Dog feeding question.

[Clodagh]

I just got a bag of Millies Wolfheart to try young lab on, as she gets skanky ears. I am not sure it is much better than Skinners Salmon and Rice but I assume so as it is a lot more expensive! I just weighed out what she is recommended to have and it is roughly twice the amount she has of the Skinners. I then weighed the Skinners amount I give her (never done that before, I just feed by eye) and she is having half the recommended amount of that too. Does anyone feed what it 'says on the tin'? I know it is off season but even when dogging in starts she will still be having way less.
I also thought I had better stop my mother shovelling bonios, shapes and bright green chews down her!

 

[CorvusCorax]

No I never feed recommended amounts, I feed by eye. Every dog is different. The packet doesn't know your dog, if it is a good do-er or not, how much work it is getting etc.

 

[Clodagh]

No I never feed recommended amounts, I feed by eye. Every dog is different. The packet doesn't know your dog, if it is a good do-er or not, how much work it is getting etc.

People who don't use their brain must have fat dogs!

 

[MurphysMinder]

I feed half the amount it says on the Skinners bag to my two. They are pretty active and are both a good weight, I have always fed by eye, if too fat reduce the food, if too thin increase it. Shame I cant apply the same rule to myself.

 

[Cahill]

i have a 20kg and a 41kg on skinners d+r.
they have 1 can of supermarket stuff between them 4 times a week and the other 3 days have a tin of sardines each mixed in.

a bag of skinners lasts 6 weeks !!

they stay the same weight and are active and we do agility.

 

[Thistle]

I feed by eye, if they're getting a bit fat I cut down, thin, I add more. I can weigh out how much Millies I feed if it helps. Lab (elderly and a bit idle) and Staffie (fairly active) both have just under a mug full and Beans (hyper active) has 1 and half mugfuls all fed 2x daily. Spaniel gets lots of added oils too, coconut in the morning (supposed to be great for allergies) and salmon oil at night. He is still skinny but well muscled.

Which Millies are you feeding. Mine are all on 50/50 just now, I rotate through gundog, utility and agility as I bulk buy their special offer multi deals.

I'm going to have a look at Country dog foods Heaven scent when I run out as it seems similar and better priced.

My dogs are all less scurfy and also less farty/breath smelly on Millie than they were on salmon Autarky.

 

[Clodagh]

I feed half the amount it says on the Skinners bag to my two. They are pretty active and are both a good weight, I have always fed by eye, if too fat reduce the food, if too thin increase it. Shame I cant apply the same rule to myself.

Wouldn't it be good. Mind you if I feed the poor dog any less it will look cruel, she only has a small mug full once a day now, with the odd egg or leftover.

 

[Clodagh]

I feed by eye, if they're getting a bit fat I cut down, thin, I add more. I can weigh out how much Millies I feed if it helps. Lab (elderly and a bit idle) and Staffie (fairly active) both have just under a mug full and Beans (hyper active) has 1 and half mugfuls all fed 2x daily. Spaniel gets lots of added oils too, coconut in the morning (supposed to be great for allergies) and salmon oil at night. He is still skinny but well muscled.

Which Millies are you feeding. Mine are all on 50/50 just now, I rotate through gundog, utility and agility as I bulk buy their special offer multi deals.

I'm going to have a look at Country dog foods Heaven scent when I run out as it seems similar and better priced.

My dogs are all less scurfy and also less farty/breath smelly on Millie than they were on salmon Autarky.

Thank you. See I am not sure Millies and it's price might be a step too far as she has a great coat and never farts - except when she finds a hens nest somewhere - it really is just her ears. I just got back from the vet and she has a chronic infection again.

 

[Clodagh]

i have a 20kg and a 41kg on skinners d+r.
they have 1 can of supermarket stuff between them 4 times a week and the other 3 days have a tin of sardines each mixed in.

a bag of skinners lasts 6 weeks !!

they stay the same weight and are active and we do agility.

I feed a very similar diet, our skinners lasts a month when all 3 are on it.

 

[spacefaer]

I did the same exercise (weighing recommended amounts vs what I was actually feeding) with my WPs some years ago, and asked them to consider the condition of their horses and amount of energy the horses had. Turned out I was feeding almost exactly half of the manufacturer's recommendations on the bag.

I'd've had fat horses and an (even more)| empty purse if I'd followed their guidelines.

 

[planete]

I have never looked at the manufacturers' recommended amounts! Intrigued and off to check now.

 

[Thistle]

A mug full of Millie Gundog weighs 85g

 

[Thistle]

A mug full of Millie Gundog weighs 85g

So the spaniel is on just the right amout at the higher end of the recommendation. The others are on just over half.

 

[blackcob]

I do DIY raw now but for the sake of argument have just checked the feeding guide on a bag of Natures Menu complete nuggets which suggests nearly 700g a day for mine, at a cost of about £3/day per dog. In reality they get around 400-450g a day.

I have been caught out recently though, dog #1 finished racing early January, dog #2 continued solo until April. Having continued feeding them the same amount without really thinking about it I now have one fat and one thin dog.

 

[Clodagh]

A mug full of Millie Gundog weighs 85g

Mine is a big mug then! My mug is 150g.

 

[Thistle]

Mine is a big mug then! My mug is 150g.

Don't tell my dogs, they'll be phoning the RSPCA

 

[Clodagh]

But yours do get twice a day...

blackcob, I am always behind on feed adjustments, usually they do OK as I feed less and if my OH does it he feeds more, so if like the last couple of weeks I have fed them every day I suddenly realise they are a bit ribby.

 

[Sprout]

I have just switched to a Millieswolfheart product and found the recommended amount was twice what I had been feeding of the previous food - I also generally feed by eye, but have to admit their recommended amount has kept her at a good weight, even though I thought she would get fat!

 

[PingPongPony]

I feed Orijen and both of mine are on the lower end of recommended amount and are not too fat or too thin