# cheap vs expensive dog foods.



## sarahc (Jan 7, 2009)

I've never given to much thought to this as I think dogs do well on a wide range of products.I feed mid to high priced complete food.However I was given some bakers by my mum for the mice and I gave some to the dogs.I don't know what it's got in it but they've been sh***ing over nine hedges.Explosive.Whatever I've saved using a cheap product has cost in chicken breast and scrambled egg.Bones has been really quite poorly.Never EVER again.


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## martyb (Sep 5, 2007)

sarahc said:


> I've never given to much thought to this as I think dogs do well on a wide range of products.I feed mid to high priced complete food.However I was given some bakers by my mum for the mice and I gave some to the dogs.I don't know what it's got in it but they've been sh***ing over nine hedges.Explosive.Whatever I've saved using a cheap product has cost in chicken breast and scrambled egg.Bones has been really quite poorly.Never EVER again.



Bakers as wheat, colouring additives and loads of crap, and lots of people find their dogs have runny bums and are hypo after feeding it.


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## DavieB (Mar 15, 2011)

I've never fed cheap food, but done a lot of research, I would like to feed barf but the mrs isnt keen on it, so I'll stick with Eukenuba for the time being, it has excellent protein for a large breed. 

Cheaper foods are full of grain and colourings. Which can cause hyperactivity, skin problems, dull coats etc.


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## Moony14 (Aug 20, 2011)

My Jack Russell has Bakers Complete, are we making a mistake by feeding him that? Could this link to his hyper disposition despite being neutered? Obviously I know JRTs are crazy as a breed but since being neutered last year we haven't noticed any calming down. You have worried me now :blush:


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## DavieB (Mar 15, 2011)

Try weaning him onto a different feed and see how he gets on, his food could play a big part in it. Bakers is among the worst from what I have researched for causing hyperactivity. Its not to say that changing the feed is guaranteed to change him though.


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## giant snail (Oct 25, 2009)

any food that is pretty looking with diff shapes and colours = crap and made for the customer not the animal. IMO if you feed a dog a £10 sack of feed because you cant afford to feed it decent food dont bother this is why i do not have a dog.
good brands of food
eukanuba
burns
science plan
james well beloved
chudleys isnt too bad
chappie isnt too bad either
davies mixer isnt too bad

larger breed dogs should specialy be fed a decent food stuffs or they wont grow enough and will develop bone/ joint issues wich will stay with them for the rest of thier life.


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## DavieB (Mar 15, 2011)

giant snail said:


> *any food that is pretty looking with diff shapes and colours = crap and made for the customer not the animal*. IMO if you feed a dog a £10 sack of feed because you cant afford to feed it decent food dont bother this is why i do not have a dog.
> good brands of food
> eukanuba
> burns
> ...


Its akin to yourself eating McDonalds everyday, it tastes ok but its doing you no good at all. 

I pay probably 15 quid a week on food (I buy in bulk so not totally sure of weekly cost) If I bought bakers or Wag or something similar I could do it for 2 or 3 quid a week. In all honesty 10 quid extra a week wont break the bank will it?


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## sammy1969 (Jul 21, 2007)

Although I dont buy an expensive food I dont buy a cheap one either but i know the food i buy is classed as not good for dogs but mine are brilliant on it whereas when on both Eukanuba and Hills both Mysty and Storm had terrible stomachs and very bad wind. For those that are wondering I feed my dogs Wagg chicken and veg variety and i have not looked back since putting them on it. I will admit I wouldnt feed my Bakers as i know it goes straight through without stopping yeah i made the mistake of trying it once when i couldnt get hold of Wagg.

Even Rex is being transferred over to it as he came to me being fed on pedigree chum dry and his back end showed it lol


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## DavieB (Mar 15, 2011)

sammy1969 said:


> Although I dont buy an expensive food I dont buy a cheap one either but i know the food i buy is classed as not good for dogs but mine are brilliant on it whereas when on both Eukanuba and Hills both Mysty and Storm had terrible stomachs and very bad wind. For those that are wondering I feed my dogs Wagg chicken and veg variety and i have not looked back since putting them on it. I will admit I wouldnt feed my *Bakers as i know it goes straight through without stopping yeah i made the mistake of trying it once* when i couldnt get hold of Wagg


Any food on a one off total change may run right through, if anyone does change foods make sure and do it slowly to allow the dogs system to adjust, for animals that can eat rotten carcasses they sure do have sensitive tummys lol

Some foods work for some animals some don't in the end you are the best person to judge if your dog is doing well on a particular food. 

