# Best dried dog food?



## Ruthy (Dec 10, 2007)

Anyone have any good reccomendations for a good quality dog food that doesnt have a price which is through the roof? With three dogs to feed i have to be VERY cost effective, so any ideas would be good!

Ruth


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## tricky (Sep 29, 2007)

when i got my latest german shephard (and i saw his amazingly healthy stock with some up to 16 uears old) he advise me to go for raw food plus chudleys (only decent dry food according to him since its really natural stuff).
anyway, the raw stuff has finally sorted my other dogs dodgy tum where vets and neutral diets couldnt
and price works out fine from a pet food wharehouse type place


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## Ruthy (Dec 10, 2007)

Well, livingwith a vegetarian i have already discussed the barf option with him. He says no, point blank. I need a good dry complete food  Will look at chudleys while i'm at it.


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## linda.t (Sep 28, 2007)

what do u feed them on now and what is the cost.


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## basky (Dec 11, 2006)

dr johns is good and only about £11 a bag.......


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## mask-of-sanity (Dec 27, 2006)

chappie dry food, low fat recomended by vets £15 for huge bag from pets at home ect


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## stephenie191 (May 29, 2007)

I only feed james wellbeloved.

It's expensive but one of the dogs has allergies and you pay for what you get i think.

Wagg is the cheapest around

hmmm, chappie is cheap too.

From my experience, working in kennels, Chappie passes through a dog, faster than anything i have ever seen ! :gasp:

And the smell ! urghhhh


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## Ruthy (Dec 10, 2007)

They are on Wagg at the moment, but have been told its rubbish, thats why i'm looking to switch!

I have been told about Chappie, will definately have a look. Chudleys looks good too!


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

I noticed that with chappie fed dogs... The smell of what comes out again is disgusting!! *gags*


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## basky (Dec 11, 2006)

mask-of-sanity said:


> chappie dry food, low fat recomended by vets £15 for huge bag from pets at home ect


alot of vets recommend this....it's bland and good for digestive system apparently.


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## Ruthy (Dec 10, 2007)

Ok, wont be looking at chappie, lol!


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## stephenie191 (May 29, 2007)

Amalthea said:


> I noticed that with chappie fed dogs... The smell of what comes out again is disgusting!! *gags*


Yep - 50 odd kennels to muck out a day and you knew which had Chappie. . . 

thats all i'm gona say :bash:


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

I babysat a dog a few times who was fed chappie, and I would gag cleaning up after him... He was NASTY!!


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## quilson_mc_spike (Dec 27, 2008)

i know you dont wonna use raw food BUT i can get LOADS of realy cheep tripe and they deiliver not sure if he delivers all over : victory: xoxo


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## 15060 (Feb 17, 2008)

Have u tried something like Bakers complete?? We moved over to it when my Yorkie developed digestive problems and we've never looked back.


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## mask-of-sanity (Dec 27, 2006)

well having 3 dogs fed on chappie i have to say that i dont notice anymore smell than on any other food.....they dont get the runs, umm maybe fart a bit more lol.......


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## stephenie191 (May 29, 2007)

loobylou211 said:


> Have u tried something like Bakers complete?? We moved over to it when my Yorkie developed digestive problems and we've never looked back.


Its because of our yorky we folk out for Jameswellbeloved, shes got bad skin and is alergic to certain foods. . . 

shes a fussy princess basically LOL


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## Ruthy (Dec 10, 2007)

quilson_mc_spike said:


> i know you dont wonna use raw food BUT i can get LOADS of realy cheep tripe and they deiliver not sure if he delivers all over : victory: xoxo


Would tripe be suitable as a whole diet, or would things have to be added?


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## 15060 (Feb 17, 2008)

Yes he has skin allergies too, and even after many vet tests, we never did discover what the problem was...... however his digestive probs improved with a diet change.


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## linda.t (Sep 28, 2007)

my daughter feeds her dog wag and hes in great shape.
i feed my 3 bakers.


