Best dry dog food?

wanabe

hey guys,
have a 3 year old golden retreiver, usually feed him mince/chicken and bread/pasta. was considering changing him to dry food. was told it was better for his health. any advice on what would be best brand and type?
cheers,
J.P

crotalus667

wanabe wrote: »

hey guys,
have a 3 year old golden retreiver, usually feed him mince/chicken and bread/pasta. was considering changing him to dry food. was told it was better for his health. any advice on what would be best brand and type?
cheers,
J.P

stay away from super market brands, I feed my fella royal canin (it's not cheap but it's good)

Xiney

I feed our lab James Wellbeloved. He has also been on Acana. My parents feed their dog Orijen, which is another good brand.

They are all available through zooplus.

TheVoodoo

I feed my retriever Science Plan, seems to be decent!
You can get specific types for joint/ mobility etc, just depends on what you want really.

morganafay

People generally think Royal Canin is the best, well so I've heard.

But if it's too expensive, then alot of other dry foods are probably much the same. Check zooplus.ie and getting 15kg bags works out much much cheaper.

Though my vet told me Pedigree was fine. I can't afford more expensive ones, and have three dogs and five cats . . . so yeah, anything cheap for me.

And giving him meat and pasta and stuff is fine for every now and again, but if you mix some veggies in with it (cooked or raw) then he will probably eat them too and it'd be good for him. My dogs love raw veggies as a treat

lorebringer

I always recommend Orijen - fantastic food, the dogs love it and they thrive on it! It is pricey though but well worth it. Acana is also a very good food, made by the same company as Orijen but slightly cheaper. Other good foods are Burns, James Wellbeloved, Royal Canin, Hills Science Plan, Arden Grange and Nutro. All of these foods are available on www.zooplus.ie (or www.zooplus.co.uk), in veterinary practices and in good pet stores Please steer clear of the Supermarket brands (Pedigree, Bakers etc.) because they are low quality foods and the equivalent of feeding your dog fast food all the time.

Asking "What's the best food?" is opening up a big can of worms - everyone has an opinion on what to feed dogs and what is the best. Really, if you do a bit of research you'll find a food that is suitable for your and your dogs situation. Because you have a Golden Retriever (a breed prone to joint issues) you should probably try looking into getting some type of mobility/joint support food. Lots of brands do these types of foods. Feeding your dog a really good quality food will really pay off in the long run with regards to health and well being.

Mixing a bit of meat, veg, pasta, potato etc. in with your dogs food in fine - just be careful not to overfeed your dog because this can put strain on their joints when they get older (and like people, once you have the weight it's very hard to lose!).

Good luck!

Whispered

Does anyone have any opinion on redmills? I recently met someone who bulk buys for the foxhounds with the local hunt. He gets them from redmills but the bags are not printed.

I was considering getting a large bag to see how he does on it (the price is fantastic) but I'm a bit iffy. Any opinions?

crotalus667

helena.ryan wrote: »

Does anyone have any opinion on redmills? I recently met someone who bulk buys for the foxhounds with the local hunt. He gets them from redmills but the bags are not printed.

I was considering getting a large bag to see how he does on it (the price is fantastic) but I'm a bit iffy. Any opinions?

i recall hearing its not great (still better than the supermarket stuff) ,

Xiney

helena.ryan wrote: »

foxhounds with the local hunt

As for Red Mills, I found it poor quality - dog's turds were very soft and extremely foul smelling and he didn't even like eating the stuff very much... which is worrisome with a labrador! I'd only gotten it because zooplus were having issues with backordered Acana (ongoing, hence the switch to Wellbeloved) but I threw the rest of the bag out.

Toulouse

Is there any way you can check the protein levels Helena? If it's for working dogs then it may be too high for your boy.

Little A

+1 for Orijen

It may appear expensive, but as it is a high quality food, you have to feed significantly less than the more expensive brands. Which means reordering less frequently & (importantly) less poo's.

