Dog Food Questions - merged

foreign_correspondent

Wagg Working Dog was just under a tenner for a 20kg sack last time I bought it. I think Wagg normal is a similar price but 17kg sack rather than 20. (working dog feed is tax free!)

kazaimee

foreign_correspondent wrote: »

Wagg Working Dog was just under a tenner for a 20kg sack last time I bought it. I think Wagg normal is a similar price but 17kg sack rather than 20. (working dog feed is tax free!)

Yes, that's what we pay. Sold at most places Wilkos, Morrisons, Tesco & [EMAIL="Pets@Home"]Pets@Home[/EMAIL].

bargain.hunter_13

foreign_correspondent wrote: »

Wagg Working Dog was just under a tenner for a 20kg sack last time I bought it. I think Wagg normal is a similar price but 17kg sack rather than 20. (working dog feed is tax free!)

That's true but the % of protein is much higher...

candygirl

Mine are also on WAGG chicken and veg(i think) it's about a tenner for 17kg, but I might try the working dog one, although my two get a bit hyper with more protein:eek: .It's like having two tiggers in the house, they are literally on springs :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

emmaroids

supa dag from pets at home, 10 quid for a 15kg bag.
our pooch loves it and its lasts 3 months a bag.
we get him some bakers now and again for a change

wolvesinwales

elsien wrote: »

I stick to the James Wellbeloved. It is expensive, but with the cheaper ones all her allergies come back and it costs a fortune in vets bills. So for this particular mutt, cheaper food is a false economy. I do buy it in the huge bags though, and have a local supplier who is cheaper than the pet supermarkets, which helps a bit. (Never tried Waggs - might bear it in mind for the future.)

My Mother had a sample of James Wellbeloved and Arthur her Bulldog loved it so after searching for months she found a good supplier and bought a 10kg sack , Arthur then changed his mind. Back on his Chicken (Only M&S will do) and rice again now.

foreign_correspondent

re: Wagg - this may be of interest - a list of comapnies which do not do animal testing (unlike some, such as IAMS!!) - really glad to see Wagg is on the good list!

http://www.farplace.co.uk/newsletterarchive.php?listId=2&id=6

edited to say.. just after I posted this I wondered whether it is true about Iams and animal testing, or whether I was perpetuating a myth, so I googled it - blimey, I almost wish I hadnt, those poor dogs... - having seen that I am certain that any dog lover would find themselves unable to buy their foods if they knew what the company was up to... there are animals on there that any caring person would have had put to sleep, they are in such a dreadful state.

I am not entirely against animal testing, I believe it may have a small place in testing some medications, where the reasons really make the end justify the means - for example, developing cures for terminal and chronic conditions, but how can this sort of inhumane misuse of animals be justified by a pet food company?

LucyLoo2_3

foreign_correspondent wrote: »

Wagg doesnt have any colourings, unlike Bakers!

It also contains virtually no meat! & as dogs are omnivorves, I'd assume this was a little important! If Wagg contains no colourants, how do they get the red bits? and the green bits? Hmm! EC additives & colourants only have to be listed on bags over 10kg and this is quite recent so not on all bags yet but watch this space....

Bottom line check the ingredients, if it says 4% cereals (but doesn't specify, brown rice etc) it contains a minimum of 4% of whatever is going cheap so the formulation can change month on month, usually with crap like wagg it will contain a minimum of 4% meat (again not specified for the reasons above) in the small round brown biscuits (which may only account for 10% of the total) usually of animal derivatives so could be anything! I wouldn't feed this stuff to my dogs if you paid me a million pounds..... No more than I would feed my kids McDonalds everyday!

Don't even get me started on Bakers, Would you feed your dog a food which contains THIRTEEN E numbers?

Now, it's the law that dog food manufacturers have to state on their packaging for any bags over 10kg EVERY ingredient. They used to be able to say "EEC permitted colourants and preservatives". Now, here's the list in full:

BHA, E320
BHT, E321
Propyl Gallate, E310
Citric Acid, E330
Potassium Sorbate, E202
Propan -1,2-diol, E490
Iron Oxide, E172
Indigo Carmine, E132
Tartrazine, E102
Sunset Yellow, E110
Quinoline Yellow, E104
Titanium Dioxide, E171
Carbon Black, E153

In more detail:

E320 - has been found to be tumour-producing when fed to rats. In human studies it has been linked with urticaria, angioedema and asthma

E321 - banned for use in food in Japan, Romania, Sweden, and Australia. The US has barred it from being used in infant foods. So bad McNasty's have voluntarily eliminated it from their products.

