Dog Food Help

[brenda]

Hi,
Looking for some help regarding dog food. what is the best on the market today i have heard that Arden Grange is one of the best. I don't want to go raw. Our Kaiser is having some problems and we think it's the dog food he is on cheap crap. i have taken him off it straight away Just looking for advice on the matter if anyone can help. He is casting just now and will not stop scratching i have noticed that there is small sores just under his fur and i have put this down to a dog food allergy he has been on it for about 4 weeks.
Brenda

[Jack]

It does have a good reputation Brenda, as does James Well Beloved

I feed Butchers Tripe in the mornings with a little mixer and dry specially formulated Pero food for Staffies of a night. I used to give them Chappie but frankly whilst it suited their tummies they blooming farted for Britain and their breath minged This new food suits their tummies, we have MUCH less pungent aromas wafting about and it seems to have the added bonus of being kinder to their skin, Ella particularly is grooming her trotters less which indicates the skin problems yeast build up in the body can cause is coming under control I'm well impressed with it and they also do a range of organic biccie treats which my lot all go mad for - something they've not been fussed on in the past. I bit the bullet and tried this food after one of my customers swore by it after buying from us - I highly recommend this range to all my friends with Bull Terriers now
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Staffies are my life! Visit us at www.staffies.co.uk

[brenda]

Thanks jack for this information.
Brenda

[Ross/Ali]

we feed Giles Royal Canin Sensitivity (chicken & Rice) as its the only thing that agrees with him.
Its then supplemented with Lacto B powder (on Gaelle's recommendation) which is doing him the world of good.

expensive though and wouldnt like to feed a larger dog on that diet
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[maureenmcl]

Hi Brenda

i think the subject of diet and whats best for your dog can result in about 50 different opinions and think its a little bit of trial and error like us different breeds have different metabolisms and the growth rate can vary dramatically.

Not sure what age Kaiser is but I have had to experiment and have sought out differing opinions. Guinness who is now 9 months old is on a combo diet of dry food and meat ( alternate between raw and cooked). When we got him at 5 months he was on Asda own brand and frankly I think this is our equivalent of macdonalds. I then changed to Purina pro plan for puppy and really noticed a big improvement in general well being although at approx £35 a bag not cheap.After speaking and reading some of the posts on raw diet was impressed and could see a lot of logic in following this diet but my father has been breeding and training greyhounds for over 30 years advised me not to go 100% raw when still so young, a number of years ago they used raw meat with greyhound pups to a disaterous effect with severe bone problems in the pups with one tragically breaking his neck when he collided with his litter brother when playing chases in the paddock the Glasgow vet school put this down to lack of calcium in diet due to the raw meat. We know that there could be a number of factors that could have caused this deficiency. But after this he never again fed pups raw meat just cooked meat his moto better safe than sorry.I know advocates of raw diet will disagree and believe me I have a healthy skeptism of what the vets say especially when recommending diet given they are funded by petfood manufactures.

Anyway i now feed a dry food called chudleys for greyhounds more because my father can source this for about £11 per 15kg bag it has all the same basic nutritional content as the purina I mix this with meat for main meal.What I have noticed is that the amount of poo has greatly reduced and easier to control weight ( Being a lab and greedy little towrag this is going to be a constant battle). Another thing that I do now again on the advice from Dad was to soak the dry food with stock before feeding this has hugely helped and Guinness loves it.

As mentioned earlier you will get loads of differing opinions and you have to find what best suits you and Kaiser.

[Jim & Geraldine]

We feed Buster Nature Direct it has veg and rice in it. He thrives on it, full of life and a coat like black velvet ( so said my friend) They have a couple of flavours for sensitive tummies and also fish ( Buster hates the fish one)

[John Thomson]

Food is the most likely cause of allergies which often result in dry, flaky, itchy skin. Often what works for one dog does not for another so it is a bit of trial and error.

Feeding is always a compromise of some description, cost, convenience, quality all play their part.

Pay attention to the ingredients.........they are listed on the packaging with the one that makes up the largest part of the food by volume first. Meat is good....meat derivatives not so good.........sometimes you have to interpret what the ingredients are and in general less additives are better.

Remember we get a discount at Scotpet direct in Kirkintilloch..........more on this in the near future

Best of luck Brenda, I hope you find a food that suits him.

John
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John Thomson
www.cumbernaulddogtraining.co.uk

[brenda]

Thanks John and everyone else that has posted a comment.
Brenda

[graceb]

Brenda it may not be a food allergy, it could be an allergy to pollen! It may be worth it to give him a quick rinse down of his undercarriage legs and paws after he has been out just in case. have you given him Piritin to ease the itching?
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Grace & Dexter

[brenda]

Thanks Grace, Steven has already given him some Piritin. The itching is more on the back top end of his body, I have changed his food to Arden Grange and will see how he gets on with that. Thanks.


Brenda