Agh. Dog food help.

dazzymc

We have an 18 month old Siberian Husky and a 6 month old Beagle. At the moment we feed them Beta puppy and they both seem to enjoy it. It is one of the only dry dog foods that the Husky will eat. After reading thru these sites I am super confused. From what I can see, Beta is probably not the best food for them. Can anyone offer advise about foods. Should they be on seperate feeds due to the age difference? The beagle has a great appetite so would it be okay to move her to an adult blend along with the husky? I'd like to buy Irish if possible and need a food that is easily sourced in Dublin at a relatively cheap price. Was paying €40 for the beta puppy 15kgs so would like to stay around this price. I don't mind buying seperate feeds for them if this is needed.
Please help.
Darren;)

Anyone heard anything about ecopet food? www.ecopet.ie

lorebringer

I generally switch dogs from puppy food to adult food around 6 months, some people don't feed puppy food at all, so it's fine to feed them both on adult food. Burns is a decent quality food and is reasonably cheap compared to some other foods. As far as I know, it's a UK company. www.brendaspets.ie also has a "budget foods" section with quite cheap foods, that (from looking t the ingredients) seem good too - worth a look.

ISDW

I am on a never ending quest for good food for my siberians, because of their 'difficult' stomachs. I recently got some Luath from Land of Holistic Pets, the working dog version, which worked really well, I'm just waiting now to see if I can pallets delivered. If you google Land of Holistic Pets you'll get the contact details, George is the guy and while he isn't Irish, they're based in Scotland, its great food, they do a whole range of holistic foods.

The other alternative that I've heard great things about from other sibe owners is Best For My Dog, which is an Irish product, I think they're based in Meath. A bit dearer, about €40 a 15kg bag I think.

Or, there is a woman in Belfast who has an online shop, Paddypaw, she used to do Kronch, which is a salmon based food, but she has just started doing her own food, again, salmon based. My lot used to love the Kronch, and it was great for them, which makes sense as I guess where the sibes come from, fish would form a large part of their diet. Her own brand is a little cheaper, I don't know the exact price as its all new. Again, whilst I loved the Luath, I'm going to try this new food, as with the amount of dogs we have here, I need something that I can get a lot of regularly. Lara is the lady's name and she does a lot of the big dog shows.

Again, not Irish based, but I've been hearing about a food in the UK, CSJ command performance which is getting good results. And there is a couple in Scotland I think who own and work sibes who have started doing their own food, Quest which a lot of working sibes in the UK are now on and are doing really well with.

If I do go with the Quest or the Paddypaw food, I may sell bags onto the public, need to think about the logistics of it, but I just know the pain of finding a good quality food that agrees with sibes:D

Most of the foods I've mentioned can be given to pups and adults.

paultf

dazzymc wrote: »

We have an 18 month old Siberian Husky and a 6 month old Beagle. At the moment we feed them Beta puppy and they both seem to enjoy it. It is one of the only dry dog foods that the Husky will eat. After reading thru these sites I am super confused. From what I can see, Beta is probably not the best food for them. Can anyone offer advise about foods. Should they be on seperate feeds due to the age difference? The beagle has a great appetite so would it be okay to move her to an adult blend along with the husky? I'd like to buy Irish if possible and need a food that is easily sourced in Dublin at a relatively cheap price. Was paying €40 for the beta puppy 15kgs so would like to stay around this price. I don't mind buying seperate feeds for them if this is needed.
Please help.
Darren;)

Anyone heard anything about ecopet food? www.ecopet.ie

With Burns you can start feeding adult food after 6 months. So you should be able to put both your dogs on the same feed. Burns don't believe in Senior, Light, etc - one food does all (they have a puppy food up till 6 months).

Here are the irish stockists in Ireland: http://www.burnsireland.com/pb/wp_579bbe85/wp_579bbe85.html

I can get a 15kg bag for 47 euro.

supermum1

Hey,

So just a quick one especially regarding switching pups before 12 months, I really wouldn't agree with it. Switching a pup before they're ready can have serious effects on development of joints etc... think of them the same as babies, you can't start feeding a baby adult food from birth!! I know it's a hassle feeding different foods but we always want to do the best for them and it won't be for much longer!!

