extract (0.04%), Yucca Extract (0.01%)
		
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But there are still better quality food that are much cheaper out there.
James wellbeloved, skinners ect.


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## Ravenwood (5 January 2011)

James Wellbeloved is hideously expensive (well, it is round here)!

I feed either Chudleigh's working crunch or Skinners maintanence or Skinner's museli - actually I usually buy a bag of each and mix it.

If you buy working dog food - you escape the VAT


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## bex1984 (5 January 2011)

I am reading this with interest as my dog is coming up to 1 yr old and will therefore 'outgrow' his puppy food....he has always been on Purina ProPlan Puppy and we're wondering whether to move him onto the adult version, or something else...any thoughts on the purina??? we've also looked at wainwrights??


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## shadowboy (5 January 2011)

Ravenwood said:



			James Wellbeloved is hideously expensive (well, it is round here)!

I feed either Chudleigh's working crunch or Skinners maintanence or Skinner's museli - actually I usually buy a bag of each and mix it.

If you buy working dog food - you escape the VAT 

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  sorry to hijack the thread!! I found James wellbeloved far too expensive too! £8 for a 2kg bag and she needs 400grms per day so it would only last us 5 days, even the 12.5kg bags are in the £40/£50 region here. What is Skinners like for old and big dogs? as we need a senior or large dog range.


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## woodlandswow (5 January 2011)

James Wellbeloved is hideously expensive, but my labs have always been fit, healthy, good coats, and happy.. they like it.. so we do to.. 
or eukanuba..


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## NOISYGIRL (5 January 2011)

http://www.barkingheads.co.uk/

I've recently changed to above range, you can mix them if you want, spoke to the bloke from there and he said they were all compatibale if you needed to mix

Mine had the Tender loving care and the Bad hair day ! she preferred the tender loving care and she likes the fusspot one as well

JWB is often on offer 3 for 2 by me, Cardiff


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## horsehelper (5 January 2011)

I feed JWB fish and rice as he has allergy problems never had a better looking dog and the pups on it too. Its £6 for 2kg bag but I know i feed nowhere near the amount on the bag theres no way he could eat the amount reccommend big dog has a cup full am and pm with some tuna or coley and hes just had his annual check and the vet said he looks very athletic and in great condition. pups on small ramakin 3 times a day and is putting on the correct weight. 
I would say it is expensive but as its great quality you dont have to feed so much and you should adjust what you feed to how your dog looks anyway.
I looked into RC when I first looked at changing and even the rep admitted their sensitve diet contains meat protein which seems silly as a sensitive diet should be bland ie fish and rice


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## posie_honey (5 January 2011)

i rate Dr Johns for my working dogs - silver out of season (low protein) - gold or plaitinum in season (high protein)
works well for out lab, cocker and springer 

ETA - about £10 per big bag and vat free as for workers


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## TED2010 (5 January 2011)

I really rate Skinners dog food for mine.  She was on Science plan as a puppy but didn't like it and always seemed fussy, it also broke the bank.  I moved her on to Beta large breed puppy and she was never that keen on it either.  She is now 21 months and I moved her on to Skinners at about 18 months.  Skinners is a far more reasonable price than Royal Canine or James Wellbeloved and has decent ingredients.  I actually feed 'Rough and ready' which Is one of the cheaper ones but my Ridgeback bitch LOVES it and looks fantastically well. Can't ask for more than that.  The working varieties are also VAT free which is a bonus!


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## posie_honey (5 January 2011)

TED2010 said:



			I really rate Skinners dog food for mine.
		
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skinners is good too  used to use it till old spangle started chocking on the musili as he ate it too fast  so moved to Dr Johns - also skinners went up about £5 a bag since i used to use it!


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## shadowboy (5 January 2011)

NOISYGIRL said:



http://www.barkingheads.co.uk/

I've recently changed to above range, you can mix them if you want, spoke to the bloke from there and he said they were all compatibale if you needed to mix

Mine had the Tender loving care and the Bad hair day ! she preferred the tender loving care and she likes the fusspot one as well

JWB is often on offer 3 for 2 by me, Cardiff
		
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 I'm loving this brand (barkingheads) looking at the ingredients for the senior dog range- Tassy loves Chicken and carrots and tomatoes never tried potatos with her or salmaon- though she loves her sardines.How quick is the mail order as they are 17miles away from me as the nearest supplier


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## NOISYGIRL (5 January 2011)

shadowboy said:



			I'm loving this brand (barkingheads) looking at the ingredients for the senior dog range- Tassy loves Chicken and carrots and tomatoes never tried potatos with her or salmaon- though she loves her sardines.How quick is the mail order as they are 17miles away from me as the nearest supplier 

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I didn't order from them direct, chatted to the chap first then decided to go and get some from local Petwise store and my local Pampurred Pets store stocks it as well.