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## lilworm (Aug 11, 2007)

i have 2 here on james wellbeloved due to skin sensitivity and sniff has bouts of coilitis so they are fed that, but i also feed something from pets at home called pero its about £13 and my remaining 3 huskies thrive on it their bowel movements are what i call perfection, and alaska who when we first got her refused to eat james wellbeloved point blank and even when we stood our ground she refused food for 2 weeks so after we had her re vet checked several times in that 2 weeks to make sure it was nothing internal, i just went into pets at home saw this bag of food and looked at its ingriedients thought well it cant hurt to try it and never looked back since she cleans up every day, holds a healthy weight and coat looks fab.

What you have to consider when asking this is what works for one dog or even a few for that matter may not be the ideal food for yours,


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## Loops (Feb 15, 2008)

i feed mine on bakers been on it for 5 years no problems at all lisaxx


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## Ruthy (Dec 10, 2007)

lilworm said:


> i have 2 here on james wellbeloved due to skin sensitivity and sniff has bouts of coilitis so they are fed that, but i also feed something from pets at home called pero its about £13 and my remaining 3 huskies thrive on it their bowel movements are what i call perfection, and alaska who when we first got her refused to eat james wellbeloved point blank and even when we stood our ground she refused food for 2 weeks so after we had her re vet checked several times in that 2 weeks to make sure it was nothing internal, i just went into pets at home saw this bag of food and looked at its ingriedients thought well it cant hurt to try it and never looked back since she cleans up every day, holds a healthy weight and coat looks fab.
> 
> What you have to consider when asking this is what works for one dog or even a few for that matter may not be the ideal food for yours,


I went to pets at home today to have a look, and liked the look of the pero stuff. So far my top favourites are chudleys, vitalin and pero. My dogs dont seem to have any problems what dog food they are on, but i want to take them off Wagg anyway.

Anyone any opinions on Gilpa dog food?

R


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## midori (Aug 27, 2006)

Well, obviously people will try foods and not have a problem, and so think that is a good food. However, IMO, when trying to determine what is a 'good' food for dogs, you need to look at the ingredients. 

Two things we know about dogs and what they eat: 

-dogs digestive systems are not designed to cope with cereals, certainly not in any large amounts

-cereals, particularly maize and wheat, can cause skin problems in dogs. 

Yet, most commercial dogs foods contain large amounts of cereals. Why?! It's cheaper than meat... Some dog foods, such as James Wellbeloved, Burns, contain rice as the only cereal, which is least likely to cause problems, but still can, and a dog food is only hypo allergenic if you're dog isn't allergic to what is in it. One of mine is intolerant to any cereal, including rice. Other foods, like Wagg, Bakers etc, don't even list what type of cereals are in them, as it changes on a regular basis, depending on what is cheaper at the time. They can also contain as little as 4% meat, when in reality a dog diet should be 70% plus meat. On top of that are sugars and colourings, something that should never be seen in a dog food really... 

So, dogs might do well on certain foods, but I openly admit, my own diet is absolute crap, and yet I do OK on that too. Still, I don't think you'd find one person who thought it was healthiest for me. 

Based on all the above, IMO, Orijen is the best complete, dried food on the market. But it is expensive. Cheaper options include 'Challenge' which is cereal free, although has a lower meat content than I'd find ideal, but not any worse than most others (around 28% I think, off hand) and the Skinners salmon variety looks OK on paper too.


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

Ruthy said:


> Anyone have any good reccomendations for a good quality dog food that doesnt have a price which is through the roof? With three dogs to feed i have to be VERY cost effective, so any ideas would be good!
> 
> Ruth


Take the dog food of choice, find the ingredients list and challenge it against this system: Vagreys' Kibble Grading System - Dog Forum .org . The guy knows his stuff!!


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## quilson_mc_spike (Dec 27, 2008)

Ruthy said:


> Would tripe be suitable as a whole diet, or would things have to be added?


well my dog has tripe its verry filling and se has buiscets and a raw egg to keep he coat nice and soft she has been brought up on that all her life  x x x


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

Ruthy said:


> Would tripe be suitable as a whole diet, or would things have to be added?