E310 - Banned from children's foods in the US because it is thought to cause the blood disorder methemoglobinemia

E172 - Banned in Germany

E132 - Can cause skin sensitivity, a rash similar to nettle rash, itching, nausea, high blood pressure and breathing problems. One of the colours that the Hyperactive Children's Support Group recommends be eliminated from the diet of children.
Prohibited in Norway.

E102 - TARTRAZINE - A trial on 76 children diagnosed as hyperactive, showed that tartrazine provoked abnormal behaviour patterns in 79% of them

E110 - Sunset Yellow (E110) has been found to damage kidneys and adrenals when fed to laboratory rats. It has also been found to be carcinogenic when fed to animals

E104 - One of the colours that the Hyperactive Children's Support Group recommends be eliminated from the diet of children. Banned in Australia, Japan, Norway and the United States.

E171 - Banned in Germany

E153 - Banned as a food additive in the United States of America. Suspected as a carcinogenic agent.

And which food contains all these?

Bakers!!, and it's the same price as a 15kg bag of Wainwrights, with NO colourants or additives at all!!


I had a collie X had to have him PTS at 15yrs he had a good life,but could have been better, and probably longer if I had known what I know now! He had a history of problems with his anal glands, his weight, skin conditions, and fatty lumps, all conditions I now know down to his poor diet! His diet of whatever was on offer (which used to be my attitude) cost an awful lot more than it would have cost me to put him on a decent diet! Thats not including the vets bills!

My 2 young collies are on JWB at £40 for a 15kg bag may seem expensive, but that lasts just over a month for 2, £20 a month per dog to me is a small price to pay for 2 happy V. healthy dogs! A lot less than buying pouches from the supermarket! A MASSIVE bone of contetion for me..... Don't forget by feeding a lower quality food, you need to feed twice as much, as less food is digested, more undigested waste is produced resulting in twice as much poo to pick up!! :eek:

foreign_correspondent

LucyLoo2 wrote: »

foreign_correspondent wrote: »

Wagg doesnt have any colourings, unlike Bakers!

It also contains virtually no meat! & as dogs are omnivorves, I'd assume this was a little important! If Wagg contains no colourants, how do they get the red bits? and the green bits? Hmm! EC additives & colourants only have to be listed on bags over 10kg and this is quite recent so not on all bags yet but watch this space....

Bottom line check the ingredients, if it says 4% cereals (but doesn't specify, brown rice etc) it contains a minimum of 4% of whatever is going cheap so the formulation can change month on month, usually with crap like wagg it will contain a minimum of 4% meat (again not specified for the reasons above) in the small round brown biscuits (which may only account for 10% of the total) usually of animal derivatives so could be anything! I wouldn't feed this stuff to my dogs if you paid me a million pounds..... No more than I would feed my kids McDonalds everyday!
:eek:

Calm down dear!! Well my dogs have always done well on Wagg, and if you look at their website you will see that they say:

"We don’t use any artificial colours or flavours in our pet food, the meat in our pet food is human food grade and, where possible, we source our raw materials locally or nationally, within the UK."

Intestingly enough, they also list ther ingredients on both their website and feed bags which I cannot find on the JWB website. We may choose to disagree but the OP did ask for people's opinions and my dog is in fabulous condition on Wagg and has grown back her coat (which was terrible, she is a rescue dog) and is now lovely and shiney and healthy! Also there are no "red bits" or "green bits" it is all brown!

SuzySu

Has anyone heard of 'Joe and Jacks' dog food? It's made by the vet Joe Inglis from "Vets in Practice". It costs £6.50ish for a 2.5kg bag which should last a week.

Ingredients:
White and Brown Rice (Min 55%)
Fresh chicken (??) (Min 26%)
Poultry meat meal
Peas, Sugar beet pulp,
Chicken oil
Whole linseed
Seaweed
Brewers yeast
Minerals, Vitamins

Protein content is 20%

Is this rather high in protein for a non-working 3-yr old lab? She is still 'detoxing' after being fed Bakers for a couple of months so is still rather boisterous.