Dog Food Questions - merged

kal25

scheming_gypsy wrote: »

exactly.. the main problem seems to be that vets always reccomend what they sell and don't like the BARF diet.

mine are so chilled out now they're on it and its as cheap as hell.

Sorry if this is adaft question but what's a barf diet? Also my gold r X lab likes his bones to chew on, can you get them from the butchers and how much would they be? TIA kal2578

LuciferTDark

I feed both mine on Bakers, we buy a bag of weight control & a bag of sensitive, mix them & both dogs are happy & healthy.

tiamai_d

He (Odie, border collie cross) was on Pets at Home Puppy and looked great. Then I changed him onto Beta Adult (because I was at the wholesalers), but he doesn't look as good as he did on the P@H. So, next week/week after he will be back onto P@H for Adult dogs as he is a big boy now.

He is a grazer too, won't eat a full meal instead his dish is usually full (so for hygiene I will stick to a dry food).

He gets a 'something' every second night, cheese, chicken, plain mince, fish, scrambled egg, whatever there is really as a treat and a kind of filler.

Personally, I will stick to plain dry food, as I have said for hygiene, ease of storage and I don't have time to sort out the BARF diet. It suits him. But I have had dogs in the past who had the BARF diet and thrived on it. It depends on the dog and your personal circumstances.

tiamai_d

kal25 wrote: »

Sorry if this is adaft question but what's a barf diet? Also my gold r X lab likes his bones to chew on, can you get them from the butchers and how much would they be? TIA kal2578

http://www.barfworld.com/

Check it out.

You can buy carcasses and raw meat and prepare them yourself, or you can buy frozen blocks of minced or chopped meat and bone then add in fruit, vegetables and cereals. The bone content is important though, you can't feed just meat as the bone contains calcium etc. As dogs are not carnivores care must be taken to get the balance of meat and veg right.

Debt_Free_Chick

For those that want to serve raw bones now and then as a treat - either raw chicken (any part of the carcass, or wings for puppies) or brisket bones. Your butcher will give you brisket bones, if you shop there anyway.

These are soft bones which the dogs can chew to a pulp and then swallow.

Don't feed huge hard bones - they can damage the dog's teeth.

ZootHornRollo

katy2 wrote: »

My two get some dried wagg and whatever tinned cat food the cat is on.

They prefer shopping day and the two or three following it as then they get tesco's saver mince, works out pretty cheap, for a couple of small dogs, they just get it raw. You can also ask at the deli counter in tescos for a doggie bag,has all off cuts from the cold meats. I don't mind giving my two this as an ocassional treat, but don't suppose it would be good for them on a daily basis as some bits of it would likely be quite high in salt.

as far as i'm aware you are not meant to feed a dog cat food as it is very high in protien and fat which can lead to liver and kidney problems over a long period of time as they have to work harder to process it.

ZootHornRollo

orlao wrote: »

I feed mine Autarky and tinned butchers ( but the tins are going as soon as I run out of them......got 3 cases left) I used to feed Royal Canin until recently but it seems to have changed? and the autarky is £20 a bag cheaper with a really similar ingredients list. Does anybody know or have tried Autarky? Mine seem to doing well on it.......

another vote for autarky. our border collie has been thriving on it since she came off puppy food. and theres no artificial crap in it. she has loads of energy, glossy coat, bright eyes and healthy skin.

we were feeding her James Welbeloved puppy food but when we changed to the adult she was hyper and itchy.

Debt_Free_Chick

Another point .....

Dogs will eat raw fish too. Mine has had the head, tails and bones from 4 (small) sea bream which I filleted last night.

cluuuuur

Ours currently are fed on Burns as we have a foster dog with dietary issues.

I actually prefer to use dry Chappie for our younger, hyperactive dog as the low protein levels really help keep her calm.

tpsjrm

CHEAP DOG FOOD

Got a bargain today in Wilkinson's in Gloucester. In their 75% off sale they had several bags of Ultima dry Chicken and Rice for active mini dogs - guess it would be okay for pups too. Worked out at 75 pence for 1.5 kilos. (Full price £2.99). A real bargain but don't know if it's just this Wilkinson's.

Believe it or not, I've bought it to feed the blackbirds in the garden, but my cat has been hoovering it up as well, as the pieces are small and tasty.