He said he'd send me some samples which he did and they arrived in a couple of days so I don't think it would take too long if you ordered from them


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## gable (5 January 2011)

Mine are on Beta - both fit, happy, shiny and healthy


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## Bug2007 (5 January 2011)

Generally the stuff you can get off the super market shelf like Bakers and Wagg are terrible.

Mine is on Autarkey, took a lot of research to find the right one for our dog. Protein levels, additives etc.....


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## soloabe (5 January 2011)

bex1984 said:



			I am reading this with interest as my dog is coming up to 1 yr old and will therefore 'outgrow' his puppy food....he has always been on Purina ProPlan Puppy and we're wondering whether to move him onto the adult version, or something else...any thoughts on the purina??? we've also looked at wainwrights??
		
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Yes please move him on to something better. Purina is rubbish.

Try fish4dogs.


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## KarynK (5 January 2011)

Sorry I can't recommend any dry food as I don't feed it but I will say you really need to research dry foods very carefully there are guides on the internet and a bit on the stickied raw fed page 2 about researching meat content and some of the additives to avoid at all costs. 

Don&#8217;t ever take anything for a feed merchant or rep says as gospel, they are there to sell it and will tell you what they think you want to hear.  I have real fun with them and when I get bored I tie them in total knots and walk off back to my Butcher and around £10 a month for 2 dogs!!!  Ask them some difficult questions!!

But with processed foods you should bear in mind that ingredients and often harmful additives can be hidden very easily, you just get someone else to supply you a preparation with the nasties in it and then add it to your feed and you do not have to declare.  

I am disgusted by feed companies being able to describe their food the way they do, in most instances it is very clearly not Chicken and Maize for example but actually &#8220; more Maize than I would dare feed a horse and an undisclosed part of chickens, plus of course additives preservatives and flavourings&#8221; I should add that some of these will be organic in origin and some not!!!!  But hey with very few restrictions and money to be made who would not describe their &#8220;food&#8221; as holistic or natural!  You wouldn&#8217;t get away with what they do with baby food!!!   

As these companies are out to make a profit, often intolerances are blamed on meat sources because they are expensive and it&#8217;s easy and cheaper to blame them, high protein being the favourite.  They never look to the unnatural cheap cereal or vegetable bulks that they may use to make to food cheaper, the shelf life enhancers to make it last months on a shelf, or the synthetic vitamins that are added which are often destroyed by their cooking processes.  In many dried foods it is questionable if the dog can effectively use most of the food content it is fed.

To me anything that is cooked cannot really be called natural for a dog, it does however sound good to the owner and just as they add herbs and dried carrots to horse food the considerable effort of marketing is aimed at the owner.  So it is up to owners to research and asks some very searching questions before buying it.

Personally I would not put any food down my dogs throat that I did not know all of the ingredients of and just as importantly the source of those ingredients.  Unfortunately dogs and house cats are really one of the only companion animals that suffer heavily from inappropriate cheap nutrition, most horses and cats can supplement the processed foods with grass and cute little animals, guinea pigs/rabbits get hay but dogs have to rely on what we give them alone apart from grass and what they can grab on a walk!

So please do your homework and pick the best you can afford, but at the end of the day meat is expensive to add and process so those with higher meat content will be more expensive.


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## fizzer (5 January 2011)

Best in my opinion is Fish4dogs.  Well worth the money.


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## ladyearl (5 January 2011)

Mine is on James WB lamb and rice - tried many quality brands (including raw for a few months - but that was really awful for her) without success. She has a very sensitive tummy and can't cope with variety of any sort. So after 6 years of trying everything we've had a further 6 with JWB - adult at first and then about the last 3 1/2 yrs she's been on the senior. I'm very pleased with it. I think any of the quality foods are worth a shot. Not a huge fan of raw unless you have an enormous freezer and a huge capacity for being organised as you must work out exactly what you are feeding to ensure dog gets everything it needs etc..


