best food for our new puppy

PucaMama

adopting a little westie x cross from the pound just looking for opinions on this food http://dogfooddirect.ie/modules/shop/products/champion-complete-puppy-15-kg/ hopeing its at least better than pedigree and similar.

andreac

PucaMama wrote: »

adopting a little westie x cross from the pound just looking for opinions on this food http://dogfooddirect.ie/modules/shop/products/champion-complete-puppy-15-kg/ hopeing its at least better than pedigree and similar.

It's not great to be honest. If you look at the ingredients, the first one is wheat, not meat which isn't good for dogs at all really.

What would your budget be monthly for food and we can suggest something for you.

wingnut

PucaMama wrote: »

adopting a little westie x cross from the pound just looking for opinions on this food http://dogfooddirect.ie/modules/shop/products/champion-complete-puppy-15-kg/ hopeing its at least better than pedigree and similar.

We have a Bichon reared him on Royal Canin he loves it and is fit and healthy. Usually stock up when pet shops have it on offer. Tried more expensive organic food but it didn't agree with him.

PucaMama

would this be any better

http://www.zooplus.ie/shop/dogs/dry_dog_food/markus_muehle/128238

paultf

PucaMama wrote: »

would this be any better

http://www.zooplus.ie/shop/dogs/dry_dog_food/markus_muehle/128238

Don't know much about that food.

Another option would be Amazon. Some people on boards buy Skinners for their adult dogs and it is suppose to be good. The ingredients are similar to Burns.

They do a puppy version for ~€30:
www.amazon.co.uk/Skinners-Field-Trial-Puppy-Dry/dp/B003EGIXXI/ref=sr_1_6?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1360873345&sr=1-6

Subscribe & Save to get the additional discount and set up a regular delivery date.

(Haven't tried the puppy version but have tried the adult version and it's good.)

PucaMama

paultf wrote: »

Don't know much about that food.

Another option would be Amazon. Some people on boards buy Skinners for their adult dogs and it is suppose to be good. The ingredients are similar to Burns.

They do a puppy version for ~€30:
www.amazon.co.uk/Skinners-Field-Trial-Puppy-Dry/dp/B003EGIXXI/ref=sr_1_6?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1360873345&sr=1-6

Subscribe & Save to get the additional discount and set up a regular delivery date.

(Haven't tried the puppy version but have tried the adult version and it's good.)

i think thats very good value

mymo

The Markus muhle is a good food, haven't tried it but did try the more expensive but same ingredients one called lukullus, from zoo plus.Dogs loved it, and looked great on it.

Tranceypoo

mymo wrote: »

The Markus muhle is a good food, haven't tried it but did try the more expensive but same ingredients one called lukullus, from zoo plus.Dogs loved it, and looked great on it.

It does look like a good food at a good price, I never heard of it, just checked out the ingredients, never seen powdered fruit in dog food before, just wondering if it would be too much sugar, has anyone tried this food in particular?

PucaMama

more questions...was in tesco today and saw this bottle of stuff to help keep a dogs skin and coat healthy. would this be good for her as westies get skin problems?

was also looking at dental sticks and treats. is it safe to give a puppy treats with lots of protein? ive heard too much protein causes joint problems.

we decided to go with the skinners food.

andreac

I'd personally stay clear of anything sold in Tesco. If you want to add something to their food, you can try getting some salmon oil or cod liver oil etc. try get it online or from your local pet shop or animal food stockists.
Those dental sticks are full of sugar and aren't great really for doggies so again I'd avoid feeding them.

meoklmrk91

+1 regarding Tesco or any supermarket, really you will do well by your dog and your pocket to avoid anything they sell like the plague.

I wouldn't bother doing anything for the moment with her coat, I know that websites are prone to skin issues but it's not an issue right so there is not point in treating it. And even if you do what Andreac has suggested is where you should be looking, Tesco usually sell Bob Martin stuff for things like this I wouldn't put any of it near my dog if they were giving the stuff away, I don't trust it one bit.

As for the dents stix, they are terrible, my fella loves them so he gets one every once and while, it's not going to kill him, maybe look at some natural chews. Cow hooves, pizzle sticks etc. can all be gotten for reasonable prices on zooplus. Or next time your down at the butcher ask for a couple of nice, meaty bones, my local place even cuts them to sizes for me, give them raw and enjoy a couple of hours peace, never give cooked bones though.

DBB

meoklmrk91 wrote: »

I wouldn't bother doing anything for the moment with her coat, I know that websites are prone to skin issues but it's not an issue right so there is not point in treating it.

