lidl s dog food??

Galway K9

cereals, rice and bread

ABajaninCork

Which makes it 88%. Not the greatest...

bonniealden

I am trying my 6month cross lab on Optidog after Bakers puppy dried which she was on when i got her. Loves the food -but the farts are eyewatering-no-one will travel with me and dog in my car any more...

Wibbs

It's hard to find a good dry food out there. The majority are quite frankly crap. Not just my opinion, but the opinion of many many pet nutritionists out there. If you have bad farts and itchy skin in your dog that's a good sign the food is likely the source. If it's got corn it's crap. Corn/maize is a bad food for dogs(it's not too great for us). They're not grain eaters, full stop, end of. It's just there as a bulking agent. Wheat fillers are another issue(gluten = bad for dogs as the majority would be intolerant by nature, as many humans are). Beet pulp another one.

Then additives... Why do many dog foods have artificial flavourings and colours? Hardly for the dogs sake. Some of these are at levels higher than allowed for human consumption. Ditto for preservatives. BHA and BHT are allowed in dog food products but are banned or heavily regulated in human food due to the carcinogenic risk. Then we get to the "protein", what kind of protein is it? Most likely crap unfit for people. http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=badingredients When you have ads for tooth health products for dogs you have to start to think WTF. You wouldnt have much of a career as a veterinary dentist in wild canids or felines for that matter.

The supermarket brands are for the most part pretty bad. But they are cheap and naturally we're all trying to watch the pennies, but beyond going the messy and pretty pricey raw food route it's hard to see how we can get value and good food.

andreac

bonniealden wrote: »

I am trying my 6month cross lab on Optidog after Bakers puppy dried which she was on when i got her. Loves the food -but the farts are eyewatering-no-one will travel with me and dog in my car any more...

Lidl dog food is pure muck and the farts are the result of what is going into your dogs digestive system and i certainly wouldnt feed it to my dog.

I would try and find a better quality food for your dog, there are plenty of decent quality ones that arent too expensive.

thebullkf

@Bonnie- buy a premium bag and mix a small amount of it with the Lidl stuff, that way they're getting some daycent food with the so called "muck", all you can do is your best, the fact you have a dog and are concerned enough to research the best food for them is brilliant, after all, 46 dogs a day
are put down in Ireland so a dog fed on yellow pack food is better than a dead dog.

best of luck, personally i feed mine JamesWellbeloved, each to their own, also the bigger pet stores give out samples, try them and see.

Technically you're not supposedto mix foods but if its a choice of getting some top quality food as opposed to none, i say go ahead.:)

Groom!

God the subject of dog food is such a minefield, but so interesting.

I have 4 dogs and I am still trying to find a food that suits all of them but I think I may have to give up on that plan and try something else ie- separate food for 2 of them and different food for each of the other 2.

What is Red Mills like? My retriever needs to lose weight and I am contemplating Red Mills Light for her, but I am not sure. What is Gain like? Have seen it mentioned here too.

The 4 dogs I have are:

Golden Retriever (age 6) - wolfs anything but a few kilos overweight. Loses it quickly but can also put it on quickly.

English Setter - rescue -(age 3) - not fussy and does not have a sensitive stomach

Pomeranian (age 4) - slow eater, loves some wet food mixed in but not fussy. Smaller kibble suits him better.

Lurcher/GSD/Collie x (or anybody's guess really!) Rescue - Age 1 year. Very large dog but very slim. Very sensitive stomach.

Any suggestions? Like everyone, very tight budget. Thanks all!

Long Road 8378

We have been feeding our 3 year old dog the Lidl and Aldi brands of dry dog food (with the meaty chunks ) for over two years now. We spent loads of money on the expensive brands and he wouldn't touch them at all (he's a Lab X, so he has a bit of an appetite to say the least). We tried buying Pedigree and Bakers which made him hyper so we made the decision to try Lidl and Aldi. Never looked back since. He loves it. He's extremely healthy, has a fab shine on his coat and his vet is really pleased with him. I understand everyone has different views on these cheaper brands, but if your dog enjoys it and is healthy then I don't see a problem with it. If we got another dog tomorrow, maybe the Aldi/Lidl food wouldn't suit them at all, who knows.

maringo

My dog is on the Aldi chicken and veg dried food for a couple of years now. He had a skin exema and we had him on various brands including the most expensive from the vet. Finally settled on the Aldi one as not expensive and he much prefers it to any of the others and skin has settled down. However it mightn't suit all dogs

Vinny-Chase

I've a pure bred Golden Lab and had been feeding her on the Purina Beta stuff but it was almost €10 for a 3kg bag and quite frankly I couldn't afford to keep spending that money. On top of that she constantly farted and the smell was woeful. I said I'd try the Lidl Optidog stuff and it was the best decision I made. She is thriving! Big healthy dog with a nice coat and very few farts.

