Different Dog Foods - quality question?

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barneyandem

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Hi there,

Just wondered if I could have some opinions on different dog food and their quality/ingredients. I am trying to be concientous about feeding my dog a good quality diet, but recently went to a huge pet supermarket and was bowled over by the amount of different brands and their ingredients. I currently shop in a well known chain of pet supermarkets, which I always thought were large with a good variety, but this particular store I visited was ginormous in comparison! I must of spent an hour looking at all the labels!
Anyway, my dog is currently on Arden Grange dry food mixed with Nature diet wet tray food (she won't eat dry on its own). Is this considered a good quality feed? Could I do better? She looks well and healthy but i'm curious. The ingredients seem good, but I would love to hear anyones opinions on brands..
I know Pedigree isn't considered the best, but how do they rate with the others, Hills, Burns, Wainwrights, Caesar, Butchers etc?
Is there anything to avoid or that you wouldn't feed your dog?
 
I wouldn't feed my dog Bakers, even if it was a choice between feeding him that or letting him knaw on my own leg!!!
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Apart from that, I'm no help
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I did a bit of a trawl about the feed stands at Crufts a few years ago and decided that James Well Beloved was pretty good. My girl has been on their lamb flavour senior food for years and does well on it.
 
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I wouldn't feed my dog Bakers, even if it was a choice between feeding him that or letting him knaw on my own leg!!!
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Why?
 
Hello! I have two dogs. I know exactly, that to feed with the dry forage of dogs not recommended, they have problems with a stomach and liver. It is better qualify squeak. And of course give vitamins during a meal, a chalk is very useful to the bones of dog.
 
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I wouldn't feed my dog Bakers, even if it was a choice between feeding him that or letting him knaw on my own leg!!!

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Totally agree with you, it's full of artificial colours and has barely any nutritional value. May as well feed the dog a big bag of sweeties.
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Most dogs I know that try it end up a bit ADHD in their behaviour.
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Legally, if a dog food says on the bag what it is ie chicken and rice, it must contain 4% chicken and 4% rice, the other 92% may or may not be declared. Foods that have a multitude of colours, Bakers springs to mind, declare in the ingredients that there is 4% meat in the meaty nugget, so you could realistically be feeding less than 1% meat, but paying a premium price! A lot of dogs love Bakers, look at the ingredients and you'll see a host of E numbers listed, and flavourings too - I always think that you wouldn't feed your childen like this, so why your dogs!?

Regarding quality foods, we sell mainly Oscar which is a british company, with raw materials being sourced as much as possibly in the UK, and with no additives, colourants, E numbers, but high in quality ingredients and vits and mins (check the vits and mins declared, Vit A in Oscar wheat gluten free is 24,000 iu I think). JWB isn't bad but the price has gone through the roof (also see the recent post on here regarding bad smelling meat being reported in the press - this was Crown Pet foods, which are the owners of JWB). Burns is good, but they import a lot of their raw produce, ie lamb from New Zealand, which can be an issue if you're trying to keep CO2 immissions down! Arden Grange is good, Hills, Royal Canin (also owned by Crown Pet Foods), if you're looking at the cheaper end of the market, we sell a lot of Chudleys (part of Dodson & Horrell) and Skinners Field and Trial, the duck and rice is good value, £19.95 and wheat gluten free, Autarky is also popular, part of Baileys horse feeds and £19.50 for again wheat gluten free adult range (can't remember the price of the puppy and senior). Nature Diet is made in this country, we sell loads of this, but probably more Natures Harvest, which is the same size pack, but has added glucosamine. Natures menu, comes in a pouch nearly 100g smalled that Diet and Harvest, but a similar price. Tinned foods also vary, Butchers seems to be pretty good, but Chappie has the lowest vitamin value I've found - just 500iu of Vit A. Wet food is an expensive way to feed a dog, personally I prefer dry complete, with a dollop of yogurt occasionally, or an extra egg if the chickens are laying well!

Sorry if I've rambled on a bit, both OH and I are nutritional advisors for Oscar, so we go through scenarios like these everyday of the week with customers, and potential new customers!
 
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I wouldn't feed my dog Bakers, even if it was a choice between feeding him that or letting him knaw on my own leg!!!
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Why?

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As others have said, it is full of artificial colours and additives. My Dog is bonkers enough without filling him full of that!!!
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My YO's dog fits if he is fed on Bakers, if it can cause that reaction in even just one dog, I don't want to feed it to mine!

