dry food - help?

[silvia]

Hi all!

 

I think I need some advise now. At some point it looked to me that several people in UK are enthustiastic about Royal Canin, and I have been recommended this food (maxi junior at moment) from all vets, friends, trainers I met, including the breeders of Oberon but not only, also a few great other breeders. So I stick on it and Oberon loves it! (he's a great and enthusiastic eater actually ;)

 

Browsing around I found  this link as a reply to one of the Cristine discussion www.dogfoodanalysis.com and actually, if you have a look,  here this product is not recommended at all (and you see the point..) !

 

On the other hand, most of the products that are considered "5-6 stars" on that link are either:  

 

- very high in protein, typically 35-40%  (well, because of the no grain issue - but I knew that for a puppy 6months old a very high protein content can lead to a too fast growth, so joints do not have the time to  adjust)

 

- or they contains fat or other ingredients and their review contains a caveat that they can led to bloat, so they are not suggested for large breeds

 

On the top, royal canin seems to produce just 1 food (per breed/age or type of dog), while this web site suggests to rotate different flavours (fish. chicken, etc) over the months

 

I am confused now.. basically, if I understand correctly, we should be looking for a food with a) not too much proteins because of the small age, b) but with less grain, c) with a good selection of flavours so we can rotate and b) free of too much fat or additives that are supposed to increase the bloat probability..

 

ARGH :) Cristine seems to have a strong experience in food research: maybe you or somebody else went through similar troubles and can help with this? We like to feed Oberon with dry food only (meat occasionally during the week) but which one is the best for his needs in your experience?

 

Thanks!!!

best.

 

Silvia

  

[Margaret Sierakowski]

In the "good old days" the horsemeat man delivered every Thursday with meat for the dogs , which was boiled for several hours in a huge iron pot, then left to cool, and each day, chunks were cut off and mixed with dog meal . And in the days before myxamatosis (before 1960) rabbits were shot and trapped every day, and mostly fed to the dogs. And on the farms in Cornwall where I grew up, the dogs also got some of the skimmed milk, left over from making cream and butter, , usually poured over home made bread ,with a cracked egg if they were lucky
Other than terrier biscuit and meal, I dont remember seeing canned dog food before the late 1950s

[eva ciechonska]

Absolutely!!!! My uncle used to feed his great Danes in a washing up bowl filled with a stew of barley, meat, veggies of all varieties, home made bread and any left overs from the family table.....my god they were big strong buggers that would pin you to the wall and wash you face till it stung.
I used to wait for the FMC lorry from Calne and pick up fresh paunches which I would wash, cut up and freeze.........it took all evening and blunted a few knives. I boiled some outside in a huge pot once.....had five thousand bluebottles sitting on the lid!!!! The smell lasted for days.........Never again.........
Sorry, this is a Forum on dry dog food.
Sue you say you feed Cash on a simple meal with not too many ingredients. What would that be?

[Lynne Murray Hogsflesh]

Your story about your grandfather reminded me of how we used to feed the dogs when I lived in the Scottish Borders; Gordon used to drive to the abbatoir with a big steel tub and buy a whole Tripe; then he would come home,hang it up on a big hook (in the dog room thankfully!), hack pieces off it with a huge knife & put it through an industrial mincer.....it stunk & the bloody machine threw minced tripe out the front but sprayed blood out the back!!!
Needless to say the dogs adored it with their biscuit & there was never a scrap left in their bowls. Good to look back on but NEVER AGAIN!

[Margaret Sierakowski]

There is another salmon and potato one made by Wainwrights which is sold by Pets at Home. It looks and smells to me very like Challenge, and is about the same price, although Sharon said they had their dog food designed for her brand to her own specifications, so unlikely Wainwrights is the same stuff

[Sue and Cash]

I have always fed a fish based food and with Cash I have been unable to. He gets horrible gas from it. Although he adores the taste. It's nice if you can pick a food that on paper is rated "the best" and your dog does well on it. I on the other hand have been unable to make a change for the better. I will try again when I make a move from puppy to adult food soon. Cash needs some grains to keep his stool firm enough to keep his anal glands in check. We have a different problem. Grains get a bad rap all the time, but if you don't have allergies to them, as long as your meat is first and you avoid wheat you should be just fine. I think our dogs tell us how the food is doing for them. Nice teeth, coat and energy levels. Acana is a great food but any of the great foods that have lots of fruits and veggies in them seem to give my dog loose stools. Too many ingredients can do that. We look like the type that will need simple, easy to digest, fewer ingredient foods. And thank goodness many companies make them. Single source protein/carb is easier to digest and easier to rule out what is not working for the dog.

[Astrid Landsaat]

Another article about dogfood: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1315145/Is-pet-food-poisoni... I received this link last Thursday.

[Margaret Sierakowski]

If dog buyers think that dog food manufacturers start by designing the best food for dogs , they are very naive.
Commercial dog food production began when large scale producers of human food stuffs found themselves with huge amounts of waste by products that were simply being dumped or incinerated. They looked around for ways of utilising all this garbage and hit on the idea of turning it into animal and pet foods, instead of dumping and destroying it

[Astrid Landsaat]

Well, I am not Fran but I know it's true. Once, a long time ago I visited a rendering plant. It is all going back in the pet food industry.

[Astrid Landsaat]

:-D