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## soloabe (5 January 2011)

ladyearl said:



			Mine is on James WB lamb and rice - tried many quality brands (including raw for a few months - but that was really awful for her) without success. She has a very sensitive tummy and can't cope with variety of any sort. So after 6 years of trying everything we've had a further 6 with JWB - adult at first and then about the last 3 1/2 yrs she's been on the senior. I'm very pleased with it. I think any of the quality foods are worth a shot. Not a huge fan of raw unless you have an enormous freezer and a huge capacity for being organised as you must work out exactly what you are feeding to ensure dog gets everything it needs etc..
		
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You don't have to work out nearly as much as you think you do.


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## blackcob (5 January 2011)

I have to say since the big panic about Dax's food intolerances and faffing around getting her on a raw diet, I really couldn't find it easier now - she just gets chucked a bit of whatever's in the fridge, i.e whatever I've been able to buy on the cheap o) and has never looked better for it. 

I only have a tiny freezer, could probably do it a bit cheaper if I had a big chest freezer (butcher offered me sacksful of turkey wings and carcasses at Christmas!) but as it stands it's still comparable or cheaper than a good quality dry diet, with the added bonus of not causing bum explosions.


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## Spit That Out (5 January 2011)

Is Iams any good?


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## soloabe (5 January 2011)

Sedgemoor Chaos said:



			Is Iams any good?
		
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No its not.


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## littlemisslauren (5 January 2011)

I pay £6 for one of the small bags of JWB and £35 for the big bags, I cant believe people are paying £50 for it!! 

Shop around, the small bags have been on offer for about 6 months in different shops up here.

Do fish for dogs do a small bag?? B is quite picky and is barely eating the kibble if given it alone now so I'm thinking of changing her over to this.


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## poorchickens (5 January 2011)

My deaf dog is one sickly puppy who seems to be allergic to air. He can't eat JWB, Barking Heads, Iams or even Bonio's (what is in those? he throws them up within 30mins!) The only dry food that he can eat is Burns, which also agrees with me and picking up what comes out the other end 

We tried a similar thing to Fish4Dogs from Pets at Home called Fishmongers (I think) which he absolutely loved, but I was too scared to give him a whole bowl, so just mixed a bit with the Burns. I hope it's not as bad as Bakers!


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## soloabe (5 January 2011)

Ansiscool said:



			My deaf dog is one sickly puppy who seems to be allergic to air. He can't eat JWB, Barking Heads, Iams or even Bonio's (what is in those? he throws them up within 30mins!) The only dry food that he can eat is Burns, which also agrees with me and picking up what comes out the other end 

We tried a similar thing to Fish4Dogs from Pets at Home called Fishmongers (I think) which he absolutely loved, but I was too scared to give him a whole bowl, so just mixed a bit with the Burns. I hope it's not as bad as Bakers! 

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Thats exactly the type of dog who would do well on Raw


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## blackcob (5 January 2011)

littlemisslauren said:



			Do fish for dogs do a small bag?? B is quite picky and is barely eating the kibble if given it alone now so I'm thinking of changing her over to this.
		
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They do sample packs for £1 or I'd be happy to send you a bowlful in the post!


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## shadowboy (5 January 2011)

Ansiscool said:



			My deaf dog is one sickly puppy who seems to be allergic to air. He can't eat JWB, Barking Heads, Iams or even Bonio's (what is in those? he throws them up within 30mins!) The only dry food that he can eat is Burns, which also agrees with me and picking up what comes out the other end 

We tried a similar thing to Fish4Dogs from Pets at Home called Fishmongers (I think) which he absolutely loved, but I was too scared to give him a whole bowl, so just mixed a bit with the Burns. I hope it's not as bad as Bakers! 

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 I doubt it, I think this is one of the worst- bakers is full of sugar -This is the rubbish in Bakers-Cereals (minimum 4% rice in the green and orange kernels), Meat and animal derivatives (Minimum 4% fresh meat in the moist meaty chunks, minimum 4% beef in the moist meaty chunks), Vegetable protein extracts, Oils and fats, Various sugars, Derivatives of vegetable origin (0.5% beet pulp in the brown and red kernels), Minerals, Vegetables (minimum 4% vegetables in the green and orange kernels). With antioxidants, coloured with and preserved with EC additives.


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## littlemisslauren (5 January 2011)

blackcob said:



			They do sample packs for £1 or I'd be happy to send you a bowlful in the post! 

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Sample packs sound ideal! Knowing my luck I would buy a big bag and madam would turn her nose up!

