Which Dried Dog Food?
Discussion
I have a 6 year old Basset called Fred! I currently feed him a tin of Pedigree Meat with a few handfuls of Pedigree Complete dried food. Now Ive heard from various sources that Pedigree food is basically crap.
So what dried food would you recomend? Ive been looking here http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/ and the top dried food ive never heard of so im not sure of availabilty.
So what dried food would you recomend? Ive been looking here http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/ and the top dried food ive never heard of so im not sure of availabilty.
I think it's a US site which might explain the unknown brands. I think you can get Orijen here though if you google.
We used to feed Skninners Field and Trial to our springer, it's a good hypoallergenic kibble. We now feed RAW and I'm not sure I'd ever feed kibble again but that's not the question that you've asked!!
My advice would be not to feed anything that you can find in a supermarket or on a TV/mag advert, get yourself to an agricultural supplies store or similar and see what they have. Skinners and many similar foods are VAT free.
If you have a Costco card, one of their Kirkland own brands foods scores well in the site you list I think (it used to, I think it was the chicken one) and it's well priced.
Whatever you do, you need to transition very carefully and make sure that there is lots of water available for your dog at all times, you may find the puppy approach of adding some warm water to the kibble makes it more appealing if your dog is used to wet food.
We used to feed Skninners Field and Trial to our springer, it's a good hypoallergenic kibble. We now feed RAW and I'm not sure I'd ever feed kibble again but that's not the question that you've asked!!
My advice would be not to feed anything that you can find in a supermarket or on a TV/mag advert, get yourself to an agricultural supplies store or similar and see what they have. Skinners and many similar foods are VAT free.
If you have a Costco card, one of their Kirkland own brands foods scores well in the site you list I think (it used to, I think it was the chicken one) and it's well priced.
Whatever you do, you need to transition very carefully and make sure that there is lots of water available for your dog at all times, you may find the puppy approach of adding some warm water to the kibble makes it more appealing if your dog is used to wet food.
Thanks for that. I just realised that it is an american website and so why some of the brands are unknown. I think Im going to go with a dried food from Arden Grange. It only gets 3 stars from this particular site but it sounds a hell of a lot better than the 1 star Pedigree! Also I can buy it locally which is handy.
The rescue I got Gus from was feeding him on CSJ products so decided to keep him on them, 4 years later and he still is.
I use a combination of a couple of their feeds to find the right mix for him. He has always had a very settled stomach, a good balance of weight, a healthy coat and lots of energy.
I also find it very good value.
He also gets "Dem Bones" added to it as well and they are very good at reducing any gas your dog may have.
They are happy to discuss your dogs requirements over the phone and recommend the best product.
http://www.csjk9.com/
I use a combination of a couple of their feeds to find the right mix for him. He has always had a very settled stomach, a good balance of weight, a healthy coat and lots of energy.
I also find it very good value.
He also gets "Dem Bones" added to it as well and they are very good at reducing any gas your dog may have.
They are happy to discuss your dogs requirements over the phone and recommend the best product.
http://www.csjk9.com/
Anthony Micallef said:
Thanks for that. I just realised that it is an american website and so why some of the brands are unknown. I think Im going to go with a dried food from Arden Grange. It only gets 3 stars from this particular site but it sounds a hell of a lot better than the 1 star Pedigree! Also I can buy it locally which is handy.
My dog seems to do great on Arden Grange. I like the look of Orijen thought, although it is more expensive.Myc said:
The rescue I got Gus from was feeding him on CSJ products so decided to keep him on them, 4 years later and he still is.
I use a combination of a couple of their feeds to find the right mix for him. He has always had a very settled stomach, a good balance of weight, a healthy coat and lots of energy.
I also find it very good value.
He also gets "Dem Bones" added to it as well and they are very good at reducing any gas your dog may have.
They are happy to discuss your dogs requirements over the phone and recommend the best product.
http://www.csjk9.com/
yep we've always used CSJ stuff do- Barney has a very delicate stomach and isn't food orientated- CSJ stuff keeps him healthy and has sorted his stomach out nicely too. I use a combination of a couple of their feeds to find the right mix for him. He has always had a very settled stomach, a good balance of weight, a healthy coat and lots of energy.
