why do people spend so much

Outkast_IRE

peasant wrote: »

Just a thought re the grain content in dogfood

This dogfoodanalysis page works on the theory that a wolf in the wild would naturally eat nothing but meat and the odd bit of veggie matter but never grain ...hence a dog must not be fed grain and only grainless dogfood deserves six stars.

Now, I have no backup for this but I would think that ever since dogs decided to follow humans some 100-150,000 years ago (initally as mobile waste bins and then as pets) it was far from red meat that they were raised. Dogs had to live on scraps and offcuts ...bones, grizzle and indeed gruel and breadcrumbs (i.e grain)

I wouldn't be at all surprised if a dog's digestive system was quite different from a wolf's.

After all ...homo sapiens intially only fed on mammuts and berries (:D) so yoghurt should be potentially lethal to us, shouldn't it?

See theres no real issue with a bit of grain in diet , the issue is where a huge percentage of food is grain . These grains are easy carbs , and dogs digestive systems are still geared very much like a wild animal whose main food would be Meat and their bodies are very efficent at turning this meat into the energy they need to keep goin.

Also consider the fact that its only very recently in human history that dogs were kept as pets before that they would be hunting dogs and would be fed some of their kill after the hunt.
Also a lot of research shows that overweight dogs lose a lot of the excess weight when swictched to a grain free food.
If you have an interest this is a good read http://www.orijen.ca/orijen/ORIJEN_White_Paper.pdf

peasant

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

See theres no real issue with a bit of grain in diet , the issue is where a huge percentage of food is grain.

agreed ..all I was trying to say that (IMO) it's not as black&white as that website makes it out to be.

Another issue is the very high protein content of the "better" foods.
My mostly unemployed dogs would be jumping up the walls 24/7 if I fed them something with 40% protein

lrushe

peasant wrote: »

Another issue is the very high protein content of the "better" foods.
My mostly unemployed dogs would be jumping up the walls 24/7 if I fed them something with 40% protein

This is an excellent point and one I would v.much agree with.
As I've said in my no. 44 post I can feed my dogs for €3.30 a week and they are healthy, no question!
I believe people who pay those extraordinary dog food prices just lack the confidence to know how to feed a dog properly so they rely on someone to manufacter it for them and therefore feel justified being charge high prices for it.
I have kept dogs of all breeds, sizes and sexes for 25+ years who haven't cost me a penny more in vet bills than the regular things and a few cuts etc. My dogs are long lived and full of life until the end, have I just been lucky? I don't think I have, the facts speak for themselves. In my opinion, if it's not broke don't fix it.

boomerang

Agree with you peasant that that site has a bias towards foods with a high meat content. They pretty much dismiss Burns for example, for having too high a percentage of oats/rice etc. What I did want to point out however in posting the link are the nasty ingredients in Bakers Complete - a food at the cheaper end of the market:

BHA, E320
BHT, E321
Propyl Gallate, E310
Citric Acid, E330
Potassium Sorbate, E202
Propan -1,2-diol, E490
Iron Oxide, E172
Indigo Carmine, E132
Tartrazine, E102
Sunset Yellow, E110
Quinoline Yellow, E104
Titanium Dioxide, E171
Carbon Black, E153

In more detail:

E320 - has been found to be tumour-producing when fed to rats. In human studies it has been linked with urticaria, angioedema and asthma

E321 - banned for use in food in Japan, Romania, Sweden, and Australia. The US has barred it from being used in infant foods. So bad McNasty's have voluntarily eliminated it from their products.

E310 - Banned from children's foods in the US because it is thought to cause the blood disorder methemoglobinemia

E172 - Banned in Germany

E132 - Can cause skin sensitivity, a rash similar to nettle rash, itching, nausea, high blood pressure and breathing problems. One of the colours that the Hyperactive Children's Support Group recommends be eliminated from the diet of children.
Prohibited in Norway.