I did feed James Wellbeloved but she went off it - plus I was feeding 200grms per day as opposed to 120grms per day of the Orijen.

Good kibble also keeps their teeth clean

andreac

Theres a huge range in Redmills so it really depends on what one you get.

It ranges from the really cheap "Redmills Star" to the high quality "Leader Supreme" range which is actually quite good quality.

I know someone who feeds their great danes on it "supreme" and show them as well and they are in fantastic condition on it.

olaola

There are a number of brands which are considered good quality. Most of them mentioned here, it will all depend on which one your dogs like & how they are on it. We had to try a few, and settled with James Wellbeloved as it seemed to agree with her the best (solid stools etc).

TheVoodoo

Just on pricing aswell, I found www.medicanimal.com to be alot cheaper than other online shops. I use them now after using zooplus for a while. Getting the Hills science plan works out about €20 cheaper per 15kg, Same with Royal Canin. It's really worth checking out if you go for the pricier foods.

Casey_81

I use Burns dry food for my dogs.. i tried them on Science plan but they didn't like it at all & wouldn't eat it.

We get it from the vets, its a bit on the expensive side 57 euros for a 15kg bag. There's a maxizoo shop near us, and they do a full range of dry foods from about 20 - 70+ for a 15kg bag

posgoofy

I have a retriever also. I use Hills Prescription ID. http://www.hillspet.co.uk/

Its pretty expensive but she literally can't eat anything else as normal dog food gives her the runs or windy-poos!

Whispered

Xiney wrote: »

As for Red Mills, I found it poor quality - dog's turds were very soft and extremely foul smelling and he didn't even like eating the stuff very much... which is worrisome with a labrador! I'd only gotten it because zooplus were having issues with backordered Acana (ongoing, hence the switch to Wellbeloved) but I threw the rest of the bag out.

I know xiney - it's awful to see them all lined milling around the town ready to go.

My fella is a lab x, he likes the food, but he eats anything. If his food causes his turds to be too soft he tends to get very bad anal glands. (we need a sick smilie!) so I might not chance it.

Toulouse wrote: »

Is there any way you can check the protein levels Helena? If it's for working dogs then it may be too high for your boy.

No I can't check which is why I'm iffy. There are no ingridents printed on the bag at all.

andreac wrote: »

Theres a huge range in Redmills so it really depends on what one you get.

It ranges from the really cheap "Redmills Star" to the high quality "Leader Supreme" range which is actually quite good quality.

I know someone who feeds their great danes on it "supreme" and show them as well and they are in fantastic condition on it.

I have no way of knowing - so I think I will leave it.

Thanks for the advice!

andreac

Helena, if there are no ingredients printed on the bag then it must be very, very cheap or something as i know any of the Redmills i know are all packaged well with all the ingredients and analysis on them.

Would really question why it doesnt have this on it and if it def is redmills tbh.

tk123

Our GR puppy is on RC maxi junior and when he grows up we'll be putting him on RC golden retriever.

Whispered

It's definately redmills - it's bought in bulk directly from redmills. It was never intended for sale in the shops. I'll ask if there is anything at all printed on the bag, maybe when he said not printed he meant that it's not printed with the redmills logo etc.

Although, it doesn't sound great anyway so I think he'd be better off if I stuck with his usual either way. (it's so bloody expensive though!)

lorebringer

TheVoodoo wrote: »

Just on pricing aswell, I found www.medicanimal.com to be alot cheaper than other online shops. I use them now after using zooplus for a while. Getting the Hills science plan works out about €20 cheaper per 15kg, Same with Royal Canin. It's really worth checking out if you go for the pricier foods.

Medicanimal is a cracking site - cheap(er), delivery is great and they have bloody everything you could think of!