The breeder I bought my pup from used to breed show winning bull mastiffs and she fed them on wag.


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## sammy1969 (Jul 21, 2007)

Suppose i should of explained that a bit better I bought a sack of it when i couldnt get the wagg, Bythe end of the bag they still had terrible motions so was glad to get another sack of wagg which within two days they were back to normal motions thank heavens and i changed pets shops so as to be sure i would never have to buy another alternative again lol
I must admit the one thing i like with wagg is they do a working dog variety as well as normal varieties and i am wondering if Rex would be better off on the working dog version as he is from working lines


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## Moony14 (Aug 20, 2011)

He doesn't have any health problems/ bad poops. He's just a bit hyperactive ^-^


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## sammy1969 (Jul 21, 2007)

Could be any colours or additives that are in it hun like children, dogs can be sensitive to such things and they could make him hyperactive


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## jfresh (Apr 4, 2012)

Look out for any food that has HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CORN SYRUP, OR CORN SURGAR. Ots bad for us so you know its double bad for them! Raw is the way to go for any carnivore if you ask me. Rabbits, whatever, dogs love that crap, and thats what their supposed to eat


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## Kare (Mar 9, 2010)

My dogs both get hyperactive on any kibbles, I have two dogs of completely different breeds and they both react...makes my think it is not uncommon and i wonder how many dogs in rescue today would not be there if they were not so crazy having eaten Bakers or similar. Bakers is so bad one of the colours used (the yellow I believe) lead to it being banned in 3 countries in Europe due to it being carcinogenic (cancer causing)

You would probably be better feeding McDonalds.

Worth mentioning that Pets at Home stole all their recipes for their own brands. Most of their small animal foods were stolen from Burgess. The dog food recipes were stolen from Iams/Eukanuba and set right between the two.

This occurred approx 2004-2005 and so they may have diverged since then but still they are not that bad....but then not that cheap either.


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## Moony14 (Aug 20, 2011)

eek! your all worrying me now :gasp: How can it still be on sale?


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## PPVallhunds (May 23, 2010)

When i look at dog food i allways read the ingreadents. I advoid any foods where the first thing isnt a named meat or if the first thing is cerials or drivandts. I also advoid food with corn and prefur food with more than one type meat. I realy like orijan as its 80% meat 20% veg. My pup is currently on royal cannin, she was on it form the breeders and doing well on it. She has been sick a few time when she pinced a bit of dog food when we have been at other people houses so ive not tryed her on anything else yet but im considering Lukullus Dog Food

She also get raw meat on top, prize choice form pets at home, but she can only have the chicken, turky, rabbit, lamb. not tryed the fish but the beef upset her stomach and she wouldnt touch the tripe one.


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## Postcard (Aug 29, 2010)

DavieB said:


> Any food on a one off total change may run right through, if anyone does change foods make sure and do it slowly to allow the dogs system to adjust, for animals that can eat rotten carcasses they sure do have sensitive tummys lol
> 
> *Some foods work for some animals some don't in the end you are the best person to judge if your dog is doing well on a particular food.
> 
> The breeder I bought my pup from used to breed show winning bull mastiffs and she fed them on wag.*


I think this aswell - _you_ know your dog, and some dogs do really well on some unlikely foods. I've seen dogs look in cracking condition on Webbox chub rolls & aldi canned food and stuff which just *shouldn't* make them look that good - I don't mean 'good, healthy', I mean glowing condition 

Like you, OP, I feed varied - we did BARF until this one had to get teeth out and now we do a big variety of good quality wet & dry commercial / fresh / frozen mince etc and actually if I'm honest with you, if it gives her the runs first time I use it, I generally won't give it a second chance...


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## sarahc (Jan 7, 2009)

my mums dog has one of those odd cancers that no ones ever heard of and has to have 6 small meals a day to keep her blood sugar up.Not easy to get her to eat the six meals so many foods have been tried and the rejects come down here,there's someone for everything.The Bakers has by far caused the worst reaction.Not sure I even want to give the remainder to the mice.The only other thing that has made them this bad are those fried bones,the big ones.I'm def sticking to premium food in future.


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## Kare (Mar 9, 2010)

Moony14 said:


> eek! your all worrying me now :gasp: How can it still be on sale?