E102 - TARTRAZINE - A trial on 76 children diagnosed as hyperactive, showed that tartrazine provoked abnormal behaviour patterns in 79% of them

E110 - Sunset Yellow (E110) has been found to damage kidneys and adrenals when fed to laboratory rats. It has also been found to be carcinogenic when fed to animals

E104 - One of the colours that the Hyperactive Children's Support Group recommends be eliminated from the diet of children. Banned in Australia, Japan, Norway and the United States.

E171 - Banned in Germany

E153 - Banned as a food additive in the United States of America. Suspected as a carcinogenic agent.


Sugar! :eek:

I am currently looking after a friend's dog while they are away on holidays and he is fed Bakers - he is absolutely climbing the walls. I've asked my friend if I can try him on my own dogs' brand to see if it makes any difference.

morganafay

peasant wrote: »

Just a thought re the grain content in dogfood

This dogfoodanalysis page works on the theory that a wolf in the wild would naturally eat nothing but meat and the odd bit of veggie matter but never grain ...hence a dog must not be fed grain and only grainless dogfood deserves six stars.

Now, I have no backup for this but I would think that ever since dogs decided to follow humans some 100-150,000 years ago (initally as mobile waste bins and then as pets) it was far from red meat that they were raised. Dogs had to live on scraps and offcuts ...bones, grizzle and indeed gruel and breadcrumbs (i.e grain)

I wouldn't be at all surprised if a dog's digestive system was quite different from a wolf's.

After all ...homo sapiens intially only fed on mammuts and berries (:D) so yoghurt should be potentially lethal to us, shouldn't it?

That's true, technically we shouldn't eat grains either! But we do.

morganafay

ISDW wrote: »

Except that a lot of the cheaper dog isn't particularly high in protein, most of it tends to be around the 18-20% range. Maybe the colourants in some of it might make a dog hyper though.

I find the dog food in supermarkets (Bakers, Pedigree, etc.) seems to have more colours than the really cheap food or own brand supermarket stuff seems to be just brown. Maybe it has brown colouring, I dunno, but it's just brown.

lorebringer

morganafay wrote: »

Well yeah that makes sense. Does anyone have any good recommendations for foods that are a bit cheaper than the most expensive ones but still good quality?

I've been thinking about changing my dog food for a while, but I don't really know what mid-priced ones are good.

Purina Beta and Iams are mid range foods that aren't too expensive (although I know that some people are very against these companies)

Brenda's pets (www.brendaspets.ie) have a "budget food" section which looks very good for the price (around €36 for a 15kg bag).

Red Mills do different levels of foods at different prices, some are very economical.

Burns is a really good food for its price.


The main thing I find (money and cost wise) is that the more expensive foods last a hell of a lot longer than the cheaper foods and the dogs are still getting them same, if not better, level of nutrition. Forking out €60 on a bag of food feels so steep but when it lasts for 3 weeks feeding numerous dogs, as opposed to a week feeding the same number of dogs, it suddenly isn't such an enormous cost. If buying the bigger bags is a strain, perhaps try buying the smaller bags (6/7.5kg) so that it isn't such a big outgoing all at once.

The one thing I will say about quality of food and life long health is that from having had quite a bit of experience with older dogs - both personally and with the rescue I foster for - the difference in the dogs health when they are older is very dramatic if they have been fed decent food their entire life or crap. I know breeding and general lifestyle plays a big part in it too but it really does make a huge difference to their health - every part of a dog that has been cared for, fed well etc. is generally in better condition. Plenty of dogs live to a very old age on any food, but what do these dogs die of?! And for how long has there been an underlying condition?! Dogs are amazing at not letting on that there is something wrong with them and may appear in perfect condition even though there is something not quite right or they have some discomfort for dog only knows how long. It is only when things like cancers and organ failure come to light that we realise there is something wrong. I know wear and tear and illness is just part of life but I try to cover all the bases wrt my dogs health - if there is something that could potentially lower risks or help them in the long run then I am going to do it, within reason obviously.