A teeny petshop in the village is listed as a supplier to I'll see if they do the diddy bags this weekend. I'll have to man up a bit before I venture down there.... I do NOT live in a nice area, even the toddlers wear hoodies and carry knives


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## haycroft (5 January 2011)

i feed my two on redmills tracker/racer..approx £11-£15 per 15kg bags
raw if and when i can..we only have a small freezer space

have tried skinners which the dogs like(only as my currant feed hadnt come in due to the bad weather and im still waiting for the delievery)

keepers mix conditioner fed with barf diet from dorwest herbs


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## kirstyl (5 January 2011)

shadowboy said:



			I do the sardine too- i found some on offer in Tescoes the other day 21p for a whole tin of finest whole sardines- so we bought 20 of them but now running low- where do you get yours from?
		
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21p! That is an absolute bargain!  Netto's have them at 37p a tin.  Sainsbury's are 42p a tin but you do have a choice of olive oil, sunflower oil or spring water!


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## Dizzykizzy (6 January 2011)

We used to feed ours Orijen after doing a lot of research/reading about the various foods out there. They did very well on it but it is expensive and after I lost my job we changed to CSJ. I truly believe it is a good food but just not as good as Orijen and my girls started to look awful within a few weeks.
I have now gone on to a BARF diet, mostly bought in from Landywoods with eggs and anything else we have over added in. They also have chicken/turkey wings on a weekend when we can watch them eating. I can honestly say that in 2 months they are absolutely blooming, coats shining, mouths fresh and energy levels the best! We do flyball with them and the first competition we did after changing to BARF our older bitch dropped her time by over a second...that is a massive amount! 
We call Bakers etc smarties for dogs as it makes them hyper...not that I feed it but someone gave me a box and we used it for training treats.


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## fur&feathers (6 January 2011)

Just weaning my Jack Russell onto raw food diet,my son has not been shooting lately so no rabbits (she wants to play with them not kill them herself) so my butcher gets in offal for me & she seems very happy on that mixed with the odd bone or stick to clean her teeth.We are all so easily led to buy what we are advertised & forget what are natuarlly meant to eat sometimes!


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## dingle12 (6 January 2011)

Dr johns silver, all my dogs do really well on it.

Can i ask everyone who buys JWB why do you go for that? i find it expensive i know a dog on it and if anything both my dogs look better condition.

I pay £8.49 for a 15kg bag.


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## soloabe (6 January 2011)

dingle12 said:



			Dr johns silver, all my dogs do really well on it.

Can i ask everyone who buys JWB why do you go for that? i find it expensive i know a dog on it and if anything both my dogs look better condition.

I pay £8.49 for a 15kg bag.
		
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The people i know who get it do so because they don't want or can't have all the cereals in dog food and want some actual meat content. Dr Johns first ingredient is cereals. Not something i would be happy with my dogs eating.


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## EAST KENT (6 January 2011)

Dreadful stuff!


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## dingle12 (6 January 2011)

EAST KENT said:



			Dreadful stuff!
		
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What is? Dr johns?


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## dingle12 (6 January 2011)

katielou said:



			The people i know who get it do so because they don't want or can't have all the cereals in dog food and want some actual meat content. Dr Johns first ingredient is cereals. Not something i would be happy with my dogs eating.
		
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Thank you  my dogs do well on it so will keep with it.


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## littlemisslauren (6 January 2011)

I buy JWB because I am happy with the ingredients, the only thing that puts me off is the amount of rice.


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## JoG (6 January 2011)

Ooo other people on here who feed Barking Heads - I thought i was the only one 

My spangles thrive on their "Bad Hair day" (lamb&rice) not so keen on the chicken.....our local little pet shop stocks all of it which i found through calling the company direct.  They apparently used to all work for Nutro choice but set this company up to offer high meat, no wheat dry food 

I have to agree that I have never considered JWB because it seems so expensive


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## Maesfen (6 January 2011)

dingle12 said:



			Thank you  my dogs do well on it so will keep with it.
		
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I'm the same!  Mine get various different brands but mainly, shock horror,  Wagg Worker (more in the bag!) or Chappie Dry.  They all look well, have great coats and are as fit as fleas.  If they are happy, I'm happy so I see no reason to change what I feed because it obviously suits them.


