best kibble

[LaurenBay]

What is the best kibble to feed? I was on Tails.com but they kept mucking up my order so I would just prefer to go and get food as and when needed. Just wondering what is the best brand to feed, he is quite a fussy eater. There are so many to choose from I have no idea what I should be looking at.

Thanks in advance

 

[The Trooper]

Please no one chastise me over this, I feed what she eats.

Mahra is extremely fussy but seems to like Aldi's moist and meaty food, a lot of big brands upset her tummy and give her the runs.

If I could easily afford it I would feed raw though, my Partner's (pre us) Frenchie gets raw and is doing really really well on it.

 

[PapaverFollis]

I feed IAMS now and they're doing well on it as far as I can see! I'd also look at Arden Grange... I get a small bag of Arden Grange and mix through the IAMS and they get the odd tin or pouch just to give a bit of variety of protein sources. All sourced from Pets At Home, so nice and easy! Mine are NOT fussy eaters though!

 

[Tinkerbee]

https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/

This website is quite good, gives ratings of various foods and you can search by dog age etc to find something suitable. That website is quite good and breaking down ingredients and what to avoid/look for.

Every dog is different though, if Ted is on a "high quality" food he has mega digestive issues, so he gets what could be termed lower quality food (Dry Burns and wet chappie) but its all Ive found that keeps him on an even keel. I would not reccomend Burns for a fussy dog, ted isnt particularly fussy and he turns his nose up at it if theres no chappie/hes not starving...its quite bland looking/smelling

A lot of people on here and a few of my friends feed Millies Wolfheart, and it is good quality, but its terrible for Ted! Skinners also seems decent, have a few friends use that.

 

[PapaverFollis]

Yes, to add. Mine never did well on "high quality" food either. Digestive and skin issues.

 

[Moobli]

I feed half raw, half Simpson’s premium kibble and I’m very happy with it.

 

[HeyMich]

Both of mine are on Burns original and they're doing great. It doesn't stay in the bowl for long!

 

[{97702}]

Everyone will say something different I think 😊 I’ve previously fed Skinners duck and rice, now I feed Arden Grange chicken - all my dogs look fabulous on both. I’m too mean to pay ridiculous prices for JWB and the like I’m afraid....

I would probably feed raw if I was a millionaire, but feeding 4kg of meat a day is sadly not affordable at the moment....

 

[EventingMum]

My boys do really well on Arden Grange chicken too.

 

[Stiff Knees]

Eden, www.edenpetfoods.com, scores very highly on allaboutdogfood. 🐾😍. Great customer service and they've never mucked up my order. I have been feeding this to my Labradors for 6 years and they do really well on it, from a puppy to 16 years of age.

 

[scats]

Mine all have Royal Canin kibble. Puppy has the Royal Canin puppy pouches too.
The bigger dogs have butchers gentle/sensitive with their kibble. The old girl has always had a terrible stomach, and this has been the only food that keeps it settled.

 

[Aru]

I'm feeding Royal Canin mobility at the moment but rotate between a few different brands. After all the grain free controversy earlier in the year the main take home message I got was vary your foods and proteins and you'll avoid many issues....

I usually recommend to just feed a complete and balanced food that suits your dog and your budget.

 

[Cinnamontoast]

I ranked the allaboutdogfood website for you. https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/the-dog-food-directory

I can’t understand anyone feeding Royal Canin. High price, questionable quality and they told a friend that they use BHT and BHA (please google these, they’re EU permitted but banned in many countries) as preservatives, as do other ‘big name’ kibbles available in the supermarket/Pets at Home.

 

[scats]

I ranked the allaboutdogfood website for you. https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/the-dog-food-directory

I can’t understand anyone feeding Royal Canin. High price, questionable quality and they told a friend that they use BHT and BHA (please google these, they’re EU permitted but banned in many countries) as preservatives, as do other ‘big name’ kibbles available in the supermarket/Pets at Home.

