The dog food minefield

We still havent got our next dog but are keen to be well informed about the choices we make on stuff like food

I believe Mars own Royal Canin / Pedigree, Nestle own Purina, Proctor & Gamble own Iams / Eukanuba - and these are massive global conglomerates - so I am not sure how much I trust the big corporates to not be feeding my pet some sort of doggy Soylent Green to make a few quid

So what is a sound (and ethical) dog food choice these days?

one example article showing what I mean . . .

http://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/articles/pet-food-domination-the-big-four-corporations.php

Pedigree gave my parents dogs the trots, not one of them could stomach it.

We had one dog with a very selective stomach, he used to eat plain dry biscuit (not all in one) mixed with mushed up tripe.

Any dry food which doesnt contain wheat, soya, grains and diary is a good start. It's not about the brand of the food but the quality of your dogs diet..

It does sound rather boring but i jazz my dogs dry biscuits up with a tin of mackerel or cooked fresh salmon and veggies.. they love it

Fish oil good for the joints too I imagine

A good diet can make the world of difference to a dog's health, well being and longevity. There is lots of information on that website and many products are reviewed in the Dog Food Directory.

Arguably, the best diet that a dog can have is one that is well balanced and home cooked. Unfortunately this can be time consuming and the owner needs to study the subject to ensure that pooch doesn't become deficient in nutrients.

Many people feed dry food and there are some good ones to be found these days. Unfortunately most of them are extruded which means that they are made using very high temperatures, cut into kibble then sprayed with oils to make it palatable. It is thought that the process removes nutrients. In addition, there is the issue of acrylamide which is formed when starches are heated at very high temperatures.

For those who do not like dry food, good quality wet or raw food are two alternatives.

Cold pressed food is another option and is useful for people who wish to use dry food but do not like kibble. The two UK companies who sell this are Gentle and Guru Pet Foods. Their products are made in Germany by a company who have high ethical standards. My dogs have had this type of food for some time (currently Guru) and are doing very well on it. There is less doggy odour, small and very firm poos (no residue when picked up), no 'wind', weight control is no problem, skin/coat is good and the food is easy to digest. It is best to read up about this type of food or to contact the staff of the companies just to get an idea of how to use it correctly - it is significantly different to kibble. Markus Muhle/Black Angus are two other cold pressed products and are quite economical when bought via Zooplus.

Interesting stuff - anyone used these folks? Or tell me what / how much you would use of what stuff

https://landywoods.co.uk/product-category/dog/raw-and-frozen-dog/offal-chunks/

It is also what suits your dog. Before I knew better my first dog got to nearly 15 on what I now know is an utterly appalling food.

My current dog has tried many different foods, I wanted him on the best I could get and even had him on Eden, which gets a 5/5 on the dog food review sites and is amazing on paper. He lost a lot of weight and was in the vets for numerous tests. Wondered if it was the food so moved him onto something I knew he did fine on, That'll do by CSJ. He's put weight on and his fur is soft again!

Odd creatures are dogs.

(I'm not saying go for any old cheap stuff btw... I hope you can find a food to suit )

My dog is on Simpsons Sensitive dry food. His previous owner, who breeds pugs, always feeds his dogs on Simpsons. It's gluten free and hypoallergenic.

The dog has never had any stomach issues, and his stool is always solid. He doesn't suffer much from flatulence either, which I believe is a common issue with pug owners

I order it online from Zooplus, a 12kg bag costs about £35 and lasts us about 3 months, so it's really good value too

I have bred and trained gun dogs for years. One of the worst things that you can do is feed a dog a dried food which contains too much protein content, especially if the dog has a sedentary lifestyle. Although it is quite expensive i feed all my dogs on Burns dried dog food. Mr Burns is a Scottish vet who was consistently seeing food related ill dogs attending his veterinary clinic and decided to produce his own dried food. I have met him at Crufts and was very impressed with his product. My dogs love it and as there is no bulking agent in the food there is very little waste product (dog poo) as the majority of the food is actually used by the dog. Worth a try but ensure that you wean onto Burns gradually.

My dogs do really well on CSJ, never had a problem and fed it for years.