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## soloabe (6 January 2011)

Maesfen said:



			I'm the same!  Mine get various different brands but mainly, shock horror,  Wagg Worker (more in the bag!) or Chappie Dry.  They all look well, have great coats and are as fit as fleas.  If they are happy, I'm happy so I see no reason to change what I feed because it obviously suits them.
		
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And thats totally your choice.

For me its not just about what my dogs do well on its about whats healthy for them to.

After all my cousin gets chicken nuggets and chips every single day and he looks just fine but we all know its not healthy for him.


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## trina1982 (6 January 2011)

I used to feed skinners field and trial maintenance to my collie and collie x GSD. Then got recommended CSJ Wheat and Gluten free lamb and rice from a collie rescue. 

Really happy with it, dogs shiny and don't seem to shed so much, and we also noticed that my collie x GSD stopped scratching as much (never a huge problem but we often called her flea bag because she scratched much more than our other dog). They deliver really quickly too and are reasonably priced.

Don't trust JWB, fed it to my cat (the cat version obviously) and he went really downhill suddenly (£300 vet trip!) and has never been the same since. Exactly the same happened to a friends cat too.

Trina x


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## carousel8703 (6 January 2011)

I depends how much money you want to spend!!! Proplan is one of the best but at approx 50 pound a sack its also one of the most expensive. Skinners is a good quality food at a sensible price and they also do a hypoallergenic range if your dog is sensitive type. For a cheap option i find chappie is one of the best. I tend to avoid foods that are brightly coloured, colours are only added to make them look nice to us humans!!!!


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## soloabe (6 January 2011)

carousel8703 said:



			I depends how much money you want to spend!!! Proplan is one of the best but at approx 50 pound a sack its also one of the most expensive. Skinners is a good quality food at a sensible price and they also do a hypoallergenic range if your dog is sensitive type. For a cheap option i find chappie is one of the best. I tend to avoid foods that are brightly coloured, colours are only added to make them look nice to us humans!!!!
		
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Eeeek chappie has horrible ingredients.


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## littlemisslauren (6 January 2011)

I know that at the moment alot of us are on tight budgets but I dont think that is any excuse to feed low quality food.

I know I feed one of the more expensive feeds but price had nothing to do with my choice, when I got the dog I worked out a budget around the most expensive feeds and went from there.

I would rather go hungry than feed her something like chappy.

I do understand there are some dogs with dicky tums that will only settle on some of the lower quality foods, one of my family dogs was poor on everything but bakers! But she was never fed that because it was cheap, she had it because the bottom explosions stopped!


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## red marksman (6 January 2011)

Have tried quite a few dry foods over the years- from the cheap and cheerful to the hideously expensive. My 3 borders are now on Wainwrights (Pets at Home's own best brand) and are looking fab with loads of energy and shiny coats. It's £33 for a 15kg sack and that lasts the 3 of them for a fortnight. The 7+ age range includes glucosamine for joints and there is a wide variety of flavours too. Highly recommended!


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## stevieg (6 January 2011)

Would like to feed Orijen but cant quite afford it atm. They did well on JWB for a while but we have now gone back to Arden Grange.

What's CSJ btw?


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## willhegofirst (6 January 2011)

Our young spin was on JWB when we first got her, she always was a bit loose, sometimes really runny, we changed her on to Wainwrights and she did improve a bit, but I was not totally happy, the older Spin seems to eat anything ok. We changed them onto a raw diet a few months ago and Skye has been much better ever since.


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## trina1982 (6 January 2011)

stevieg said:



			Would like to feed Orijen but cant quite afford it atm. They did well on JWB for a while but we have now gone back to Arden Grange.

What's CSJ btw?
		
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Hi! If you google CSJ dog food you'll find them  They are  quite a small company i think.

Trina x


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## stevieg (6 January 2011)

Thanks for that Trina. Always interested in finding out about different dog foods


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## soloabe (6 January 2011)

The ingredients look pretty awful for CSJ too!

The second being wheat.


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## stevieg (6 January 2011)

Has anybody tried Simpsons?


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## soloabe (6 January 2011)

stevieg said:



			Has anybody tried Simpsons?
		
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Ingredients don't look great. No real meat and very expensive for the quality.


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## CorvusCorax (6 January 2011)

StevieG I would have stayed on Arden Grange if I could have, it was originally designed by and for GSD breeders and is the best of the bunch IMO for sheps.


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## stevieg (6 January 2011)

Yes as I recall it wasnt cheap. They had a stand at the LKA show at the NEC recently


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## dingle12 (6 January 2011)

katielou said:



			And thats totally your choice.