There seems to be an air of snobbery from some people for feeding their dogs the Lidl/ Aldi stuff. You seem to forget, to each their own. It works for my dog and others. For any one thinking about it, at least give it a try if it doesn't work, you're out €4

andreac

Have you actually read the ingredients of the Lidl or Aldi food? Derivatives, means it could be any part of the animal you are feeding to your dog.... Not something i would choose to feed to mine.

With the more expensive ones, if you research properly, you will find you actually have to feed less of it as its a better quality food and more digestible than the cheaper ones, so it actually last longer so it doesnt always work out dearer to feed. A lot of the time you are saving money by feeding a more expensive one.

With the cheaper food, they usually poo a lot more too, as the food has awful ingredients that arent good for them and they dont actually digest, so it just comes out the other end.

Heres the ingredents of Lidl food:

Ingredients
Cereals (Maize 4% minimum), meat and animal derivatives (min 4% beef), oils and fats, derivatives of vegetable origin, minerals, vegetables (minimum of 4% in vegetable kibbles), Antioxidant (EC additive) Coloured and preserved with EC additives

So the first ingredient in cereal, and then there is only 4% of meat DERIVATIVES, not even good meat, god wonder what the rest of the food is made up of...:eek:

Then the coloured and preserved additives. And people think this is ok to feed their dogs??

Vinny-Chase

andreac wrote: »

Not something i would choose to feed to mine.

With the cheaper food, they usually poo a lot more too, as the food has awful ingredients that arent good for them and they dont actually digest, so it just comes out the other end.

And people think this is ok to feed their dogs??

There you have it in your first line. YOUR dog. You worry about yours, I'll worry about mine! I had said in my post "You seem to forget, to each their own."

My dog does not poo more as I monitored this while switching the food and still do.

Perhaps when your high horse goes lame we can feed that to our dogs :rolleyes:

People shouldn't worry about what others are feeding to their dogs. The majority of people here who have said they feed their dog the stuff have said they're thriving. So why do you care? Personally I only use the Optidog and not the cheaper stuff so I can't comment on that. I'm only speaking of my own experience. I'm not worried about your dog, you don't need to worry about mine.

Thank you for your concern though.

ppink

Vinny-Chase wrote: »

There seems to be an air of snobbery from some people for feeding their dogs the Lidl/ Aldi stuff. You seem to forget, to each their own. It works for my dog and others. For any one thinking about it, at least give it a try if it doesn't work, you're out €4

I used to always think this way...ie an air of snobbery until both my dogs got sick! The food we gave them had "meat derivatives" in it. As everyone know you cannot just change food without some consequences.....for yourself or the dog. If you were eating a diet of fresh fruit and veg and went onto just hamburgers your body would react.
the point being is that dog food companies can change "derivatives" without any notification. So it could be beef today but chicken next week. I was told by a rep from one of the companies that they put the cheapest crap they can get in there in these lower grade "derivative" foods.

But like you say it is to each their own and like someone said earlier it is better a dog fed on this food than a dog in the pound. it is useful to see other peoples experiences and views though;)

falabo

Vinny-Chase wrote: »

For any one thinking about it, at least give it a try if it doesn't work, you're out €4

you could be down a lot more than €4 after the vet bill !

andreac

Vinny-Chase wrote: »

There you have it in your first line. YOUR dog. You worry about yours, I'll worry about mine! I had said in my post "You seem to forget, to each their own."

My dog does not poo more as I monitored this while switching the food and still do.

Perhaps when your high horse goes lame we can feed that to our dogs :rolleyes:

People shouldn't worry about what others are feeding to their dogs. The majority of people here who have said they feed their dog the stuff have said they're thriving. So why do you care? Personally I only use the Optidog and not the cheaper stuff so I can't comment on that. I'm only speaking of my own experience. I'm not worried about your dog, you don't need to worry about mine.