On the Red Mills subject - Helena, I know the exact stiff you are taking about. It's sold as a bulk product to buyers who take a certain amount per month/year/whatever. The packaging is cheap and pretty sh*t looking (just sealed plastic) but it's the same stuff in it. Usually, it's sold to breeders, people who have racing dogs or a lot of working dogs. I know they only do it in certain foods - not all of their products.

ncmc

I can also recommend the James Wellbeloved. My dog is Uber fussy and it is one of the few brands she eats. She is in great health, lovely healthy coat and teeth and good solid poos. It is also a mid range price, I for one can't justify the cost of the Royal Canin. You might have to try a few different brands to get one she likes. A lot of the better brands give out free samples in pet shops, so that might help avoid costly mistakes.

You might find that your dog takes a while to adjust to the dry food. Try adding it in bit by bit to her current food until it is 100% dry food.

Steve30x

I feed my dogs Red Mills Star and their poo isnt soft or foul smelling. Both of them love the food.

ha-ya-said-what

Tried loads cos of 4 completely different dogs so really wanted one food that suited them all

Burns - Vet samples... they picked around it & spit it out, absolutely refused to eat it

Husse - Rep samples ... same as the burns bblllleeaahh with it

Royal Canin ... used if for a ages until I started getting too many bags with high oil content that should have been recalled

Origen they liked for like 2 months then got sick of it, weren't fully happy with

Arden Grange, Nessa in Arden Grange sent me some samples over a year ago... since then all 4 love it & I get it off www.medicanimal.com along with Drontal & fish stuff, always get free shipping and emails with discounts in them.

I got samples of all food where I could rather than purchasing bags of it to go unwanted....... trial & error all I can say about picking a food!

rtmie

I hadn't heard of medicanimal.com , had previously used zooplus occasionally.

I just went onto the site and was about to order something which was costing £40.62 stg, incl vat (€45.47 according to today's exchange rate). When they detected at checkout time that I was Irish they helpfully translated my prices to Euro converting it to a whopping €64.36:eek:.
The product in question cost me approx €58 when I last purchased it in a large Irish pet food store , which I don't recall having a reputation for being especially cheap.

Rob

Tony H

I have a 16 month old retriever , I have had him on , Burns , Orijen , Arden Grange and James Wellbeloved , he is currently on James Wellbeloved large kibble and its brilliant , his output is great and he is in lovely condition , I found with most of the dry kibble that he was not chewing it properly because it was fairly small , but with the large kibble he has to chew every piece before swallowing ,
I buy it off zooplus.co.uk and its about €45 for a 15 kilo bag which lasts at least 6 weeks .

padi89

My advise would be to go to your vet and ask for samples, most vets will have them. No point in buying a bag of food your dog may not eat.
I had to move from Burns to J/D and when i asked in the vet about it i was given the biggest bag 17.5kg (if i remember correctly) for nothing.
Im sure there may be a pet supplier online that may do sample packs too if you look around.

padi89

TheVoodoo wrote: »

Just on pricing aswell, I found www.medicanimal.com to be alot cheaper than other online shops. I use them now after using zooplus for a while. Getting the Hills science plan works out about €20 cheaper per 15kg, Same with Royal Canin. It's really worth checking out if you go for the pricier foods.

Thanks for posting that site.

How long does delivery take roughly ? They are working out at €25 cheaper than my vet :eek:

pasha75

I have to say that trying to balance quality with price I found many of the so called better dog foods were shockingly priced. I have a very active German Shepherd and was thrilled to discover BEST FOR MY DOG. There is no better quality and reasonably priced. They even deliver to your door. I found the premium brand was best.

Antoennis

Does any one use Feedwell Supreme?

rafared

Eukanuba for my Beagle. Tried Royal Canin, Beta, and a cheaper pet shop food but none totally did the job. The main issue we had concerned the food when it emmerged from the other end.........either there was lots of it or it was runny or both:rolleyes:. Eukanuba sorted it out, 2 solid poops a day regular as clockwork and a nice shiny coat as well.