I feed all of my dogs the best that I can (and make myself) afford. Most people on here are average Joe soaps who love their pets and want to do the best by them, whether that be finding the best vet in their area, walking the ass off the dog everyday or feeding them the best food they can. It's all personal choice as to what you feed your dog - only you and your dog live with the consequences of a good/bad lifestyle. What suits your dog, and your pocket, is all a matter of choice.

To answer the OPs question - so many people spend so much on dog food because they can, and they want to. It's not a status thing or a "look at what I feed, I'm amazing" thing, it's wanting to do the best thing for a pet that they love and do their best to care for.

morganafay

lorebringer wrote: »

Purina Beta and Iams are mid range foods that aren't too expensive (although I know that some people are very against these companies)

Brenda's pets (www.brendaspets.ie) have a "budget food" section which looks very good for the price (around €36 for a 15kg bag).

Red Mills do different levels of foods at different prices, some are very economical.

Burns is a really good food for its price.

Thanks I've heard about Iams so I don't want to get that, but not about why people are against Purina, is it the same kinda thing? I'll look it up.

I'll check all of those out. I might try one 15kg bag of a more expensive food and see how long it lasts and if the dogs seem better on it. The dogs are full of energy but do poop a lot, so I'll see if it makes a difference. I'll have a bit more money in the summer, so I might as well try one.

I feel a bit bad for the dogs because they get the cheapest food I can find, whereas the cats get a bit better food because they're fussy (and one of them is a kitten, and one is old and needs better food, and one has very few teeth left so gets better food too) and the guinea pigs and rabbits get fed well too (pretty good quality food and loads of fresh greens and grass and everything) because I have baby rabbits and baby guinea pigs and my rescued guinea pig who needs good care.

cocker5

lorebringer wrote: »

Purina Beta and Iams are mid range foods that aren't too expensive (although I know that some people are very against these companies)

Brenda's pets (www.brendaspets.ie) have a "budget food" section which looks very good for the price (around €36 for a 15kg bag).

Red Mills do different levels of foods at different prices, some are very economical.

Burns is a really good food for its price.


The main thing I find (money and cost wise) is that the more expensive foods last a hell of a lot longer than the cheaper foods and the dogs are still getting them same, if not better, level of nutrition. Forking out €60 on a bag of food feels so steep but when it lasts for 3 weeks feeding numerous dogs, as opposed to a week feeding the same number of dogs, it suddenly isn't such an enormous cost. If buying the bigger bags is a strain, perhaps try buying the smaller bags (6/7.5kg) so that it isn't such a big outgoing all at once.

The one thing I will say about quality of food and life long health is that from having had quite a bit of experience with older dogs - both personally and with the rescue I foster for - the difference in the dogs health when they are older is very dramatic if they have been fed decent food their entire life or crap. I know breeding and general lifestyle plays a big part in it too but it really does make a huge difference to their health - every part of a dog that has been cared for, fed well etc. is generally in better condition. Plenty of dogs live to a very old age on any food, but what do these dogs die of?! And for how long has there been an underlying condition?! Dogs are amazing at not letting on that there is something wrong with them and may appear in perfect condition even though there is something not quite right or they have some discomfort for dog only knows how long. It is only when things like cancers and organ failure come to light that we realise there is something wrong. I know wear and tear and illness is just part of life but I try to cover all the bases wrt my dogs health - if there is something that could potentially lower risks or help them in the long run then I am going to do it, within reason obviously.

I feed all of my dogs the best that I can (and make myself) afford. Most people on here are average Joe soaps who love their pets and want to do the best by them, whether that be finding the best vet in their area, walking the ass off the dog everyday or feeding them the best food they can. It's all personal choice as to what you feed your dog - only you and your dog live with the consequences of a good/bad lifestyle. What suits your dog, and your pocket, is all a matter of choice.

To answer the OPs question - so many people spend so much on dog food because they can, and they want to. It's not a status thing or a "look at what I feed, I'm amazing" thing, it's wanting to do the best thing for a pet that they love and do their best to care for.

Excellent post... very well said....

morganafay

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

Well what way will you be ordering just in a local shop or can you order online?
If its just the local pet shop you have access to then make a list of what foods they do vs prices and do some research online .

