Whats Your Oppinion

[Simoman 110]

No cereal based feed can compare with a good balanced raw diet. Chicken wings, carcases, veg, fish, or alternatively buy some tesco burgers which will contain all this and more!!!

[skycat 6,174]

This topic comes up time and again. Beast is of course right in what he says, and a GOOD quality complete food is better than an unbalanced raw diet, BUT don't expect to pay less than around £30 per 15kg bag for a GOOD QUALITY food. Anything less and the food is almost certain to be cereal based: lots of fillers: wheat, soya, beet pulp etc etc. This isn't to say that a dog can't survive on the cheaper foods, and pet dogs do survive on them, but IMO a working athlete needs top grade fuel, especially when it is growing at the fastest rate: 0-10 months of age.

 

Far too many complete foods are a minefield: do you choose one which has loads of pretty colours and additives, is heat treated to oblivion to kill any bacteria, and are then pumped full of synthetic vitamins which have been destroyed in the heat process, and then sprayed with oil to make it taste more palatable to the dog? Or do you feed as nature intended? On meat, offal, fish, eggs, vegetables, a bit of carbohydrates, whole carcases etc etc?

 

Vets are not dieticians, and they usually promote the food they are selling and get a nice little commission from the manufacturer. I never had 'specially prepared' baby food when I was being reared, and I'm healthier than a lot of today's youngsters: dog's don't need special puppy food either, just the same as an adult dog, more often and making sure they get enough protein and the minerals necessary for growth.

 

I can send you the chapter on nutrition I wrote for Running Dog Maintenance if you like: tells you pretty much all you need to know about feeding dogs, including pups. PM me with your email address as I can't send it by pm on here as it is too long.

[BORDERSCOT 3,816]

This topic comes up time and again. Beast is of course right in what he says, and a GOOD quality complete food is better than an unbalanced raw diet, BUT don't expect to pay less than around £30 per 15kg bag for a GOOD QUALITY food. Anything less and the food is almost certain to be cereal based: lots of fillers: wheat, soya, beet pulp etc etc. This isn't to say that a dog can't survive on the cheaper foods, and pet dogs do survive on them, but IMO a working athlete needs top grade fuel, especially when it is growing at the fastest rate: 0-10 months of age.

 

Far too many complete foods are a minefield: do you choose one which has loads of pretty colours and additives, is heat treated to oblivion to kill any bacteria, and are then pumped full of synthetic vitamins which have been destroyed in the heat process, and then sprayed with oil to make it taste more palatable to the dog? Or do you feed as nature intended? On meat, offal, fish, eggs, vegetables, a bit of carbohydrates, whole carcases etc etc?

 

Vets are not dieticians, and they usually promote the food they are selling and get a nice little commission from the manufacturer. I never had 'specially prepared' baby food when I was being reared, and I'm healthier than a lot of today's youngsters: dog's don't need special puppy food either, just the same as an adult dog, more often and making sure they get enough protein and the minerals necessary for growth.

 

I can send you the chapter on nutrition I wrote for Running Dog Maintenance if you like: tells you pretty much all you need to know about feeding dogs, including pups. PM me with your email address as I can't send it by pm on here as it is too long.

Hi Penny - as always sound and easy to understand advice. What in your opinion are the "good" quality complete foods? Take care