Plus, it's bloomin' expensive!
 
Two foods I would never feed any of my lot are Bakers and Pedigree Chum.

(Although Tina did need tinned food which was Pedigree but that was only cos she would not eat following surgery, it was mixed in with her meal)

I have heard rumours JWB is being taken over by Pedigree?
 
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Two foods I would never feed any of my lot are Bakers and Pedigree Chum.



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Would you like to retract this statement, in light of the fact that...

You do!!!

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Gina feeds Pedigree, Gina feeds Pedigree!!
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Poor Beastie, no good you trying to make it better by calling it JWB, you feed Pedigree!
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Wow, that is brilliant advice! Thanks everyone! When I was at this supermarket, the advisor said that because I fed a high quality dry food (Arden Grange Senior), that I could get away with mixing it with a cheaper wet food? Surely this would defeat the object of buying a good dry food if I was going to dilute it with rubbish and so make a mediocre meal? I didn't take her advice, and bought the Nature Diet Senior/lite which seemed to be a decent product. Just seems like such a minefield, and I would hate to inadvertantly feed her rubbish.
 
If you really want to be sure of the quality of the feed take it into your own hands and feed raw meat and bones, no additives preservatives or flavourings, no supplements required and human quality food. No cheap bulk from wheat or cereals, no rice and nothing else a dog is not designed to eat.

No highly overcooked dubious quality meat with artificial vitimins and minerals added back in!

BTW Crown pet foods who I am told are responsible for Wellbeloved? On the National News the other week stinking out a West Country Village with a smell and I quote " like cooking off meat" Up the quality? did they hell they shelled out 1 million to put in a new system to keep the smell of rotting meat from wafting around the country!

There are no restrictions on what can be added to pet foods and there are few requirements to list all ingredients, carcenogens are common due to having to colour overcooked meat and cereals so its a minefield.
 
Echo what KarynK has just said, I used to feed my dogs tinned meat, then I discovered the raw food and bones way and would NEVER ever feed anything else, what a difference it has made to my dogs behaviour and health over this last year or so. I use thedogfoodcompany.net after swopping from landywoods for various reasons. Products are far better than anything else I have tried in the past and the dogs do very well on it.
 
The best dog biscuits I've used are made by "healthy option pet food" - their website seems to be down atm though
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It really is fab
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Gave an extra couple of years to my old girl who was very sensitive and picky, and was great for condition
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I have been using a little tinned meat to try and get Pops eating up her biscuits, but given how she greatly prefers the meat in her meals
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I'm now going for a better quality of meat - others on here recommended wainwrights to me, and I'm going to buy some of that this week
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http://www.petsathome.com/find/category-...roduct-is-23736
 
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I wouldn't feed my dog Bakers, even if it was a choice between feeding him that or letting him knaw on my own leg!!!
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Why?

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As others have said, it is full of artificial colours and additives. My Dog is bonkers enough without filling him full of that!!!
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My YO's dog fits if he is fed on Bakers, if it can cause that reaction in even just one dog, I don't want to feed it to mine!

Plus, it's bloomin' expensive!

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I agree on the expense but other foods don't come in much cheaper I have found.

I have just looked on the meaty meals bag and on the ingredients list there is no mention of e numbers and the like. He acts no different than when he was on Wainwrights food and the vet is pleased with his weight and health.
Likewise my parents dog thrives on it.

BTW I have replied to your post but it is a general post really not aimed at you!
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I agree on the expense but other foods don't come in much cheaper I have found.

I have just looked on the meaty meals bag and on the ingredients list there is no mention of e numbers and the like. He acts no different than when he was on Wainwrights food and the vet is pleased with his weight and health.
Likewise my parents dog thrives on it.

BTW I have replied to your post but it is a general post really not aimed at you!
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Sorry - had to reply to this!

Taken from bakers Complete website:

Meaty Meals - Rich in Beef
Ingredients
Meat and animal derivatives (minimum 14% beef and minimum 4% fresh meat), Cereals, Various sugars, Oils and fats, Vegetable protein extracts, Minerals, Derivatives of vegetable origin. Contains EC permitted colourants, antioxidants and preservatives.

As you can see there is a mention of e-numbers
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this sentence here says that:
Contains EC permitted colourants, antioxidants and preservatives.

this basically means e numbers..... type in to google to check if you like?


also see this analysis of bakers food on dog food analysis:
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=424&cat=all

Sorry - not having a dig - just wanted you to know. I wouldn't feed my dog that, ever...
 
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