I also find it very good value.
He also gets "Dem Bones" added to it as well and they are very good at reducing any gas your dog may have.
They are happy to discuss your dogs requirements over the phone and recommend the best product.
http://www.csjk9.com/
James wellbeloved worked ok too but was a snadge more expensive.
I feed raw too, but would say that Burns, CSJ, JWB, Orijen, Skinners, Arden Grange, Fish4Dogs are all good.
ETA Applaws to that list.
There is also Whites Premium, which seems a small and little known brand. I have a code for 30% off all 15kg bags if anyone wants to give it a go?
ETA Applaws to that list.
There is also Whites Premium, which seems a small and little known brand. I have a code for 30% off all 15kg bags if anyone wants to give it a go?
Edited by Mrs Grumpy on Monday 22 November 18:14
My dogs eat whatever they are given (and a lot more besides.Tasty 
)
They are healthy,fit and have glossy coats.
When working "flat out" 6 hours/day, 4 or 5 days a week they need extra rations especially if it is cold and wet.
They thrive on virtually any food, currently Beta Pet Maintenance, topped with some Hills Performance at "flat out".
Protein levels in the various foods mean little.
It's digestable protein that counts and that costs.
)They are healthy,fit and have glossy coats.
When working "flat out" 6 hours/day, 4 or 5 days a week they need extra rations especially if it is cold and wet.
They thrive on virtually any food, currently Beta Pet Maintenance, topped with some Hills Performance at "flat out".
Protein levels in the various foods mean little.
It's digestable protein that counts and that costs.
I've have good results with Pets at Home's own brand (not Wainwrights). The previous golden lab got on well with James Wellbeloved until they changed to 'new meatier chunks' and the chocolate lab we had at the same time was even more sensitive. We started the current chocolate on Skinners as that was what the breeder used. But it didn't seem to work that well and she started to refuse it, so we changed her to Pets at Home, which is again working well.
Thank you for all your comments. Just for info here is what that site reckons to some of the food mentioned.
Wagg:
Pros: None
Cons: Insufficient meat content, meat and fat of unidentifiable origin, low quality grains, controversial filler
The main ingredients are low quality grains. Wheat is believed by many to be the leading cause of food allergies in dogs, and in wheatfeed form, this is a grain fragment we consider primarily filler. Wheatfeed is a byproduct (think floorsweepings) of processing wheat for human foods - that is, the remainder of the grain after the nutritious bits have been removed for other purposes. Maize (corn) is a difficult to digest grain of limited value, and which is also commonly associated with food allergies in dogs. Even if these had been decent quality grains, we would still note that this food is based heavily on grains which are an unnatural foodstuff for canines. Dog foods should be based on meat.
The first meat ingredient is meat meal, second on the ingredient list. This is a low quality meat product. "Meat" could be anything and ingredients of unidentifiable species and source are usually of very low quality. A second meat ingredient, this time a named meat meal, is fourth - but in quantities of only 4% in a portion of the food, this is far too low to provide meaningful meat content to the food.
The fat and oil content of the food is undisclosed and, as the meat ingredient above, is likely to be of very low quality. Carrots and peas are decent quality ingredients, but beet pulp is controversial filler. It is a by-product, being dried residue from sugar beets which has been cleaned and extracted in the process of manufacturing sugar. It is a controversial ingredient in dog food, claimed by some manufacturers to be a good source of fibre, and derided by others as an ingredient added to slow down the transition of rancid animal fats and causing stress to kidney and liver in the process. We note that beet pulp is an ingredient that commonly causes problems for dogs, including allergies and ear infections, and prefer not to see it used in dog food. There are less controversial products around if additional fibre is required.
The food has added vitamins and minerals, but no information about these is given and it may contain synthetics. Likewise, the preservative is undisclosed and may be chemical preservatives such as ethoxyquin, BHT and BHA which are allowed in pet products but are banned or heavily regulated in human food due to the belief that they are carcinogenic.
Bakers Complete:
Pros: None
Cons: Inadequate meat products for feeding a canine, use of carcinogenic chemical preservatives and artificial colourants.
