Best Dry Food?

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gerbilgirl

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Okay, I'm considering changing the dogs onto a different food, as, for the price of Redmills, I don't think it is the best. If possible I would like to go a little bit cheaper, certainly nothing dearer.

They are currently on Redmills Energy: http://www.redmills.co.uk/products.php?id=51, but I don't know if its the best I could be getting for that price. (15kg = £40)

Lola is very fussy, and needs a high energy food to keep weight on her. Any ideas? Polo and Charlie will eat anything that's put in front of them. A different food for Lola than the other two would be okay as well.

I was thinking this range: http://www.petconnection.ie/acatalog/Pet_Connection_Own_Brand.html, as we have heard great reports back in the shop about it. I was thinking half Salmon and Potato, half Puppy for Lola (higher protein in puppy), and Salmon and Potato for Charlie and Polo - Salmon and Potato seems to be favoured among customers who are feeding it. So any words on this range would be appreciated.

Any other food recommendations are welcome too :)
 
I can't find a stockist of Healthy Options, I really like the look of it though, so I'm going to see if I can get a hold of it some way. I'm going to try lots of different foods and see which works best. I'm going to do more research on Fish4Dogs, as I use their treats. Skinners is actually impressive for the price, the low feeding guide compared to Redmills looks good, I'm looking at the Superior (30% protein)!
 
Hi skinners is very good and round here its between £13-£15 a bag, and yes high protein 4 working dogs my springer looks great on it .
 
If you are going to compare the feeds I would do it by ingredients rather than analysis as it is more accurate, shoe leather has a high protein content!.

Ideally you want the first listed ingredient to be fresh meat, not meat meal which is rendered bits, and the oil and main protein source to be from an animal source not plant. Any bulk especially grain is better off further down the list, in that case the fish appears to be a better quality.

Shelf life will also give you a clue to likely fat stabilisers and preservatives used, if they don't list them ask, as there will be some in all sack food even Orijen but I would be wanting to know if they are natural or potentially dangerous substances.
 
Should add that by swapping feeds regularly you will disguise any nutritional shortfalls in any one particular feed. A major feed company did that with a friends dogs, who were said to be allergic to chicken ( they went BARF in the end with a high chicken content). The dogs were exhibiting severe allergies to their feeds and this hid the symptoms as different feeds have different nutritional make up so it might not tell you much unless you keep the dog on it for some time.
 
Gerbilgirl - I am sure it was you who said in an earlier post that your dogs don't get much exercise for one reason or another. If this is the case, I personally, would stay away from a high protein diet.

I feed my dogs a high protein diet during the working season, but during the summer months change to a lower one. If you have a dog who is not good at keeping weight, is it because she is a worrier? Would a more active routine suit her better?

I stongly suggest you contact a few food suppliers and ask their advice, giving them full details of your dogs activities, age, breed, health etc and get some personal/first hand advice.
 
Lola has always been terrible at holding weight, even when she was the only dog. Their exercise, although limited in time, is always very mentally stimulating (lots of lefts, rights, etc) and physically intense. They are extremely fit, therefore I have them on an active diet. I have been talking to Royal Canin and Redmills reps, on quite a few occasions, who all agreed that they should be on a high protein, active diet.
 
Both my collie and my working cocker are on Skinners Duck and Rice. No weight or behaviour problems with either of them and they both feed ad-lib.....I know, pretty brave to feed a spangle this way but they dont overeat I promise.
 
Feeding ad-lib would be brilliant for mine, it would probably help Lola get over her food aggression with other dogs (no problem with humans after a lot of work), I wouldn't know how to introduce it though?
 
Hmmm, not sure how I would go about it with a dog with that sort of history....Im sure it could be done though but we need one of the 'pro's' for that question!
 
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