Which puppy food????

JennyW_2

hayleyc wrote: »

Hi Wendy,

Not sure whether it's one of your priorities but Hills Science Plan is tested on animals and is owned by Colgate Palmolive. There are many great foods available which are not tested on animals and are often better products because they're made with more natural ingredients.

I don't know if it's the case with your vet, but often large pet food companies will give incentives for vets to promote their product. So just because the vet recommends it doesn't necessarily mean it's better for your dog than any other food.

There's a list on this website : http://www.uncaged.co.uk/petfood.htm

Hayley

yes vets often push this because they are selling it in their surgeries!

foreign_correspondent

Wagg is fine, I am not sure why you want to change it. I was advised to use it because it doesnt have any 'animal byproducts' (all sorts of nasties rendered down)!
Both my dogs had upset tummies on other foods, but settled on Wagg fine. My last dog lived till fifteen on it, so I would recomend it! i have heard dubious things about the amount of food colourings used in Bakers, but expect that it only affects some dogs negatively.
wagg also do a working dog food which is actually a bit cheaper (£9.50 per 20 kg bag - no tax on working dog food!) but has a higher protein content and anti-oxidants. i think all varieties have Yucca extract to prevent smelly dog trumps!!
A lab will eat quite a bit, so if she is happy on the Wagg why be sold a more expensive food? Add table scraps, meat, beef bones, the odd egg etc and your dog will be fine!

The_shuffs

Hello I have a nine month westhighland terrier (alfie) to start with he had Bakers dry puppy food then we took him along to the puppy training classes and the man who runs them said that we should really be feeding him on additive free dry food so now he has James Wellbelove not cheap but he seems to like it and i was also told that the westies can be hypo so having not nasties in it will help i will admit i do feel a bit mean that i do not give wet food. Rachael

wendyjj

I wanted to change from Waggs because I'd read somewhere that it had lots of oats in it & it wasn't very nutritious, but could be completely wrong of course!!!

foreign_correspondent

well, my last dog lived to a ripe old age on it and I always think the proof is in the pudding as they say!
I would always supplement any dried food with table scraps, meat, eggs, bones etc, as I reckon they are all likely to be a bit limited alone, and are mainly cereal based. This morning mine has had wagg and some left over mackerel, yesterday she had some chicken left overs, and will eat a bit of anything thats going! She also seems to enoy the wagg just on its own, some dogs prefer to have a bit of warm water poured over it to soften it, but if your pups already on it I would guess she will enjoy it.

zebidee1

No-one has mentioned Beta Puppy. This was recommended to us as the breeder we are getting our lab pup from uses it.

Any opinions?

harveybobbles

Depends what the breeder you're getyting the pup off recommends. Mine was Pedigree Chum wet stuff, which we slowly got ickle Harvey the shih-tzu off!! now he has dried food with table scrapings

tiamai_d

Hills Science Plan also make Pets at Home food. And its a lot cheaper.

Don't be put off by more expensive foods, hae a look on the back and work out how much she should get per day, you usually find that the more 'expensive' diets work out cheaper as they are fed less (less poo's too).

take a calculator and work out 'cost per feed' price.

ps, my pup does great on P@H puppy. He will be on adult next month.

~cleo~

i think Royal Canin is great food i feed the mini to my chihuahua but i know they do a maxi range as well as some breed specific foods if you ring them on the number on their website they will be able to give you great advice and send you samples

I initially started my chihuahua off on Bakers Puppy and she put on so much weight and had a really dull coat and unhealthy poops- although she absolutely loved the food - since switching to Royal Canin shes back to a really heathly weight, glossy coat and healthy poops lol and she really likes it too

i think a good thing is to get a few samples of food u are considering feeding and try them all out over a period of time as some foods work well for different dogs

I agree with whats said above usually you feed less of a more quality food as it has less fillers (cereals) and there is less poo because there is less waste the body needs to get rid of in the food

foreign_correspondent

Re: the Wagg - found this which might be helpful to you
http://www.waggfoods.co.uk/animals-dogs-health.aspx

Again, I have to say I am really happy with it and it is loads cheaper than some of the brands. Both my dogs had runny poo (sorry) when I first got them, both of their tummies settled down on the Wagg. From a practical point of view this makes 'poop scooping' much easier and I think the dogs are likely to be more comfortable.

I really do wonder how much spin and promotion you pay for when you buy a sack of dog food that costs four times as much - I did a bit of looking round when I got my new dog and was amazed at the costs of some of the foods!

I am not saying I would fed my dog on a food just because it was cheap, and I was a bit wary of whether it would be any good when I started using it, but I have been happy with the outcomes, and both dogs have enjoyed it.

If the pup is thriving on it I certainly would not change it at first, as she will have enough change to deal with, the wagg will taste familiar to her, and the last thing she needs is an upset tummy as she tries to get to grips with house training!

Good luck with your new pup, she sounds lovely!