Cheaper Good Quality Food

[Wendbert]

Their weight always seems to be spot on and their coats are amazing.

 

Dee

 

 

 

Funnily enough, people often comment on how good Bumpy's coat is And his weight is just right, which considering how easy it is for Labs to put on excess weight, is a very good thing.

[ailsas mum]

I have read this thread and the one on Bakers and on looking at the ingredients there doesn't seem to be a lot of difference in the Bakers and Dr. Johns, is there more information on the packets of Dr. Johns than there is on the web site ?

 

 

I tend to keep away from foods that just list cereals in their ingredients as you never know what ones will be in it. Companies will buy whatever cereal is cheapest at the time so the food you buy this month might not be the same as the food you buy next month. I also keep away from foods that have BHA and BHT in them as there are thoughts that these might be carcinogenic, I used to have a good link that told you all about them but I can't find it at the moment.

 

Terri

[Trallwm farm]

Red Mills is good too and very similar to Dr Johns.

We feed both

[ranirottie]

I have always used Omega Tasty for all mine and the rescues and I think it is brilliant. It is basted in meat juices so gives them a great shine to their coats and has suited all breeds. They have just dropped the VAT on it so it is now only £11.99. I have tried many many others that others have recommended but always go back to Omega.

[Ian]

I profess no particular expertise on commercial dog foods & personally favour using complete dog foods only as a mixer not as a complete food - would you eat dried food all of your life? ( I generally feed chicken with a mixer & at £25 for £15kg it's probaby not costing me any more.)

 

However you may be able to compare these with your existing product as I have leaflets here from Wagg Dog Foods which states "we're all about natural healthy ingredients so we dont use artificial flavours or colours in any of our foods" Also states that they do use natural antioxidants, quality protein. Glucosamine and chondroitin along with fish & fish oils are also mentioned as helping promote supple joints in dogs of all ages (Wagg Control)

 

Depending on which you choose protein content ranges from 20% - 28%, oils 8-10%, Fibre 3% on any product, ash 7-8%, Vitamin a 10-12000 iu/kg, vitamin d 1000 - 1200, vitamin e 90 - 150 copper mg/kg 15-16

 

This is a Yorkshire family firm of dog owners. The small animal foods have "quality assured ingredients" with British Retail Consortium accreditation said to ensure safe and legal products to the level of human food quality standards. For more info see www.waggfoods.co.uk

 

Vitalin, another Yorkshire firm, which I also have a leaflet for states "Using only the finest ingredients, Vitalin products are designed to be the very best you can feed your pet Quality palatability and nutrition have always been to the forefront of our business......" All products are stated to contain no artifical colours, flavours or preservatives.

 

Dependant upon product Protein content is 18-32%, oils 3.2-20%, fibre 2.8-3.5% ash 6.8-9.5%, vitamin a 8-20,000 iu/kg, d3 1000-1800, e, 50-200 Whilst as stated above original & working diet products do contain soya the Royale (18% meat), lamb & rice (33% lamb meat meal 26% rice), puppy plus, bitch diet & senior / lite (20% salmon 16% potato) do not contain soya.

 

For more info www.vitalinpetfood.co.uk

Edited April 24, 2007 by Ian

[ranirottie]

but Vitalin in mostly cereal and dogs are not naturally cereal eaters! But I agree with you about the feeding of just complete dry, mine have raw as well in the form of chicken wings,breast of lamb,hearts etc. But I also think that dogs are quite happy eating the same food for evermore and don't need variety or to have it look good like we do, it is just humans that like to give their dogs variety and like it to look good. x

[Ian]

but Vitalin in mostly cereal and dogs are not naturally cereal eaters! But I agree with you about the feeding of just complete dry, mine have raw as well in the form of chicken wings,breast of lamb,hearts etc. But I also think that dogs are quite happy eating the same food for evermore and don't need variety or to have it look good like we do, it is just humans that like to give their dogs variety and like it to look good. x

 

 

I'm not recommending it just providing the information I have for comparison with whatever might presently be fed. I think the original is indeed largely cereal and slightly messy. Others have different ingredients - lamb & rice for example is 59% lamb meat meal & rice. I assume the full ingredients for each may be on the website but haven't checked.