Who has ever known Nestle to be a company held back from making a profit by small concerns such as ethics?

Well at least the good news is you can slowly swap to just about anything else and improve your dogs diet.

It is expensive for being as poor as it is because it is a brand name like sunny D orange juice rather than sainsburys own brand. So I would not be surprised if you end up spending less on feeding. Even if the new food is more expensive per weight with a good food you will find yourself feeding less per meal as it is not full of useless junk. When feeding less the bag will go further and you could well find per day you are better off...and so will the dog be.


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## martyb (Sep 5, 2007)

Barking head dog food is a brilliant one to feed, it has a very high meat content, and for a wet food natures diet is one to go for.


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

giant snail said:


> larger breed dogs should specialy be fed a decent food stuffs or they wont grow enough and will develop bone/ joint issues wich will stay with them for the rest of thier life.


the last thing you want with a large/giant breed dog is fast growth - they should ideally be fed on a giant breed puppy food to being with, a fast grown giant is a recipe for hip and joint problems.



PPVallhunds said:


> When i look at dog food i allways read the ingreadents. I advoid any foods where the first thing isnt a named meat or if the first thing is cerials or drivandts. *I also advoid food with corn* and prefur food with more than one type meat. I realy like orijan as its 80% meat 20% veg. My pup is currently on royal cannin, she was on it form the breeders and doing well on it. She has been sick a few time when she pinced a bit of dog food when we have been at other people houses so ive not tryed her on anything else yet but im considering Lukullus Dog Food
> 
> She also get raw meat on top, prize choice form pets at home, but she can only have the chicken, turky, rabbit, lamb. not tryed the fish but the beef upset her stomach and she wouldnt touch the tripe one.


if you`ve got a dog with food allergies, kibble made with corn, potato or rice is on the limited list you can feed. wafcol salmon and potato or wafcol fish and corn are excellent foods, as good as the prescription stuff from the vet i found.



jfresh said:


> Look out for any food that has HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CORN SYRUP, OR CORN SURGAR. Ots bad for us so you know its double bad for them! *Raw is the way to go for any carnivore* if you ask me. Rabbits, whatever, dogs love that crap, and thats what their supposed to eat


though dogs wernt carnivores, and were onmivores like us?


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## Kare (Mar 9, 2010)

pigglywiggly said:


> the last thing you want with a large/giant breed dog is fast growth - they should ideally be fed on a giant breed puppy food to being with, a fast grown giant is a recipe for hip and joint problems.


This is a mistake 90% of people make though isn't it? Food for large breeds is (meant to be) formulated for supporting steady growth, not for fast growth, it is certainly on the side of slowing growth compared to the normal puppy foods. 




pigglywiggly said:


> though dogs wernt carnivores, and were onmivores like us?


They certainly are not like us, a healthy human diet (without supplements) could be next to no meat at all. Dogs are literally carnivores. 

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Canidae
Genus:	Canis
Species:	C. lupus (familiaris)

They may be lower on the spectrum than what is described as obligate carnivores like cats, in that they can get some benefit from non meat produce. They are carnivores though their diet isn't even close towards those more omnivorous species like raccoons or bears (take bears as an average as they go from 100% meat eating Polars, to well the freak of the class, the panda...though it does not just eats shoots and leaves!!)


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## Rach1 (May 18, 2010)

My 4 dogs are on BARF...
we do add a little cheapo complete just to 'bulk' thier food up and to slow the bigger dogs down when eating as they otherwise finish their food and try to steal the older dogs! :bash:

I tend to use the cheaper stuff only because we simply use it to bulk up the meat they are given...
it is right tho that some dogs do do better off cheaper brands.
Years ago my dogs had one of those 'we wont eat' phases.
the only food they would touch was (shamed) asda smart price kibble.
and they loved it... now they eat barf and again love it.
the older JR is just starting to get bad teeth so has to have his chopped into teeny pieces, which kinda defeats the purpose but i'd still rather give him the raw meat over pappy dog food!


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## BMo1979 (Feb 13, 2012)

Normally Trigger is on Taste of the Wild, as a cheaper alternative to Orijin. Only problem is that the only place where you can seem to get it in the UK is ZP, who import it from the manufacturer (US or Canada, can't remember).
I'm quite happy with this food, as Trigger likes it and seems to thrive on it (shiny coat, no smell). My only nag is that the "nuggets" are quite small, so for a large dog there is a danger of just "inhaling" them.
Because ZP Didn't have TOTW the last time I needed it (left it a bit late), I got a bag of Arden Grange and I'm not very keen on it. Trigger doesn't like it too much and his coat has started to smell. 

