The Truth About Your Dog's Food

[caz7]

We do add a small amount of wet dog food at the moment but want to try and stop that all together so might try the warm water.

Hubby has since found another dog food that looks good called Millies Wolfheart not sure if one is better than another.

[ccit]

Yes, it's probably best to reduce the wet food to zero. You might find that if you add some sardine to the dry food they will like it more. I give them to my lot about two or three times a week and it's a great favourite. Good for the omega oils too.

 

If you run the products through the website Which Dog Food it should give you the answer you require.

[caz7]

ahhh yes may try the sadine idea thanks. It's just to make the dry food a bit more moist until they are used to it.

[callum1990]

On Thursday, 30th January 2014, Channel 5 will be screening TheTruth About Your Dog's Food at 9pm. Also the subject will be covered tomorrow on the Radio 4 programme You and Yours at 12md.

 

Further link here which highlights the benefits of raw feeding.

 

I did not watch this but feed my dog pedigree all the time. If i give him anything se he gets upset tummy and the runs

[caz7]

I did not watch this but feed my dog pedigree all the time. If i give him anything se he gets upset tummy and the runs

Maybe you should try and watch it on demand or something it might make you think again, it has me and two of my friends who also watched it. I love my three dogs and thought I was looking after them the best I could but the facts about what we feed them have made me look more carefully at what is in what I thought was the good quality dog food I feed them.

[callum1990]

As i dod not watch this did they say bad about pedigree?

[onewheeldave]

As i dod not watch this did they say bad about pedigree?

 

Yes- they say bad about pedigree

 

Most of the supermarket dog food is full of harmful rubbish.

 

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/pedigree-dog-food-dry/

[ccit]

The programme is still available on the Internet here. As a rule of thumb, avoid pet food that is sold in supermarkets. It's there because it is cheap and therefore makes large profits for both parties.

 

Buy the best you can afford and get into the habit of reading the ingredient list - it should be clear and easy to read. The Meat/protein source should be named and first on this list. If you can find a food that is grain-free that may be an advantage. Many of the kibbles are choc full of several types of cereal, including maize which is not good for dogs. A lot of the supermarket foods contain high quantities of cereal which the dog is not evolved to utilize so it is a waste of money anyway. Also, many of them do not come clean about the meat source, meat and meat derivatives being common.

 

The better dog foods are found in specialist pet shops but some of them are not and need to be obtained online. If you think of high meat content, grain and additive-free then that is a good start. If it is human grade meat, even better. If unsure, take a look at the Which Dog Food website and/or Campaign for Real Pet Food, as well as the link in the above post.

[joyh]

I feed my Dachshunds and older Spaniel,some kibble(Fish4dogs) and also raw fruit,veg and tripe.No bones it doesn't suit my small ones or the Spaniel.J

[mike84]

Just a word of warning raw bones destroyed my dogs teeth (broke all his front teeth and wore about a third of his canines after just a few bones!) then the raw meat upset his stomach and he didn't seem to like raw meat (would not entertain raw fruit or vegetables) this all meant after struggling to keep weight on him for two years raw feedings I had to go back to kibble.

 

I wish I could raw feed but I have had to accept that raw feeding isn't for all dogs, some (like Max) may not have the teeth, stomachs or taste buds for raw diets. This could be down to breeding or poor food when young. I know that Max's previous owners fed him Bakers and deliberately under fed to stop him getting to big which will have affected his teeth, bones and stomach!

 

So now I feed kibble (but not cheap kibble) and mix with home cooked fresh human grade meat and veg! Max was Orijen but I have now got another dog and it is just too expensive (both large dogs) but found a british alternative Millies Wolfheart that is about a third cheaper (though still not cheap at £50 for 14.5kg).

 

In my house the dogs definitely eat better than me but hopefully it will save on vets bills!!

 

As a rule of thumb I dont feed weight baring bones, so no legs bones for example. They are too hard. Chicken wings, duck wings, lamb ribs etc are good and shouldn't damage teeth.

 

the trick ive found is to get the mix of bones, offal and meat right. I don't feed fruit and veg often. Probably one a fortnight. When I do its blended. Each dog is slightly different so patience is certainly required.

 

When feeding raw initially it'll take a week or 2 for your dog to get used to it and the digestive system to adjust, such as stomach acids. After that, with the big majority of dogs there shouldn't be an issue.

 

Glad that youve found a food that suits your dog. As long as they are happy and healthy thats all that counts.