Hypoallergenic dog foods... any recommendations please?

[FestiveSpirit]

After losing two dogs with digestive related complaints last year

I have switched the gruesome twosome to a hypoallergenic diet. They were on JWB until recently, but it is wickedly expensive

so I am trying Country Pursuit (£20 a sack cheaper!)

Trouble is that Islay doesnt seem to like Country Pursuit... she eats it even more slowly than JWB, and quite often leaves some

Does anyone have any recommendations for a hypoallergenic food which costs less than JWB? (well, what doesnt cost less!) Or shall I bite the bullet (or credit card) and go back to it? Thanks

PS - please dont suggest feeding raw, I KNOW it is good for them but if I am 100% honest I simply dont have the inclination for it, sorry

 

[unitedkatey]

If your not willing to try a raw natural diet i have no real suggestions.

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

I use JWB - and change which flavour with each sack. I can never remember which one Sweep doesn't like but when I buy it (Sweep looks at me as if I am poisoning him!) I just make a small cup off Bovril and pour it over. It does the trick and he eats it up! Try the Bovril on the one they don't like - its only a couple of quid for a jar, just beef extract in it and it lasts for ages.

 

[mattilda]

How much do you pay for JWB? Just googled it and Burns do it for around 40 quid for 15kg.
I have a really good idea. Why don't you live on cheapy beans and cheapy bread and drink water and then you can get whatever your dogs require. Simple!!

 

[mattilda]

Oooh yes that's a good idea too. I had a very fussy rottie who would only eat her food if it had gravy on it.

 

[ihatework]

Look up a new feed called 'barking heads' 52% meat content and nutritionally comparable to JWB but cheaper

 

[FestiveSpirit]

[ QUOTE ]
How much do you pay for JWB? Just googled it and Burns do it for around 40 quid for 15kg.
I have a really good idea. Why don't you live on cheapy beans and cheapy bread and drink water and then you can get whatever your dogs require. Simple!!

[/ QUOTE ]

I pay around £42-£43 a sack, so not much more than that

And I DO already live on beans on toast and water, I pay out on average twice as much per month at the feed merchants (1 horse, 2 dogs) than I do on feeding myself

I shall try Bovril to see if that helps the fussy one

 

[FestiveSpirit]

[ QUOTE ]
If your not willing to try a raw natural diet i have no real suggestions.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well thanks for that

 

[FestiveSpirit]

[ QUOTE ]
I use JWB - and change which flavour with each sack. I can never remember which one Sweep doesn't like but when I buy it (Sweep looks at me as if I am poisoning him!) I just make a small cup off Bovril and pour it over. It does the trick and he eats it up! Try the Bovril on the one they don't like - its only a couple of quid for a jar, just beef extract in it and it lasts for ages.

[/ QUOTE ]

Fab idea, thanks SlinkyUnicorn

I'll get some tomorrow

BTW I have to ask,,, what does a Slinky Unicorn look like

I have a mental image of a unicorn walking furtively along the road, hiding behind bushes and things so it isnt spotted

 

[FestiveSpirit]

[ QUOTE ]
Look up a new feed called 'barking heads' 52% meat content and nutritionally comparable to JWB but cheaper

[/ QUOTE ]

Great thanks Ben and Jerrys - I have just gooled and they do 2kg bags too, so I can try it before committing myself to a BIG sack

Will give it a try

 

[kirstyhen]

Otto has a suspected wheat allegy, he has just gone on to Skinners Duck and Rice - It's £20 for a 15kg sack (from Countrywide) and he ADORES it!

They also do a Salmon and Rice one which is slightly more.

Otto is completely different now, he doesn't stop eating until the bowl is licked clean, he tries to pinch it at every oppurtunity (something he never did before

) he is much less itchy than he was and best of all his stomach upsets have gone, so now he is actually putting on weight, and keeping it!

 

[kirstyhen]

[ QUOTE ]

I have a mental image of a unicorn walking furtively along the road, hiding behind bushes and things so it isnt spotted

[/ QUOTE ]

Don't be stupid, it's obviously a Unicorn with a metal spring for it's middle, often found tumbling down stairs

 

[Spot_the_Risk]

Burns about £40, JWB £43, Oscars wheat gluten free £32.95, in your situation I would try Skinners duck and rice, gluten gree, high quality, £20 for a 15Kg sack, they also do a salmon wheat gluten free which is a bit more money but still a good price. Also try Autarky, just over £20 a sack - all these prices are for 15kg.

Our dogs don't need a hypoallergenic diet, but we like to feed them well, and we've tried the JWB and Burns (they were scurfy), Oscars maize fish and potato and their maize chicken and rice (dogs looked great), and we've given them the salmon Skinners a while back, and I don't think they had any problems with it. They lost a bit of shine with the Autarky.

 

[FestiveSpirit]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

I have a mental image of a unicorn walking furtively along the road, hiding behind bushes and things so it isnt spotted

[/ QUOTE ]

Don't be stupid, it's obviously a Unicorn with a metal spring for it's middle, often found tumbling down stairs

[/ QUOTE ]

Of course, how could I have not realised that

I loved slinkys - completely useless toys which never worked, but strangely fascinating to play with

 

[FestiveSpirit]

Ooooh and TWO votes for Skinners Duck and Rice now - with the advantage I can get it from Countrywide

- I will try that too

I will of course be careful not to upset their stomachs trying all these suggestions

 

[mattilda]

Maybe you should do a taste test yourself first. If it's good enough for your hounds it should be good enough for you!!

