What's wrong with Baker's and what do you think of Dr. John Silver?

Your older dogs teeth wouldnt cope with raw now business anyway. Cheapest decent solution I would suggest is skinners crunchy at £19 something a bag.
 
Business said:
I only have a tiny freezer that is part of the fridge - no shelves in it! That is full of reduced meat I was planning to eat.

When I first got the dogs I asked the local butcher about bones- he charged me £1 per bone.
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I know you don't have freezer space but do you have space to bulk buy bags of biscuit and/or tins/trays of dog meat? If so the website link I already provided does great bulk buying deals (even cheaper if you combine your order with your friends orders, if you're ordering the same food) :)
 
Yes, I can store bags and tins - will check out the site - thanks Jake.

That would be why she wouldn't eat the deer leg I was given then Viz. Actually neither seamed keen, I had to bin most of it.

Ok, on tangent- Aldi Troy tinned food- opinions anyone? They like that.
 
If you feed raw, and then your dog goes into kennels, can they go onto normal (parents dogs have tinned meat and biscuits) dog food for a week and it not matter too much, maybe if you introduced a bit at a time first?

I'd like to try this when I get a dog, as the more natural aspect of it sounds good, but want something that was easy to manage at the same time. I'm veggie, but if I could get meat I didn't have to handle too much I'd be alright :p
 
Another who feeds Arden Grange here. Its not the cheapest around but one of the better quality foods. You have my sympathy OP but the old adage 'you get what you pay for' certainly seems to apply in the commercial dog food world.

Wainwrights from Pets at Home is a bit cheaper and pretty good quality too -I've fed that before. I think its about £25-30 for a 15kg bag.
 
God this is depressing. Part of me wished I had never asked. I was in blissful ignorance thinking that the Queen uses/ has used Dr. John so it must be OK.

Why Raw as opposed to cooked?

How much meat daily per KG of dog please? Can you count the fat? Bone? If you feed meat what do you feed with it?

Looking down the lists of food notice all the well advertized ones are pretty crap. I guess the profit margin pays for the ads. Something should be done because so many dog owners wouldn't know and think they are doing right.

Thanks
 
I feed Applaws or raw, she looks fantastic on the applaws alone (With no itching!) but I like her to eat raw. I dont even want to know what the big bags cost :o I pay £10 for a 2kg bag as and when she needs one, but it does seem to last a while.

Raw is far cheaper :)
 
Stencilface said:
If you feed raw, and then your dog goes into kennels, can they go onto normal (parents dogs have tinned meat and biscuits) dog food for a week and it not matter too much, maybe if you introduced a bit at a time first?
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Think it would be ok if they'd had itonce in a while. Mine have a sliver of Wainwright tray dail just in case they ever have to go to kennels.

Vizslak said:
chudleys is pretty cheap and I dont think ranks tooooooooooo badly?!
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Yuk, sorry, dire. http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=1980&cat=all


Business said:
God this is depressing. Part of me wished I had never asked. I was in blissful ignorance thinking that the Queen uses/ has used Dr. John so it must be OK.

Why Raw as opposed to cooked?

How much meat daily per KG of dog please? Can you count the fat? Bone? If you feed meat what do you feed with it?

Looking down the lists of food notice all the well advertized ones are pretty crap. I guess the profit margin pays for the ads. Something should be done because so many dog owners wouldn't know and think they are doing right.

Thanks
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Read the first three pages of this:
http://www.petforums.co.uk/dog-health-nutrition/111437-raw-feeding-everything-you-need-know.html
Also read the raw sticky on here.

You should feed 2-3% of the dog's adult ideal weight (you can estimate for crosses and feed by eye eventually). The ratio is 80:10:10 meat, bone, offal.
 
Business said:
God this is depressing. Part of me wished I had never asked. I was in blissful ignorance thinking that the Queen uses/ has used Dr. John so it must be OK.

Why Raw as opposed to cooked?

How much meat daily per KG of dog please? Can you count the fat? Bone? If you feed meat what do you feed with it?