P.S.: A friend of mine has always fed her two Boxers on the premium Lidl food and never had any health problems with her dogs. Trigger doesn't take too well to it and his poops look and smell awful.


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## DavieB (Mar 15, 2011)

Kare said:


> This is a mistake 90% of people make though isn't it? Food for large breeds is (meant to be) formulated for supporting steady growth, not for fast growth, it is certainly on the side of slowing growth compared to the normal puppy foods.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


And as a result has no energy and has evolved into a sloth like creature. Quite surprising they are meant to be carnivores and once were but due to the availability and edibility of bamboo got lazy and started eating such a (ridiculously)low protein diet. They actually poo around 80-90% of what they eat. It is also a good example of how things can survive on a poor diet but it will completely change the animal. If Pandas were to slowly be weaned back onto meat they probably wouldn't be among the most boring animals on the planet anymore


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

some humans choose to be vegetarians because of their beliefs, not something that dogs suffer from?

dosnt a wild dog/wolf that hunts eat the whole carcass and usually start with the vegetation filled intestines and stomach? and get a good propertion of their vitamin intake from it?


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

With my Patterdale terrier i found the food that suited her was the Aldis own dog food with RAW on the side daily. I tried James Wellbeloved etc but it just seem to make her hyper and she lost coat condition. I think if it works for your dog who you know then go for it,


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

mine are usually fed on chappie dry but if i cant get it then they have wagg ..... my lurcher is fussy and these are the only 2 she will eat , i have tried others but these seem to suit all my dogs.


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## retri (Mar 5, 2008)

cant find any mention of it so far on the thread but I was reccomended Iams as apparently has less enumbers so better for hyper dogs......

it doesnt seem to have helped much, I havent looked into it myself, but anyone know if Iams is any good or should I be trying to wean him to something else and see how he gets on?


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

giant snail said:


> IMO if you feed a dog a £10 sack of feed because you cant afford to feed it decent food dont bother this is why i do not have a dog.


From my own personal experience I have to disagree with that. I pay £10.50 per large sack of CSJ Champ for my GSD (used to be £9.50 until the turn of the year) and it's a brilliant food for dogs.

When we first took on Skye at 11 months (he was apparently returned to his breeder by his previous owners) she told us he was fed on Beta Puppy, so obviously we bought some in readiness for picking him up. She'd had him in a kennel for a week and when we collected him he was covered from head to food in sh1t. It was obvious by the state of his kennel that he'd had the raging skitters and there was nowhere in his pen where he could sit or lie without lying in it. 

We had to bath him when we got home and the water ran brown and it was 4 weeks before I could go into the kitchen first thing in the morning without a gas mask!

We fed him Beta and he just produced constant runny faeces with outbreaks of diarrhoea, so we decided to move him onto another food. We put him on Autarky, because I thought the herbs might help with his digestive problems and it did firm him up slightly, but we still had problems picking up the faeces as they were so soft.

Eventually my vet suggested that maybe he was having problems digesting the higher quality protein in more expensive dog diets and told us to try Chappie Dry and see what happened. Well that firmed him up, although it didn't stop the outbreaks of diarrhorea, but then the faeces were so dry they fell apart when we tried to pick them up. But more importantly he lost weight and condition, so that was no good.

I had been feeding him a "Calm Down" herbal mix which I was getting from an on-line herbalist, but which was made by CSJ and I remembered someone on this forum recommending them before I even got Skye. So I e-mailed them, gave them a detailed account of his many problems, including the fact that he was on "Calm Down" and asked what they could suggest. They replied sending me 4 samples of the different foods that they would recommend, as they make a wide variety of diets from their basic Champ, to sensitive stomach, fish based, lamb, high performance for working dogs. etc etc. Skye was happy to eat any of them, so no problems with palatability. I looked at the foods on their site and there was an endorsement on the Champ page by a lady with a GSD who had exactly the same problems as Skye, so it made sense to start at the bottom with the basic range and if it didn't work, then to work our way up through the other suggested diets.

So we put him onto CSJ Champ and he's never looked back. His faeces are normal, he's never had one bout of diarrhoea in the last year. He's put on weight, but is not at all fat, even though he's neutered and his coat is in excellent condition.