This food receives a 1-star rating simply because there is nothing lower.
We cannot comprehend feeding a dog on a mixture of cereals and “derivatives” of animal or vegetable origin. There are no official definitions for those ingredients, and assurances that there is a minimum of 4% chicken, green vegetables and carrots in the food does nothing to decrease our horror at the idea of feeding this food to a canine.
We note that BHA, BHT and propyl gallate are chemical preservatives. The first two are known to be carcinogenic and have been banned from use in human foods in most countries for around 50 years. We would never consider feeding our pets on foods containing those chemicals. Propyl gallate is believed to cause skin irritations and gastric upsets. It is not permitted in foods for infants and small children, because of the propensity of gallates to cause blood disorders. There is no need to add artificial colourants to pet food either – some of these are believed to be carcinogenic and cause hyperactivity disorders and are banned from use in many countries. See the main page for more explanation of the dangers of chemical additives to pet foods.
Wagg:
Pros: None
Cons: Insufficient meat content, meat and fat of unidentifiable origin, low quality grains, controversial filler
The main ingredients are low quality grains. Wheat is believed by many to be the leading cause of food allergies in dogs, and in wheatfeed form, this is a grain fragment we consider primarily filler. Wheatfeed is a byproduct (think floorsweepings) of processing wheat for human foods - that is, the remainder of the grain after the nutritious bits have been removed for other purposes. Maize (corn) is a difficult to digest grain of limited value, and which is also commonly associated with food allergies in dogs. Even if these had been decent quality grains, we would still note that this food is based heavily on grains which are an unnatural foodstuff for canines. Dog foods should be based on meat.
The first meat ingredient is meat meal, second on the ingredient list. This is a low quality meat product. "Meat" could be anything and ingredients of unidentifiable species and source are usually of very low quality. A second meat ingredient, this time a named meat meal, is fourth - but in quantities of only 4% in a portion of the food, this is far too low to provide meaningful meat content to the food.
The fat and oil content of the food is undisclosed and, as the meat ingredient above, is likely to be of very low quality. Carrots and peas are decent quality ingredients, but beet pulp is controversial filler. It is a by-product, being dried residue from sugar beets which has been cleaned and extracted in the process of manufacturing sugar. It is a controversial ingredient in dog food, claimed by some manufacturers to be a good source of fibre, and derided by others as an ingredient added to slow down the transition of rancid animal fats and causing stress to kidney and liver in the process. We note that beet pulp is an ingredient that commonly causes problems for dogs, including allergies and ear infections, and prefer not to see it used in dog food. There are less controversial products around if additional fibre is required.
The food has added vitamins and minerals, but no information about these is given and it may contain synthetics. Likewise, the preservative is undisclosed and may be chemical preservatives such as ethoxyquin, BHT and BHA which are allowed in pet products but are banned or heavily regulated in human food due to the belief that they are carcinogenic.
Bakers Complete:
Pros: None
Cons: Inadequate meat products for feeding a canine, use of carcinogenic chemical preservatives and artificial colourants.
This food receives a 1-star rating simply because there is nothing lower.
We cannot comprehend feeding a dog on a mixture of cereals and “derivatives” of animal or vegetable origin. There are no official definitions for those ingredients, and assurances that there is a minimum of 4% chicken, green vegetables and carrots in the food does nothing to decrease our horror at the idea of feeding this food to a canine.
We note that BHA, BHT and propyl gallate are chemical preservatives. The first two are known to be carcinogenic and have been banned from use in human foods in most countries for around 50 years. We would never consider feeding our pets on foods containing those chemicals. Propyl gallate is believed to cause skin irritations and gastric upsets. It is not permitted in foods for infants and small children, because of the propensity of gallates to cause blood disorders. There is no need to add artificial colourants to pet food either – some of these are believed to be carcinogenic and cause hyperactivity disorders and are banned from use in many countries. See the main page for more explanation of the dangers of chemical additives to pet foods.
Paddy_N_Murphy said:
Stevenj214 said:
My dog seems to do great on Arden Grange.
This ^^ for me too.A while back (12 months or so)there was a thread on here that described how to score the different dried foods, it turned out that costco own brand dried food is one of the best IIRC.
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