You are right in that Beta is not the best food, there are a few options in the same price range. Something really important to look for when buying dog food is the first 3 ingredients they are listed in order of use, if cereals or meat and animal derivatives then stay away!!!!

You could try Ecodog, it a new one but the ingredients read really well and it's quite cheap, I haven't used it, personally I use the Orijen but like I said it does read well. It's available from ecopet.ie they're fully Irish ( i also like to buy irish and love to see other people do it!) I know they send out free samples so you could contact them for that.

You can always use sites like dogfoodanalysis.com for a slightly more independent opinion!

lorebringer

supermum1 wrote: »

So just a quick one especially regarding switching pups before 12 months, I really wouldn't agree with it. Switching a pup before they're ready can have serious effects on development of joints etc... think of them the same as babies, you can't start feeding a baby adult food from birth!! I know it's a hassle feeding different foods but we always want to do the best for them and it won't be for much longer!!

Wild dogs regurgitate food for their young once they are weaned - the pups eat the same thing the adults do, just less of it and mixed with stomach juices to help them digest. Feeding a good quality food that suits the dogs need is very important at all stages of life. Obviously, this is something that people have their own opinions on but dogs do develop much faster than humans and once they are past the weaning stage (generally 6ish weeks) they are fine to eat adult food (albeit mushed up or softened for a while). As I said before, I don't feed adult food until after 6 months. Some people keep dogs on puppy food for up to 18 months while others don't feed puppy food at all - all a matter of choice.

supermum1

lorebringer wrote: »

Wild dogs regurgitate food for their young once they are weaned - the pups eat the same thing the adults do, just less of it and mixed with stomach juices to help them digest. Feeding a good quality food that suits the dogs need is very important at all stages of life. Obviously, this is something that people have their own opinions on but dogs do develop much faster than humans and once they are past the weaning stage (generally 6ish weeks) they are fine to eat adult food (albeit mushed up or softened for a while). As I said before, I don't feed adult food until after 6 months. Some people keep dogs on puppy food for up to 18 months while others don't feed puppy food at all - all a matter of choice.

Though you're correct in what you say I feel it does not apply in this situation. In the wild dogs are on a raw food diet, meaning it is perfectly balanced with no chemicals or additives. For domestic dogs being fed commercial foods the same cannot be applied. Although I could accept doing this if you were using a very high quality food such as orijen, which very closely matches a wild diet.

I agree that it is all matter of opinion, which is what sites like boards are for! But I feel that it is advice that needs to be carefully clarified to avoid people feeding just weaned pups a supermarket brand adult food!

nautical star

the ecodog food is great, for the price i don't think you'll get better €15 cheaper than the burns and there is more meat in it too. just make sure you introduce any new food slowly, mix about 10% of the new food in everyday till you are just using the new food. I've been buying mine thru ecopet.ie but i did see it in Rockys pet shop in arklow. same price as online.

kylith

Brenda's Pets (brendaspets.ie) does a great budget dry dog food. It's Irish made and is about €35 for 15kg. The salmon and potato one is better for my dog's digestion than any of the branded foods I've tried. Recommend 100%.

thedingo

No pimping.

supermum1

I just checked out this site, i'd be a bit wary to be honest, it's a nice looking site but there's not a lot of info on who these people are, it doesn't say what methods of payment they use and biggest one for me is the site isn't encrypted. I'd be very nervous of giving personal details through a site that isn't encrypted! Also they're an Irish company but have a German address listed too!