Tripe is not suitable as an exclusive diet. For a BARF diet you need 3-4 protein sources. Tripe can, however, be fed a little everyday in addition to other things (the most important thing is organ (liver, kindey etc not heart, gizzards and so on as secreting organs are classed as muscle meat) and bones with dogs on a BARF diet).


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## Ruthy (Dec 10, 2007)

LoveForLizards said:


> Take the dog food of choice, find the ingredients list and challenge it against this system: Vagreys' Kibble Grading System - Dog Forum .org . The guy knows his stuff!!


I'm already a member of that forum, and have looked at this system. It will be used dont worry 

R


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## ryanr1987 (Mar 7, 2009)

eukannuba(don't know if that's how you spell it:lol2: is high quality also Iams(made by same company) but is a little bit less quality.


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## midori (Aug 27, 2006)

LoveForLizards said:


> Take the dog food of choice, find the ingredients list and challenge it against this system: Vagreys' Kibble Grading System - Dog Forum .org . The guy knows his stuff!!


 
Whilst that is a good guide, it doesn't seem to take into account quantity of meat in a food, and there is a huge difference between, say 30% and 70%.


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

midori said:


> Whilst that is a good guide, it doesn't seem to take into account quantity of meat in a food, and there is a huge difference between, say 30% and 70%.


The point is, you take off points for grains in the food and so if there isnt meat in the food, its filled up with grains/vegetables, no? so it gives the same effect either way.


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## midori (Aug 27, 2006)

LoveForLizards said:


> The point is, you take off points for grains in the food and so if there isnt meat in the food, its filled up with grains/vegetables, no? so it gives the same effect either way.


 
Yes, I suppose you're right.

Just ignore me, no sleep for almost a week is clouding my judgement...


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## Ruthy (Dec 10, 2007)

midori said:


> Yes, I suppose you're right.
> 
> Just ignore me, no sleep for almost a week is clouding my judgement...


 
Dont worry about it, every comment helps! 

So far i've got this from the information i've been gathering:


Low cereal
high meat or fish content
preferably with rice
low ash content


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

Ruthy said:


> Dont worry about it, every comment helps!
> 
> So far i've got this from the information i've been gathering:
> 
> ...


Yep
Yep but make sure it is MEAT not derivatives or meat "meal"/"by-products" and make sure the fish isnt salmon or tuna.
It doesnt need any grains, but rice is the preferred grain in dog food.
It doesnt REALLY matter as long as it isnt an excess amount (8%+) as it only means whats been "cooked down" from the food. : victory:
Looks good so far :no1:


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## quilson_mc_spike (Dec 27, 2008)

ruthy you dont live to far away from me what animals have you got hun? sorry its off topic and cluttering your thread heehee xxx

EDIT: sorry just cheacked your thread  xoxox


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## LisaLQ (Jan 29, 2009)

Best dried for me is Skinners Field and Trial (cheaper cos it's vat free) Duck and Rice or Salmon and Rice. It's about £20 a sack max.

If you're not as fussed about good ingredients, there's Dr Johns, Gilpa Kennel and real cheapy foods - but they worked for my dogs in the past too. Not very good for allergies though.

Bakers should be avoided like the plague, it's the McDonalds of the dog food world - anything dayglo is purely for our benefit not the dogs, and it used to be a running joke on the dog magazine forum I used to mod on that most owners with problem dogs fed Bakers. Because...it was true. I've seen many people with hyper, thirsty (because of all the sugar and salt), poorly, problem dogs who've gone to change their diet to something higher quality and their behaviour issues and health has improved.

Other ones I'd recommend as good are CSJ, Autarky, Chudleys Choice (salmon and veg) and Burgess Sensitive.

Chappie is only stinky when it's the tinned stuff (I quite liked the smell myself LOL), the dried food is (apparently - dont know myself) quite good.