Looking down the lists of food notice all the well advertized ones are pretty crap. I guess the profit margin pays for the ads. Something should be done because so many dog owners wouldn't know and think they are doing right.

Thanks
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Read the sticky at the top of this edition of the forum. Lots of really useful stuff!
 
Oi,
As a kennel owner I have to take offence at the posts above.
I feed to owners choice/preference and raw is most definitely an option!

Feeding a bit of variety is a good idea as if you only feed a limited diet (unless for a specific reason) the dogs' digestive systems cannot cope if they pick something up.

I have just had two weeks of timed insulin jabs for an elderly Westie. Gluten intolerent, doesn't like beef and can be picky. Cooking twice a day is all part of the job.
 
I leave raw with the young dog when he goes into kennels, Natural Instinct do pre-packaged bits and bobs (lamb necks, lamb spines, chunky chicken legs, wings, thighs) which are all nice and clean and the staff just have to open it and lob it in, he doesn't ever really eat out of a bowl.
 
Also if you want to have dry days and raw days that can make it cheaper and you are on a budget, so scour the bargain bins in Iceland, Tesco etc, I used to pick up a lot of my chicken bits, liver, kidney, heart etc in there.
 
When I first had my current Dobes I fed them Autarky but upgraded to Skinners Duck & Rice, Autarky have now brought out a new feed Salmon,rice, herbs and Veg which I have now changed over to. It is £17.50 for a 15kg bag and lasts my dogs just over 10days so price has to be considered but I would never feed rubbish. They also get sardines twice a week as well as the occasional carrot.
 
I fed Dr John gold to cara and it wasn't til after I saw the dogfoodanalysis site that i have changed her on to James wellbeloved. That was the one that seemed to get the best write up. I feel sick that i was feeding her such crap especially since she got a nail bed infection and then had to get the toe removed due to it not healing properly. I was so shocked when it turned out that it was malignant melanoma. The lab is confident that the vet removed it all and she is in great health now. I don't know if it is related but can you imagine how bad i have felt about it. Cara always looked shiny and healthy but you just never know. People have actually said that they didn't think it was possible for cara to shine any more than she did, but her coat is even more gleaming now. I didn't feed dr johns because it was cheap, i fed it because i thought it wasn't full of crap as loads of breeders and gundog people use it.
 
I feed Fish4Dogs. It does smell bad but my very fussy whippet will at least pick at it, unlike pretty much everything else! I buy it in bulk when its on offer and it lasts forever. He gets supplemented by raw food. I get a big bag from the butcher every few days for free. Its bones, off cuts and offal. I use it to help deal with his SA. He knows he only gets raw in his crate when I'm out.

I know its better for him, but I just cant be doing with the mess and fuss, of raw all the time. And the cats would murder him if they could get to him when hes eating raw :D So we do about 2/3s Fish4Dogs and 1/3 raw. I got a 15kg sack in Jan and have used less than 1/4, so so far hes cost me about a tenner for over 6 weeks :D
 
chestnuttymare said:
I fed Dr John gold to cara and it wasn't til after I saw the dogfoodanalysis site that i have changed her on to James wellbeloved. That was the one that seemed to get the best write up. I feel sick that i was feeding her such crap especially since she got a nail bed infection and then had to get the toe removed due to it not healing properly. I was so shocked when it turned out that it was malignant melanoma. The lab is confident that the vet removed it all and she is in great health now. I don't know if it is related but can you imagine how bad i have felt about it. Cara always looked shiny and healthy but you just never know. People have actually said that they didn't think it was possible for cara to shine any more than she did, but her coat is even more gleaming now. I didn't feed dr johns because it was cheap, i fed it because i thought it wasn't full of crap as loads of breeders and gundog people use it.
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I know how you feel- I have been feeding Dr John since 2008 when I got the dogs and I asked plenty of people about it at the time who should have been in the know who said it was ok- they had not known anything bad. By royal appointment and all that- I thought it was really safe. So gutted now.
 