For me its not just about what my dogs do well on its about whats healthy for them to.

After all my cousin gets chicken nuggets and chips every single day and he looks just fine but we all know its not healthy for him.
		
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My old dog was very healthy on it too we lost him april at 18 years old due to old age, everyone always said he never looked his age. I always fed him Dr johns, my other dog jake is now ten and other then a few lumps ( fatty ones he is a lab x ) he out runs any dog and people ask me what do i bath him in lol because his coat is so good lo  truth his he never gets a bath and sometimes gets a brush.


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## soloabe (6 January 2011)

dingle12 said:



			My old dog was very healthy on it too we lost him april at 18 years old due to old age, everyone always said he never looked his age. I always fed him Dr johns, my other dog jake is now ten and other then a few lumps ( fatty ones he is a lab x ) he out runs any dog and people ask me what do i bath him in lol because his coat is so good lo  truth his he never gets a bath and sometimes gets a brush.
		
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But that's still how well they did on a food not how healthy it is for them.


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## k9h (6 January 2011)

I use csjk9 & dog love it, they also have chudleys working crunch & cobby dog hunt kennel mix.

CSJK9 is abot £15 a 15kg bag very good quailty stuff & their fish skin treats!

Chudleys £16 a 15 kg bag

Cobby dog £8 a 20kg bag.

I always have comments on my dogs coats how shiny they are.

Personnaly I think it is duvet polish rather than the food but dont tell anyone that!!


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## soloabe (7 January 2011)

Genuine question.

Do people here actually research what should and shouldn't be in a dog food and where on the list ingredients should be?

Because i see a lot of people say stuff is great quality (RC, CSJ ect) when in reality its full of crap.


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## Puppy (7 January 2011)

KarynK said:



			Sorry I can't recommend any dry food as I don't feed it but I will say you really need to research dry foods very carefully there are guides on the internet and a bit on the stickied raw fed page 2 about researching meat content and some of the additives to avoid at all costs. 

Dont ever take anything for a feed merchant or rep says as gospel, they are there to sell it and will tell you what they think you want to hear.  I have real fun with them and when I get bored I tie them in total knots and walk off back to my Butcher and around £10 a month for 2 dogs!!!  Ask them some difficult questions!!

But with processed foods you should bear in mind that ingredients and often harmful additives can be hidden very easily, you just get someone else to supply you a preparation with the nasties in it and then add it to your feed and you do not have to declare.  

I am disgusted by feed companies being able to describe their food the way they do, in most instances it is very clearly not Chicken and Maize for example but actually  more Maize than I would dare feed a horse and an undisclosed part of chickens, plus of course additives preservatives and flavourings I should add that some of these will be organic in origin and some not!!!!  But hey with very few restrictions and money to be made who would not describe their food as holistic or natural!  You wouldnt get away with what they do with baby food!!!   

As these companies are out to make a profit, often intolerances are blamed on meat sources because they are expensive and its easy and cheaper to blame them, high protein being the favourite.  They never look to the unnatural cheap cereal or vegetable bulks that they may use to make to food cheaper, the shelf life enhancers to make it last months on a shelf, or the synthetic vitamins that are added which are often destroyed by their cooking processes.  In many dried foods it is questionable if the dog can effectively use most of the food content it is fed.

To me anything that is cooked cannot really be called natural for a dog, it does however sound good to the owner and just as they add herbs and dried carrots to horse food the considerable effort of marketing is aimed at the owner.  So it is up to owners to research and asks some very searching questions before buying it.

Personally I would not put any food down my dogs throat that I did not know all of the ingredients of and just as importantly the source of those ingredients.  Unfortunately dogs and house cats are really one of the only companion animals that suffer heavily from inappropriate cheap nutrition, most horses and cats can supplement the processed foods with grass and cute little animals, guinea pigs/rabbits get hay but dogs have to rely on what we give them alone apart from grass and what they can grab on a walk!

So please do your homework and pick the best you can afford, but at the end of the day meat is expensive to add and process so those with higher meat content will be more expensive.
		
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Out of interest, do your dogs always have responsibly farmed meat? how do you ensure that when sourcing it?


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## foreverhorses (7 January 2011)

these threads make intresting reading & have got me thinking too.i have fed beta active for quite some time as my 3 look good on it + easy to source + good value,but if i were to swop to raw how would i know how much to feed for an active 18kg collie ?  is chicken wings + eggs (have our own hens) enough to provide all nutrition they need?  and where is the cheapest place to buy such meat?