If your happy with the food your giving at the moment and the dogs seem happy and healthy then i personally wouldnt change, you could change foods and find it doesnt suit the dogs etc. If you were goin to spend a bit extra on them then i would do things like cook chicken fillets once a week that sort of thing.
Only consider changing when you wont be putting yourself under financial strain .

I'd probably order it on zooplus or somewhere, they have pretty good prices and free delivery. And I order all my rabbit/guinea pig stuff there anyway.

Thanks, that's a good idea. I do feed them healthy scraps a few days a week. My family put things like cake and biscuits and white bread in their bowl! :rolleyes: and I just throw those away, and leave things like meat, potatoes, wholegrain rice, and veggies and whatever. They love raw veggies! I also give them either codliver oil, sunflower oil or olive oil, in their food. I think I might try adding a bit more meat and maybe offal too. I'm going to read a bit about BARF and see what kinds of raw meat might be good. I'd probably add cheaper thing like offal, but want to make sure I won't end up poisoning them or giving them too much of something!

I might have a bit more money during the summer, so might at least try one bag of more expensive food and just see how it goes and how long the bag lasts. If it lasts a lot longer then I might stick with it.

boomerang

Morganna I'd recommend you join the Irish doggy discussion board www.topdog.ie as there are fantastic articles there on feeding raw and the members are very pro-raw and are generous with their advice! You don't want to feed raw and cooked at the same meal, and you only feed offal once to twice a week as it's so rich.

I've looked into Purina as a friend is feeding it to their puppy - I wouldn't rate it at all and I definitely don't think it is worth the money. I think maybe do a bit of research before you fork out for a big bag of food? Burns for example is a much more wholesome food for the same price as Purina ProPlan - it has much better ingredients and it's not tested on animals.

I've heard good things about the value food being sold by Brenda's Pets - I know a few dogs that are doing well on it.

morganafay

Ok, I won't go for Purina so. I was thinking maybe Burns, but I'll do more research and also check out what websites are cheapest.

You say not to feed raw and cooked at the same time, but is it ok to feed raw in the morning, and a bit of cooked at night? I know with people they saw to eat raw food before cooked.

I'll check out Topdog, thanks

Outkast_IRE

lrushe wrote: »

This is an excellent point and one I would v.much agree with.
As I've said in my no. 44 post I can feed my dogs for €3.30 a week and they are healthy, no question!
I believe people who pay those extraordinary dog food prices just lack the confidence to know how to feed a dog properly so they rely on someone to manufacter it for them and therefore feel justified being charge high prices for it.
I have kept dogs of all breeds, sizes and sexes for 25+ years who haven't cost me a penny more in vet bills than the regular things and a few cuts etc. My dogs are long lived and full of life until the end, have I just been lucky? I don't think I have, the facts speak for themselves. In my opinion, if it's not broke don't fix it.

I think your throwing everyone who buys expensive food into one big pile .
As a few people have stated they ended up goin with a expensive food as other ones were causing problems such as spots on skin, dry skin etc .
I have had dogs all my life, and this is the first dog iv put onto a expensive food, the dog is much happier and healthier on the new food .

I would agree to you to a extent that some people just pick an expensive food and think this must be good for the dog , i have done my research and the food suits my dog so im happy.

Outkast_IRE

peasant wrote: »

agreed ..all I was trying to say that (IMO) it's not as black&white as that website makes it out to be.

Another issue is the very high protein content of the "better" foods.
My mostly unemployed dogs would be jumping up the walls 24/7 if I fed them something with 40% protein

Good point im lucky that my collie cross is fine on such a high protien food , the only time she goes nuts is when i bring out the ball to play fetch!!
As i said all along pick the food that suits the dogs .

boomerang

morganafay wrote: »

Ok, I won't go for Purina so. I was thinking maybe Burns, but I'll do more research and also check out what websites are cheapest.

You say not to feed raw and cooked at the same time, but is it ok to feed raw in the morning, and a bit of cooked at night? I know with people they saw to eat raw food before cooked.