chestnuttymare said:
I fed Dr John gold to cara and it wasn't til after I saw the dogfoodanalysis site that i have changed her on to James wellbeloved. That was the one that seemed to get the best write up. I feel sick that i was feeding her such crap especially since she got a nail bed infection and then had to get the toe removed due to it not healing properly. I was so shocked when it turned out that it was malignant melanoma. The lab is confident that the vet removed it all and she is in great health now. I don't know if it is related but can you imagine how bad i have felt about it. Cara always looked shiny and healthy but you just never know. People have actually said that they didn't think it was possible for cara to shine any more than she did, but her coat is even more gleaming now. I didn't feed dr johns because it was cheap, i fed it because i thought it wasn't full of crap as loads of breeders and gundog people use it.
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I hope you are not blaming yourself for Caras malignant Melanoma , the variety of food that is out there is mind blowing and personal recommendation helps, I know a lot of the gundog fraternity recommend Dr johns which just goes to show we should do our own research.

Glad to hear Cara is on the mend.:)
 
Don't feel too bad, we used to feed something resembling a cross between muesli and horse food for years, the dogs were all long-lived and outwardly healthy, but having educated myself a little on dog food, would I feed it again or recommend it? Hell no!
It did not kill them, but there are infinitely better foods on the market.
 
thanks girls, i can't help feeling bad though. You are right, we should do our own research, I wish i had thought about that before. She is brilliant, (don't want to hijack) she was having phantom pregnancies so had her spayed, turned out she had polycystic ovaries. she was zonked the day of the op due to anaesthetic but after that you would never have known she had had an op. she wasn't ill before apart from not being herself due to phantom but I tell you, she is like a new woman. Her scar healed really quick,gave her tons of reiki too. Just want to do the absolute best for her.
 
We've all been there. I fed Hills to my cockers for years. Thought it must be good, I got it from the vet and it cost the earth.... The same day I collected whippet pup, I piced up a huge bag of Royal Canin, on much the same basis, just trying to do the best for my mutt.

Then I read the label on the back, found AAD and the rest is (RAW) history....... :D
 
I feed Dr john silver to all my dogs and family members do to there dogs too. I lost my old dog at 18 years and he had been on that most of his life my 11 year old is on it he has been on it all his life he has never needed the vets other than vacc i am always stopped and asked what do i feed him as his coat is fantastic even my vet asks me.
Gizmo my terrier is also on it he has been from day dot and yet again fantastic teeth and coat. He has got a few temp problems but thats down to the terrier not the food

My MIL has a whippet always losing weight and going to the toilet loads with runny stools, i got her to change her food and he now hold his weight fantastic.

All dogs are diff and you should try whats best for you and your dog i for one dont believe in all these expensive foods.

And sorry to say whoever said cancer was to blame for the dog food sadly its not alot of things contribute to cancer you cannot blame whats in dog food.

Just to add i have had a full blood count off one of my older dogs and all the results were spot on.
 
*holds hands up* I used to feed it too and then beta, then eukanuba, my dogs at the time looked fab on all, dont anyone feel guilty about it, feeding is a difficult thing and researching whats in the food you buy isnt something most people think of doing until alerted to it. We trust what we buy as a rule, in the case of the more expensive feeds we think we are buying the best because its more expensive etc, sadly thats not the case but its very rare not to be initially fooled by it. Its only fairly recently that what we put into our dogs has become a major topic that more people are becoming clued up on. If you dont know about whats in dog food then choosing a food is a minefield, so many brands, so much price variation etc etc.
Business, my food bill is very cheap but I feed kibble in the morning only and tripe in the evening (cooked) however I dont know many people who that feeding plan works for, you do need freezer space and an outside microwave (in a garage or shed) as the stuff stinks! I sometimes feed the chicken blocks instead which obviously smells far less. This feeding (with arden grange as the kibble so not cheapest) costs me just over 2 quid per dog per week.
 
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