+ unrelated but katielou what breed is your lovely dog is that a collie or pyrenean  sheep dog? stunning picture


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## olop (7 January 2011)

After having a few problems with my girl (she had to have her anal glands done-enough said!) & her hyper-active behaviour after feeding her bakers, she is now on James Wellbeloved & doing great on it.
I think Bakers is really falsely marketed which is the problem & the fact it is is so easily avaliable to buy.


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## KarynK (7 January 2011)

Puppy said:



			Out of interest, do your dogs always have responsibly farmed meat? how do you ensure that when sourcing it? 

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As it happens they do.  I source the vast bulk of their diet from a dying breed the local butcher, who sources responsibly farmed quality and largely local produce.  I do buy bits and pieces from the reduced section of the supermarket but the dogs eat better quality meat than I do!!!!  My eggs come from a firends rehomed battery hens!

The only pet type food they get is the frozen green tripe which I cannot source locally.


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## KarynK (7 January 2011)

"... if i were to swop to raw how would i know how much to feed for an active 18kg collie ?  is chicken wings + eggs (have our own hens) enough to provide all nutrition they need?  and where is the cheapest place to buy such meat?"

If you look up on the top of the forum there is a sticky on raw and there are some good tips on nutrition and getting started on raw on there including various sources that people use.


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## Gladioli (7 January 2011)

katielou said:



			Genuine question.

Do people here actually research what should and shouldn't be in a dog food and where on the list ingredients should be?

Because i see a lot of people say stuff is great quality (RC, CSJ ect) when in reality its full of crap.
		
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I have to be honest I am quite ignorant in relation to this, when it came to feeding my horse I knew every ingredient and what it did, with dogs I am not so sure (I am embarrassed to say that)  I feed Supadog Sensitive, the ingredients are Lamb Meal (min 26%), Rice (min 26%), Beet Pulp, Poultry Fat, Salt, Vitamins.  As animals are scavengers would they really eat beet pulp, possibly not... def food for thought. (pardon the pun)


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## soloabe (7 January 2011)

Gladioli said:



			I have to be honest I am quite ignorant in relation to this, when it came to feeding my horse I knew every ingredient and what it did, with dogs I am not so sure (I am embarrassed to say that)  I feed Supadog Sensitive, the ingredients are Lamb Meal (min 26%), Rice (min 26%), Beet Pulp, Poultry Fat, Salt, Vitamins.  As animals are scavengers would they really eat beet pulp, possibly not... def food for thought. (pardon the pun)
		
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No they probably wouldn't but thats the least of your worries.
Lamb meal is all the bits that people don't want. Fur, feet, some organs (although not much really because its commercially viable) its all the crap and not a good meat source.
You want real meat as the first ingredient not meat meal.


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## soloabe (7 January 2011)

foreverhorses said:



			+ unrelated but katielou what breed is your lovely dog is that a collie or pyrenean  sheep dog? stunning picture

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He's Australian shepherd x Akita.


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## Scranny_Ann (7 January 2011)

In my opinion, the best dry food - Skinners.  I have working dogs all with different needs and Skinners cater for each and every one, perfectly.

Can't praise them enough.


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## stevieg (7 January 2011)

stevieg said:



			Yes as I recall it wasnt cheap. They had a stand at the LKA show at the NEC recently
		
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I was talking about Simpsons here btw. Didnt realise someone had posted in between


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## soloabe (7 January 2011)

stevieg said:



			I was talking about Simpsons here btw. Didnt realise someone had posted in between
		
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No worries. I got you


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## Spudlet (7 January 2011)

Gladioli said:



			As animals are scavengers would they really eat beet pulp, possibly not... def food for thought. (pardon the pun)
		
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Henry will go into fields, nick beets that have dropped off the wagon, and eat them...

The only one that ever bothered him was the one that was larger than his head That didn't sit well

Sorry, OT


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## EAST KENT (7 January 2011)

katielou said:



			Genuine question.

Do people here actually research what should and shouldn't be in a dog food and where on the list ingredients should be?

Because i see a lot of people say stuff is great quality (RC, CSJ ect) when in reality its full of crap.
		
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Many years ago I had a sack of CobbyDog,and there in amongst the flakes of whatever was a lamb elastrator ring (rubber castration ring) Now THAT definitely is`nt something I would care to feed!