My 10 year old Great Dane x Husky has been fed it for years, as it was the only food we could find that didn’t give her water diarrhoea. She’s a fit and healthy dog and no-one can believe she is 10 when they see her out and about, so it certainly hasn’t done her any harm.

I have a friend who had always fed her dog Bakers. It lived a long and healthy life. Horses for courses I suppose.

 

[KittenInTheTree]

Our surviving two are on Skinners, as was the younger dog.

 

[Aru]

What's questionable about the quality of Royal canin? Genuine question btw...

I always wonder why it is so many people have such an issue with such a global brand. It is one of the few companies doing food trials and research in the canine world and actually sponsors dog sports etc. I personally also much prefer the larger brands with research and testing behind them,then the smaller boutique ones personally as they tend to do a lot more quality control.

I've seen recalls happen across multiple food lines while working within a pet super centre and at a vets. I would much prefer to deal with a company who's quality testing,checking for issues and being responsible enough to deal with the public backlash and recall lines where required then the alternative... where there's minimal testing for potential issues and 0 recalls because they simply aren't testing for contaminants or food Bourne pathogens.

BhA and BHT are both controversial....but still allowed in many human foods at set doses as well as animals food, it's not quite as clear cut as saying they they are straight up toxic. It seems to be dose dependent as with many chemicals....and there's still research ongoing into using these sort of antioxidants to preserve foods. If they prove a definitive link then I'm pretty sure things will change but there isn't enough proof at this point to condemn them completely....which is why they are being regulated in Human food but not always outright banned in many countries. Similar to dioxins etc....things are not always as straight cut as the media likes to suggest.

 

[Starzaan]

Canagan all the way for me. Mine get the large breed kibble and the wet food as well. It’s been fabulous for my Dane with his dodgy tummy, and my old Dane x Doberman is looking fantastic on it at the grand old age of 11!
Wouldn’t feed anything else now.

 

[Cinnamontoast]

Haven’t read anything in the media, Aru. The actual meat content is low and there are multiple studies showing that BHT/BHA cause cancerous tumours. I can’t believe vets still push it and Hills. I don’t believe Hills use those antioxidants but again, the percentage of meat is very low. The ingredients for the standard adult kibble doesn’t inspire me, personally, particularly with maize and wheat being present twice. It’s a very personal choice, my choice is to avoid a dry extruded product containing controversial ingredients, particularly as you have no idea how long the bag has been sat in a warehouse before being sold.

Dehydrated Poultry Protein, Rice, Maize, Wheat Flour, Animal Fats, Maize Flour, Vegetable Protein Isolate, Wheat, Beet Pulp, Hydrolysed Animal Proteins, Fish Oil, Minerals, Soya Oil, Yeasts and Parts Thereof, Psyllium Husks and Seeds, Fructo-Oligo-Saccharides, Hydrolysed Yeast, Borage Oil, Marigold Extract, Antioxidants.

 

[oldie48]

Stan is quite fussy and I struggled to find something he liked but Millie's Wolfheart does the trick for him and also for my daughter's Viz. It's also a quality product at a reasonable price and I've found them efficient to deal with.

 

[blackcob]

I have unclenched a lot on the high meat content/grain free thinking - firstly from having a dog with increasingly bizarre health needs that was getting quite hard to cater for on 100% raw, then compounded by the dietary-induced DCM issue. For kibble I now use Eukanuba.

 

[druid]

I rotate Eukanuba, Royal Canin and Purina

 

[{97702}]

I rotate Eukanuba, Royal Canin and Purina

Nope wouldn’t feed any of those on principle!

Sorry Druid I have a lot of respect for you and this is truly done ‘tongue in cheek’ but for me personally it does typify attitudes to feeding nowadays 😳

I hope you aren’t offended at my attempt at humour....

 

[GSD Woman]

I feed my young dog Purina Pro Plan. My older dogs eat Kirkland Signature. They all get table scraps and raw beef marrow bones. I'm impressed with the research that Purina, Eukanuba/Iams, and Hills does. I don't like Hill's ingredients, but that is just my preference.