 

[dingle12]

Is the wagg no good for you? its wheat gluten free.

 

[FestiveSpirit]

[ QUOTE ]
Is the wagg no good for you? its wheat gluten free.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry dingle, just after I had posted this question I remembered you saying about the Wagg food, I was just searching for the post

I shall give that a go too - I just want to find something affordable, which keeps condition on them and they like

 

[kirstyhen]

Wagg does have Maize in though, which I "think" some Dogs can react to.

The Skinners is Wheat, Barley and Maize free, and doesn't have any Chicken or Beef in (I just read the bag

).

Here is Wagg on www.dogfoodanalysis.com

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=1634&cat=all

Skinners isn't on there. So I haven't a clue about that, as I'm no doog food geek

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

I have a mental image of a unicorn walking furtively along the road, hiding behind bushes and things so it isnt spotted

[/ QUOTE ]

Don't be stupid, it's obviously a Unicorn with a metal spring for it's middle, often found tumbling down stairs

[/ QUOTE ]

I admit to doing both of these things....

Slinky's - have no real use but make people laugh when you push them down the stairs...

 

[TayloredEq]

I feed Wainwrights which claims to do all the same as JWB but is at least a tenner cheaper. The vet nurses keep asking me what I feed Bear because he looks so well!! And has such a good shine to his coat.

 

[jvoyce]

Our labs have allergies and they do really well on Pascoes Country Complete £16.99 or less for 15Kg from Countrywide.

 

[CAYLA]

Have u tried putting warm water on it, the reason I say this, is we have a rescue lurcher on it, cos she has bad skin, she would not touch the jwb dry, but gulped it down when I gave it to her with warm water in it

or sometimes I used to pour sardine juice on it for a treat.
Mind u , we don't pay anywhere near £40 for it

ps, have also heard Wainrights(sp) is good, one of the dogs I train is on it, she looks fab

 

[Sooty]

I use either Burns, which can be ordered online with free delivery, or Harringtons, from Tesco.

 

[kafue]

[ QUOTE ]
I feed Wainwrights which claims to do all the same as JWB but is at least a tenner cheaper. The vet nurses keep asking me what I feed Bear because he looks so well!! And has such a good shine to his coat.

[/ QUOTE ]

i use this too, its FAB!! Fin is a really fussy eater and this keeps his weight on and he eats is without grumbling!

 

[FestiveSpirit]

Thanks SO much for all your replies, you guys really are a wealth of information, I am so pleased I asked on here

I am thinking that since Islay doesnt like the Country Pursuit then I will try one of the other suggestions, and see if she prefers that.. if we cant find one she likes then we will try the warm water/Bovril options too

 

[Twinkletoes]

[ QUOTE ]
After losing two dogs with digestive related complaints last year

I have switched the gruesome twosome to a hypoallergenic diet. They were on JWB until recently, but it is wickedly expensive

so I am trying Country Pursuit (£20 a sack cheaper!)

Trouble is that Islay doesnt seem to like Country Pursuit... she eats it even more slowly than JWB, and quite often leaves some

Does anyone have any recommendations for a hypoallergenic food which costs less than JWB? (well, what doesnt cost less!) Or shall I bite the bullet (or credit card) and go back to it? Thanks

PS - please dont suggest feeding raw, I KNOW it is good for them but if I am 100% honest I simply dont have the inclination for it, sorry

[/ QUOTE ]
First of all Ive found out from 2 terriers with Very bad skin conditions, one still with me, that you cant try and cut costs with their feed. Mine is now on Arden Grange dry and Naturediet Fish and has (touches wood v quickly) not had so much as a flare up in 4 months, it is brilliant. Oh and a squirt of wickedly expensive gerr salmon oil.

 

[millimoo]

The natural dog food company - google them.
Although not cheap they are recognised by the holistic society etc.
My labrador could not stomach JWB, but is great on this food and although about the same price, she's only on 2 cups a day and on a diet at the mo so one bag lasts me months.

 

[PucciNPoni]

My favorite food is Land of Holistic Pets -- they have two - one is called Robbies and the other is called Luath's. You can google to find them. The ingredients are all thigns you'd recognise and eat yourself ie. chicken, or lamb - with greenbeans, carrots, parsley, chicory etc. The rice is very importantly BROWN rice (there are some out there that have started using WHITE because it's cheaper, but not necessarily good for the dogs). The protein, which tends to be a big issue for many dogs, is quite low. Overload on protein can lead to skin problems and various other things.

The reason I started using it was that I spend lots of time/research/money feeding my horse the very best I can for her...and the dogs were getting something off the shelf. I have always been a fan of JWB - but I gotta say that the difference in my older dogs coat and condition and well being has been very noticable.

The food isn't cheap - but a 20 kg bagruns about £40 (but you tend to require less of it -- especially the Robbies which you need to re-hydrate with hot water so it bulks up).

 

[Oneofthepack]

I've not seen any others posts about this food but I've changed from JWB to Autarkey. The owner of our pet food warehouse did some online research and found this stuff which is so close to JWB in proportions it's not worth bothering about, it's gluten/wheat and soya free, hypoallergenic and advertised as an holistic complete food as it has herbs like Aloe Vera etc in. It's £19.50 a sack as opposed to JWB's £40 and mine eat it just the same and all look good after 2 months on it.