Check out web site www.bestformydog.com . Irish company very good value and great service.[/QUOTE]

klick

Hi, noticed your comments. Have been using this for a while and find the food quality & value great. Not sure what you mean about the encription. The only personal info is given through the Paypal section - they have a very good reputation for security & employ 1,200 people in Ireland.

supermum1

how long have you been using the site? and the food?

klick

Hi Supermum1,

using it for about 4 months now. Have the dogs on the premium poultry & rice and they love it. Their coats are in great condition. The site is handy for me because I am not near a pet shop & they deliver free within 2 days. Also they are now offering a bonus bag of food if I order 5 - planning to combine an order with a friend to avail of this.

nautical star

Seems a bit too expensive for what it is there are very similar foods out there for less. also Klick you said they employ 1,200 people? a web site thats only been running 8 months, selling just dog food? that seems very high whats the source of this figure? I too would be sceptical of this site.

nautical star

sorry klick just re read your post and it looks like you were refering to paypal employing 1,200 people, my mistake.
still sceptical of site tho. also no products other than dog food,

ISDW

nautical star wrote: »

Seems a bit too expensive for what it is there are very similar foods out there for less. also Klick you said they employ 1,200 people? a web site thats only been running 8 months, selling just dog food? that seems very high whats the source of this figure? I too would be sceptical of this site.

nautical star wrote: »

sorry klick just re read your post and it looks like you were refering to paypal employing 1,200 people, my mistake.
still sceptical of site tho. also no products other than dog food,

I don't understand the scepticism, they are a dog food company, why would they sell other products? As far as I know, the two guys that own and run the company have been involved with showing dogs for years, and now sell dog food, just this one brand, because they obviously believe in it. A I said in an earlier post, a lot of sibe owners in Ireland are having great results with it, and as the OP was asking for info on food for a sibe, it could be exactly what they're looking for. You get what you pay for, they're food is all cold pressed. I'm not a dog food expert, but I'm guessing that is a more expensive method than extruding? Email them and ask, they are very friendly and helpful. Most of their business has been acquired through word of mouth, in working and showing circles, I heard of them through working sibe owners and the website is probably just another way to get themselves out there.

nautical star

I may have gone a little off topic, but was just stating opinion,
sorry if anyone was offended. it just seems like there are inconsistencys on the site
eg. Irish owned but one of the contacts is in Germany?

supermum1

I will also apologise if I caused offence, that was not my intent. Though one of the purposes of boards is to have a place where people can express opinions (which are neither right or wrong) and people can take from them what they want. I still hold my opinion and if someone agrees fine if they don't also fine. Nowhere on the site did I see it stated that they were sibe breeders, that is why I said there was no info...because I did not see any. I did not say that the food was a bad food or that it was a bad site. I simply said I was skeptical due to the lack of info.

Again I am sorry if my opinion caused anyone offence but like that it is just my opinion!

ISDW

Nobody has caused any offence, not to me anyway, I have nothing whatsoever to do with with that site, don't even use the food, but I just couldn't see where all the scepticism was coming from. If you feed a really well known brand of food, I wonder how much you know about the people that make it? Or the local pet shop it gets bought from? Do you know who owns ebay? Of course this is a forum, and everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I wouldn't like to see a couple of Irish people who have started a new business during a recession not get a fair hearing thats all:D

I didn't say they were sibe breeders, as far as I know they don't have sibes. I have heard about the food through friends who use it - always the best recommendation I think.

I don't know about the German link, maybe the food gets made there, I don't know, or maybe they just have friends there and they've gone into the business together?

Anyway, hope you find a food you're happy with OP

smilerf

Arden Grange all the way!!

klick

AG is a good food but from what I can see Best for my Dog stacks up on the quality side and seems better value. Any views?

Macker1

smilerf wrote: »

Arden Grange all the way!!

Can you elaborate on your experience using the Arden Grange DogFood.


Please comments on Quality, Cost and Availability.

Thanks

supermum1

Ardent grange is actually a good food, but quite expensive for what it is. There's many alternatives out there for less

williamellison

Age difference between both the puppies is more. That is the reason why both the puppies should be kept on different appetites. You should start giving some high nutrition food to your elder dog, as it is growing and also needs to gain some weight.

Cherry Blossom

williamellison wrote: »

Age difference between both the puppies is more. That is the reason why both the puppies should be kept on different appetites. You should start giving some high nutrition food to your elder dog, as it is growing and also needs to gain some weight.

You probably haven't noticed but they're both a year and a half older now and the OP is most likely well sorted out by this stage, maybe an idea to check the dates on threads before posting, bumping up old threads that are years old is a bit frowned up on