Millies Wolfheart dog food

[HelenBack]

Just wondering if anybody feeds their dog any of the feeds from this range? I've been recommended it and quite like the look of it but have never heard of it before so am curious if anybody has direct experience of it?

My dog tends to suffer from dry skin and I like how this food leaves out chicken and eggs and beet pulp and so on.

It looks to be quite high in protein compared to a lot of other dog food but I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I'm clueless on dog food compared to horse food!

 

[Sprout]

I used to use it, but had to change for various reasons.
They have an extensive range, which can be a bit mind blowing, but if you ring up/email for advice they are very helpful.
Good quality food and customer service.

 

[HelenBack]

Thanks, that's good to know. Can I ask if your reasons for changing were related to the food itself or due to other factors? I'm a bit worried because there's something on the website about them possibly getting upset tums when they first switch to it, which makes me worry about it being rich. Obviously I would make any changes gradually though.

I've narrowed it down to one or two for now as my dog needs to lose a bit of weight following a period of inactivity due to injury. I can see what you mean about the extensive range though and I can imagine it could be quite confusing if he needed something a bit more when he's more active again.

I honestly thought horse feed was a minefield but it's nothing compared to dog food!

 

[Kat_Bath]

When we got Harvey (rescue, kind of, long story) he was on whatever was on offer, cheapest possible, from the supermarket. I wanted him to be in a good quality food so we gently transitioned to MWH. In the end, it was much too rich for him and almost too good. It didn't do much for his skin either and it turns out he is much better with a single protein. I have to say though, they were very helpful and it wasn't too badly priced either, in comparison to some. I think it suits some and definitely doesn't suit others but, like humans, every dog is different.

 

[HelenBack]

Thanks for this, that's a bit what I'm worried about really. Can I ask which food you went for in the end please? I know it will vary from one dog to another but it's a new area of research for me so I'm a bit overwhelmed.

 

[Kat_Bath]

I nearly added that on the end! He was (and still is, to a degree) on Wafcol salmon and potato (large breed - just a bigger size kibble, I think). He's since had tummy issues and is now on 75% Purina HA (which, incidentally, works really well for him) and 25% Wafcol. He did really well on the Wafol though and it wasn't the Wafol that created the tummy issues. The reason he's still on a bit of it is because the Purina made his poos so, so solid and he was straining a bit - poor love! The Wafol helps things move along a bit better!

I don't think Wafcol is as well heard of as some other brands/makers. The Purina is technically a veterinary diet. As an aside, we soak his Wafcol. Mostly due to his tummy issues but even if he didn't have tummy issues, I still would as it swells quite significantly and I don't feel I could go back now I've seen that!

 

[Odyssey]

I fed my last dog on it, and would probably use it for my current one if I could afford it. Generally speaking, dogs need meat/fish rather than grains, which is the main component of the cheaper kibbles. I just bought the cheaper MW ones as he was about 30kg, so ate a lot! The choice is rather overwhelming, but if your dog can eat a high meat/fish diet and cost isn't an issue, I'd probably go for the 70/30 ones. My dog did very well on it, he was in good health and could still go for longish walks in his last year. He was a greyhound and they have very sensitive digestion, but it's a brand I would recommend for them, so should be ok for most sensitive dogs. The being too rich thing can be misleading, often a food doesn't suit a dog because they're sensitive to the ingredients - often beef, chicken, wheat, soya and maize. The dog food manufacturers such as Pedigree liked the "too rich myth, in fact it's pretty awful food! Though my dogs have been ok on maize, it's not one of the better grains for them. Oats are preferable.

I bought the two bag deals from the 60/40 range, which worked out a bit cheaper - one was the Riverside mix. I think that's a good compromise between a decent amount of meat/fish, and not being horrendously expensive. I used to get the two small bag deals for my mum's cocker spaniel. Dog food starts to go off once the bag is opened, so it's better to buy small bags for a smaller dog. You don't want to be using the same bag for months.

I answered a post about dog food at the weekend, I summarised much of what I've learnt about dog food, so that might be of interest to you. I'm not saying that I'm any kind of expert, but have done a lot of reading about it. I can't tell you the posters name, but it's Welsh I think, and begins with P! ?

 

[vallin]

Daisy's been on it since we stopped feeding raw and does really well on it. I change what I feed depending on her workload but it's all suited her and she has a lovely glossy coat.

 

[Moobli]

I have plenty of friends who swear by it and it does look a good food from a good company. I am happy feeding mine on Simpsons Premium (they get half raw diet too), otherwise I would probably look at MWH after the reviews I have heard.

 

[Annette4]

I used to feed it and the skinnies did very well on it. We've recently changed but purely for cost reasons as I found a similar quality food cheaper but I would go back to them. I used their nutritional team and found them really helpful too.

