sorry :( Food Advice

fidleyspromise

fidleyspromise

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Sam (3yr old GSD) is currently on Wagg and he gets a tin of meat. I really want him on the best diet and I'm not sure this is it.

He is whining for his food breakfast and dinner and is ravenous just now. He's on proper rations for his weight (35kg) and looks to have put on a little weight but can still just see his ribs. He is a very lean dog anyway.

Raw isn't an option due to space.
It has to be something that's easy to buy - locally for instance - such as Pets at Home - as depending on winter, deliveries can be stopped. :(

I know vets have Royal Canin(sp?) in stock. Would this be more nutritional?

I am phoning vet to get Sam booked in for a weigh check as its been a month since neutering and so I'll ask their advice on food etc but would like to know others opinions?
 
I like using James Wellbeloved complete biscuits and Nature Diet meat. They get 4 days of meat and 3 of biscuit :)

There may be better, cheaper brands that others could suggest :o
 
I use barking heads which my old girl loved and my pup is on and also loves.
Wagg is cheap but for good reason. TBH it's a false economy, having fed that myself for a while. Some feeds are more expensive but the likes of BH has high meat content and no crap added. I also feed less of that than compared with the likes of wagg, so doesn't work out that much more expensive.
 
someone on here had a traffic light guide to feeds :) hopefully they'll see this and post it!!

the way I have learnt is - anything that you can find in the supermarket is probably no good (sweeping statement, i may have missed some exceptions)

I feed James Wellbeloved lamb and kibble, it put weight on my underweight lurcher pup and she seems to thrive off it. Its reasonably priced too!! :)

Shes also has raw treats with the possible view to switch when we move to a house with a garden :)
 
I have tried James Well Beloved and my two hated it, I moved them ont ot the Barking Heads food and they love it. It is more xepensive than the Waggs or Bakers but it is far far better for the dogs than the cheaper feeds. Mine are not keen on raw, will not eat offal raw, only eat liver cooked, won't eat raw chicken and to be honest raw does not suit me so I think the Barking Heads feed is a good solution. I never feed tinned food as it tends to go in wet and come out wetter, and does seem to give them wind. I bought a 12kg bag this weekend and it cost me £45 but that will last me a month or more for 2 dogs
 
Whoops should have said I'm not looking for cheap (although not too expensive either).
I want whats best for him that would also be within reason budget wise. :)

The_Original_Kao - I'm guessing BH isn't normally easily sourced?
Because I'm in the sticks in the scottish highlands, I don't want to run out of whatever we get. I don't have storage for more than one bag of food at a time.

I need to go and look at some of the bigger stores around and see if they have anything thats mentioned on this thread.

Jake10 and Mr Velvet - I have heard of James B. before. Will go see what I can find and the feeding raw treats in prep. for bigger house sounds good. - what sort of raw treats and where do you get them from?

traffic light guide sounds like a fab resource.
Please keep the answers coming :) I can't believe how much I don't know.

Bosworth - an excellent point. will need to see if can get smaller samples of foods to try him with then. Perhaps its made a difference just giving him half a tin in am and half in pm - just enough to wet his food as he's not impressed with it dry and won't touch it. Will see if can find BH anywhere local.

Fingers crossed he isn't too fussy. - He was previously fed Wagg so I hadn't wanted to give him too many changes when he moved house from country to town, from other dogs to an only dog and so I've now had him eeeeeek 6 months. :D
 
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Try Arden Grange or Skinners Field and Trial. My very leggy adult male is 45kg, would not worry too much about him being lean, and a lot of GSDs are whiny whiners so I wouldn't read too much into that :p how are his stools?
If he is keen for food, I would be exploiting that for training purposes and tipping his food into your pockets when you are out and about :)

ETA JWB never did much for my sheps and I think for what is in it, it is very expensive, but each to their own :) Arden Grange was formulated for and is produced by GSD breeders.
 
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Lean is better than fat!

Re the traffic light system, dunno if it was on here or petforums? Wagg is red i.e. one of the worst available. It may not be satisfying the hunger.

You want to use a dog food analysis website, maybe, or just google the ingredients. Avoid anything with the words 'permitted EC additives which tend to be BHA or BHT, both potentially cancerous. Unbelievable that they are allowed still. :( You might not want anything with too much rice and grain because you're paying lots for cereals. Protein levels are a personal choice.

