Best dry dog food, your thoughts please

LucyBliss

Tranceypoo wrote: »

Has anyone tried Barking Heads dog food?

Yes, that's what I feed my dogs. They used to be on Hills until one of them started throwing up, oh about two years ago now, and the vet did a bunch of tests but found nothing. A friend of mine suggested it might be the maize content that was at fault and when I looked at the Hills ingredients and the ingredients on the recovery food the vet prescribed, voilá! Maize seemed to be the primary ingredient. The vet wasn't too convinced that it was the Hills causing the problem but then I found that about them getting commission and what not from them so what else was she going to say?!
I did some research and realised that some problems the other dog was having was allergy related and I put them on Orijen. They loved it but I found it a bit pricey and I felt that maybe it was just a bit too high in protein for the type of dogs they are.

So we switched to Barking Heads and have had no problems. There is nothing like the farts and the poopage that was coming out of them on the Hills! I like that it's natural ingredients with no filler and it's affordable enough.

But my three will eat anything you put in front of them.

Tranceypoo, I'm sorry that your foster dog is having problems. I was looking at the Arden Grange range in Petworld the other day and they seem to have good ingredients in products with no filler. I hope her system finds a food she likes and settles down.

Officer Giggles

I have my Newfoundland on purina pro plan puppy large breed robust and cannot fault it, the breeder recommended it and he has 6 of them, all very healthy

tk123

TillyGirl wrote: »

I just bought a new bag 2 weeks ago, ran outa Burns so couldnt go looking for it but will next time if I organise myself a bit better. Where do you buy it?

We get it from Dog Training Ireland because he goes to daycare there but they deliver too. It swells up nicely if you soak it - previous foods we tried used to turn to dust..anyhoos when when he was on crate rest I'd soak the food and then blend it with the handblender to get a paste to fill his kongs. He loves it so he gets dry for breakfast and a filled kong for his dindins.:pac:

Tranceypoo

LucyBliss wrote: »

Yes, that's what I feed my dogs. They used to be on Hills until one of them started throwing up, oh about two years ago now, and the vet did a bunch of tests but found nothing. A friend of mine suggested it might be the maize content that was at fault and when I looked at the Hills ingredients and the ingredients on the recovery food the vet prescribed, voilá! Maize seemed to be the primary ingredient. The vet wasn't too convinced that it was the Hills causing the problem but then I found that about them getting commission and what not from them so what else was she going to say?!
I did some research and realised that some problems the other dog was having was allergy related and I put them on Orijen. They loved it but I found it a bit pricey and I felt that maybe it was just a bit too high in protein for the type of dogs they are.

So we switched to Barking Heads and have had no problems. There is nothing like the farts and the poopage that was coming out of them on the Hills! I like that it's natural ingredients with no filler and it's affordable enough.

But my three will eat anything you put in front of them.

Tranceypoo, I'm sorry that your foster dog is having problems. I was looking at the Arden Grange range in Petworld the other day and they seem to have good ingredients in products with no filler. I hope her system finds a food she likes and settles down.

Thanks LucyBliss, my dog is great on the Barking Heads but like your 3 he will eat anything and has never had any farting issues!! I will persevere with the foster, I'll be in town Monday so will have a look in Petworld at the Arden Grange ingredients and maybe try that, I think it will be trial and error!!

ABajaninCork

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

Where are you getting it from if you dont mind me asking? It's £7.75 for a 2kg bag in the North where I get mine or €10 in a petshop closer to me (but I won't buy anything from them, I have my reasons ) The 2kg bag lasts my terrier a month.

You can get it from Zooplus.co.uk. Cheaper than the .ie website!;)

Vets also stock it. HTH

Cherry Blossom

ABajaninCork wrote: »

You can get it from Zooplus.co.uk. Cheaper than the .ie website!;)

Vets also stock it. HTH

It's £7.99 on zooplus, no I thought maybe you were paying over the odds for it, as you said it was expensive, I consider €10 a month nothing to feed my dog, it's the equivilant of 2 chocolate bars a week

ABajaninCork

Yes, I know. What perhaps I should have said was "It's bloody expensive if you buy from the vet." The same £7.99 bag costs about E15-16 if you get it from a vet.

So we buy from zooplus.co.uk, buy his toothpaste and bits and pieces, and we get it delivered for free as we spend over a certain amount.

Daisy!

Right I'm off to Woodies later, they have the best selection in my area. The pet store here is very limited. I'd love if anyone could recommend a dog food for my dog. I have a 3 year old male neutered JRT. He's very aggressive with other dogs (some very much so!!) and cats (goes mental!!) if that has anything to do with his food I don't know....up until now I've been feeding him Bakers Complete. To my own ignorance I thought it was a good dog food Obviously from this thread I've learnt that it isn't so could anyone recommend me a good dry dog food for him? I've read what brands are good on this thread but is there any in particular that might be better for my little fella and his aggression or Jack Russell terriers in general? I know it's trial and error but any help would be great thanks.