I'll check out Topdog, thanks

Yep - that's fine for adult dogs. Raw food is digested at a different rate to cooked food you see, so you don't want cooked and raw food in the tummy at the same time - putting raw food on top of cooked could upset the tummy by slowing down the digestion of the raw food, and allowing bacteria to multiply. At least that's how I understand it. The guys on Top Dog are really the experts on this.

You could get on to Burns Ireland and ask them for a sample (they'll do this no problem) or look out for free samples at the vets, rather than forking out for a big bag that your dogs mightn't like. A lot of dogs find it very boring! Also it doesn't suit all dogs, but that is true of every dog food, I've found.

James Wellbeloved is another good brand and you can get it on Zooplus. Arden Grange is pretty good too. I've fed my dogs on both those brands.

Another idea would be to substitute your dogs' normal evening meal once or twice a week with fresh, meaty marrowbones from the butcher. They are free, nutritious, your dogs will LOVE them and it'll help keep their teeth nice and clean!

You can also be very lucky by looking in the "reduced to clear" section of the supermarket. I often pick up things like turkey mince for the dogs in Tesco or SuperValu this way - they usually need to be eaten the same day, but that's grand for the dogs as there's no cooking involved! Last time I got turkey mince reduced to clear it was gone down from €3.50 to just 50c and it fed both my dogs

morganafay

boomerang wrote: »

You could get on to Burns Ireland and ask them for a sample (they'll do this no problem) or look out for free samples at the vets, rather than forking out for a big bag that your dogs mightn't like. A lot of dogs find it very boring! Also it doesn't suit all dogs, but that is true of every dog food, I've found.

James Wellbeloved is another good brand and you can get it on Zooplus. Arden Grange is pretty good too. I've fed my dogs on both those brands.

Another idea would be to substitute your dogs' normal evening meal once or twice a week with fresh, meaty marrowbones from the butcher. They are free, nutritious, your dogs will LOVE them and it'll help keep their teeth nice and clean!

You can also be very lucky by looking in the "reduced to clear" section of the supermarket. I often pick up things like turkey mince for the dogs in Tesco or SuperValu this way - they usually need to be eaten the same day, but that's grand for the dogs as there's no cooking involved! Last time I got turkey mince reduced to clear it was gone down from €3.50 to just 50c and it fed both my dogs

Thanks My dogs like any food, I can't imagine them turning their noses up at anything! I might just buy a few 2kg bags of different foods from zooplus, and see how each goes. I tried them on some Husse food a few weeks ago and they liked it, but just as much as they like their normal food. I thought they'd go mad for expensive food! They preferred to try to steal cat and guinea pig food! :rolleyes:

I'll check my local Supervalu for a reduced to clear section but I'm not sure they have one. When I was in college (just finished for the summer) I could go to Tesco everyday and get reduced to clear salad for my rabbits for 40c, but now I'm too far away from there.

I know some people who feed raw eggs to their dogs too, so I thought that might be a good healthy thing for them, but then I was thinking it might make them sick.

boomerang

Nope, you can indeed feed them raw eggs - not too many though, mind. You could just whisk a few in a mug and pour it/mix it over your dogs' kibble once a week. It is great for their coats.

morganafay

Sorry for asking so many questions, but I was just looking at dog foods but wondering what type of meat is best? I always feed the cat fish cat food, because it just seems healthier, but I don't know what to get for the dogs. They have no special dietary needs really, except they're small dogs.

And since my dogs are 6, 8 and 9, should I be going for senior foods? One of them (the 9 year old) has a lot of energy and has trouble keeping on weight, but the others would get overweight if I didn't exercise them as much. I'm a bit worried about senior food making the 9 year old lose weight, but it'd probably be good for her joints, which are just starting to get a little stiff sometimes after walks. Btw, she is healthy, she just uses a lot of energy and has always been a thin dog, it's her natural build too. I know, a thin Cavalier, it's actually funny since they're such greedy dogs! But she won't overeat even if you feed her loads.