Thank you for your concern though.

By the way, last time i looked, this thread was about Lidls dog food, so why would you think my reply was just directed at you? There are several people replying about the food in case you didnt notice..

This thread is asking about Lidls dog food and whether to feed it, nothing to do with high horses as you are going on about:rolleyes:

Im merely pointing out reasons why this food isnt recommended to feed a dog as the op and others have asked about it.

If you have a problem with my posts, then report them.

Vinny-Chase

Why would I report your post?

Numerous people, including myself have stated that we have not had any problem with the food. Yet you question how people can feed their dogs this food. On paper, given the information you and others have given, our dogs should be quivering wrecks. This has not been the case in MY experience. Others can answer for themselves. I've found the exact opposite.

You're answering on food, you haven't tried for your dog. I'm answering on the same food I have tried for my dog.

MY experience is that I have a wonderfully healthy dog, thank God. Maybe every one hasn't had the same experience with the same food. But I'm answering from my own first hand experience.

mikom

ppink wrote: »

I was told by a rep from one of the companies that they put the cheapest crap they can get in there in these lower grade "derivative" foods.

Was his name Johnny Bias?

offline

andreac wrote: »

Heres the ingredents of Lidl food:

Ingredients
Cereals (Maize 4% minimum), meat and animal derivatives (min 4% beef), oils and fats, derivatives of vegetable origin, minerals, vegetables (minimum of 4% in vegetable kibbles), Antioxidant (EC additive) Coloured and preserved with EC additives

So the first ingredient in cereal, and then there is only 4% of meat DERIVATIVES, not even good meat, god wonder what the rest of the food is made up of...:eek:

Then the coloured and preserved additives. And people think this is ok to feed their dogs??

I believe it is 4 % beef of the total in the meat and animal derivatives , whatever that percentage maybe , as it is not stated . Like it states there is 4% minimum of maize in the cereal content , same principal .
Please correct me if I am wrong .

More to the point not all food suits all dogs . So whatever brand suits your dog and keeps it fit and healthy should be fine .

Don't believe there is a total truth into the right diet as it depends on each individual and it's lifestyle . Do the best you can for your dog ....

Vinny-Chase

mikom wrote: »

Was his name Johnny Bias?

ppink

mikom wrote: »

Was his name Johnny Bias?

he was actually talking about his own company!

mikom

ppink wrote: »

he was actually talking about his own company!

Which have a premium brand to push as well............

ppink

mikom wrote: »

Which have a premium brand to push as well............

true....that was not the context of the conversation though.

mikom

ppink wrote: »

true....that was not the context of the conversation though.

Sales of premium brands get kudos with head office.
Anybody can sell the budget line.
These premium brands are not always sold using an "in your face manner", sometimes a seed must be sown in your mind first.
You still missing the bias?

andreac

I cant feed cheap low quality foods to my dogs as they break out in Hot Spots and they poo for ireland along with very soft runny poo's which is what cheap food can do to your dogs.

Cereals as a first ingredient is a big no no for dogs and its just used as a filler to make the food cheaper to produce and therefore lower quality for the dog.

The first ingredient should always be Meat and not Meat and animal derivatives.

A lot of people are unaware of exactly what ingredients are in dog food and the way it can affect them. Its only when they change to a better quality food they actually see the difference in their dog.

Mo60

I have nearly always fed my dogs on supermarket dog food. At the moment it is lidl's and has been for the last 6-7 years.

All my dogs are healthy. I have never had a dog die before the age of 15 years.

I have tried dearer options but have found no difference.

boxerly

Any thoughts on Maxi Zoos own brand?

lorebringer

boxerly wrote: »

Any thoughts on Maxi Zoos own brand?

Which one? There are a few!

pokertalk

at the end idecided to mix raw and kibble diet the lidl suits my small terrrier x and his poo s are great but it did nt suit the lax x as he had very bad wind pains and sloppy poo s. dont know y everyone is having a go at some posters for having a problem with the lidl food when thats is what i started up the thread for, to get opinions;)

dazed+confused

pokertalk wrote: »

has anyone ever tried the lidl dog food not the tinned stuff but the dry complete?

I tried it once, tastes a bit black pudding.

pokertalk

dazed+confused wrote: »

I tried it once, tastes a bit black pudding.

i did nt get that at all it tasted more like tuna