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## CorvusCorax (8 January 2011)

I have just bought a bag of greyhound mix for a dog that isn't a greyhound, and a bag of senior dog food for a three year old dog.

I think I am going to keep hamsters in future...


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## Gone hunting (8 January 2011)

Dr Johns complete  very palatable and my fussy mutt loves it


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## serena2005 (8 January 2011)

I started feeding Arden Grange after some adivce people gave me on here, and havent changed since, dog hardly ever has a poorly tummy on this food, usually very sensitive to every thing! and if he does seem a little bored of it i give a spoonfull of Arden Grange tin meat and he loves it!


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## palomino_pony (8 January 2011)

My dad's border Collie is very sensitive to anything with actual "meat" in it! He had major diahorea with bones, meat - cooked and raw, tinned food, most complete and complementary dried food. He was ok on arden grange for a while but had the occasional upset. After a trip to the vets he was given a recomendation and now for the last 7 years he has had Vitalin working dog food - you mix it with hot water. He loves it and has been diahorea free since then. This is high in cereals tho and looks like "pony mix" but suits him. So how does that work??


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## CorvusCorax (8 January 2011)

My dog is something similar, can't tolerate too much protein, no cereals, so has to have fish-based, low protein mulch to fill him up and what protein he does have is quality protein ie from meat, bones, etc.

I think it's just the way they have evolved over decades being fed foods with very high levels of cereals and carbs that they are naturally not designed to eat and in previous years before convenience foods, never did. 
Plus he is linebred to a dog I now know passes on sensitivity to diet and environment.


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## APPY MIN (18 September 2012)

Hi I feed all 6 of my dogs on Cobbydog Compele Dog food.

They alwsy lick their bowls clean and are a pciture of health. I have been feeding Cobbydog for years and am yet to find anything that comes close as in quality, price and service.


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## blackcob (18 September 2012)

I have been receiving bags of Cobbydog food as show prizes for over a year now and will continue to pass them back to the organisers if it's in aid of a dog rescue or on to my boss's dustbin boxer if not, because it goes through even my asbestos-stomached dog like poop through a goose. 

Some of the colours involved are 

Are sales of your lurid food so bad that you need to go around bumping up old threads?


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## APPY MIN (18 September 2012)

Iv never had a problem with my dogs on Cobbydog. I have been reading through some of the threads of what poeple think are good and bad and offered my experience with there products.

EVERYONE is entitled to their opinion like someone has said previously what works for one dogs doesnt always work for others.

Mine are all looking great and always have comments on how healthy they look.


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## CorvusCorax (18 September 2012)

Indeed, joining a forum to bump an 18 month old thread....

Licking bowls clean....my dog would lick a bowl clean if it contained, say, sheep poo or a a fish that's been buried for three weeks!!!

But agree, if it works for your dogs, happy days


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## blackcob (18 September 2012)

Ninja edit there. 













Ingredients: Cooked dried cereals, biscuit meals, meat & bone meals, dried meat fats.

Nom!


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## NeverSayNever (18 September 2012)

blackcob said:



			Ninja edit there. 













Ingredients: Cooked dried cereals, biscuit meals, meat & bone meals, dried meat fats.

Nom!
		
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yuk!


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## CorvusCorax (18 September 2012)

Respect your sensei!


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## blackcob (18 September 2012)

Ninjas get their hands nommed.


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## NeverSayNever (18 September 2012)

blackcob said:



			Ninjas get their hands nommed. 

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indeed they do!


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## Cinnamontoast (18 September 2012)

APPY MIN said:



			Hi I feed all 6 of my dogs on Cobbydog Compele Dog food.

They alwsy lick their bowls clean and are a pciture of health. I have been feeding Cobbydog for years and am yet to find anything that comes close as in quality, price and service.



Click to expand...

Some of the colours involved are 



blackcob said:



			I have been receiving bags of Cobbydog food as show prizes for over a year now and will continue to pass them back to the organisers if it's in aid of a dog rescue or on to my boss's dustbin boxer if not, because it goes through even my asbestos-stomached dog like poop through a goose. 



Are sales of your lurid food so bad that you need to go around bumping up old threads? 

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Twice in one day!! Those colours are clearly not going to be the top healthy thing to offer a poor dog who has no choice.

Fanatical as I am about dog food, I don't troll food threads to bump one particular (IMO, poor) food.


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