James Wellbeloved is green so good. Skinners is also decent. Both are available in Pets at Home. Also try Zooplus for deliveries in decent weather as they often have offers.

These guides use the traffic light system.
http://www.petforums.co.uk/dog-health-nutrition/189896-dry-dog-food-index.html

http://www.petforums.co.uk/dog-health-nutrition/194976-wet-dog-food-index.html
 
CaveCanem said:
Try Arden Grange or Skinners Field and Trial. My very leggy adult male is 45kg, would not worry too much about him being lean, and a lot of GSDs are whiny whiners so I wouldn't read too much into that :p how are his stools?
If he is keen for food, I would be exploiting that for training purposes and tipping his food into your pockets when you are out and about :)

ETA JWB never did much for my sheps and I think for what is in it, it is very expensive, but each to their own :) Arden Grange was formulated for and is produced by GSD breeders.
Click to expand...

This is why I love forums. So much information - as I find sites that explain ingredients etc very difficult to understand and they confuse me more. I can get other peoples experiences here.

I'm sure I've seen skinners in the local horse feed store. Will have a look for Arden Grange (had no idea it was forumulated for GSDs) as well. just as well I have 5 days off - go dog food hunting, lol, I love it!

He is a whiny dog but its only the past few days he's been mithering more and more and earlier and earlier for his food. His stools are fine and perfectly normal (firm) and surprisingly not very smelly either.
What raw foods are good for treats - taking some of this out and using for training?

Many thanks :D
 
fidleyspromise said:
Whoops should have said I'm not looking for cheap (although not too expensive either).
I want whats best for him that would also be within reason budget wise. :)

The_Original_Kao - I'm guessing BH isn't normally easily sourced?
Because I'm in the sticks in the scottish highlands, I don't want to run out of whatever we get. I don't have storage for more than one bag of food at a time.

I need to go and look at some of the bigger stores around and see if they have anything thats mentioned on this thread.
Click to expand...


I get mine from my local pet shop. You can order it online though. The guy who owns the pet shop feeds his 2 GSD's on it and he says they go through 1 big bag a month between the 2 of them.

http://www.barkingheads.co.uk/

Although just checked and delivery to highland, islands is £19.99 :O
 
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Well if you want to stick with dry, just decant some of his daily allowance into your pockets and use it as a reward when he recalls, sits, heels etc.

Chicken wings are a good raw treat and you can cut them up into 50p size pieces with good strong kitchen scissors and feed them as treats too.

I am feeding a frozen raw complete food at the mo called DUCK which can be rolled into small balls and re-frozen or cooked which is good for treats too.
 
cinammontoast said:
Lean is better than fat!

Re the traffic light system, dunno if it was on here or petforums? Wagg is red i.e. one of the worst available. It may not be satisfying the hunger.

You want to use a dog food analysis website, maybe, or just google the ingredients. Avoid anything with the words 'permitted EC additives which tend to be BHA or BHT, both potentially cancerous. Unbelievable that they are allowed still. :( You might not want anything with too much rice and grain because you're paying lots for cereals. Protein levels are a personal choice.

James Wellbeloved is green so good. Skinners is also decent. Both are available in Pets at Home. Also try Zooplus for deliveries in decent weather as they often have offers.

These guides use the traffic light system.
http://www.petforums.co.uk/dog-health-nutrition/189896-dry-dog-food-index.html

http://www.petforums.co.uk/dog-health-nutrition/194976-wet-dog-food-index.html
Click to expand...

it was wagg = not satisfying his hunger I'd been thinking of and made me step up aa gear to find a more suitable food. Again, trying to keep him lean but satisfy his hunger is the big issue I'm thinking of :)
These guides look good :) huge thanks.


I really appreciate everyone's suggestions and sharing their expertise and opinions :D
 
That traffic light system is just the opinion of a forum user though- no real science behind it.
I used to feed wainwrights (pets at home)
Now feed Skinners (off tinternet) dex's belly is much better on the skinners
 
I would also second everyone that has suggested Skinners, have both mine on it (JRT & Lurcher), both love it and look great on it, plus its really cost efficient too.

I did use Duck for a while when i only had my JRT, but sourcing and storing wasnt particularly easy.

A friend of mine swears by burns, but my two turned their noses up at it...
 
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