So in my case it's got nothing to do with the cheapness of the food - it's the fact that it has got the right results in my dog.

I would recommend CSJ to anyone with a dog as a suitable food choice for them.



Moony14 said:


> He doesn't have any health problems/ bad poops. He's just a bit hyperactive ^-^


I would recommend to you that you try the "Calm Down" Herbs from CSJ as we've found a difference in Skye. At first when we got him we weren't sure whether they were making a difference as he began to settle down in our house, so after the tub was finished (it lasts about 2-3months) we stopped giving him it and waited to see what happened. Within a week we could see a difference, he paced around a lot, couldn't seem to settle and just lie peacefully, so we put him back on them and he was back to himself again. As far as I'm concerned he's going to stay on those herbs for a few more years until he's 'middle aged' and hopefully settling down because of his age, then we'll try again.



Kare said:


> They certainly are not like us, a healthy human diet (without supplements) could be next to no meat at all. Dogs are literally carnivores.
> 
> Kingdom: Animalia
> Phylum: Chordata
> ...


I tend to disagree with that actually, although when a pup is growing it does need to be fed meat, but once it's grown and on a maintenance diet it can be fed a vegetarian diet quite successfully

When I had my Afghans way back in the 70's there was a well known Afghan breeder who fed all her dogs a vegetarian diet and even wrote a couple of books about it.

I sold an Afghan puppy to a young man who was a vegetarian and he asked me whether it was possible to feed a dog on a vegetarian diet, so I explained the situation and suggested he get a copy of her book and read up on it.

2 years later there was a knock at my door and a strange couple were there with an Afghan Hound. They explained that they'd just rehomed the dog from this guy as he was moving to London and couldn't have a dog in the flat he was renting. They came to me as the breeder because they were concerned about the very detailed diet list the guy had given them on what he was feeding the dog, as there was no meat in it.

I can tell you that dog was in the peak of health, he was a good weight for his age and his coat was in excellent condition. In fact I couldn't see any difference in his condition than I could in my own 2 dogs, both of which were on a premium complete dog food at that time.


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## retri (Mar 5, 2008)

feorag said:


> I would recommend to you that you try the "Calm Down" Herbs from CSJ as we've found a difference in Skye. At first when we got him we weren't sure whether they were making a difference as he began to settle down in our house, so after the tub was finished (it lasts about 2-3months) we stopped giving him it and waited to see what happened. Within a week we could see a difference, he paced around a lot, couldn't seem to settle and just lie peacefully, so we put him back on them and he was back to himself again. As far as I'm concerned he's going to stay on those herbs for a few more years until he's 'middle aged' and hopefully settling down because of his age, then we'll try again.


have you got a link to these herbs? I cant seem to find the ones you mean?

EDIT: nevermind I didnt see there was more than one page lol, will definately be giving these a go


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## steveandval (Aug 19, 2008)

We feed the Huskies raw all the time

Chicken wings legs or even carcasses if i can get hold of them

fish

mince

beef chunks

Very rare have a problem.

Just need to keep on top with the zinc tablets, other than that it is great for the dogs.

Oh if anyone is worried about me i get cheese on toast. :2thumb:


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## Tarron (May 30, 2010)

I started feeding CSJ Champ about a year ago, probably after seeing the same thing as Feorag, and couldnt agree more that it is a brilliant diet.
We seem to go through around a bag a month, but at £10.95 a bag, its a third of the cost that I was paying before, and my Akita seems so much better for it.
It also helps that the only two suppliers nearby are right on my way to Tescos, lol.
I was given a sample the other day of a new variety they are sending in, that is akin to Tripe, with all the benefits that can be gained.

I think its pointless going for the expensive brand names, when your pretty much paying for the packaging and the privilege of using thier foods.


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

retri said:


> have you got a link to these herbs? I cant seem to find the ones you mean?
> 
> EDIT: nevermind I didnt see there was more than one page lol, will definately be giving these a go


We tried a lot of different things with Skye in an attempt to calm him down. Tried Valerian, that didn't make any difference tried "Calm Down", saw a difference then wondered whether this super new invention Zylkene might make a difference, so we took him off the "Calm Down", waited a week and then put him on Zylkene for 4 weeks, (which cost us over £50) and saw no difference at all. so we left him a couple of weeks, put him back on the "Calm Down" and saw the difference, so it works for us.