I wouldn't necessarily agree with this: the Westie skin condition, called atopy, is an autoimmune condition, often switched on by a combination of an unbalanced immune system, and an allergy either to the ingredients in a lot of dry foods (especially cereals, sometimes cooked chicken and beef proteins), or to the little bugs that live in all dry foods (storage mites), so although the dog may not be exhibiting symptoms now, feeding even a medium-quality, dry dog food is potentially setting up for a nightmare in the future.
Once you see atopy starting to set in, you're fire-fighting with the treatment. But anyone who owns a Westie, or Westie x, would be well-advised to be pre-emptive about the condition, and feed their dog in a way that (a) balances immunity, and (b) contains no cereals, and preferably (c) is not dry at all: storage mites which live in dry food are one of the major allergy-inducing beasties for westies.
Another major condition which Westies suffer from in later life is Westie Lung, or pulmonary fibrosis: it is certain that this horrible, horrible condition results from a lifetime of exposure to allergens, bearing in mind that Westies are probably the most allergic breed there is. So, if Westie owners can make a real effort to restrict their dog's exposure to the common allergens in life, they may delay this condition in their ageing dog.

PucaMama

DBB wrote: »

I wouldn't necessarily agree with this: the Westie skin condition, called atopy, is an autoimmune condition, often switched on by a combination of an unbalanced immune system, and an allergy either to the ingredients in a lot of dry foods (especially cereals, sometimes cooked chicken and beef proteins), so although the dog may not be exhibiting symptoms now, feeding even a medium-quality, dry dog food is potentially setting up for a nightmare in the future.
Once you see atopy starting to set in, you're fire-fighting with the treatment. But anyone who owns a Westie, or Westie x, would be well-advised to be pre-emptive about the condition, and feed their dog in a way that (a) balances immunity, and (b) contains no cereals, and preferably (c) is not dry at all: storage mites which live in dry food are one of the major allergy-inducing beasties for westies.
Another major condition which Westies suffer from in later life is Westie Lung, or pulmonary fibrosis: it is certain that this horrible, horrible condition results from a lifetime of exposure to allergens, bearing in mind that Westies are probably the most allergic breed there is. So, if Westie owners can make a real effort to restrict their dog's exposure to the common allergens in life, they may delay this condition in their ageing dog.

should i be feeding wet food only? had planned to use the skinners puppy food and then move on to their adult food with duck

meoklmrk91

DBB wrote: »

I wouldn't necessarily agree with this: the Westie skin condition, called atopy, is an autoimmune condition, often switched on by a combination of an unbalanced immune system, and an allergy either to the ingredients in a lot of dry foods (especially cereals, sometimes cooked chicken and beef proteins), or to the little bugs that live in all dry foods (storage mites), so although the dog may not be exhibiting symptoms now, feeding even a medium-quality, dry dog food is potentially setting up for a nightmare in the future.
Once you see atopy starting to set in, you're fire-fighting with the treatment. But anyone who owns a Westie, or Westie x, would be well-advised to be pre-emptive about the condition, and feed their dog in a way that (a) balances immunity, and (b) contains no cereals, and preferably (c) is not dry at all: storage mites which live in dry food are one of the major allergy-inducing beasties for westies.
Another major condition which Westies suffer from in later life is Westie Lung, or pulmonary fibrosis: it is certain that this horrible, horrible condition results from a lifetime of exposure to allergens, bearing in mind that Westies are probably the most allergic breed there is. So, if Westie owners can make a real effort to restrict their dog's exposure to the common allergens in life, they may delay this condition in their ageing dog.

Interesting points DBB, I will be looking into Westie lung as I had not heard of that, thanks.

DBB

meoklmrk91 wrote: »

Interesting points DBB, I will be looking into Westie lung as I had not heard of that, thanks.

Do, it is a condition that Westie owners don't tend to learn about until their dog is diagnosed with it, and once the condition has been diagnosed, the prognosis is poor. Once the dog is symptomatic, it means the condition has developed to a point where treatment is just not as effective. It's not curable, but if it's got very early, the treatments for it may help stop it advancing as fast as it does. Generally, once the condition has been diagnosed, you're looking at no more than another 18 months of life, all going well
The awful thing is, my vet reckons that almost 100% of Westies die with the condition: not of it, necessarily, but with it... it is endemic in the breed, and whilst it mostly affects older dogs, I know of several Westies who have died before their 4th birthday because of it.

OP, to answer your question on whether to feed wet food: yes and no. Not the tinned ick that you get in supermarkets. You're much, much better off feeding fresh meat, preferably raw, and some cooked veg and spuds. I think the best resource to find out more about this at the moment is
www.dogsfirst.ie.
However, if you're thinking you really don't want to go down the fresh feeding route, then a decent quality, cereal free (that bit is the most important), dry food supplemented with oily fish and fresh meat whenever you can is better than just dry on its own. I'd also be inclined to moisten the dry food before feeding it.
It costs about the same to feed a Westie a good, fresh diet as it does to feed them a decent quality dry food.. but the health benefits of not feeding dry for this breed are a well worth the extra bit of effort the fresh feeding takes, IMO.