 

[Clodagh]

I have unclenched a lot on the high meat content/grain free thinking - firstly from having a dog with increasingly bizarre health needs that was getting quite hard to cater for on 100% raw, then compounded by the dietary-induced DCM issue. For kibble I now use Eukanuba.

I said this in another thread but I wish someone would invent a high meat content kibble with wheat instead of peas.
Mine, who have MWH and cost me a fortune, are clearing the yard of harvest spillages at the moment, and their poos are 50% wholegrain, so why I bother I have no idea!

 

[druid]

Nope wouldn’t feed any of those on principle!

Sorry Druid I have a lot of respect for you and this is truly done ‘tongue in cheek’ but for me personally it does typify attitudes to feeding nowadays 😳

I hope you aren’t offended at my attempt at humour....

Why?
I've fed Raw (and still feed some component of raw), I've fed (and been sponsored by!) grain free - however, with current DCM issues and having euthanised a dog with nutritional DCM I'm playing it safe by rotating foods with different proteins and from different brands which run feeding trials. I'm currently based in the USA so the nutritional DCM issue is much more to the forefront for me than Europe where it's rather being underplayed, IMO.

 

[{97702}]

Why?
I've fed Raw (and still feed some component of raw), I've fed (and been sponsored by!) grain free - however, with current DCM issues and having euthanised a dog with nutritional DCM I'm playing it safe by rotating foods with different proteins and from different brands which run feeding trials. I'm currently based in the USA so the nutritional DCM issue is much more to the forefront for me than Europe where it's rather being underplayed, IMO.

Oh dear - that’s why I said it was tongue in cheek and a clearly failed attempt at being humorous.

I was trying to say that I have seen that response (‘no I wouldn’t feed that on principle’) so many times when someone posts on social media to say what they feed their dog, regardless of what product is being fed and how much thought might have gone into it. I could have used any post on this thread and there would be someone who would disagree with what was being fed.

Clearly too serious a subject to be made light of however, I apologise.

 

[maisie06]

Why?
I've fed Raw (and still feed some component of raw), I've fed (and been sponsored by!) grain free - however, with current DCM issues and having euthanised a dog with nutritional DCM I'm playing it safe by rotating foods with different proteins and from different brands which run feeding trials. I'm currently based in the USA so the nutritional DCM issue is much more to the forefront for me than Europe where it's rather being underplayed, IMO.

That's really intersting, I am currently feeding raw in the morning and a kibble in the evening - for convienience and I hate to say it variety, seems to work really well, I have been avoiding foods with rice as when my dog was younger he seemed to struggle with it, we have a new pup coming who will be on Skinners so may try changing the current Eden for the older dog and adding a bit of skinners instead so eventually I can just but one reasonably priced bag, plus they will be getting a raw breakfast still, I do wonder about going back to meat and mixer though!!!!!!

 

[wren123]

Haha, my labrador's press are 50% deer poo and sticks. She is the greediest lab we've had.
I feed skinners and was considering upgrading (however she does look good on it) but there's a thread on here about the possible link between grain free diets and heart disease.

Eta the link showing clodagh's post didn't work!

 

[Clodagh]

Haha, my labrador's press are 50% deer poo and sticks. She is the greediest lab we've had.
I feed skinners and was considering upgrading (however she does look good on it) but there's a thread on here about the possible link between grain free diets and heart disease.

Eta the link showing clodagh's post didn't work!

I am thinking of inventing a dog food based mainly on poo (rabbit, deer, chicken) with blackberries, damsons and wheat making up the bulk. Maggoty dead carcasses could add different proteins to the mix. Would you buy it!?

 

[PapaverFollis]

I am thinking of inventing a dog food based mainly on poo (rabbit, deer, chicken) with blackberries, damsons and wheat making up the bulk. Maggoty dead carcasses could add different proteins to the mix. Would you buy it!?

My spaniel would. Even if he had to get a paper round to buy it for himself.