He also gets their "Ulca Mix" as he has a dicky tummy and burps for England and between this food and the herbals mixes he's been great!



Tarron said:


> I started feeding CSJ Champ about a year ago, probably after seeing the same thing as Feorag, and couldnt agree more that it is a brilliant diet.
> We seem to go through around a bag a month, but at £10.95 a bag, its a third of the cost that I was paying before, and my Akita seems so much better for it.
> It also helps that the only two suppliers nearby are right on my way to Tescos, lol.
> I was given a sample the other day of a new variety they are sending in, that is akin to Tripe, with all the benefits that can be gained.
> ...


:2thumb:


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## SilverSteno (Feb 12, 2006)

Can this Calm Down stuff be used long term? Millie is constantly getting anxious by noises, even things like picking up a cup (which we do many times a day) can spook her. Have tried her on camomile tea which seems to help a bit, she seems to get a good nights sleep after it anyway!


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Well we've had Skye now for 2 years last October and he's been on it for almost all of that time, apart from when we've taken him off the twice, firstly to see if it was working and secondly to see whether we might get a better result from Zylkene.

A tub costs £13.50 and lasts us about 2-3 months.


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## DavieB (Mar 15, 2011)

I bought some dental chews last week as a treat today he stole one after he had had his official one, dog has been a nightmare all night! Rolled in poo chasing the children annoying the life out of us in general. Any tips on dental chews or breath fresheners for a poo eating pup.


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## JPP (Jun 8, 2009)

DavieB said:


> I bought some dental chews last week as a treat today he stole one after he had had his official one, dog has been a nightmare all night! Rolled in poo chasing the children annoying the life out of us in general. Any tips on dental chews or breath fresheners for a poo eating pup.


raw rabbit with fur


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## retri (Mar 5, 2008)

feorag said:


> We tried a lot of different things with Skye in an attempt to calm him down. Tried Valerian, that didn't make any difference tried "Calm Down", saw a difference then wondered whether this super new invention Zylkene might make a difference, so we took him off the "Calm Down", waited a week and then put him on Zylkene for 4 weeks, (which cost us over £50) and saw no difference at all. so we left him a couple of weeks, put him back on the "Calm Down" and saw the difference, so it works for us.
> 
> He also gets their "Ulca Mix" as he has a dicky tummy and burps for England and between this food and the herbals mixes he's been great!
> 
> :2thumb:


well I have placed my order will have to see if it makes a difference, unfortunately it doesnt look like anyone nearby stocks it but at a third of the price of iams i might aswell pay the delivery charge.

as we speak CJ is wandering round the room sits down for 2 seconds then back up again, nose in everything... although he is only a puppy so that could have something to do with it, but hopefully itll put a stop to his sprints round the livingroom hurdling my legs as he passes


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

I'm lucky in that I have 2 stockists within a 20 minute drive, but I've always just bought the herbs on line as they don't (or didn't) charge postage.

I hope it works for you, they usually recommend that you use double the dose when you first start using it for 2-3 weeks and then you can reduce it. Of course puppies (and a lot of young dogs) will have a "mad half hour" now and again where they rush around like lunatics, but with us it was the fact that Skye never seemed to totally relax, he would lie down for a few minutes, get up, start pacing, lie down again that sort of behaviour.


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## SilverSteno (Feb 12, 2006)

feorag said:


> Well we've had Skye now for 2 years last October and he's been on it for almost all of that time, apart from when we've taken him off the twice, firstly to see if it was working and secondly to see whether we might get a better result from Zylkene.
> 
> A tub costs £13.50 and lasts us about 2-3 months.


Think I'll give it a shot, I can just sprinkle it on her veg and see if it helps. She was getting so jumpy at everything last night I made her some camomile tea and soaked bits of bread in it so she's eat it :lol2: That does seem to help a bit, it certainly seems to get her to slee a bit better at night. Fly just got plain bread because she isn't anywhere near as anxious - in fact I think she makes it worse by banging chews/toys/herself on the floor!


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Poor girl - I do hope it helps! If it doesn't you could always contact CSJ and ask for their advice and their herbalist might be able to suggest a better product for her problems??

I know they don't sell the "Ulca Mix" on their website, that I buy from them to help Skye's digestion, so I think that might be something the herbalist makes up just for me or dogs like Skye?


