The Dry Dog Food Index

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Very interesting lists though I am feeding 2 red feeds but as my very large dog at 10 1/2 years old and a picture of health I will not change his diet. He does also fill up on egg shells, cleans the grill pans, steals the margarine, horse hoof trimmings, horse poo, calf poo, cow poo ( bit of a theme there) ect, ect.
 
Generally speaking and with livestock-feeds (sheep cattle etc.), the protein content whilst reflected by the price, also reflects the 'source' of the protein, and it's an important point. With the cheaper L/S feeds, for instance, the higher protein but cheaper feeds are sourced all so often from urea.

With ruminants being fed byproducts of other animals, is how we ended up with BSE. Dogs however, being totally accepting of animal by products probably wouldn't suffer and though seeming to be unpalatable to us, perhaps that would include the apparently less than savoury aspects, though the important point (to me anyway!), is that considering the other side of the coin, canines aren't truly vegetarian and achieving a protein level which would, under normal circumstances be exclusive to a herbivore, could well be a mistake.

I'm not a dietician and tend to feed my dogs what ever is available, but it does all make me wonder.

Alec.
 
Don't really know what you're getting at Alec swan? Any sane person knows dogs (and cats) aren't herbivores or veggies for that matter......they do eat certain herbs/hedgerow fruits/veg naturally though..
 
I suspect that you've missed my point. The point that I'm making Micky is that all so often and in the dietary makeup of many feeds for dogs, the protein level is obtained from sources which would normally be considered that of herbivores. Those dog feeds which are predominantly grain based are sourcing their claimed for protein levels from a food source which is generally alien to dogs. Does that help?

Alec.
 
My new pup is being fed on waggs dry puppy food I've been told.

So I guess as its a red rating I'll want to change that asap.

Would anyone like to recommend a puopy food for a terrier..

We used to feed my last dog james wellbeloved I think, and arden grange was the other alternative at the time.

Live in ni, but access to pets at home and other smaller pet shops.

Many thanks for help :)

Fiona
 
This may have been covered or off topic but is there a simple guide between the pros and cons of wet vs dry food? just inherited a labradoodle and would like to switch to dry but she's eight years old.
 
don't think it is listed but what is your opinion on AATU? it has very good reviews, high meat content grain free etc? The kibble is almost moist so it seems fresh. My fussy dog loves it.
 
Thanks cm...

I used the allaboutdogfood site and settled on wainwright's puppy..

She is a wee tinker though, wolf's one flavour down and dislikes another. .. Rascal..

Fiona
 
I'm not sure meat content is the best way to grade dog food of any kind - dogs are omnivores and can live quite well on vegetarian diets, properly balanced. For me, the more important consideration would be what if any non foods are included, much as I check out human processed food. If it contains ingredients I don't recognise as a food stuff I leave it on the shelf.
Cats on the other hand do need meat, as they can't metabolise their own turine (sp?) so meat content would be important for them
 
Taurine. I absolutely wouldn't dream of feeding a dog on a vegetarian diet, there's simply no need.

I agree about the non food ingredients, but they're often well disguised or just not mentioned and the E numbers proliferate in some foods, especially the big brands in the supermarkets.
 
Fiona said:
Thanks cm...

I used the allaboutdogfood site and settled on wainwright's puppy..

She is a wee tinker though, wolf's one flavour down and dislikes another. .. Rascal..

Fiona
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Wainwright's puppy and adult foods are virtually identical, I put the last pup straight onto the adult stuff
 
I'm feeding burns penplan chicken and rice or egg and rice to have a variety to my one year old cocker and 10 year old collie.
It's the only food I've found that doesn't upset the collies stomach, natures menu and natures harvest cause really bad stomach, same with ww.

Was just wondering why it was a yellow instead of green? Or am I being dumb? Lol.

It is quite expensive but I am reluctant to try anything else as his tummy is so much better on it.
 
I suspect it is because of the fairly high grain content (rice). If you read the original post, the definition of a 'green' food is:

Green – these are the dry foods that I consider to be of exceptional quality. They have a very high meat content and little or no grains.

I must say Burns Fish and Rice is the only feed that doesn't upset my lurcher's tum, so I'm sticking to it!
 
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TGM said:
I suspect it is because of the fairly high grain content (rice). If you read the original post, the definition of a 'green' food is:

Green – these are the dry foods that I consider to be of exceptional quality. They have a very high meat content and little or no grains.

I must say Burns Fish and Rice is the only feed that doesn't upset my lurcher's tum, so I'm sticking to it!
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Thanks I'm obviously having a idiot week 🙇
 
The OP doesn't rate grains in dog food. The only thing to be wary of with Burns-anecdotally-is that dogs can drop weight too easily on it, again, possibly due to the high grain content.
 
I have found that "Gentle" is a very nice dog food. It gets produced by the same company as Markus Muhle, I believe.
There is a website I find quite handy but it takes a while to find the list of ingredients: www.allaboutdogfood.com, where dog feeds get rated from 1 to 5 stars.
Six Star, thank you for your list, it's very useful and I can access it better than that website!
 
Why on earth would anyone take neutrino advice based only on the opinion of some one who happily admits they not qualified to give an opinion and gives us no reasons why her own opinion means anything .
I am off over to mumsnet to post some stuff on baby food .
 
Goldenstar said:
Why on earth would anyone take neutrino advice based only on the opinion of some one who happily admits they not qualified to give an opinion and gives us no reasons why her own opinion means anything .
I am off over to mumsnet to post some stuff on baby food .
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To be honest, I quite like Six Star's post simply because I tend to agree with her ratings. ;)
I would give similar ratings and I would base them on the following:
the amount of fresh meat (not meat meal) in the kibble, the absence of wheat and other common allergy-causing ingredients, the clarity of the ingredients on the packaging, as well as the absence of salt, sugar and artificial colours, which are only there to make the kibble look attractive to humans anyway.
 
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But you are also right, Goldenstar. It's important to look at several sources and opinions, notably from dog nutritionists, but also dog behaviourists, who can really see a change in the dog's behaviour when they switch from something very high-energy like Baker's to another brand, and one should only then decide what food to get for one's dog.
 
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