Gerry Asstrix

Cant go wrong with Madra, fiver a bag and has all the nutrients in it to keep your dog big and strong, throw in abit of wet food, the dog will lap it up

Shanao

No offence, but i'd steer clear of Madra. Like I said before about other foods, there's a reason its cheap, the quantity of meat in Madra is very low, meaning its a cereal based diet. And I would definitely stay away from wet food, 80% water so most of it just comes out the other end.

What foods does the Woodies have? I would get him off Bakers as soon as you can (by gradually adding the new food over about seven days of course) and it should make a difference over a couple of weeks.

miryongee

THE BEST food I think in my humble opinion is Ziwipeak. Its freeze dried meat and it looks like broken up bits of jerky. Its great for my dog who is allergic to EVERYTHING. The only down side is that its pricey but you feed less than other food cuz its all protein so less poo and u use less so its an even pay out.

OwenM

Connollys Red Mills €6.99 for 2.5kg from woodies or petmania.

Her coat is shining and my Vet thinks it's an excellent feed. It's made in Ireland I think and a lot cheaper than some of the feeds mentioned previously.

Daisy!

Shanao wrote: »

What foods does the Woodies have? I would get him off Bakers as soon as you can (by gradually adding the new food over about seven days of course) and it should make a difference over a couple of weeks.

Last time I was there they had a big selection but checking online I can only see Madra, Wagg, Pedigree Chum, Bakers and Red Mills Star but I know there's more than that in my local one. Will go down there tomorrow at some stage.

Is Red Mills Star a good one?

Shanao

Red Mills star, surprisingly enough, is actually worse quality than pedigree chum, and we all know ow good pedigree chum is;) Of all the foods listed there, i really would avoid all of them. Just have a look at the ingredients listed on the bags, you'll see pretty quickly what I'm talking about. I'm pretty sure Star doesn't even mention what kind of meat is in it. Avoid anything with colourings in it, the coloured kibbles are for our benefit, not the dogs.

Let us know what you find in Woodies.

Daisy!

Thanks for that, all of this is confusing lol. If none of the good brands mentioned in this thread are in Woodies tomorrow so I'll just get them on zooplus I think because my local petshop is crazy expensive unfortunately.

Thanks for your help!

andreac

Daisy! wrote: »

Last time I was there they had a big selection but checking online I can only see Madra, Wagg, Pedigree Chum, Bakers and Red Mills Star but I know there's more than that in my local one. Will go down there tomorrow at some stage.

Is Red Mills Star a good one?

Star is the lowest or worst quality Red Mills you can get. The Red Mills Leader or even better the Supreme is the best quality in the Red Mills range.

Woodies dont really stock high or good quality dog foods, only the ones mentioned by Daisy which really arent that great at all. But if you have to go with one i would get the Red Mills Leader or Supreme if you have to get a food in Woodies.

andreac

Gerry Asstrix wrote: »

Cant go wrong with Madra, fiver a bag and has all the nutrients in it to keep your dog big and strong, throw in abit of wet food, the dog will lap it up

Sorry but this food is pure muck with crap ingredients and of course it would be with that price. You get what you pay for so its obviously going to be very poor quality if it only costs a fiver.

ISDW

The Red Mills greyhound range is okay, there is one, Tracker that is only 20% protein, the other ones are for working dogs and are 27% and 32% I think, a bit high for a pet dog. But, they are reasonably cheap because there is lower VAT on them, although they have just put their prices up:(

trio

Just on the subject of the Red Mills Leader - that's what we're feeding ours on at the moment but he farts constantly - real stinkers too! - and his poos are a bit watery (and bizarrely yellow!).

We're going to use up our 15kg bag as there's about 1/3 left, but after that we're switching.

Why are some foods "fartier" than others? What ingredient should I be looking out for to combat that?

And also, is there any ingredient that has an effect on a dog's temperment?

andreac

trio wrote: »

Just on the subject of the Red Mills Leader - that's what we're feeding ours on at the moment but he farts constantly - real stinkers too! - and his poos are a bit watery (and bizarrely yellow!).

We're going to use up our 15kg bag as there's about 1/3 left, but after that we're switching.

Why are some foods "fartier" than others? What ingredient should I be looking out for to combat that?

And also, is there any ingredient that has an effect on a dog's temperment?

To be honest if your dog is like this with the food i would stop it straight away as it obviously doesnt agree with him, hence the farts and watery poo.
All dogs are different and some foods will suit one but not another. It could be just the ingredients that are in it that dont agree with your dog.
Usually the cheaper the food the lower quality it is and can cause problems with their digestive system.