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## SilverSteno (Feb 12, 2006)

It has camomile in it and I know that seems to help so fingers crossed, just have to make sure I put it in the right bowl! Also decided to get them some Billy No Mates, see if that hels keep nasty ticks away! In fact, I might try taking it myself!


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

:lol2:


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## sarahc (Jan 7, 2009)

Tarron said:


> I think its pointless going for the expensive brand names, when your pretty much paying for the packaging and the privilege of using thier foods.


That was my opinion but my dogs certainly reacted badly to the bakers which has put me off.Might give this food you are talking about a go though.I've just bought a sack of Arden Grange which seems ok.I'd like to find somthing that could help with their skin as well.Just as a side note,I like hyper active dogs,they suit me,I particularly like the very busy staffordshire bull terriers with bright alive eyes and smiling faces that can leap shoulder high.Bandit is a slug and has to be dug out of his bed every morning,his brother is the equivelant of Disneys Tigger,springing here there and everywhere.There are drawbacks of course to this joy for living.


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## zoe6660 (Jun 3, 2007)

I fed my four on burns its expensive but i though it would be best for them after weeks and months they had the runs i changed to a cheaper brand from B&M and they poop is great i find my bigger dogs cant eat anything rich, but i do give them pedigree tin food as a treat in the week mixed with they food and i dont like buying the cheap treats, but they have bones too i did feed raw but only two got on with it and the other two didnt but i find the cheap food i got works and wont change it unless need to.


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## x Sarah x (Nov 16, 2007)

My two can only have Chappie and Wagg, well Kizzy anyway as anything else makes her very poorly, Bruno just goes with the flow.

Was feeding Chappie, problem is it doesn't put any weight on the dogs so when they're daily exercise was increased they lost weight and no amount of Chappie was changing that. Also they were producing around 8 poo's a day between them.

Now they're on Wagg workers complete, its got a tad more fat and a tad more protein, already noticed a difference, they've put on a bit of weight and we're down to about 5 poo's a day between them.

I agree, its whatever works for your dog.


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Weight loss was the problem I had with Skye and also dry poos that broke up when I tried to pick them up.

On CSJ Champ food Skye only has 3 poos a day, they are very easy to pick up and he's put his weight back on, so I can't speak highly enough in favour of this food. 

The price is and always has been a secondary issue, but at £10.50-£11 per 15Kg sack then it's a "no lose" situation for me.


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## Kare (Mar 9, 2010)

sarahc said:


> That was my opinion but my dogs certainly reacted badly to the bakers which has put me off.Might give this food you are talking about a go though.I've just bought a sack of Arden Grange which seems ok.I'd like to find somthing that could help with their skin as well.Just as a side note,I like hyper active dogs,they suit me,I particularly like the very busy staffordshire bull terriers with bright alive eyes and smiling faces that can leap shoulder high.Bandit is a slug and has to be dug out of his bed every morning,his brother is the equivelant of Disneys Tigger,springing here there and everywhere.There are drawbacks of course to this joy for living.


My dog is super active, and I think I know what you mean.

There is a difference between hyperactive and very active. On kibble she is the first, it is edgy, harder to get her focus, on pure meat/natural meals the second she is just bouncy and happy. She is no less active, but it is in a better way, a more comfortable feeling way. It is the only way to describe it and I hope you understand, the feeling is just wrong, not enjoyable (for either of us) I feel when she is on kibble. The difference between a active runner and someone on drugs


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## SilverSteno (Feb 12, 2006)

The herbs have arrived, unfortunately after breakfast though! Will start using them tomorrow. Fingers crossed they start to feel the benefits!


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Ooh, fingers crossed - let us know how you get on! :2thumb:


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## SilverSteno (Feb 12, 2006)

Well, added some to their dinner today and they seemed to quite like them, especially Fly but then fly does like rocket so maybe she likes strong tasting stuff! Millie has a bit of a poorly tum today, though she wolfed down her herby chicken and licked up the herb-crumbs!


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Actually, I love the smell of it! :lol2:


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## Sarah-Jayne (Jul 4, 2007)

I have been reading through this thread and it's very interesting! I had no idea bakers complete was so bad! I can't remember what we used to feed our staffy but I'm pretty sure it was dry food with a bit of tinned mixed in, that was about 7 years ago though at least!

When we move in a few weeks we are getting a staffy and now I'm wondering what on earth to feed him, I don't want to make him poorly!


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