ISDW

You can give the egg shells to the dogs as well.

Don't forget that 'working dog' food has a lower VAT rate, which makes it cheaper - if you shop in the north, or online from the UK it is VAT free.

Molberts

peasant wrote: »

Another issue is the very high protein content of the "better" foods.
My mostly unemployed dogs would be jumping up the walls 24/7 if I fed them something with 40% protein

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

Good point im lucky that my collie cross is fine on such a high protien food , the only time she goes nuts is when i bring out the ball to play fetch!!

just a note on the protein content issue, sorry its a bit long but hopefully will be helpful!

when considering bringing in Orijen (high protein food) for the shop, I grilled the poor rep about every aspect of the food :cool: and this issue in particular. He said that its the quality of the protein source rather than the % content that is important and since the ingredients/sources are such high quality in Orijen % content isnt an issue.

I was very wary as everyone was saying that high protein = hyperactivity and at the time my dogs had been fighting so higher energy was the last thing I wanted to introduce :eek:

Long story short, the reason for the fighting was the top dog (Molly) had been getting painful ear infections - she had always had them but they had been getting worse and nothing seemed to be helping - it seemed the other dogs sensed the weakness and were refusing to be bossed around and it escalated from there.

A grain or grain mite allergy had been suggested as the cause of the infections so I decided to try them on the Orijen as a last resort. Not a work of a lie - within a week her ears had cleared up, her eyes were no longer sticky and (gasp!) all the dogs were much calmer

They've been on it over a year now and they've all lost weight and are in the best health I've seem them - and no more fighting either

I know sales reps say whatever to get you to buy but I genuinely believe Orijen on this issue as I've seen the results with my own dogs

Amzie

I've got my fella on Royal Canin medium junior. I did feel it was expensive and so changed him gradually to red mills but I definintely saw a difference, he got the runs all the time, it was a nightmare to clean up and then he got a bad stomach too and was gettin sick so I had to put him on boiled rice and chicken for a while and then slowely put him back onto RC and he was back to normal again thank god. When I got him as a pup the breeder had him on pedigree and again he was very soft... I definitely wouldnt try putting him back to a cheaper brand. Hes happy on the RC and it not worth the hassle changing his food when it could make him sick and give him the runs:( He gets some treats too and lil bits in his kongs too:)

Outkast_IRE

Molberts wrote: »

just a note on the protein content issue, sorry its a bit long but hopefully will be helpful!

when considering bringing in Orijen (high protein food) for the shop, I grilled the poor rep about every aspect of the food :cool: and this issue in particular. He said that its the quality of the protein source rather than the % content that is important and since the ingredients/sources are such high quality in Orijen % content isnt an issue.

I was very wary as everyone was saying that high protein = hyperactivity and at the time my dogs had been fighting so higher energy was the last thing I wanted to introduce :eek:

Long story short, the reason for the fighting was the top dog (Molly) had been getting painful ear infections - she had always had them but they had been getting worse and nothing seemed to be helping - it seemed the other dogs sensed the weakness and were refusing to be bossed around and it escalated from there.

A grain or grain mite allergy had been suggested as the cause of the infections so I decided to try them on the Orijen as a last resort. Not a work of a lie - within a week her ears had cleared up, her eyes were no longer sticky and (gasp!) all the dogs were much calmer

They've been on it over a year now and they've all lost weight and are in the best health I've seem them - and no more fighting either

I know sales reps say whatever to get you to buy but I genuinely believe Orijen on this issue as I've seen the results with my own dogs

I had issues as well with other foods that cleared up since the switch to orjen , dog developing spots randomly on skin , dry skin, runny poos .All cleared up within a week of switching to orjen and her coat is lovely from it.

lorebringer

Molberts wrote: »

Long story short, the reason for the fighting was the top dog (Molly) had been getting painful ear infections - she had always had them but they had been getting worse and nothing seemed to be helping - it seemed the other dogs sensed the weakness and were refusing to be bossed around and it escalated from there.