Edited to add: my guys were on the 60:40 mix as they lost too much weight on the higher mixes when we first moved across but they are very active sighthounds who generally struggle to hold their weight with too much protein.

 

[Odyssey]

I used to feed it and the skinnies did very well on it. We've recently changed but purely for cost reasons as I found a similar quality food cheaper but I would go back to them. I used their nutritional team and found them really helpful too.

Edited to add: my guys were on the 60:40 mix as they lost too much weight on the higher mixes when we first moved across but they are very active sighthounds who generally struggle to hold their weight with too much protein.

It's interesting that your dogs lost weight on the higher protein mixes, I've never used them. What breed are they? Could you tell me what brand you use now please? I'm always looking for high meat content kibble that's more affordable.

 

[HelenBack]

Wow, thank you for all the replies on this, I wasn't expecting that! Sounds like it's definitely worthy of consideration then. I think I will get some samples and see how we get on. I think at the moment we'd have to go for one of the low fat options but I think I will email them for advice. I'll also mention it to my parents as they have a greyhound with sensitive digestion.

I was looking at the Wafcol one on the Pets at Home website the other day too and quite liked the look of that so that's another one that's definitely worthy of consideration.

Odyssey - I will dig out your post summarising what you've learnt about dog food as I think it will be helpful. I've learnt quite a lot about horse food over the years as my horse has quite complicated requirements. It's only now that I've started to look at dog food though and have realised how much rubbish there is in a lot of food and how complicated it all is too!

I do agree with the point about dogs being primarily meant to eat meat though, am I the only one who thinks it's weird that dog food has alfalfa and beet pulp in it?

 

[Annette4]

It's interesting that your dogs lost weight on the higher protein mixes, I've never used them. What breed are they? Could you tell me what brand you use now please? I'm always looking for high meat content kibble that's more affordable.

They are a whippet and Whippet x saluki. Having done more digging its common with sighthounds to struggle to maintain weight with high protein levels. They are on CSJ now, same protein/carb ratio but £30 for 15kg.

 

[CrunchieBoi]

We fed this to our dogs before they went on a fully raw diet. As far as dry foods go it's very good quality and we still buy the tinned food for taking on holiday.

 

[Clodagh]

My 4 working labs are on it, although occasionally I try other things for the easy to feed 2.
Old lab looks great on it and she gets scurf on anything with beet pulp. Next oldest gets ear infections and inflamed mouth creases if fed beet pulp.
Younger two can eat anything but look great on it. You don’t feed a lot of it so it isn’t too expensive, I only use about 2 bags a month when they aren’t working.
Agree with asking their nutritionist team, mine also run up light on the 80/20 and that is expensive for four. They have the cheapest at the moment and go up to the 60/40 in the shooting season.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Hi Op
I posted a similar question about dog food recently and was directed to a brilliant site
Www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk
It’s really interesting and simplifies things to give a really good idea of what foods are good and which contain what.

 

[minesadouble]

Our Hungarian Vizsla has a very sensitive digestive system and is prone to colitis. He does very well on MWH, he's on the 70% turkey version.
He looks fabulous.

 

[leflynn]

I feed the Alert mix as its lower protein for my Greyhound, she looks well on it, fed prev Greys on it too and they've always done great on it, also get the lamb head skins as treats as they help keep teeth a bit cleaner

 

[Sprout]

Thanks, that's good to know. Can I ask if your reasons for changing were related to the food itself or due to other factors? I'm a bit worried because there's something on the website about them possibly getting upset tums when they first switch to it, which makes me worry about it being rich. Obviously I would make any changes gradually though.

I've narrowed it down to one or two for now as my dog needs to lose a bit of weight following a period of inactivity due to injury. I can see what you mean about the extensive range though and I can imagine it could be quite confusing if he needed something a bit more when he's more active again.

I honestly thought horse feed was a minefield but it's nothing compared to dog food!

One of my dogs became very fussy, and despite trying different ones from Millies, adding extra bits etc I changed completely .... onto Barking Heads Salmon which she loves. My other dog sadly had to switch onto a Neurocare feed when she developed Epilepsy.

 

[HelenBack]

Thank you for all the comments. I spoke to their adviser yesterday and have ordered some samples based on her advice.

I'm also looking into the other suggestions mentioned and will definitely be taking a look at the all about dog food website.

Fingers crossed we will find something that works!

 

[Andie02]

Have a look at Acana and Orijen, there is no sugar beet, rice, grain and potatoes in either. We use Orijen and Forthglade Just range, as one of our dogs has itchy skin problems and ear infections if she has food with too many carbs. She also has Stinky Stuff's "Non Stinky" as a food additive every day and these seem to be stopping the problems.