Sometimes high protein can give a dog too much energy and make them hyper, little bit like kids going hyper on sugar.

Wizard01

Can anyone tell me what they think of Whites Premium dog food? We have started feeding our babies the salmon and rice range as we were told it is a good dogfood. Does anyone else use it or know anything about it? Thanks.

E. Fudd

I'm currently feed ing my 8 month old Lab "real nature balck angus, barbarie duck and herring". I get it in Zooplus, and a 15kg bag costs approx €72. Have to say it seems the absolute business, dog loves it, her coat is unbelievable and her stools are good and firm. Really cannot fault it. It's also 100% natural and they say fit for human consumption if you were that way inclined! :P

Shanao

E. Fudd wrote: »

I'm currently feed ing my 8 month old Lab "real nature balck angus, barbarie duck and herring". I get it in Zooplus, and a 15kg bag costs approx €72. Have to say it seems the absolute business, dog loves it, her coat is unbelievable and her stools are good and firm. Really cannot fault it. It's also 100% natural and they say fit for human consumption if you were that way inclined! :P

Have never seen Real Nature on Zooplus, which site is it, irish or english? That's what I feed my dogs as well, but I get it from Maxi Zoo for €65. Brilliant food alright though, the dogs adore it.

E. Fudd

Shanao wrote: »

Have never seen Real Nature on Zooplus, which site is it, irish or english? That's what I feed my dogs as well, but I get it from Maxi Zoo for €65. Brilliant food alright though, the dogs adore it.

You're right, it's maxizoo - I have myself all confuddled! I'm using the puppy version, could have sworn it was €72.
Absolutely cracking food though.

sassychick

Hi all,i was feeding my dog rc boxer food,i found her abit hyper on it..as she was having dog agression problems i got in a pet behaviourist and dog trainer...straight away she sked me what i was feeding her,wen i said rc she said take her off it straight away,its very high protein and was obviously sending my dog doolally:Dshe switched me to burns brown rice and chicken and the difference is amazing !!

CBBB

My dog likes Bakers complete, the beefy one, shes not too keen on the chicken version. I've given her other brands but she didn't eat them.

So, she has her bakers complete, ceaser, and a few pigs ears thrown in for good measure.

ppink

andreac wrote: »

To be honest if your dog is like this with the food i would stop it straight away as it obviously doesnt agree with him, hence the farts and watery poo.
All dogs are different and some foods will suit one but not another. It could be just the ingredients that are in it that dont agree with your dog.
Usually the cheaper the food the lower quality it is and can cause problems with their digestive system.

Sometimes high protein can give a dog too much energy and make them hyper, little bit like kids going hyper on sugar.

One query I have is about the protein. Everyone says the protein gives too much energy but I always thought it was carbs that do that....in humans anyway?
you know the way an athelete eats bucket loads of carbs?

ISDW- I was told recently that tracker and star are the same food, not sure how true it is but the are both derivitaves are they not?

my vet told me that the issue with derivatives is that they can change them with no notification, whereas if they list chicken as an ingredient it has to be chicken.

toadfly

sassychick wrote: »

Hi all,i was feeding my dog rc boxer food,i found her abit hyper on it..as she was having dog agression problems i got in a pet behaviourist and dog trainer...straight away she sked me what i was feeding her,wen i said rc she said take her off it straight away,its very high protein and was obviously sending my dog doolally:Dshe switched me to burns brown rice and chicken and the difference is amazing !!

My dogs were the exact same on RC, it made them crazy! I have them on Burns now as well but going to try Luath if I can find it

Cows Go µ

What do you guys think of Fish for Dogs? My mum feeds that to our dogs and since they started on it, their coat is absolutely amazing, poos are all solid and easy to pick up and they really love it (though I'd say our dogs would love any food really) We have friends up north so we buy it with them to get the discount of buying in bulk and get it delivered to them to cut delivery costs then we collect it when we are at a show together (or whenever we go up there to visit family). Plus, we don't have to feed them that much so it lasts forever

andreac

Cows Go µ wrote: »

What do you guys think of Fish for Dogs? My mum feeds that to our dogs and since they started on it, their coat is absolutely amazing, poos are all solid and easy to pick up and they really love it (though I'd say our dogs would love any food really) We have friends up north so we buy it with them to get the discount of buying in bulk and get it delivered to them to cut delivery costs then we collect it when we are at a show together (or whenever we go up there to visit family). Plus, we don't have to feed them that much so it lasts forever

Very good food:) I feed the fish treats whenever i get the chance as they arent easily sourced over here. My 2 absolutely love the fish skins:D