A grain or grain mite allergy had been suggested as the cause of the infections so I decided to try them on the Orijen as a last resort. Not a work of a lie - within a week her ears had cleared up, her eyes were no longer sticky and (gasp!) all the dogs were much calmer

I had the opposite problem with one of my dogs - his is very prone to dodgy ears, and the high protein level in Origen made them much worse. Lots of very black, tarry gunk and loads of vet trips because of ear infections. Ended up taking him off of it and it made the world of difference. Currently on a lower protein food and his ears are fine (well, as fine as his ears get!). I have heard of lots of people with dogs with skin issues that were also aggravated by Origen. Personally, I still recommend it highly because all the dogs did so well on it (apart from the ear issues) and it is such a high quality food.

Rabbitandcavy

We feed our dogs Aldi food; when our Dog was overweight (our fault for fattening scraps) they got us to buy Burn's High Oats and feed that to her, her farts were awful and she just generally looked bad on it. So we put her back on the Aldi food and she looks much better and no smelly farts, plus the weight is falling off her. We just had to cut out all the fattening scraps.

Molberts

lorebringer wrote: »

Lots of very black, tarry gunk and loads of vet trips because of ear infections.

The poor, poor little mite :(:( that sounds dreadful.

I really sympathise as I've seen how sore ears effect Molly, she's just miserable with them.

Glad to hear its cleared up now for him now

lorebringer

Molberts wrote: »

The poor, poor little mite :(:( that sounds dreadful.

I really sympathise as I've seen how sore ears effect Molly, she's just miserable with them.

Glad to hear its cleared up now for him now

Thanks! He has never done well in the summer months with his ears but so far so good (granted, now that I have said it no doubt that it will all kick off again). Being a Spaniel, his big heavy ears can get very warm and clammy and he is very affected b the heat (which is mad because he loves sitting in the sun :rolleyes:) Sometimes he is very miserable with them while other times we wouldn't know other then looking into his ears. Having tried everything with is ears -shaving them, clipping inside them, cleaning them religiously, tying them back (not too impressed with that) and many other things - we found his food plays such a big role in his ear maintenance, we never go over 30% protein because his ears just can't deal with it.

nautical star

I came across two really interesting articles about grain free dog food and the whole dog v's wolf issue, very much in line with what many people on here had to say,

www.ecopet.ie.

cocker5

Rabbitandcavy wrote: »

We feed our dogs Aldi food; when our Dog was overweight (our fault for fattening scraps) they got us to buy Burn's High Oats and feed that to her, her farts were awful and she just generally looked bad on it. So we put her back on the Aldi food and she looks much better and no smelly farts, plus the weight is falling off her. We just had to cut out all the fattening scraps.

I am sorry but that has to be the stupidest reason for putting your dog back on crap food.... utter nonsense.

Crap food leads to ill health end of story.... if telling yourself the above sh*te makes you feel better than fine... but dont try and convince other posters... cant believe you actually wrote that crap.

Molberts

lorebringer wrote: »

Having tried everything with is ears -shaving them, clipping inside them, cleaning them religiously, tying them back (not too impressed with that) and many other things

Sometimes I tie Molly's ears up in a bow on top of her head she looks like a gangsta rapper its so cute:D she just shakes them down though and demands a belly rub in return for me laughing at her :rolleyes:

I'm sure you've tried everything already but you may find this blog post I did a while back about treating ear infections in dogs helpful

LBD

Molberts wrote: »

Sometimes I tie Molly's ears up in a bow on top of her head she looks like a gangsta rapper its so cute:D she just shakes them down though and demands a belly rub in return for me laughing at her :rolleyes:

I'm sure you've tried everything already but you may find this blog post I did a while back about treating ear infections in dogs helpful

Hi Molberts,

I can't open the link and would love a look. We have two Bassets and much the same as yourself and lorebringer are kept busy trying to keep their ears in shape feel so sorry for them when their ears are at them

I do love giving them a good ear rub though, especially when the back legs start going and there are groans of enjoyment :P