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## ryanr1987 (Mar 7, 2009)

If you want quality then your going to be paying a hefty price tag! good quality food won't be cheap at all. but if you want the best then Orijin is best dog food out there. It's so high in protein etc that you only have to food smaller amounts


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## LisaLQ (Jan 29, 2009)

You can get good quality foods at lower prices though. Go for working dog foods like Skinners Field and Trial, Autarky and CSJ. 

Some of the priciest foods are also the most naff - Eukanuba, Iams, Hills etc.


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

loobylou211 said:


> Have u tried something like Bakers complete?? We moved over to it when my Yorkie developed digestive problems and we've never looked back.


 Bakers is the food I specifically tell people not to use. It's the equivalent of MuckDonalds with all those vile bright colours.It's flipping expensive too compared to things like Dr Johns silver or gold, or Awkrights. I feed either of these to my lot because they are low protein so don't cause hyperactivity and are better for my oldies. I pay around £7 for a 15kg sack.


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

Autarky is a good food and not too pricey


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## ryanr1987 (Mar 7, 2009)

LisaLQ said:


> You can get good quality foods at lower prices though. Go for working dog foods like Skinners Field and Trial, Autarky and CSJ.
> 
> Some of the priciest foods are also the most naff - Eukanuba, Iams, Hills etc.


 Eukanuba is a good food iams is ok i have had no problems with iams its the best food from a super market.


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

ryanr1987 said:


> Eukanuba is a good food iams is ok i have had no problems with iams its the best food from a super market.


Eukanuba adult normal activity small bites ingredients:
chicken (>20%), - OK, though a higher meat content would be better
maize, - Grain/filler
wheat, - Grain/filler
animal fat -OK,but it does bring the fat quite high for a normal activity food
sorghum meal, - Grain/filler,
barley, - Filler however is accepted as it can help digestion
poultry meal, - Would be better as a second ingredient, also by-p's
dried sugar beet pulp, - Filler, and obviously full of sugar
chicken digest, - who knows what this consists of? (since digest can be any part of the animals, leg, beaks, horns, fur, feather etc)
dried whole egg, - 
brewer's dried yeast, - 
potassium chloride, - Good
sodium hexametaphosphate, - E_Number (E452i) 
fish oil, - Would be better if they stated what fish oil it was. If its cod liver which it most likely would be, then I would avoid it.
linseed, - Usually a filler but can help with allergies
dl-methionine - Considered an average preservative.

Iams is EXACTLY the same ingredients apart from added salt before the preservative.


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

ryanr1987 said:


> Eukanuba is a good food iams is ok i have had no problems with iams its the best food from a super market.


 look at the links and tell me again that Iams and Eukanuba are good foods :bash:

YouTube - Iams Cruelty

IamsCruelty.com >> An Iams Gallery of Misery


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## linda.t (Sep 28, 2007)

fenwoman said:


> Bakers is the food I specifically tell people not to use. It's the equivalent of MuckDonalds with all those vile bright colours.It's flipping expensive too compared to things like Dr Johns silver or gold, or Awkrights. I feed either of these to my lot because they are low protein so don't cause hyperactivity and are better for my oldies. I pay around £7 for a 15kg sack.



never heard of those 2 makes but will take a look at them.


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## tina b (Oct 3, 2007)

two of mine love pro plan plus and the other two like bakers complete so thats what they get :lol2: if i put chappie or vitalin down they walk away and go sleep wondering what theyve done wrong that day :whistling2:


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## ryanr1987 (Mar 7, 2009)

fenwoman said:


> look at the links and tell me again that Iams and Eukanuba are good foods :bash:
> 
> YouTube - Iams Cruelty
> 
> IamsCruelty.com >> An Iams Gallery of Misery


What about the animal cruelty? yes it's bad . all my dogs have had iams and eu and have had no problems at all tip top shape healthy weight. they could look after there iams dogs better though that is bad


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## ryanr1987 (Mar 7, 2009)

Is that euks ingredients now? if so it's changed


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## LisaLQ (Jan 29, 2009)

IAMs and Eukanuba are horrendously naff foods at stupid price, animal welfare aside. If you compare their ingredients to the many cheaper foods that have been listed, you'll see they're all filler and not much else. How on earth they justify £40+ a sack I dont know.