 

Chappie information (they dont have their own website for some reason) can be found here

 

http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/pets-accessories/c...g-food/1047983/

Edited April 24, 2007 by Ian

[red-devil0602]

mine always get extras in with their complete dried food anyway ie chappie wet, veg, meat, fish

[Ian]

mine always get extras in with their complete dried food anyway ie chappie wet, veg, meat, fish

 

 

Surprisingly considering it's among the cheaper brands Chappie tinned food actually has more meat & fish in than most. I think only Butchers (tripe & chicken, tripe etc not the chunks type they also make) that I've come across has more - most of tinned foods are only 4% meat (at best - as I'd question their definition of meat and animal derivatives)

[ingipops]

It took me ages to get Keelah on a food which suited her. On lots of food her tummy/poo's were fine but she had a really itchy coat and on others the itching stopped but her colitis was a nightmare

We have eventually settled on Dr johns silver with a small amount of tinned chappie, it works well for her

[reds]

Don't know anything about it other than that I like and trust the horse feeds they produce but Dodson and Horrell Chudley's Complete is about £13 for 15 kilos. Anyone know if it's any cop?

[ailsas mum]

I don't know much about Chudley's but again they state cereals which could be any old crap that is going cheap at the time so the ingredients in the food will never be the same from month to month, they also have animal derivatives which is the beaks, claws, fur, even road kill in the food. I have not seen anything about this but I have been told that manufacturers only have to tell us what additives etc. that they put in, they don't have to tell us what has been put into the ingredients they buy in. I'm really sorry but I truly believe that you get what you pay for, if you buy a cheap food you are not going to get good ingredients in it. I am really sorry if that offends anyone and I do know loads of dogs that thrive on cheaper foods it's just not for me, but again I have a very small dog that is very cheap to feed.

 

Terri

[KathyM]

I personally think there are expensive foods which are just as full of cr*p. I won't feed any of mine Hills for example, I have my own little paranoia about that (if it's so good a diet and in the vets' words protects against problems in later life, why do they need to make prescription diets?! LOL - told you I was paranoid). Lots of the bigger brands of "premium" foods use worse ingredients than cheaper brands. Often cheaper brands use far better ingredients - look at Autarky and the likes. Some of the bigger brands have been the last to jump on the natural preservative bandwagon, with many smaller, cheaper brands being the first. I also don't feel it's justified to charge £40 a sack for a food that is not as good as a food that is sold for £15.

 

I personally don't go in for you getting what you pay for. That's what half the bigger and less responsible brands want you to think really. There are good expensive brands out there, Timberwolf, EaglePack and the likes, but I don't think any of them beat the similar cheaper brands - Autarky, CSJ, etc.

 

As for cheaper brands having more cereal in, you just have to look at Burns' ingredients to dispel that myth - some of their foods are over 65% carbohydrate (filler), if we're going down that route. And their food is expensive (by my standards admittedly, LOL). to be honest, I have yet to find a dry dog food on the market that isn't mainly filler. The more I look, the more I think I need a new freezer and to start raw again.

 

I think basically we all have to feed what suits our individual pets - whether that's a cheap brand or an expensive one. We each have our personal favourites because they suit our dogs and/or our pockets. What might be acceptable to me might not be to someone else, and vice versa.

Edited April 25, 2007 by KathyM

[cycas]

Just to add my experience: years ago my family had our dogs on Vitalin - basically, because we'd accidentally ended up with twice the number of dogs we'd originally planned, and it was cheap.

 

One dog had persistent skin problems, they both farted like nobody's business, and the volume and consistency of the poo was just incredible. A lot of the food seemed to go straight through them. After yet another minor health niggle (one after another) our vet suggested moving them to a lamb and rice based food, and the difference was very clear indeed. I would feed Vitalin now only if I could find nothing better.

 

Re the 'what goes into pet food' thing, I *believe* that some of the online information on this subject is from the USA, and that we have different regulations on what can go into dogfood: for example, we don't have the horrifying situation where euthanised animals from shelters are rendered into petfood. So, worth checking sources in this area.

 

http://www.pfma.org.uk/faqs-ingredients,-l...tion,-etc/2.htm - I am sure this doesn't give the entire picture but seems reasonably well documented.

 

I can definitely understand Terri's point of view on costs, though I think there is an argument that the major cost with dog food is less the ingredients and more the presentation and marketing. Otherwise feeding home-cooked or raw would be prohibitively expensive.

 

Personally, although the health of my dogs is very important to me, I am also quite concerned that I don't buy any meat that comes from factory farmed animals. It just seems inconsistent to me, to keep my beloved pets in luxury, but feed them food that is produced from animals that spend their entire lives in hideous misery.

[mum24dog]

 

You don't get presentation or marketing with CSJ - just a bag of reasonably priced dog food.