YUK!! Bristles, Hair, Feathers in Dog Food???

jaxxy00

Not sure what it is but its really not nice . My dog always has these squidgy balls of food (will not name the brand unless someone says its ok to do so, feel like i should so others can look out too but unsure as to whether i am allowed).

My daughter went to empty the new bag into 2 large airtight containers we use for it as he was running short. Before she even tipped any out she got me to look and each and every piece has things growing out ot it. Not just on the outside but actually fixed into it. We cant decide if they are feathers, bristles or hairs. Some are fairly soft but others really are quite stubbly and bristley.

Considering that its not one of the cheaper brands i was not too happy at all and phoned to explain my findings (this was yesterday btw). They are sending out a bag for me to return a sample and they will investigate into it.

After having phoned i checked what was left of the bag he had been eating the last couple of weeks and that was the same too :eek:.The new bags and previous bags were purchased from different shops, so i wouldnt have thought its just one batch. This made me worry about the effects a build up of having eaten this kind of thing could have on him. So i phoned the vet and explained to the receptionist and she said to keep an eye on him. Later last night we thought about it and he has been kind of coughing/choking but only a little sometimes when he eats. The problem we have is if he goes to the vets hes a little sod to be looked at and usually has to be sedated/knocked out. Hes been through so much for a dog his age and i dont like this being done unless thought totally necessary.

Now, what i would like to know is what would anyone else do about this? Im not after lots of money or free food in case anyone thinks this, yes i would like the money back for the 2 bags i have brought and cant use (forgot to mention at the time i purchased 2 x 3kg bags and both are the same) but my concern now is what to feed him and what effect this has had on his health.

Last night, after having googled 'contaminated dog food' and discovered about the incident last year where in total over 4,000 cats and dogs died from contaminated food, even the really expensive foods, i have decided to make his food now as it seems you cant be sure of anything. So last night he had 2 butchers style baked sausages with half large tin new potatoes and half tin peas with gravy. I know he cant live on that forever so wondered what i should be sure of that hes getting enough of? Its no more expensive than shop food just a bit more time consuming. But like me and hubby agreed, dogs from when we were kids were only ever fed scraps and used to live to a ripe old age and didnt get all the things wrong with them that they do now.

So to recap (soz i know ive rambled a bit) what would you be doing about the incident and what would you feed your dog if you were making home cooked food for him? Hes an American Cocker cross King Charles, whos now 5 and since the age of 2 has been diagnosed with severe hip dysplasia in case this info affects what he can/cant, should/shouldnt have? Take a look at my avatar and you will see him

Any suggestions/ideas will be really appreciated.

Bromley86

Name that food.

orlao

Yes please, name them!!!!!

For an alternative to processed food you could google BARF but that's not for everyone as it's quite extreme IYKWIM but it might give you some ideas.

mirrorimage0

hiya we used to feed our maxy boy on the barf diet or raw diet as its now called as well, i have a recipe guideline somwhere if i can find it i will pm you or if you want some advice quicker a few ladys i talk to on a dog website can help you out with info look for username k9 especially helpful but just make a post and anyone will help with advie

https://www.futuresfordogs.co.uk

jaxxy00

Thanks for the BARF info. I used to feed him this way when he was a pup. He would have all raw meat fish etc. My mum though who bred him and his brothers and sisters, used to comment on it and didnt think it was good for him and made me question sometimes if i was doing right. So in the end i changed him to 'normal' food. I used to love watching him tuck in and ripping the meat off the bones etc, he really seemed to enjoy it. Must have done his leg and neck muscles the world of good holding it and pulling at it. If i were to change him back to this again which would be quite a drastic change although i would do it gradually do you think it would be ok?

Well the food is, Purina Bakers Complete Meaty Meals Beef Variety, the squarish shaped squishy balls. I wondered wether to take a pic of some of it and put on here so people can see. So please keep a look out and if anyone has anything similar please let me know. As i said the two different lots i have are from Tesco (purchased anywhere between 2-4 weeks ago) and Wilkinsons (purchased just over a week ago).

merlinormartin

bizzare! i would like to see a picture; if its possible

my dog loves eating ... rice, scrambled egg, grated carrot and tuna.

Sammy_Girl

That sounds awful!!! Def put up a picture if you can. I feed my dog Butchers, and one day I opened up a can and it was covered in some kind of green mould!! The other tins were fine, must have been one dodgy tin!!

Raksha

Bakers is a brand I would avoid at all costs (along with Pedigree and any other brand which is coloured to make it look pretty to humans).

Having said that, Butchers tinned is normally very good, but I had a tin a few weeks ago which had a lump of hard plastic which had sharp edges!! Turned out it was part of the clip which is used to seal the animals guts away from the carcase before it is butchered........

jaxxy00

This is the feathered looking type.


Feathered, hairy and bristley. Note the bottom right that piece is really stubbly.


An overview of what the whole bag looks like.



Overview.
Sorry but just cant get the pics on. Used to be able to do this!!

lka200

Hi Jaxxy..what a worry for you..had a look at your pics and i would say that the bits/bristles/feathers look like thay could be part of a chicken. The reason i say this is because i am passionate about the rescue of ex battery hens and the poor hens fate when they are slaughtered is usually cheap chicken pies and mainly dog food. I have 7 ex battery hens myself here at home and i am always reading up and educating myself to the fate of these poor poor hens when they are booted out and slaughtered at 18 months old.
I have a dog (boxer) and he was fed on raw tripe for a couple of years. He was in optimum health and had the shiniest coat..good teeth etc but i found that he was sick a lot and started to wonder just how old the tripe was that i was feeding him. Also i think he was thoroughly cheesed off with the same food all the time.
I now feed him on Dodson and Horrel dried food. They do loads of different flavours and styles and i mix and match for a bit of variety for him. Also i have recently bought some autarky which is a herbal based food and i have to say that he has not been sickly ever since i changed him onto this (about 18 months now)
The dodson and horrel stuff is very popular around my way as their factory is only 2 miles away and they have a local country store where it can be purchased. I think you can buy the bags of food in good pet shops..you can buy small bags and also large sacks.
Maybe worth giving it a go for your dog..it lists all the ingredients on the bag.
hth x

jaxxy00

Hi lka, thanks for your info. How did you see my pics though as i cant get them to show up on here like i used to be able to?

My dog has dried tripe sticks daily, usually a small one twice a day. They absolutely stink :eek: which is why we keep them hanging up outside, he just loooves them tho.

I will look into the food you have mentioned, the herbal one sounds good too. Thanks

When i phoned them and asked what the contents were she didnt know and got some info to read out to me. She said that the meat content was minimum 14% (may have been 4% unsure), but couldnt say from what animals that came from as it varied. So where i thought the food would always have been the same recipe, its not.