The only reason why vets (and some breeders) recommend them are because they get incentives to.

If you think cheap food = crap food, then try Burns instead, that's extortionate too but at least the ingredients are better than IAMs and Eukanuba! Bloomin' Pal is better pmsl.


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## LisaLQ (Jan 29, 2009)

ryanr1987 said:


> What about the animal cruelty?


Yeah you're right, what about those cats who had their organs removed, or dog who have chunks cut out of their bones to see how quickly they grow back, or those who've had kidneys removed and are put into deliberate organ failure to test their kidney diet. What about the tiny cages they're kept in, covered in their own pee and poo, in some cases so dirty their skin is burnt.

Hmm indeed, what about them.:censor:


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## LisaLQ (Jan 29, 2009)

tina b said:


> two of mine love pro plan plus and the other two like bakers complete so thats what they get :lol2: if i put chappie or vitalin down they walk away and go sleep wondering what theyve done wrong that day :whistling2:


Easy way to remedy that. Let them do without. Put it down, give them 15 mins, if they dont eat it, take it up. They wont starve themselves, it might take a day or two but they'll eat it.

It's like saying "my kids dont like veg, so I let them eat smarties all day instead".


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

LisaLQ said:


> Bloomin' Pal is better pmsl.


"Its funny 'cause its true" :whistling2::lol2:



LisaLQ said:


> Easy way to remedy that. Let them do without. Put it down, give them 15 mins, if they dont eat it, take it up. They wont starve themselves, it might take a day or two but they'll eat it.
> 
> It's like saying "my kids dont like veg, so I let them eat smarties all day instead".


Totally agree.


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## BecciBoo (Aug 31, 2007)

Hills Science Plan - I will only feed my dog and cats Hills :notworthy:
James Wellbeloved & Royal Canin - are just as good as Hills.

I honestly wouldnt feed anything but those three foods!


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## ryanr1987 (Mar 7, 2009)

Even royal canin was said to have too many fillers but at end of the day you can feed them what ever you like but if it's true quality your after then as i have said befor orijin is the way :2thumb:


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## Vase (Jul 14, 2007)

Avoid Bakers like the plague. And Pedigree a close second. I'd rather rehome my dogs than feed those.

Raw/BARF all the way. Failing that JWB, Orijen, Nutro, Burns, Arden Grange.

One of my dogs is on raw 100% and my 10 week old pup is on raw and JWB.


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## keencarper (Nov 3, 2008)

James well beloved all the way I got two rotweillers and had them on wagg until the bag run out, they were eating the same amount as usual but both looked like they'd been on the atkins for a month. To get them back to size I was recomended bakers beef as it has a high fat content after that bag was gone and they WERE back to size with no extra portions I stuck them on James wellbeloved its arond £40 for a 15kg bag but is in my opinion the best around. My dogs do this bag weekly but they do have three bowls a day and are very active. If price is an issue then feed them one of the cheaper brands pal/pedigree/bakers not everyone can afford £40 a week as long as they seem to be healthy/happy feed them what you CAN afford its ok for everyone to say feed them this and feed them that but in reality price doesn't always mean quality. ask your vet or worker in your local pet store and they should guide you in the right direction. I'd love caviar every night but its not gonna happen, hope this has helped:2thumb:


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## jamesleanne (Jul 7, 2008)

basky said:


> dr johns is good and only about £11 a bag.......



If you are paying £11 a bag you are being over charged, the rrp is less than that......I own a pet shop!!! :lol2:


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## jamesleanne (Jul 7, 2008)

I would avoid things like Bakers, Wagg etc, basically most things you can get from a supermarket.

JWB, Burns and Skinners are pretty good feeds as all the crap has been taken out of them so are really good if you have a dog with a dodgy tummy. A lot of digestive probs with dogs is a gluten intolerance, so these are pretty good for those problems. The good thing with these brands is they do so many different kinds, ie sensitive, mature, puppy etc you can find the right type for your dog

We have found you basically get what you pay for, you buy a cheap feed you are gonna be getting all the rubbish.

If you can afford it then I would recommend Hills Science Plan all the way. Dont get it from your vet or pets at home tho cos you will pay through the nose for it. Find a local pet shop, they should be able to order it in for you (keep us in business lol)

HTH 
Leanne


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## LisaLQ (Jan 29, 2009)

keencarper said:


> If price is an issue then feed them one of the cheaper brands pal/pedigree/bakers not everyone can afford £40 a week


Since when were Bakers, Pal and Pedigree "cheaper"? Bakers is £25 for 12kg, that's not cheap, that's double the price and less in the sack of some of the more natural foods listed in the thread. Even my Skinners is £20 a sack, and that's for 15kg. Dr Johns is about £7, Autarky is about £13, CSJ have some that are under a tenner.

Believe me, Pal, Bakers and Pedigree are far from the cheap option. Just like McDonalds daily would break the bank.

As for Hills, I'd only ever use it if there was no other option (ie the prescription diets). Otherwise it's just the same as the other cr*p main supermarket brands. If you want to pay £40 a sack, pay it for Burns, at least that's natural.

Your dogs are what they eat, having said that if it works - dont knock it, but personally if I were starting out again, I wouldn't touch any of the big brands, as you're paying for name and nothing else.


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## BecciBoo (Aug 31, 2007)

LisaLQ said:


> As for Hills, I'd only ever use it if there was no other option (ie the prescription diets). Otherwise it's just the same as the other cr*p main supermarket brands. If you want to pay £40 a sack, pay it for Burns, at least that's natural.
> .


So your saying that the Hills veterinary formulated diet is just the same s:censor:t as everywhere else


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

BecciBoo said:


> So your saying that the Hills veterinary formulated diet is just the same s:censor:t as everywhere else



Hills science plan diet (adult, large breed):
With Chicken (at least 20% chicken; at least 30% chicken and turkey combined) - Good
Ground maize, - Filler/Grain
dehydrated chicken and turkey protein, - Probably digest, if so, bad.
soybean meal, - Can cause allergies, bloat and deficiencies. 
animal fats, - So/so.
maize starch, - Dont think I need to explain this one?
protein hydrolysate, - 
vegetable oil, - for boosting up fat
whole egg powder, -
linseed, -
salt, - unneeded for this particular food
L-carnitine additive, - unnecessary additive
potassium chloride, - not *too* bad
vitamins and trace elements. - as in all food
Naturally preserved with composite tocopheroles, citric acid and rosemary extract. - ok.

You could get better quality food for MUCH less.


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## BecciBoo (Aug 31, 2007)

LoveForLizards said:


> You could get better quality food for MUCH less.


I have to disagree but then I dont pay RRP for it


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## LisaLQ (Jan 29, 2009)

I think even if it were free I'd avoid it, but each to their own.


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## Vase (Jul 14, 2007)

I'm not really a fan either. Plenty of worse foods out there but quite a few better ones also.


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## Marine (Jun 6, 2008)

I found Dr Johns Silver really good.

Keeps dogs with sensitive tummies happy and doesnt leave them starving hungry after a couple of hours.
Its for working dogs so best found at larger suppliers like stables etc, ask local places if they will order it in for you, its about £8 for a 15kg bag!


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## LisaLQ (Jan 29, 2009)

Me too Marine, in fact I was quite shocked as my lurcher was thought to have a gluten intolerance, but was ok on the Dr Johns (which isn't gluten free). No idea what she was actually allergic to now, but she did well on Dr Johns. And Gilpa Kennel (posher Dr Johns with green lipped mussell in it LOL).


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